Major League Baseball - Get ready for '08!

[mr_pikachu]

Spring training has officially begun, and with the regular season 25 days away there's still all sorts of speculation about how each team plans to succeed in the coming year. From little Steinbrenner's Yankees to the revitalized Blue Jays, from the crippled Cardinals to the arm-heavy Braves, and even from the looming charges for Clemens to the great Bonds debate, it's impossible to know what to expect this year. Heck, Wrigley Field is just as likely to be Cialis Park when all is said and done.

Who's got your support? Who's drawn your ire? And what teams and players will grab our attention throughout the year? Tell the world what you think, and stay tuned for the 139th season of Major League Baseball!

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE



AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Los Angeles Angels (100-62) vs. Boston Red Sox (95-67)
Boston wins 3-1
Game 1: Boston Red Sox 4, Los Angeles Angels 1
Game 2: Boston Red Sox 7, Los Angeles Angels 5
Game 3: Los Angeles Angels 5, Boston Red Sox 4 (12 innings)
Game 4: Los Angeles Angels 2, Boston Red Sox 3

Tampa Bay Rays (97-65) vs. Chicago White Sox (88-74)
Tampa Bay wins 3-1
Game 1: Chicago White Sox 4, Tampa Bay Rays 6
Game 2: Chicago White Sox 2, Tampa Bay Rays 6
Game 3: Tampa Bay Rays 3, Chicago White Sox 5
Game 4: Tampa Bay Rays 6, Chicago White Sox 2



NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Chicago Cubs (97-64) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (84-78)
Los Angeles wins 3-0
Game 1: Los Angeles Dodgers 7, Chicago Cubs 2
Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers 10, Chicago Cubs 3
Game 3: Chicago Cubs 1, Los Angeles Dodgers 3

Philadelphia Phillies (92-70) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (90-72)
Philadelphia wins 3-1
Game 1: Milwaukee Brewers 1, Philadelphia Phillies 3
Game 2: Milwaukee Brewers 2, Philadelphia Phillies 5
Game 3: Philadelphia Phillies 1, Milwaukee Brewers 4
Game 4: Philadelphia Phillies 6, Milwaukee Brewers 2





AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Tampa Bay Rays (97-65) vs. Boston Red Sox (95-67)
Tampa Bay wins 4-3
Game 1: Boston Red Sox 2, Tampa Bay Rays 0
Game 2: Boston Red Sox 8, Tampa Bay Rays 9 (11 innings)
Game 3: Tampa Bay Rays 9, Boston Red Sox 1
Game 4: Tampa Bay Rays 13, Boston Red Sox 4
Game 5: Tampa Bay Rays 7, Boston Red Sox 8
Game 6: Boston Red Sox 4, Tampa Bay Rays 2
Game 7: Boston Red Sox 1, Tampa Bay Rays 3



NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Philadelphia Phillies (92-70) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (84-78)
Philadelphia wins 4-1
Game 1: Los Angeles Dodgers 2, Philadelphia Phillies 3
Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Philadelphia Phillies 8
Game 3: Philadelphia Phillies 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 7
Game 4: Philadelphia Phillies 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 5
Game 5: Philadelphia Phillies 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 1





WORLD SERIES

Tampa Bay Rays (97-65) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (92-70)
Philadelphia wins 4-1
Game 1: Philadelphia Phillies 3, Tampa Bay Rays 2
Game 2: Philadelphia Phillies 2, Tampa Bay Rays 4
Game 3: Tampa Bay Rays 4, Philadelphia Phillies 5
Game 4: Tampa Bay Rays 2, Philadelphia Phillies 10
Game 5: Tampa Bay Rays 3, Philadelphia Phillies 4







FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS

AMERICAN LEAGUE                        
                                                                          
East Division      W   L    PCT    GB     HOME    ROAD      STREAK     MN    G
x-Tampa Bay       97  65   .599    --     57-24   40-41      Won 1     ++    0
y-Boston          95  67   .586     2     56-25   39-42      Won 1     XX    0
NY Yankees        89  73   .549     8     48-33   41-40     Lost 1     XX    0
Toronto           86  76   .531    11     47-34   39-42      Won 1     XX    0
Baltimore         68  93   .422   28½     37-43   31-50     Lost 1     XX    1
                                                                          
