Cheech Tremendous

The sad part is that the Twins are probably the best team in the division but they were so poorly managed the first couple months that they probably did irreperable damage to their chances.

If the Mets are thinking of trading Milledge, they ought to call Billy Beane and see if he'll part with Barry Zito. This team really needs starting pitching. As currently constructed, they are exactly the type of team that can run through the season and then fall on their faces when the postseason starts. I'm not really sure what Abreu will bring to the team this year.

They haven't shown that they are for real already? They have the best record in baseball and the BP's Playoff Odds have them at a 91.7% chance of making the playoffs. I don't think Chicago has the pitching to knock them off this year, unless they make some sort of deal at the deadline. The main concern I'd have if I were the Tigers is that the pitching staff is a potential house of cards. The team is relying a lot on Verlander and Zumaya, who haven't pitched full big league seasons, as well as Rogers and Jones who could literally fall apart any moment. There are some OBP issues in the lineup, but it really hasn't hurt the offense much.

Rob Neyer just mentioned in his chat that the Cleveland Indians have traded Bob Wickman to the Atlanta Braves for a low-A ball catcher. Didn't bother looking it up, but it was supposedly in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Atlanta Journal Constitution. Probably an okay deal for both teams. The Indians, from what I have read, have a weak farm system and the Braves need all the bullpen help they can get.

As a man who often bounces between the two Steve Nash looks shown above, I'd say a solid 6-12 months at least. You are missing the point of what I said. I know why he didn't extend Butler, I'm just say he could have had a comparable center at a fraction of the cost had he not wasted the time and money in acquiring Eddy Curry and Jerome James in the first place.

Say it ain't so, Steve. Say it ain't so.

Or we could watch the tape of Backlash 2002, when both guys still meant something.

I've been to that park and it has a tremendous setting right on the water.

If Ballad of a Thin Man is off the boards, I cast my vote for Sad Eyed Lady of the Low Lands.

Yeah it will keep going in circles, so I'll just end it with one last post. I haven't watched a complete Raw or Smackdown since Summerslam 2004. I was annoyed at the product then and it got much worse over the next few months. I might catch a match here or there when nothing else is on, or tune in into an angle if I here it was good. But I don't fork over any money for PPVs or house shows any more and I won't invest two hours of my time into something I don't care about. I still read the Observer, I occasionally post over at WrestlingClassics, I listen to WO Live and I visit this site daily. I have a handle on the product and I know enough about it and the direction of the company to not only form opinions and comment on them, but decide whether or not I choose to view the programming. But maybe you would have known all this had you been here for more than two weeks.

Why? Why not? I still like wrestling and am interested in the future of the WWE, I just can't stand the product right now. I don't generally venture into any of the topics about certain characters or angles that would need viewing, but I will on those about behind the scenes news or booking decisions. I've been a fan for 20+ years, had a long-time subscription to the Observer and have been on this board since the Rantsylvania days. I am more than qualified to post here, so why do you care?

Reason #1120303 why Isiah Thomas is an idiot. Pay Jerome James and Eddy Curry $100 million for the rest of the decade when you could have a homegrown center at a tenth of the cost. Its not like they could justify paying another center that much money. He HAS to play Curry and James because its not like he can trade them. I was pointing out Isiah's piss poor management, in that he has two marginal centers under contract who make $10 million and $6 million, respectively and had to let go the one with arguably the brightest future for a modest $2 million a year.

Reason #1120303 why Isiah Thomas is an idiot. Pay Jerome James and Eddy Curry $100 million for the rest of the decade when you could have a homegrown center at a tenth of the cost.

I thought it was a cage match with spikes and barb wire across the top

I'm still okay with the trade, but it doesn't look as good now as it did when it happened, mainly because of Beckett's struggles and the amazing rookie season of Ramirez. But at the time Hanley Ramirez was really slipping down the organizational depth chart, and with Pedroia leapfrogging him and still projecting as a SS, it was time to move him while there was still value. Sanchez is the one that hurt to give up, but you have to trade value to get value. A couple of good starts in the NL does not make him the equal of Beckett. Plus the sunk cost of the deal (Mike Lowell) has played better than any of the major names, which has really solidified the offense and defense of this year's squad. I don't think the Red Sox are in first place this year without the deal, and I still think they will be the winners in the long run.

Sorry to dominate the board with more Sox news, but here are there the terms of the contract extension Josh Beckett signed with Red Sox. Good deal in light of what inferior pitchers like AJ Burnett and Pavano got on the open market. The total guaranteed value of Beckett's contract is $30 million. Here's how it breaks down: $2 million signing bonus $6 million salary for 2007 $9.5 million salary for 2008 $10.5 million salary for 2009 $12 million at club option for 2010. The option becomes automatic if Beckett makes 28 starts in 2009 or he has a total of 56 starts in 2008 and 2009.

Nevermind, I did actually watch that show. I mean actual WWE programming.

And in other good news, David Wells threw a side session this afternoon and could be ready to go for 10 or so starts down the stretch. He's exactly what the Sox need at this point, a league average innings eater for the No. 5 spot. Relaxes the overworked pen and keeps them from overspending for someone else's garbage at the trade deadline.

I haven't watched a WWE show since the summer of 2004 and I still post on this board all the time.

An article just appeared on espn.com reporting that the Seattle Sonics have been sold to an investment group out of Oklahoma City. Details are unclear regarding a potential move to OKC for the Sonics.

You can't call the Wily Mo trade a disaster now just because the pitching staff has fallen apart over the course of the year. Coming into this season the team had a surplus of starting pitching, but needed a 4th OFer, a platoon mate for Trot Nixon and a long-term solution for RF. They took the best deal out there. I don't want to second guess the deal now just because Pena has been hurt and Bronson Arroyo has had a little bit of success pitching in AAAA.

Let's look at a few facts here that everyone is overlooking in regards to "Rocky VI" - Rocky IV and V killed this franchise. Actually IV killed it, and then V pissed on the grave. No one cares about Rocky anymore. IV has gained some cult following because it's so over the top, but let's not pretend that people were clamoring for another movie -Sly Stallone is essentially a joke in Hollywood at this point, and is not a draw to any degree. He's resurrecting the Rocky and Rambo films because he has nothing left in him and he's trying to milk one more payday before his career is over -The general populace doesn't give a shit. This is getting a "meh" reaction. No one is thinking this on the level of Star Wars, like WP suggested. It's got trainwreck appeal. Rocky was a fun series of movies about a short Italian, workingman's here who whips a bunch of black boxer's asses and nothing more. And can we please refrain from using wrestling terminology outside of the wrestling folder. It's extremely dorky.

There was also something in one his newsletters years ago (or mabye it was WreslingClassics) about Vince being in attendance for one of the early Hogan-Flair matches that drew well and had insane heat. After the match, he turned to one of his associates and remarked that if people were so into this match, imagine how much money Hogan-Undertaker would make. Vince never saw Hogan-Flair as anything special. He has always had the mentality that his fans are WWF fans and nothing from WCW mattered unless he told them it mattered. It's just something we have to accept about the guy.

I wouldn't do that deal. It throws off the whole chemistry that the team has developed and it won't take them any further than they got last year (AI won't push you past Dallas, San Antonio or Phoenix). Livingston is still developing into something special as well, and you don't cut bait for a couple years of Iverson.

I think the American government released an alien to live among us with the sole purpose of annoying the general populace. It's codename, I believe, was Operation wildpegasus.