EVIL~! alkeiper

So ESPN News says it hit the ground it's a fact? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I wish I could see a better replay, but it is quite possible for the catcher to trap that ball on the ground.

So we have the ball hitting thr ground (perhaps), but on the other hand the issue of the umpire calling out Pierzynski on the strikeout, then reversing himself after Pierzynski ran to first. Just sloppy, sloppy umpiring.

The ESPN News recap stated the ball DID hit the ground.

Except that the umpire called him out and then changed his mind.

Well, it'll be fun to hear Mike Scioscia's postgame interview at least.

I'm not so sure that ball couldn't have hit the dirt.

On the plus side, we have a nine inning, one run performance from Mark Buehrle.

I get the feeling that the Cardinals are the only team left in the postseason with any offense at all.

Apparently the White Sox are making it their mission to lose as many runners on the basepaths as humanly possible.

The ALCS and NLCS dates were set well in advance. The divisional series ended late because of the rainout.

I would withhold my judgement on McCourt and DePodesta for now. The Dodgers have a plethera of young talent and I don't think any other team in the division has a better future.

Bengie Molina, Adam Kennedy, Garret Anderson, Darin Erstad, Jose Molina, Jarrod Washburn, John Lackey, Brendan Donnelly, Francisco Rodriguez, Chone Figgins, Scot Shields, and manager Mike Scioscia are holdovers from the 2002 club. Figgins counts because he played three playoff games. Tim Salmon is also a member of the 2005 Angels, but is on the DL.

It is.

Live AIM chat at TSMBaseball.

8pm tonight. I'll have more thoughts after the series when I'll know who wins.

He wouldn't be very difficult to get, but he isn't the kind of player you get for free. For the Phillies, his high strikeout rate might be an issue (80 Ks in 202 at bats).

I considered a third base platoon, but found no left-handed third basemen on the free agency market. Russell Branyan would be a good acquisition if he could be had from the Brewers, but I'm not sure if they are willing. It is difficult to find good third base talent at times because it is an in-between position of offense and defense.

I'm not. There's no way I could realistically afford a trip to Seattle right now. Since it is strictly statistical and based on age, just the fact that Dimaggio missed time at all will take him off the list.

Looking ahead, whoever is hired as the team's general manager can do little in the way of serious changes next year. Practically the entire team is under contract including many middle relievers and the team's utility infielder. Let me draw up the chart of the organization as we stand right now, including ONLY players not eligible for free agency... C- Mike Lieberthal, Carlos Ruiz 1B- Ryan Howard, Jim Thome 2B- Chase Utley, Tomas Perez SS- Jimmy Rollins 3B- David Bell LF- Pat Burrell CF- Jason Michaels, Shane Victorino, Endy Chavez RF- Bobby Abreu SP- Brett Myers, Jon Lieber, Randy Wolf, Cory Lidle, Vicente Padilla, Robinson Tejeda RP- Ryan Madson, Aaron Fultz, Rheal Cormier, Geoff Geary, Eude Brito, Aquilino Lopez, Pedro Liriano Other Organization Talent: Matt Kata (IF), Chris Roberson (OF), Gavin Floyd (SP), Cole Hamels (SP) I was tempted to place Jim Rushford above Endy Chavez, but I felt that might be pushing the issue and I am unsure if Rushford is a minor league free agent anyway. Roberson's a nice talent and all, but he's 25 and produced a 40/112 BB:K ratio in the Eastern League. So what are the pressing issues? A number one starter would be nice, but there is NOTHING on the market in that area. The only possibility is garnering a future number one starter, and the Phillies already have two in Myers and Hamels. I think the best shot is hoping for continued progress from Brett Myers, who improved a great deal this season. The bullpen needs another arm, probably a closer. Billy Wagner would be welcome back but if not the Phillies should give serious consideration to B.J. Ryan, who is four years younger and holds a superior strikeout rate. The offense looks relatively ok. I don't know what they'll do about Thome/Howard, and I can't comment without really knowing if the club can trade Thome or not. Just remember that for all the injuries and the .207 batting average, Thome still had a better OBP than Ryan Howard. The club should look at replacing David Bell, but he's better than he showed last year. Whatever the Phillies do, several players are untradeable. I would prefer to see the new GM hire a new field manager, both because Charlie Manuel is lacking and because it is usually not a good idea to handcuff new people with members of the old guard. I do know the new GM should immediately set about firing Dallas Green.

Also, two things to keep in mind about similarity scores. One, they are not adjusted for park and era. There's a difference between a player today and a player in the 1960s. I'm not singling out Miguel Cabrera here since Hank Aaron's early years were still a good hitters' era. It's just something to keep in the back of your mind. Second, there's an importance to the number listed after the player. The closer the number is to 1000, the better the comparison. Once the score falls below 900, the similarity is somewhat muddled. So while Alex Rodriguez is most similar to Ken Griffey Jr., there's still a closer match between Miguel Cabrera and his number ten comp (Cesar Cedeno) than between Rodriguez and Griffey.

It's not like Clement stunk with the Cubs. He posted above average ERAs every year there. Most times trading a A-ball pitching prospect doesn't come back to bite you. Sometimes it does.

The Ed Wade hate confuses me. Sure, he could've done a better job. But it's not like we lost 90 games a season here.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/ Baseball Reference has added the 2005 stats to their system. I love to check the Hall of Fame monitor and Similarity scores to see how each player rates after the season. Albert Pujols still rates most closely to Joe Dimaggio at his age. Bobby Abreu's best comp is now Bernie Williams. There's a ton of stuff.

Sure it does. Ballplayers are also inspired to hit home runs and cure crippled children by repeated chantings of "Day-O"

MLB.com confirms Wade's dismissal. Also, the Orioles have dispatched their general managers.