Central Division   W   L    PCT    GB     HOME    ROAD      STREAK     MN    G
x-Chicago Sox     88  74   .543    --     53-28   35-46      Won 2     ++    0
Minnesota         88  74   .543    --     53-28   35-46      Won 1     XX    0
Cleveland         81  81   .500     7     45-36   36-45     Lost 1     XX    0
Kansas City       75  87   .463    13     38-43   37-44     Lost 1     XX    0
Detroit           74  87   .460   13½     40-41   34-46     Lost 1     XX    1
                                                                          
West Division      W   L    PCT    GB     HOME    ROAD      STREAK     MN    G
z-LA Angels      100  62   .617    --     50-31   50-31      Won 1     ++    0
Texas             79  83   .488    21     40-41   39-42     Lost 1     XX    0
Oakland           75  86   .466   24½     43-38   32-48     Lost 5     XX    1
Seattle           61 101   .377    39     35-46   26-55      Won 3     XX    0
                                                                          
                                                                          
NATIONAL LEAGUE                              
                                                                          
East Division      W   L    PCT    GB     HOME    ROAD      STREAK     MN    G
x-Philadelphia    92  70   .568    --     48-33   44-37      Won 3     ++    0
NY Mets           89  73   .549     3     48-33   41-40     Lost 1     XX    0
Florida           84  77   .522    7½     45-36   39-41      Won 1     XX    1
Atlanta           72  90   .444    20     43-38   29-52     Lost 1     XX    0
Washington        59 102   .366   32½     34-46   25-56     Lost 4     XX    1
                                                                          
Central Division   W   L    PCT    GB     HOME    ROAD      STREAK     MN    G
z-Chicago Cubs    97  64   .602    --     55-26   42-38     Lost 1     ++    1
y-Milwaukee       90  72   .556    7½     49-32   41-40      Won 1     XX    0
Houston           86  75   .534    11     47-33   39-42      Won 1     XX    1
St. Louis         86  76   .531   11½     46-35   40-41      Won 6     XX    0
Cincinnati        74  88   .457   23½     43-38   31-50     Lost 5     XX    0
Pittsburgh        67  95   .414   30½     39-42   28-53      Won 1     XX    0
                                                                          
West Division      W   L    PCT    GB     HOME    ROAD      STREAK     MN    G
x-LA Dodgers      84  78   .519    --     48-33   36-45     Lost 1     ++    0
Arizona           82  80   .506     2     48-33   34-47      Won 3     XX    0
Colorado          74  88   .457    10     43-38   31-50     Lost 3     XX    0
San Francisco     72  90   .444    12     37-44   35-46      Won 1     XX    0
San Diego         63  99   .389    21     35-46   28-53     Lost 1     XX    0
                                                                          
                                                                          
                                                                          
                                                                          
AL Wild Card       W   L    PCT    GB     HOME    ROAD      STREAK     MN    G
y-Boston          95  67   .586    --     56-25   39-42      Won 1     ++    0
                                                                          
                                                                          
NL Wild Card       W   L    PCT    GB     HOME    ROAD      STREAK     MN    G
y-Milwaukee       90  72   .556    --     49-32   41-40      Won 1     ++    0




Legend
x-: Clinched division
y-: Clinched playoffs
z-: Clinched best league record
Team: Eliminated from division race
MN (Magic Number): 163 - Wins - (Losses of top competitor)
G: Games Remaining

[Pokemaster Ash]

Like hell they're gonna change the name of Wrigley Field. Knowing the people of this city, if anyone tries, their sorry butt is gonna be thrown out of town so damn fast... Also good riddance to Barry Bonds. I hope he gets thrown in jail for lying to congress and gets his records stripped away. As for Clemens, shame on him...

But on a lighter note, things seem to be clicking pretty well for the Cubs this year (you wouldn't exactly know it by their pre-season record thus far). I'm very hopeful for their chances this year. Hopefully the dreaded streak will not hit triple digits... x_x

[kainashi]

most excited i've been for baseball in a long while. tigers are stacked on offense now. i just hope the bullpen can hold its own.

[Drago]

I know y'all are sick of me doing this every MLB topic, but... what are the Jays odds this year?

[kainashi]

I know y'all are sick of me doing this every MLB topic, but... what are the Jays odds this year?

ZILCH.

[mr_pikachu]

Well, I know some people think the Jays will be the surprise team this year. They shored up their infield over the offseason, and with a balanced lineup across the board they stand a solid chance against most any team. Still, they'll have to knock either Boston or the Yanks from the playoffs, and that's never an easy task.

