Bruiser Chong

I'm telling you, the Dodgers' pen is going to be shot by September at this rate. Thanks to extra frames, Gagne has gone three innings today, throwing about 40 pitches. I guess Tracy's figuring that with the game being as important as it is and there being an off day tomorrow, going with the closer for as long as possible is the way to go.

Do I dare keep tabs on the records of the Sox and Cubs with their newly-acquired talent?

The Cubs didn't practically give them the game back, Farnsworth did. Were it not for Ramirez' play at third that kept the ball from being a double and Remlinger's appearance, I think the Phillies would've tied it up or even taken the lead.

Was today the final straw for Bowa? With a slim one-run lead, he left Wolf in when it was clear he was out of gas, despite not being anywhere near the 100 pitch mark. The momentum of the game changed entirely during that seventh inning. I thought the Cubs were the only team who loaded up the bases with no one out and walked away empty handed. So with the Braves sweeping the Mets and the Phillies losing this series, is Bowa history?

What the hell is up with Sosa being able to complete most of these sliding or diving catches, but messes up on the more simple plays? And just to show you how impatient the Cubs' hitters have been today, Wolf has only thrown 46 pitches through five. Maddux, through six, has thrown more than 40 pitches than Wolf. Clearly him having to throw 20 more pitches than Wolf in the first helped that.

And Sosa's questionable defensive skills give the Phillies a 3-2 lead. Both starters have really settled down since the first two innings, though.

The crowd goes CRAZY for Nomar, who promptly grounds into a double play on the first pitch. So Maddux has a tough first inning and Wolf only throws three pitches. Ouch.

Baker has Patterson leading off. I wonder what his numbers against Wolf are. If they're nothing special, then I don't see the logic in that. By the way, the wind is blowing out, so the Cubs offense is probably going to have to be rocking if Maddux is to get 300 today.

Quiet, piss lover.

Todays Top 10 Posters Member Joined Total Member Posts Posts Today % of todays posts Bruiser Chong 25-July 02 2077 29 2.62% Good god, I think most of the time, I've had months where I didn't post that many times. What the trade deadline will do to people. Just thought I'd point out the first time I ever had the most daily posts around and now, I'll go hang my head in shame. // Yet another useless topic in the HD Folder

I know, I know. You know, speaking of last postseason; we always talk about Gonzo's error as costing us a trip to the World Series, yet no one seems to remember Mark Grudzielanuk's costly error in Game 1, that should've been a double play and kept the ninth inning open for the Marlins to take the lead. Had they been able to shut the Marlins down there, Sosa's homer in the ninth would've been the game-winner and the series probably would've been a clean sweep.

Yeah, but that was his mugshot for 2004 with an Expos cap digitally placed in there. I read an article over at MLB.com about Gonzalez bidde adeu to Chicago. I'll tell ya, while it's great to get a big upgrade and have Gonzo's bat out of the lineup, I can't help but feel sorry for the guy. He's going from a contender in one of the best baseball atmospheres in the game, to a last-place team in a dead-end situation where there's more empty seats than people in the stadium. Some of his quotes from the piece sounded like he was pretty much crushed by the move. Apparently he was originally informed he was heading to Boston, only to be told he'd been dealt once more. It's a shame his depature comes a day short of Greg Maddux going for 300. Sounds like he really wanted to be there but now, he said something along the lines of "I guess I'll just have to watch it on TV." Too bad his lasting memory of playing for the Cubs in Wrigley will be getting booed after striking out in his final at-bat for the team.

Good points, but at last check, the Dodgers were in first place of their division. I'm fully aware that look at the big picture and plan ahead, but this was a pretty big turnover at this point of the season for a first place team. And not for the better, IMO.

Man, I cannot believe how god-awful the Giants' bullpen is. I know the Cardinals are an amazingly talented offensive team and have made impossible comebacks all season long, but tonight is ridiculous. Down 8-0 in the first inning; their bullpen has kept the Giants off the scoreboard and slowly but surely, they've crept back into the game, a la the game against the Cubs a couple weeks back. It's 8-7 now in the top of the ninth, with the tying run at first with nobody out. This team would be so much fun to watch if they weren't in the NL Central. But I think it's clear if the Giants somehow get into the postseason, they're going down because of their abortion of a bullpen.

*nods* I liked Beltran during the brief period I actually got to watch him. He definitely has the potential to be a closer or a set-up guy as soon as he goes through the growing pains.

I don't know about that. By trading Penny, one of their top starters, and not getting another starter in return, going out and securing another starter was vital. Too bad Valdes was the best they could do. And Conine and Encarnacion have both already been cooler than they were last season. I think the Marlins made a smart move filling the void behind the plate and in the pen, but they sort of screwed up their rotation there; especially when you consider that Beckett isn't nearly what he was last year and that's when he's actually off the DL.

I know it's just one game, but the Dodgers are already feeling not having Mota. They were up 2-1 in the 8th and Dreifort gives up the lead relitively quickly. Not a good start for the new set-up man.

Doesn't help that the team he made his Mets debut against can seemingly do no wrong the last month or so. But I agree, I don't see where all the Benson love came from. Oliver Perez looks like he's got the brighter future, IMO.

All around, he's a very good player. He can hit for power, bunt, has speed and is solid defensively. Some argue that he couldn't handle the pressure that a bigger stage (Chicago) presented, but I think it's clear he wasn't ever really the same after that incident with Kerry Wood earlier in 2003.

Here's why I can see the Cards failing in the postseason. Their starting pitching has been good most of the time, but there's some big question marks here and the biggest has to be Matt Morris. He's way too inconsistent. One start, he'll look horrible and not make it into the third inning. The next, he'll throw a complete game. He's DONE after 2/3 of an inning, giving up EIGHT earned runs. All of the damage was done without Bonds, who was one of the two men Morris retired.

Al, I was just curious as to how you'll cover the trades in your next column. Obviously you'll go over if the trades helped or hurt the teams involved, but I think going over the teams that didn't make trades or didn't make the right trades, would be a fun read.

They got rid of the Wild Card?

I don't. I thought he was doing the team more bad than good, but he seemed like a good guy. Granted, people are paying to see their team win and nothing in sports is judged by how nice of a guy you are, but I still don't think booing your team is smart. I think the only exception is when a guy who's on another level just isn't getting the job done. Gonzo wasn't exactly playing below the level he always played at.

I don't think Wellemeyer went. This was the only place I heard Wellemeyer's name being dropped, too. The Cubs are dumb, but I don't think they'd give up two guys they had envisioned in the closer's role, in one day.

Personally, I think only the Twins came away from this deal poorly. The Cubs got a big boost, both offensively and defensively. The Red Sox got rid of a guy who simply wasn't happy there and was bringing down the club because of it. They also get a decent replacement at shortstop. The Expos get some talented prospects that will surely help them out a bit. The Twins, however, didn't do anything to improve their biggest weak spot: starting pitching. The Benson deal not going their way hurt, but being a part of this deal and not getting any starting pitching that can help right now doesn't seem like the wisest deal.