The winner of the Turkish Cup gets to play in the UEFA Cup 1st Round.   The cup final is a two-legged affair;  the 3rd round is grouped into a round-robin style.   
The 2008 Turkish Cup was won by the central Anatolian club Kayserispor.   They defeated Ankara-based Genclerbirgli on penalties, 11-10,  to win it.   [One note: In 1967,  Altay SK won the cup over Goztepe SK via a coin toss.

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It would be easy to get lost in the ceaseless fright parade of Randy Messengers and Bryan LaHairs and just write off all of the unsung late-season callups as worthless nobodies, but amongst all of the misplays and mediocrity, there was one guy who, in my mind, stood head and shoulders above the rest. One guy who really played as if he has a promising future in the big leagues.
You probably haven't heard too much about Luis Valbuena before. There's a reason for that. Prior to this season, he was just a generic small middle infielder with decent skills that he could never put together. As a 21 year old in AA, he only hit .239, and while he was still plenty young enough to get better, he wasn't beating down any doors or blowing scouts away. He was a project who - if everything went right - might sometime down the road be able to make himself a living as a backup. In short, he was worth keeping an eye on, but he wasn't anything special.
Then 2008 came along and Valbuena started to look like a hitter. From batting .304 in AA to batting .302 in AAA, Valbuena took his game to a new level and opened a lot of eyes as a 22 year old blossoming in the upper minors. He still didn't flash much at all in the way of power, but solid defense combined with a pretty good idea of the strike zone allowed him to fly up the organizational rankings and force the Mariners to give him a look in September. A look that, in the end, I think they're glad they were able to get.
Let's get one thing straight: Luis Valbuena is not a future star. He doesn't have the talent. But where a month ago I didn't give his name a second thought, having seen him play, I've come to rather like him. At the plate, he's intelligent. Compared to the rest of these losers, anyway. He has a pretty compact line drive stroke, but more than that, he doesn't swing at many bad pitches. While he only collected 49 at bats, his 22% swing rate on balls out of the zone was the best on the team, and his (small sample) approach was comparable to those of Mark Ellis and Jason Kubel. In other words, he's not a guy who's going to get himself out as often as a Yuniesky Betancourt or Jose Lopez. He knows he doesn't have the most punishing bat in the world, so he's compensated for that by developing a good eye and the ability to hit for a decent average. Those are valuable skills.
The thing that excited me most about Valbuena, though, was his defense. Don't bother looking at his defensive statistics; given the sample size, they won't tell you anything. Trust your eyes. If you watched Valbuena around second base this past month, you saw him make a lot of plays deep to his right, along with a couple that required him to come charging in towards the plate. I don't recall seeing him go to his left very often, but that's kind of out of his control. What's important is that, in his limited playing time,Valbuena was able to showcase both above-average range and above-average instincts with a pretty good arm. That's big. This team badly needs some better defense going forward, and now that I've seen Valbuena play his position, I'm pretty confident saying that he could play a solid second base in the Majors Leagues right now.
Maybe it's just because this team has driven my standards into the cold cold ground, but I love that. I love that Valbuena plays a mean infield while hitting enough to establish a career ceiling somewhere around, I dunno, .290/.350/.380. I don't know that he's ready for full-time action in the Majors quite yet, but I get the feeling like he's not too far away, and that's neat. We've had enough highly-touted prospects flame out over the years. It's nice when you see someone do just the opposite.
If he's able to sustain his offensive gains from last season (which, really, is the biggest and only concern), Valbuena stands to make things pretty interesting for this team going forward. As is, he's a second baseman who could force Jose Lopez either out the door or over to third as a replacement for Beltre. But I saw enough in his footwork to make me entertain the thought of moving him over to short. I don't know if the organization would consider it, and he's never played there before as a professional, but I personally think it would be worth a trial, because I think he has the ability. The rare ability to move up the defensive spectrum. He's not 2005 Yuni good, but few are. Even just being an average defensive shortstop would make him a good value for a handful of years.
I'm getting ahead of myself. It's unlikely that the Mariners would change Valbuena's position just as he's getting comfortable at the plate. And we also don't know how well his 2008 offensive improvements are going to carry over into 2009. What we do know, however, is that where a year ago Luis Valbuena wasn't considered much of a prospect, now he's starting to look like a possible part of the future, and that's exciting. Hopefully he's able to keep swinging a decent bat. Being able to add Valbuena's name to the infield mix would make things more complicated for the front office, but after suffering through the longest of summers, I think that's the sort of problem we deserve.

