Bruiser Chong

Oh and hey, Neifi Perez was suspended another 80 games for failing another drug test.

I'm one of those guys who thinks you usually bring in your closer of a tied game in the ninth or extras, but Ryan Dempster's the exception to the rule. He's magnificent in save situations, but is guaranteed to at least be out of control when it's not. And usually, he'll blow the game.

Johnny Estrada and Ned Yost apparently almost threw down in the dugout during the Brewers' loss today. Not only do the Cubs fight amongst themselves, but they inspire other teams to follow suit.

Sean Marshall picked a bad day to have absolutely nothing.

Crazy. Look at that ninth inning. If this is three months ago, the roles are reversed and it's Scott Eyre blowing the game with a wild pitch. That Julio Franco thing didn't last very long, did it? Not that it'd make much sense to keep him on with Teixeira aboard.

Every time I have to sit through a match that has Lord Alfred Hayes commentating, I think back to the thread here after he passed where countless people were fondly remembering his work. If there was ever an example of death blurring perception, that was it. He's absolutely awful. He made the typically terrible Coliseum Video matches even worse with his commentary. He's the exception to the rule that British people sound smarter. The guy just stumbled over everything he said and NEVER added anything insightful. Yet, his presence is littered all over WWF TV from this era.

This PTW is already leaps and bounds better than the ones we've been getting, although I do miss the Monsoon/Heenan tandem. - I forgot just how ridiculous WWF was with the canned heat for SNME. I was thinking what a great reaction Snuka's comeback was getting and then I noticed that the entire crowd was seated and bored looking. After that, it was absurd how different the crowd and their "reactions" were. - I think Hulk means steroids when he's talking about "potion." - That Rougeaus match was surprisingly fun. It looked like a squash, which it wound up being, but what a fun squash. Rougeaus are one of those pairings I appreciate much more as an older viewer. - It's too bad Koko B. Ware was only four-feet-tall cuz dude rocked in the ring. Mark that as the first Mike Sharpe match I've ever enjoyed.

Here's a great video of the song I mentioned featuring BARNEY. Bless YouTube.

Crank dat Soulja Boy - Soulja Boy What.the.hell. I can see this song catching on fairly big because of an easy-to-remember hook coupled with a simple, but catchy marimba-based beat. Still doesn't do much for the argument that certain sectors of rap are among the most void of creativity in music.

Case in point, Matt Morris is heading back to the NL Central, this time, as a Pirate.

Disappointed the Cubs didn't make a move. Given the Brewers not making any real impact moves, I'm not sure if it hurts their chances for the pennant, but teams like the Red Sox and Braves got considerably better in the last 24 hours. I can't believe it only took Kyle Davies to get Dotel.

If what I'm hearing is accurate, the Rangers should be kicked out of the league.

I guess the Cubs are in the Gagne mix, too.

And I thought I had temper issues while watching baseball. What an idiot. And this coming from someone who briefly renounced God when Eric Karros flew out to end a ninth-inning rally during the late stages of the 2003 pennant race.

The trade deadline has always been overhyped, but it's gotten progressively less interesting the last couple of seasons. I'd say 2004 was the last real exciting deadline. The market's just been too thin the last couple of years to generate much interest. Aside from Teixeira, there's really nothing this year. No one wants to run the risk of getting burned, so there's premium on prospects, whether it's deserved or not. We've got GM's either not wanting to relinquish anything but low-to-mid-level prospects and other GM's asking for the farm in exchange for decent, but non-marquee players.

If it happens, it'll be amazing considering where this team was two months ago. I was ready to give up on the season, suggest they trade Zambrano, and even considered giving up on the team itself because of the embarrassment stemming from their play and the fight. Who knows if a crash is coming. If history is any indication, it is, but it's time to stop using the Cubs' losing legacy as a reason why they can't win now. Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Zambrano are the only two guys left from that 2003 team. They've undergone a major revamping of the roster and coaching staff. The only real constant is the team name. I say let this team fail before writing them off. If they are playoff-bound, I'd have to think Lou is a no-brainer for MOTY.

I'm glad Mahay was included. Phil Rogers said he was hearing Mahay and Gerald Laird for Felix Pie before the latest development of the Tex deal. Pie can still go either way, but that'd be selling way too low on a guy who they've been building up for the last three seasons.

The Teixeira to the Braves deal is all but done at this point.

To draw a recent comparison, the Cards remind me a lot of the 2004 Mets. They were, by most accounts, an average team at best. But they got hot during July, beat up on the Yankees and suddenly, the front office thought they were contenders. We all remember how that turned out. Scott Kazmir says hello.

As you'll see when I get the chance to post the next newsletter, there's a legit reason why Bruno/Ventura didn't happen.

BECAUSE JAY PAYTON IS COMING! Thanks, Carlos. You FINALLY help the Cubs. Unless Hendry ups the ante and offers up like Rich Hill or something.

I still have trouble buying the Cards as a legit contender. They beat up a team that has been struggling for a few weeks. I've learned never to count them out, but I still think they're a second-place team at best the way things are currently structured. Winning four of seven from the teams in front of them, though, could make them buyers instead of sellers this week.

Mad Men on AMC looks good, although I wasn't too enthralled with the pilot. Great look, solid acting, but the script was weak. Some of the dialogue was flimsy and certain plot directions felt forced or predictable. Hopefully they'll work the kinks out, because the premise of the series intrigues me and they've got the look down.

Carlos Zambrano just became the first pitcher in the bigs to notch 14 wins. Who would've thought that two months ago?

Don't look now, but it's 12-8 Padres in the FOURTH. That'd be incredible if the Astros erased an 11-run lead.