Spending the weekend visiting family in Chicago…  My son, Casey, is especially happy as he gets to spend four days with his cousin, Joey.  And, the two of them have generally harassed Joey’s sister, Kayla.  Part of the weekend included several hours at an amusement park where three of the riders went home sick to their stomachs (one was my wife, Jeanne).  50 consecutive minutes of Tilt-o-Whirl did the trick.

Randy Ruiz had a good day/bad day – the Yankee rookie had an RBI single one at bat, and a few innings later was hit in the face by a Josh Towers pitch.  Fortunately, he has a swollen cheek and lip, but otherwise was okay.  [ESPN]

Another batter hit in the head was Micah Owings, who was batting in the twelfth with the bases loaded when he was plunked in the earpiece by a Kenshin Kawakami fastball.  Owings was bleeding in the ear, apparently will be okay but cannot fly for a couple of days, and told his family who had visited that he was fine.  For his pain, it got Owings a win in relief as well as the game-winning RBI.  [SI]

Look for Yankee closer Mariano Rivera to return to the hill shortly, his groin feeling better.  [FoxSports]

Lets continue on that theme…  Other pitchers on the mend include White Sox acquisition Jake Peavy (still sore elbow but hopes to pitch in 2009), Mets starter John Maine (muscles in shoulder are “weak” but is structurally sound), and the rehabbing Daisuke Matsuzaka (visit A Salem for a rehab start).

Funny side item that didn’t get much publicity – Jerry Manuel mentioned that Gary Sheffield might be shut down for the season with pain in the lower back, but he didn’t say WHOSE lower back.  Is there any team left that would even take Sheffield, who proved that he can still hit?