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At first, it looked like the Brewers getting into the playoffs would be a boon for the Cubs; getting to face the Dodgers, and hence avoiding both Johan Santana and Cole Hamels.  But there are good reasons to expect the Dodgers to be a lot more dangerous than their 87-78 record and anemic 4.32 runs scored per game would indicate.  And none of those reasons have anything to do with goats or black cats or fans catching balls.  Still, with home-field advantage and a healthier bullpen, the Cubs look like its their series to lose assuming they are healthy.
Of course, missing the aces of Philly and New York is probably a good thing, with Johan sporting a killer 1.71 ERA in 21 career innings against the Cubs, and Hamels a 2.61 ERA in 31 IP.  Yet, the three pitchers the Cubs are likely to see – Lowe, Kuroda, and Billingsley – arent going to be a picnic for them.  While theres more to a pitcher than just WHIP, keeping runners off base is obviously important for winning games, and these guys are 4th, 13th, and 24th respectively in the NL in WHIP this season (among ERA qualifiers).  The other aspect of run creation – slugging – paints an even better picture, as they are 7th, 8th, and 10th among qualifiers in slugging% allowed.  Kurodas the #3 starter, probably based on inferior “Cy Young” numbers (9-10, 3.73), but NL hitters know better.  A pitcher who holds batters to an anemic batting line of .253/.299/.359 is getting it done.  And he doesnt have a funky Hideo Nomo leg kick with allows baserunners to go to the races against him, either.  Base thieves have stolen only 7 bases against him in 183.1 IP, while getting caught twice and picked off two more times. 
Digging deeper into the Dodgers pitching presents even more potential problems for the Cubs.  As a team, the Cubs slug about the same against righties (.443 vsR to .442 vsL), but their batting average (.274 vs .288) and – most importantly – on-base percentage (.350 vs. .366) are both significantly lower.       Using Runs Created/Game, the Cubs are about 6% worse against righty starters (5.23 vs 5.57).  And the Dodgers righties are more lopsided that the norm.  Here are the splits for the Dodgers starters, along with league-average R/L splits for righty pitchers:
NL Average (vsR as RHP): .255/.318/.405, 4.24 RC/G
NL Average (vsL as RHP): .273/.348/.429, 5.03 RC/G
Derek Lowe (vsR, career): .241/.286/.346, 3.19 RC/G
Derek Lowe (vsL, career): .274/.337/.403, 4.58 RC/G
Chad Billingsley (vsR, career): .218/.294/.351, 3.23 RC/G
Chad Billingsley (vsL, career): .287/.381/.396, 5.18 RC/G
Hiroki Kuroda (vsR): .246/.292/.319, 3.03 RC/G
Hiroki Kuroda (vsL): .260/.306/.399, 4.04 RC/G
It is difficult to be precise with any methodology to predict how a “hard righty” pitcher will do against a given offense, but a “quick and dirty” approach can approximate it.  It can be seen that the Dodgers 3 starters are about 30% better against righty hitters than they are against lefty hitters, compared to NL average of 16%.  Since this “advantage” will apply to 7 of the 8 Cubs hitters, this “lopsidedness” of the L.A. Pitchers causes a decline of approximately 11% to the Cubs offense.  This is in addition to the basic fact that these pitchers are all better than average (ERA+ ratings – from baseball-reference.com – of 136, 119, and 141).  Pitchers who are that good can be expected to reduce scoring by typical hitters by 23%, so – with both depreciating factors added in – the Cubs league-leading offense goes down from 5.31 runs per game to a measly 3.63 runs/game.
And things get even worse for the Cubs.  In a September 29 article at The Hardball Times, Sal Baxamusa writes:
A Dodger lineup consisting of Rafael Furcal, Russell Martin, Manny Ramirez, Andre Ethier, James Loney, Matt Kemp, Casey Blake, Blake Dewitt, and some random pitcher will score something like 5.18 runs per game. That figure is the result of current Marcel projections for each those players, assuming an average-hitting pitcher for two plate appearances, and a league-average pinch-hitter for two more.
Now, Mr. Baxamusa makes a lot of assumptions to get here, the largest leap being that Furcal will come back and perform at the level a Marcel projection would indicate after missing most of the season.  But its a safe bet to assume that the team will hit a lot better than the anemic 4.32 runs/game they put up in the regular season (ahead of only the Nats, Giants, and Padres).  For people (such as this author) who still think, “pitchers park” when LA is mentioned, its been playing as a good hitters park in recent years, adding further fuel to the argument that the Dodgers didnt hit well in 2008. 
Looking into platoon splits doesnt change much, as the typical righty pitcher sees 53.4% righty batters, and the Dodgers have 4 of their 8 hitters who hit from the right side.  The big unknown is really how well the Cubs pitchers will be able to thwart the now-mighty Dodger offense.  Part of this is the wildly inconsistent Carlos Zambrano.  When hes “on”, hes almost unhittable (or completely unhittable, as on one occasion recently).  Dempster has been the most consistent Cubs starter, and can probably be considered as reliable as anyone to keep them in the games he starts, even against great starting pitching.  But Harden represents another form of risk from Zambrano, as its unclear how many innings hell be able to go, and even whether hell be able to pitch on any given day.  Fortunately for the Cubs, they have a great #4 starter in Ted Lilly, who should be able to step in to any short starts by either risky Cubs starter and do a fine job. 
Most analyses of how the Cubs pitching will do seem more in the purview of psychoanalysis than that of sports analysis.  Starting Harden on long rest, and only using him once in the first short series seems like a good strategy to keep him healthy.  Frankly, anyone who claims to be able to predict what Carlos Zambrano will do is probably deluding themselves.  His strikeouts are down this year, continuing a decline begun in 2007.  His arm slot has been off the past two years.  His ERA is 3.91, up from his career ERA of 3.48.  His xFIP (from The Hardball Times formula) is a bloated 4.68, indicating that even his 3.91 ERA is misleading.  Yet he pitched an absolute gem against the Astros on September 14.  Just assuming that Zambrano pitches the way hes pitched on average this year (a huge assumption, obviously), he could probably almost hold his own with Chad Billingsley in Game 2.  Given the starter matchups, the Cubs should have even pitching in Game 1, and a significant advantage in Game 3 at least as long as Harden remains in the game.
With Hong-Chih Kuo sidelined, both teams have serious lefty weaknesses in their pens.  If Saito isnt 100%, the Cubs should have a huge advantage in the pen.  Broxton has been good, but Marmol has been utterly ridiculous.  And Kerry Wood has quietly had a very fine season, holding opponents to a .288 on-base percentage. 
On defense, the Cubs probably have a slight advantage.  For the season, most defensive metrics show the Cubs to have a clear edge, but the dropoff from Furcal to Berroa or Nomar at shortstop can be very impactful to a teams defensive stats.  If Furcal is 100% on defense, the defensive units are probably a wash.