[mr_pikachu]

Billy Crystal to don Yankees pinstripes

This is an even worse gimmick than Michael Jordan's tenure in the MLB. And what's the point of doing it during spring training? Not like it's going to be a huge fundraiser...

[mr_pikachu]

A-Rod could pay Marlins' salaries, still have $6 million left

Yeah, that's right. A-Rod, who makes $28 million a year, earns over $6 million more than the annual salary of the entire Marlins squad.

Personally, I'd rather have a 33-man baseball team than a single player. But hey, whatever.

(Not that the Marlins are going to approach decency this year, but it's still a point to be made.)

[Jeff]

Go Os, 5-1!

Yeah, I know it isn't going to last, but I might as well enjoy it while I can.

Also for anyone who's interested, here's some pics of the Nationals' new stadium. It looks OK, but not as good as Camden Yards IMO. But maybe that's just the Baltimore native in me talking.

[Toxicity]

The Mets have been Rickroll'd

Also, I still wonder if the Tigers will actually get better this year.

[Pokemaster Ash]

....okay, I have NO comment on what the heck is going on with this Cubs/Pirates series. Back-to-back LONG extra inning games (5 hours and 12 innings Monday, 4½ hours and 15 innings tonight). At the very least, the Cubs came up victorious both games. Please let tomorrow's game be normal...

[mr_pikachu]

Any day the Yankees fall behind Tampa Bay is a good day.


EDIT: NY Yankees unearth buried Red Sox jersey from new stadium

Yankees-Red Sox at its finest. -_-

[mr_pikachu]

Should more baseball teams have cheerleaders?

I only have one thing to say about this... why didn't my peewee basketball team have cheerleaders?

[Toxicity]

Mets fan falls to death off escalator at Shea Stadium

Quite possibly caused by the content of my previous post.

[Pokemaster Ash]

It seems the Cubs are on the edge of history. Tonight they are getting all set for their 10,000th all-time victory, going all the way back to the start of the game. Only one other team has ever surpassed this mark, the New York/San Fransisco Giants, so obviously this is a HUGE achievement. Combine this with how well they've been playing lately, this could be a VERY good year for the Cubbies...

EDIT: And history is made! It was REALLY close, but the Cubs have historic victory #10,000 against the Colorado Rockies!

[mr_pikachu]

Wainwright throws 126 pitches in 4-3 victory

I'm fan of the old school, and especially a supporter of Nolan Ryan, so I love this. For all the bulking up and conditioning of modern players, many of them really have forgotten how to just go out there and go after it. Sorry closers, but few things are as impressive as a complete game.


EDIT: Cardinals’ Barton is a space case

If he keeps hitting .300+, I'll take as many space cases as they can fit on the roster.


EDIT2:

Kansas City 9, Texas 11
LA Dodgers 13, Florida 1
Pittsburgh 13, NY Mets 1
Milwaukee 5, Chicago Cubs 19

Gotta love that defense.

[mr_pikachu]

Clemens apologizes for 'mistakes', continues to deny steroid use

Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said Friday he will talk with his client about whether to proceed with the defamation suit against McNamee following a wave of unpleasant publicity.

"He's getting pummeled," Hardin said then. "I've never seen somebody get beat up like this. In some ways, I think we're on uncharted ground."

You know you're totally screwed when your own lawyer says (on the record!) that nobody's ever been battered like you. Clemens is being an idiot, and that's all there is to it. His whole career's going to become a sham if he doesn't stop now... unless, of course, it's already too late.

[mr_pikachu]

Anyone who watched Albert Pujols' rocket off Brad Lidge in the 2005 NLCS knows his ability to blow apart careers - Lidge just hasn't been the same since that towering, game-changing home run. But last night he hurt the Padres' #2 starter and #1 catcher in an entirely different way, sending both Chris Young and Josh Bard to the hospital in a single trip around the bases.

I pray for the quick recovery of Young and Bard after their gruesome accidents.

[mr_pikachu]

My Cards got ripped last night in an embarrassing 20-2 blowout against Philadelphia... I didn't check the box score, but I'm pretty sure backup infielder Aaron Miles was the only St. Louis pitcher who didn't give up runs (aside from relief pitcher Russ Springer, of course, who was ejected in the 8th for no reason). Let's hope today's game turns out a little better for the home team.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

That was very cool that CC Sabathia hit that home run yesterday. He really is a pretty good hitter, it is just a shame that he hardly gets any chances being an AL pitcher. If our manager had any sense he would let him hit when he pitches and even use him as a pinch hitter, he is probably better than anybody that we have.

