EVIL~! alkeiper

It's because he makes the most money. And he should know that.

The NY Yankees have clinched the AL East with a Boston loss. Open mocking of any Yankees celebration may now commence.

Merkle's Boner. Gabby Hartnett's "Homer in the Gloamin'," that won the 1938 pennant.

I'm not speculating on who does steroids. I doubt that one year flukes are the direct result of steroids.

Minnesota has beaten Boston and the White Sox lead big over the Tigers. If that holds up, the Twins will pull to just a half game back of the division lead. The White Sox remain 4.5 back in the wild card chase.

The wild card is good in the short term but bad in the long term. I think it makes the postseason less exciting when there are more rounds, and weaker teams tend to creep in. The last time the team with the most wins in MLB won a World Championship was 1989. I think we've had some miserable World Series matchups the last few years, and the randomness of the playoffs has a lot to do with that.

Random Notes: -The Detroit Tigers won last night against the Chicago White Sox, giving them a six game advantage on the playoffs. The Tigers have struggled lately, but it looks like they'll make it to the postseason at the very least. -The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have lost eight straight, stealing last place in baseball from the Kansas City Royals. The Devil Rays are now 57-93 and in serious danger of losing 100 games for the third time in franchise history. For a team with so much young talent, this is not a good step. This is also why I disagree with some statiscians who say you should simply play the youngsters over veterans, on the theory that you're not going to win anyway. You need to make an effort to at least stay competitive from year to year. -Triple A baseball's farcecal playoffs come to an end tonight with a one game playoff between the IL and PCL champions. Notable players include Jeff Bajenaru (Sabr member and minor league closer), Mike Bacsik, Micah Owings, Donnie Sadler and Josh Phelps. The problem is that MLB rapes the AAA rosters every year on September 1st for roster expansion, leaving teams to cover the rest of the season and postseason with a mix of AAA and AA players. TEN of the Red Barons' best players were absent from our playoff roster. The effect is obvious. Far less fans attended the postseason games than did the regular season. -The effect of the wild card is that it is supposed to increase pennant races. With 13 days left, only one team not currently leading for a playoff slot (the Phillies) has better than a 20:1 shot at the playoffs, according to Baseball Prospectus. Now let's assume we switched back to a two division format. The Yankees would lead the Tigers by one game. Minnesota would lead Oakland by just two games. The Dodgers would lead the Padres by half a game, with no wild card to fall back on. Now call me crazy, but doesn't the second scenario seem to have a little more to offer the serious baseball fan? The only teams it would knock off the race are the Cards and Phillies.

Of course. Those were the first runs Hoffman allowed since July 27th.

Of course, if you also entered the three years prior to 2004, you would get the same numbers as 2001-03. And each of those years he was playing for an arbitration award, so you can't say there was not a monetary incentive. The "contract theory" is a myth.

ESPN2 is airing the "Bricktown Showdown" tomorrow, a one game playoff between the AAA champions. I'd prefer to call it an exhibition. In any case, it might be of interest to Tigers and Diamondback fans. Tucson starter Micah Owings compiled an amazing 16-2 record between AA and AAA this season.

It would be an odd season but I'm not sure if it would rank among the very greatest. It's certainly flown under the radar though. With 45 homers, 40 steals and 21 outfield assists, Soriano is soon to become a very rich man.

Great performance from Cole Hamels, and a hearty "fuck you" to my local Fox affiliate for showing the Yankees/Red Sox game instead. I'm tired of this bullshit. If you're going to air a Yankees game, then leave the Phillies the hell alone so Comcast can show the game. What the hell is the point of a "game of the week" when I can see the same team every day of the season?

And the Phillies escape with a scoreless ninth despite two crucial errors.

Good god the Phillies are doing their best to give away this game.

Jon Papelbon's done for the year, confirming Justin Verlander for AL Rookie of the Year. Oddly, win shares has Kenji Johjima ahead, though no one seems to mention him.

The games are important because the Yankees are competing for home field advantage.

All players are the property of their parent clubs. It's as if the Columbus Clippers picked up and moved to Scranton. Except that there's so much roster turnover in the minors that most of the players will be new anyway.

My local tv station just reported that the Yankees are moving their AAA club to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The PWI 500 is a kayfabed list for the most part. It makes the assumption that wrestling is a real sport and ranks wrestlers based on in-ring accomplishments.

I agree. Woody's toast if he leaves Petco Park.

Sorry it took me awhile. The record for errors is 24, set by the 1876 Boston Red Caps in a game against the St. Louis Brown Stockings. Of course, they weren't playing with gloves or well groomed infields then. The post-1900 record is 12, by both the 1901 Detroit Tigers and 1903 Chicago White Sox.

I'll be at fan appreciation day on the 24th, section 303. Postseason success these days is a crapshoot. The playoffs are an eight team, single elimination tournament. The odds are stacked against every team. The measure of a great team is uncommon success. Consider these points. -The Braves from 1995-99 were one of only two teams in MLB history to lead their league in wins for five consecutive seasons. -The Braves from 1997-99 are one of only five teams in MLB history to win 100 games or more for three consecutive seasons. If we didn't have divisions, it's possible the Braves would be every bit as impressive as the 1949-53 Yankees. After all, would they have won five World Series if they had to play two more rounds?

Rowand's an overrated player for two reasons. One, he had that great offensive season in 2004 where he hit .310, and fans sometimes expect to see that again. He's pretty much established himself as an average offensive player. Second, he's a hard-nosed player which is nice sometimes, but if Abreu's a losing player, what does that say for Rowand? Both the Phillies' hot streaks came with Rowand on the shelf. EDIT: Upon further review I think I'm off on the hot streaks. Still, what good is a "winning" player when the team doesn't win?

I think the Phillies should trade Rowand in the offseason. Victorino in my opinion is just a flat out better player. Rowand when a ball is hit deep in the outfield will run into a wall to make the catch. Victorino is standing there with his back to the wall waiting for the ball. His game has no holes in it. He can make contact, has reasonable discipline, has some pop, runs like hell, has great defensive instincts, and an absolute cannon for an arm (11 outfield assists, 4th in the NL).

How the hell does a .411 career OBP, .303 batting average, 190+ home runs and 241 stolen bases equate into lazyness and untapped potential?!