The Man in Blak

Depending on who the Royals bring out of the pen, the Tigers may have a shot at getting within a touchdown by the ninth inning.

Actually, I'm not sure if you got it - let me clarify that a little bit: Having Sammy Sosa on your team gives you a better chance at a title - after all, they could be starting Tom Goodwin out there - but I think that his legacy as a Cub may have actually affected the Cubs' managerial philosophy in a way that will prove to be detrimental to the health and future of the ballclub.

Holy shit, they're actually going gold? What's next, a christmas release for Duke Nukem Forever?

Here's my mix for work today: Franz Ferdinand - "40 Ft." Animal Collective - "Leaf House" Repercussions of Angelic Behaviour - Track No. 2 (they're all untitled) Morrissey - "The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores"

If the White Sox lose Magglio Ordonez, I could see them making a run for Sosa, given Ken Williams apparent preference towards proven veteran talent (the man did trade for Roberto Alomar twice in two years, you know). And Staravenger, you do know that...oh, nevermind. I don't have the heart.

And that's the great irony: Sosa, who had previously carried the franchise on his back in the 90's, inadvertently created the pseudo-deadline that the Cubs absolutely had to make the postseason NOW if they wanted to have a chance to win it all. "By gawd, Sosa's only got a couple of years left, we've got to strike now!", cried the desperate fandom (and, apparently, upper management), deciding not to realize the possibilities that: A) Sosa wasn't going to hit 50 HRs a year for the rest of his career B) Their young pitching, if properly managed, could keep them in contention for the rest of the decade (Exhibit A: the Oakland Athletics) If they had just been patient, the Cubs could have had filet mignon for the next five years on that pitching staff alone, but the franchise was so hungry to dispel this ridiculous curse that they absolutely had to gorge on candy bar after candy bar as though they'd never be able to eat again, without thinking of future digestive consequences. ... Okay, that might be a troublesome analogy, but hopefully you get my point.

*feels burning rant about the Best Damn Sports Show slowly bubbling up in his throat* And with everything that happened last night, now the Houston Astros have the NL wild card, after everybody left them for dead, said they should trade Beltran, said they should trade Clements, and nearly asked them to close down the franchise for the rest of the year. I certainly hope that this keeps up, so that Dusty Baker gets canned for betting the house (and the careers of his young pitching staff) on reaching the playoffs the last two years.

Sad thing is the Cubs will probably be motivated by Reynold's comments. Right - tell me Moises Alou isn't drafting an angry letter to send to ESPN right now.

What, no Batman Forever for the SNES? What a shoddy list. I like the props to T&C Surf Designs, though, despite that the game wasn't really released in 1998. And yeah, everything bad that could have been said about Acclaim is a cliche a hundred times over, so I'll just say that somebody better pick up the developers for All-Star Baseball and make them play exhibition games on MVP Baseball until their eyes melt.

Look, 9-11 is one of the greatest tragedies in the history of our nation - does it really require mention here, especially when you could argue that 9-11 provided the groundwork for sports to help unify the entire country? Just like Thurman Munson is the standard for Yankee fans, I think Darryl Kile would top my list, with Roberto Clemente, Munson, J.R. Richard, and the Indians boat crash rounding out my "Top 5."

Woooooo, what happened to that there feller Octoberblood anyway?

God DAMMIT. That's going to hurt my fantasy team. Hopefully, Giles won't be out for long.

June 19 - LA: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K June 26 - NYM: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 4 K July 1 - BOS: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K July 7 - DET: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Outpitched Pedro? The kid went only 5.1 innings and coughed up 2 runs, while Pedro went 7 innings and gave up three. He may have been able to go step-for-step with him for half of a game, but he certainly didn't torch him. But hey, if you feel good about a rookie with a 7.23 ERA in four starts (none of which lasted six innings, mind you)...then all the power to you.

I'd consider Griffin over Taylor, as KC's run defense isn't going to turn around in a year and Taylor isn't guaranteed to get carries in the end zone.

There are two pitchers, with the following stats: 12 wins, 6.4 K/9, 3.72 ERA, 1.26 WHIP 10 wins, 5.7 K/9, 3.99 ERA, 1.25 WHIP Now, no cheating - which one's Kevin Brown and which one's Jeff Weaver?

The Red Sox. I think he meant "meaningless" in comparison to a natural disaster that actually, you know, kills people...but don't let that pesky common sense stand in your way.

Now, now - don't forget: Kevin Brown bashed his non-pitching hand into a wall, taking himself out of the season, leaving Halsey or *snicker* Loaiza as the replacement for the rest of the regular season.

A move which was universally mocked for years and years and years. Hell, I'm sure Boston fans still get a chuckle out of it occasionally. That's like defending Placido Polanco (or, even better, Bud Smith) by saying "Well, remember - he was traded for Scott Rolen!" Which is why they should be trying to hold onto their draft picks and trying to replenish the farm system, instead of coughing them up (along with extra salary) for a guy with past injury concerns who just came off of his peak year?

I think it's worth a shot. Not if they have to cough up more compensatory draft picks to sign him. The Cubs would probably cut Clement loose just to have the extra money to pursue Beltran, but I imagine that the Marlins would offer Pavano arbitration, with the new stadium and Pierre already sitting in CF.

Actually, David Cone had a majority of his work with the New York Mets up to the point where he came to the Yankees. He did have a proven track record in the AL, though, when he won 16 games with the Royals. Just saying. Pavano's been great this year, but I'm not sure the Yankees should rush out to get a guy with a 4.28 career ERA that's been anchored by 245 innings of 3.30 ERA ball in Pro Player Stadium. Clement would be a savvy pickup, though, as he looks like he's finally turned the corner.

This year goes to Ichiro I think, just because he's having a stupid year. The fact that he's got a .413 OBP and 31 steals and only 84 runs to show for it should be a fair indictment of how awful Seattle has been this year. In the context of an entire career, though, it's Randy Johnson by a country mile.

Hamstring injuries linger - just ask Donte Stallworth. You've got to take the under, not only because of the hamstring, but because Vick's style of play puts him in direct risk of getting the stuffing knocked out of him at any given time.

With Deion Sanders and Ray Lewis on the same team, I imagine the locker room atmosphere is going to be...interesting.

Eh, I don't need one of these things - I've already got all of the ROMs on my computer.