It is going to be hard to see CC go if the Indians go ahead and trade him... Unfortunately I think he will be traded, because I don't see anyway that the Indians are going to turn around, too many injuries... plus the Indians have a horrible track record at keeping their own superstars when they reach free agency. It probably is in their best interest to see if there is a good trade out there for him so that they don't get nothing when he reaches FA and likely leaves. Still, it will be sad to see him go, he has given us a lot of good memories, and it has been fun watching him grow from a 20 year old to one of the best pitchers around. Really, even though I have watched the Indians since 1995, CC was probably the first superstar that I got to see "grow up" with the team. I guess if we can't have him then (don't kill me for saying this, mr_pika!!) I hope that he would go to the Cubs and help them lift their curse. I would be a Cubs fan if I wasn't an Indians fan!!

On a side note... can't one of these teams in the Central stand up and do something about the White Sox? As tough as it is to be struggling, it doesn't help to see them in 1st!! Seriously, if the Indians can't have the Central, I would be ok with Detroit or Minnesota (or the Royals XD) winning, but I hate those White Sox.

See, even though I watch the Indians, I also would make a good Cubs fan, because I hate the White Sox. ^_^

EDIT: Oh yay the Indians are officially in last place now. Tribe pride!! On a side note... it has definitely been strange seeing Omar Vizquel back in Cleveland again. He was definitely one of the best guys to ever play for the team, both from a performance and a personality standpoint. I think that when the Indians didn't pick up his option for 2005, he took a part of the city with him... nobody plays forever, but he was always a favorite, and I think everybody had hoped that he would retire here. Plus, he also marketed a very tasty salsa while he played here.

[mr_pikachu]

Christen, you should be ashamed of yourself. Cheering for the Cubs... disgraceful. They might be the only team that would actually make me root for the Yankees in the World Series, if it came to that.

Brandon Inge angles for a lucrative pillow endorsement

Now there's a star for you.

In other news, THE PUJOLS RETURNS! Now maybe the Cards will stop blowing games in the 9th....

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Christen, you should be ashamed of yourself. Cheering for the Cubs... disgraceful. They might be the only team that would actually make me root for the Yankees in the World Series, if it came to that.

Well, at least I hate one of the Chicago teams, that doesn't make me too terrible does it?

Yay Cleveland is now only tied for last place... it is getting to that time of the year where I am worried that everytime CC pitches it will be the last time for Cleveland. I keeping hearing that the Cubs and Angels were the most interested, but now the rumors seem to be pointing to the Brewers and Dodgers.

[MToolen]

Oh, darn... Izzy (the Cardinals' Jason Isringhausen) is probably headed to the DL. Whatever shall we do? [/sarcasm] Hopefully they can shake off being pwned by the Royals long enough to get Albert back into step.

[mr_pikachu]

Bah, Izzy. What did he pitch after returning, four innings? Until he gets his head together, I'd rather have Franklin or even Springer in the role. The good news is that we took a 5-1 win today, keeping Boggs undefeated and dodging a season series sweep - by the Royals.

I've been meaning to ask other Cardinal fans about this... what are your thoughts on Adam Kennedy? I wish he'd be sent back to AAA for awhile. He seems like the only obvious hole in the batting order, he's a horrid defensive 2nd baseman, and he has absolutely no skill at clutch hitting.

He and La Russa are infuriating right now. Take the 8th inning pinch hit two games ago. With a three-run deficit and two men on, why on earth would you yank Ankiel for some guy you just called up from Springfield? Pulling pitchers when they're doing well, not pulling guys when they're blowing leads... I'm pretty sure it was Lohse who Tony let walk three straight batters to concede a late tie earlier this week. He's brilliant and incredibly moronic in turns. Lately, it's been the latter.

[kainashi]

LET'S GO TIGERS

come back soon, miguel.

[Perfect Chaos]

I love how the NL East has the 1st and 4th place teams seperated by only 4 1/2 games.

I was sad that the Mets let Willie Randolph go. I don't think he was the the problem at all, more like the players are underperforming and I really think Omar Minaya and Jeff Wilpon are complete morons. Moises Alou has been a big bust the entire time he is here, and I'm kinda starting to believe all the people who say that Minaya is trying to build an All-Latin player team.