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Palin/Clinton
Personally I cant stay awake long enough anymore to watch Saturday Night Live. Besides, I couldnt even tell you the names of any of the current . Not like in my day, when you had Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Dan Akroyd and guest stars like Steve Martin. Awthose were the days! But alas, I digress
Anyway, I learned that Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton did the intro to last nights show and I just had to share it with you guys. Pretty funny
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/656281/
Young/Cutler/Leinert
I know its only the 2nd week of the 3rd NFL season for these guys and you probably thing its still too early to judge these guys, but Im going to do it anyway. However, before I start, I want to confess that Im a little biased. I live in the Nashville area and, as a result, got to watch Jay Cutler play at Vandy for 4 years. That being said, heres what I think
From the beginning I have thought that Jay Cutler would be a better NFL QB than either of the other two. Yes, I know, Leinert won the Heisman Trophy and a national championship his junior year at USC. He then led his team back to the BCS championship game his senior year where he lost to you know who, Vince Young and the mighty Texas Longhorns. (On a side note, that game was probably the best college football game I ever watched.) However Leinert never showed a very strong arm and his teams were so much better than almost every other team they played, he was only really tested 2-3 times a year. Not exactly great prep for the NFL, where everybodys a stud!
What can I say about VY? Great college player, incredible athletic skills and the QB of a national championship team at Texas. Unfortunately that has not translated into making him a standout NFL QB thus far. The little bit of success the Titans have enjoyed with VY at QB has come from his legs and their outstanding defense, not on the strength of his passing arm. In college Vince was just a better athlete than almost everyone else he played against and that was enough. Well, welcome to the NFL Vince. Youre not head and shoulders better than everyone else and it takes more than athletic ability to be a successful NFL QB. It takes heart, mental toughness and preparation. Unfortunately, to this point, VY has not shown much of any of these traits.
Which brings me to Cutler. Unlike Young and Leinert, Cutler played for an also ran team. He didnt have the luxury of playing with guys that were better than everyone else. Instead he had the privilege of playing for Vanderbilt and getting the fire knocked out of him in most games. Yet he persevered and continued to improve. Cutler came out of college with the better arm, a bigger heart and the mental toughness he would need to suceed at the NFL level. I just liked and admired the guy. I will never understand why the Titans didnt draft him!
Two games into the season, heres a comparison: Leinert has yet to play, beaten out of his starting position by a 37 year old; Young played a little over half of game 1 before getting hurt (then totally wigging out, but thats a whole nother blog), throwing for 110 yards with 1 TD and 2 interceptions; Cutler, in 2 games has thrown for 650 yards, 6 TDs and only 1 interception.
Which QB do you want for your home team? Which QB do you want for your fantasy team? As for me, Im going with Cutler! (Just an aside, I started him on my fantasy team today, over my man Romo, and he came through to score 73 points!)
Sunday Afternoon Naps
Somewhere I think theres a written law that says every man should be able to take a nap in front of his tv on Sunday afternoons. Could be on the sofa or in the recliner, but not in the bedroom. Going to the bedroom is just not the same. See, the best naps are not the ones you plan, but the ones you just sort of fall into. Getting up and going into the bedroom is too premeditated and thus just not as good.
The problem with the nap thing comes when your wife, or children, are wanting to watch the same tv youre trying to fall asleep in front of. They think that when you fall asleep they can sweep in, confiscate the remote and turn on something other than sports. Thats just wrong!! They just dont get that the quality of the nap depends on the tv remaining tuned to the game, match or race you were watching (I find baseball and golf to be the best to fall asleep to) when you dosed off. The shock of waking up to What Not To Wear, s Next Top Model  or Shear Genius just absolutely ruins any possibility of resuming your nap. By the time you get the remote back, youre wide awake and its just almost flat out impossible to go back to the nap zone.
What about it guys? Can you identify? I bet you can. Well, heres a tipNext Sunday, before you head into the nap zone, hide the remote.

