Dallas Braden is Now a Perfect DBag

First things first. I have to give major credit to Dallas Braden on his accomplishment on Sunday. Pitching a perfect game is the hardest thing to do in baseball. To do it against a formidable lineup such as that of the Tampa Bay Rays makes it an even greater accomplishment. Unfortunately, it was done before only 12,000 plus fans at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum. (Catfish Hunter's perfecto in 1968 was in front of almost half that amount.)

Now back to Braden. He really reminds me of Billy Martin. Especially due to his close relationship with his grandmother, who raised him when Braden's mother died of cancer at just 39 years of age. Needless to say, Mother's Day had not been a good day for Braden in prior years.

Like Martin, Braden grew up in Northern California and had a bit of an attitude. While Martin's Mom was said to be even tougher than him, Braden's grandma, Peggy Lindsey, has some spunk herself. After the perfect game she said, "Stick it, A-Rod". Apparently, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

The perfecto comes on the heels of more statements Braden made last week about the A-Rod incident, hinting that a fight might be in store. A-Rod, to his credit, took the high road and said he was done talking about it (he did give Braden credit on Sunday.).

So while Braden has now given a major boost to his resume, things should still be interesting when and if he faces the Yankees. He should just let the whole thing go, but after shooting his mouth off so much, I doubt he will. Which would be a mistake for him, the A's, and the Yankees. No good could from it, but plenty of bad could result in injuries, bad feelings, and a black eye to baseball.

Let it go Dallas. Enjoy your time in the sun. And, oh yeah, STFU.