Oh well, I just pray we make it to the playoffs SOMEHOW this season (don't have much faith we will make it though). What a waste of a season...

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Meh, the Indians have a press conference scheduled for 12:30 PM to announce the trading of CC Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers. This one hurts a lot, but I guess it had to be done, there was practically no chance of him being re-signed by Cleveland, so it is best to get something in return for him. At least he is going to the NL, which is cool, because he is a good hitter too. The Indians really look to have a messy rotation next year... Carmona, Lee, Laffey, and then who knows until Westbrook comes back halfway through next season. Carmona and Laffey are good, but Lee is a mystery, he can have very long stretches of being excellent, and very long stretches of being horrible. I would be very surprised if he was this good next year.

[mr_pikachu]

The entire NL West is below the .500 mark. Hurrah!

On a side note, the top three teams in the NL Central would all be leading either of the other NL divisions. Right now, it's a three-team race for the top two divisional slots.

*really wishes the Brewers hadn't acquired Sabathia*

During one of the Cards-Cubs games, a FOX announcer made a good point about the Cubs. Yes, they're winning right now, but they could have a rough last few weeks, with 16 of their final 22 games on the road (including the last seven games against the Mets and Brewers).

Thus far, Chicago has been absolutely dominant at home with a record of 33-10; their away record of 20-26, however, leaves a lot to be desired. If the divsion or wild card race is still close in September, the Cubbies could be in serious danger.

[Pokemaster Ash]

Well I blame some of the Cubs' recent road woes as of late on the Interleague games, in which they got trashed by the surprisingly good Tampa Bay Rays (what the hell!?) and had a few players wind up on the DL or otherwise away from the team. I'm sure once everyone is back to full strength again and we get down to business, the Cubs will be powerful once again.

Besides, 19 of their remaining games are against either St. Louis or Milwaukee, and they usually put up a pretty good fight against those two teams no matter what. I'm not too worried about their chances, but they really do need to work on their road record a bit. I'm confident, though, that this might just be the year the way things have played out thus far.

[mr_pikachu]

Interleague? That's kind of a weak excuse. I mean, the Cards drew Boston in their East showdown and nearly swept them (I blame La Russa for the sole loss). As for the DL, we're missing our two best starters, Carpenter and Wainwright, and some of our other top players have spent a portion of the year warming the bench (Pujols, Molina... Pujols).

I will say that I wish our record against divisional rivals was better. 4-5 against Pittsburgh? Bleh. Sure, marks like 8-4 vs. Houston are nice, but being 15-15 against the rest of the division provides little comfort in a race against Chicago and Milwaukee. I'd like to see St. Louis push a little harder against those opponents so that they don't have to rely on their 5-1 standing against the Nats.

[Pokemaster Ash]

Well I wasn't blaming interleague per se, but the Cubs did have to deal with something in Toronto and Tampa Bay that I don't think anyone in the NL has: an astroturf field. Some of the smaller DL stints were due to players hurting themselves on that stuff (as I don't think there is any sort of cushioning underneath, so they might as well have been playing on cement), plus the ball bounced and rolled differently than on normal grass fields. Also who the hell expected Tampa Bay to be so good this year? Usually they're with the Kansas City Royals and stinking up the AL (much like the NL West in its entirety).

The Cubs did bounce back alright, however. They took two out of three from the Cardinals in the latest series, and it was pretty close to a sweep. They've almost got their stuff back (now if only the bullpen can stabilize a little).

[Too Cool Scyther]

I love how everyone seem to always over look my Angels. It's great.

[mr_pikachu]

Ugh, that was a frustrating All-Star Game. Part of me actually wishes it had gone a few innings further so that some catastrophe (like a forced forfeiture) would give Selig no choice but to fix the system.

(Adding more players won't be enough; the managers will just shift their strategies to use each one for even fewer innings. I support something along the lines of reserve players who only play in the event of an injury or extra innings.)

As it was, Lidge blew the game in the 15th inning despite a game-saving catch by Ludwick earlier in the frame. I was worried when they had to pull Webb... Lidge just hasn't been the same since Pujols rocked him, despite what certain commentators might claim.

The aptly-named Uggla is the goat. Three strikeouts, three errors, and a weak double play that ended an NL rally with runners on the corners. That's awful on a historic level... I can't remember a worse All-Star Game performance. Can you?