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I know I'm going to sound like a curmudgeon, but is the baseball season ever going to end? They played 162 games...162!!!! And the season still isn't over yet. They have to play more games to determine wild card teams.

What the hell? Does the regular season mean anything in MLB?

Most of this has to do with my particular bias: Because your average regular season game doesn't mean shit, I don't start watching baseball until the playoffs when the games have meaning. Therefore, I'm ready for the division series to start.

But no, they have to play more games before we even know who is going to be in the playoffs. Talk about watering down league play.

I know there are reasons for all this: Long seasons mean more money for the league...wild card teams mean that more cities retain hope for the playoffs. I understand all of that. It just seems to be that, if you are going to play 162 games, that ought to decide the fate of the teams in the league, but it doesn't.

As a result, they have lost me at the turnstiles.

Again, I realize I am an angry old man relating to this, but I used to be a huge Pirates fan. I used to listen to Pirate games on the radio (both in Erie and on KDKA when I lived in Pittsburgh).

But now that my Pirates have been eliminated from playoff contention for the rest of my life, I don't have much to root for. Then, when I try to figure out what the hell is going on in September, so I can begin watching, I am met with an array of IF/THEN statements on ESPN about who might or might not end up in the playoffs.

Are you kidding? We've endured 162 games and you still don't have it settled? Holy sheep shit.

Ya know, once upon a time, the regular season meant something because your team had to finish FIRST in order to win the division. It's not like that any more, so why play all those games. Why not have all the teams make the playoffs and play Round Robin? They've probably discussed that idea already.

What say you, Great Defender of the National Pastime.

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This spring I picked up my greatest through-the-mail success: Umpire Dale Ford. Dale was the umpire behind the plate during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

Currently, Dale Ford is out of baseball and is a member of the Tennessee State Legislature. I contacted his assistant who gave my information to Dale. A few days later I had a voice mail from Dale Ford! We talked on the phone for a few minutes and he told me how great it was to umpire and to be a small part in that historic play. It was really a great experience talking to him.

Dale Ford has a long history in baseball including historic clashes against Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, and Earl Weaver.

This project I'm working on is a 16"x20" photo of the Mookie Wilson ground ball through Bill Buckner's legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. So far I have Dale Ford, Bob Stanley and Bill Robinson's autograph on it (not seen on this image). I saw Stanley and Robinson at an MAB show last year. Bob Stanley was very cool about signing it and just laughed when he saw the picture. I was lucky to get Bill Robinson's autograph, sadly he passed away a few months later.