[mr_pikachu]

Since I don't want to talk about how the Cardinals' complete lack of relief pitching (or, more correctly, the exhaustion of what little they have) has put them on the verge of being swept in a four-game home series against Milwaukee, which consequently has pushed them three games back in the division and two in the wild card, and since I'd rather not think about how Tony La Russa's insistence on trying to get Isringhausen to 300 save with St. Louis despite the fact that he keeps blowing games is costing us our miraculous playoff run, I'll just comment on Placido Polanco's superstar batting technique:

[Pokemaster Ash]

What the hell!? .....I don't even want to know where that came from...

Anyway, the Cubs manage to just barely escape Arizona with a win (and what a win, with a Grand Slam by Reed Johnson) and they beat up on the Florida Marlins, breaking a rather unfortunate losing streak against them. Things seem to be piecing themselves back together again with most of the key players back on the team (and being back at Wrigley for the Marlins series helps). They REALLY need to pick up the road record, but for now if they can keep the Brewers and Cards at bay, things should be okay. Only about 60 games left, give or take.

Hopefully, should the Cubs make it back to the playoffs, they can avoid the Diamondbacks this time. Nothing against the team, but for some reason the Cubs have some serious bad luck in their park. In short, !%#& Chase Field...

[mr_pikachu]

*ignores four-game sweep of the Cards*

Time for an odd little aside. The Seattle Mariners are going to host two games later this year with a pair of "peanut-controlled" sections. (Story here.) The sections will be cleaned before the game, and nearby concession stands will be prohibited from selling peanuts. The idea is to allow people allergic to peanuts to watch the game without fear of a reaction.

I actually don't have a problem with this. In fact, I'll go beyond what the reporter said in his article and say that if stadiums want to do that every game, it's great. Anything to allow the most fans to enjoy the game. However, those stadiums should keep those sections the same every game so that fans like me who crave a soda and a bag of peanuts as their primary ballpark snacks can also get the optimum ballpark experience. Everybody wins, right?

Thoughts?

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Since I don't want to talk about how the Cardinals' complete lack of relief pitching (or, more correctly, the exhaustion of what little they have) has put them on the verge of being swept in a four-game home series against Milwaukee, which consequently has pushed them three games back in the division and two in the wild card, and since I'd rather not think about how Tony La Russa's insistence on trying to get Isringhausen to 300 save with St. Louis despite the fact that he keeps blowing games is costing us our miraculous playoff run, I'll just comment on Placido Polanco's superstar batting technique:

XD I have no idea what Polanco is doing in that picture, it was taken from a game against Cleveland, but I don't remember seeing that lol.

Yeah, it seems that CC Sabathia played a little part in Milwaukee sweeping St. Louis, I'm sorry about that... I think that he is going to do very well over in the National League, because most of the hitters haven't seen him, and so they will probably be patient against him. When teams beat him, it is usually by being aggressive against him, because he usually throws down the middle to get the first strike, but once he gets 2 strikes, he does an excellent job of finishing hitters off. I have heard that the Indians hope to be able to resign him after this year, that would be awesome, trading him for a bunch of prospects and then resigning him, but I doubt the Indians can pull it off. This front office is terrible at pulling off big signings, and they usually make moves that are completely opposite of what would be good for public relations!!

[MToolen]

First off, Anthony Reyes got traded for Minor Leaguers- ouch. Although, when your club's lost 5 in a row, desperation may start to kick in.

Well, I'm glad I stayed up for last night's Cardinal-Met 14 inning game. Nice payoff on the wait and a historic night for Skip Schumaker: he's first Cardinal to have a 6 hit game since Terry Moore in 1935.

Today's game was not exactly such a boost to self-esteem, though. I guess Cardinal Nation will have to once again just tough it out.

[mr_pikachu]

As if the Angels needed to get any stronger, they just made a deal for Mark Teixeira of the Braves to add a little more power to their lineup. Looks like Atlanta, who received first baseman Casey Kotchman and a minor league pitcher in the trade, might be throwing in the towel for this year.

In other news, an unnamed baseball player is accused of accosting a California taxi driver for "not knowing where the hell Los Angeles of Anaheim is." We'll have all the details on this story as it develops.

[mr_pikachu]

With a mere twelve and a half hours remaining before the deadline and Sabathia, Nady and Pudge already taken, what blockbuster deals can we expect as the clock winds down? Will Maddux push a contender to the top? Will Manny be Manny in another city? What about the likes of Ibanez, Bay, and Holliday?

Only one thing is certain: this will be an interesting twelve hours.