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Walkoff Walk. The Red Sox have won an average of 93.1 games over the past 7 years. In the seven years prior to that, they won an average of 86 games. All that is to say, what was once a decent team has upped their year in and year out performance to a much higher level, and while the playoffs aren't expected every year, it sure is tougher to take when they don't get there. But this year was a relative cruise toward October. Since Boston had been making the postseason with some frequency without winning their division for a dozen or so years, it's hard to summon any righteous indignation about not winning the division, and "if we don't win it, I hope the Rays do" has become a phrase just as overused here as anywhere else in the United States of Baseball. But if you're under the impression that I'm not freaking out about the playoffs, you're sorely mistaken and the only reason I haven't pissed my jeans is because the Brewers thought of it first and I'm no copycat. A couple weeks back I was high high high on this team's chances to repeat. I felt like Ortiz was coming around at the right time, Bay was filling in respectably for Manny and the entire right side of the infield was getting MVP consideration. Since then injuries, and the soft underbelly they revealed, have me seriously questioning their ability to go the distance. Josh Beckett's oblique strain is an injury that is rarely seen in public without the word "nagging." That leaves the rotation, after Jon Lester, pretty light. At first glance Matsuzaka's numbers are great, but once you look more closely at his WHIP, and more importantly, watch him pitch every game hanging off a ledge by his fingernails, he does little to inspire confidence. Tim Wakefield is impossible to predict and Paul Byrd gets hit harder than one of John Bonham's floor toms. Injuries in the lineup to JD Drew and Mike Lowell have allowed weaknesses to appear form other places. Jed Lowrie has redefined the rookie wall and Mark Kotsay may still be the gosh darned nicest guy in the game but hasn't been hitting anything. In a situation where even a playing Mike Lowell may be limited to DH, there is a huge burden on many guys that may not be a-list players. The bullpen has been marginally better down the stretch, and this team still won 95 games. I like their chances against the Angels because, well, the Angels are overrated. But after that. Color me a pessimist. I'm not sure what color that would be, but when you figure it out feel free to color me in it. Paint, crayon whatever. Why do I sound so terminally negative? Things haven't chaged all that much for a lifelong Sox fan. It takes more than 7 years.

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I've been involved with youth baseball for a number of years. I've coached kids 5 year olds and up. I originally got involved to coach my kids as well as pass along whatever baseball knowledge I picked up during the years. I found that helping kids learn the game is very rewarding. The downside is dealing with issues brought on by adults. But the kids make up for all of that. I have two son's who play ball and have enjoyed the hours spent on and off the diamond with them. One of the things I love about baseball is how it can keep Dad's close to their son's. I realized the truth in this when my oldest son and I watched "Field of Dreams" together and both cried when Ray uttered those famous words.. "hey Dad wanna have a catch".

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inning on Monday. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Ramirez slammed Glover’s offering.
 
Literally.
 
Celebrating his game changing swat in the middle of his swing, Ramirez lifted the White Sox and the nearly full U.S. Cellular Field crowd into another must-win situation. Chicago went on to beat Detroit 8-2, which set up a Tuesday elimination game against Minnesota for the American League Central crown.
 
After they shake out the Central on Tuesday, the fun begins in earnest on Wednesday. Complete with amateur predictions, here’s a quick look at the all of the division series.
 
Regardless of who wins the A.L. Central, the Tampa Bay Rays look like Jake Elwood from “The Blues Brothers.” They’re on a mission from God…or at least Don Zimmer. You can already hear the Tim Kurkjian essay on the impossible dream of perennial loser morphing into one of baseball’s best stories in the last decade. The Rays are winners – at least in 2008. Using a lineup that plays baseball like the Anaheim Angels in the early part of the decade, Tampa relies on a different hero every night. So far, so good. Tampa should take the opening round series in four games.
 
The other series in the American League will knock one of the favorites out in the first round. The defending World Champion Red Sox from Boston will start on the road in Los Angeles. Without postseason ace Josh Beckett in his best form, Boston will need to rely on its offensive fireworks if they want to get past L.A. The Angels have the advantage in the series with defense and pitching – especially with Francisco Rodriguez in the bullpen. Expect the Angels to win a tight series in five games.
 
The most intriguing opening round series in the playoffs starts on Wednesday night in Chicago. The other team from L.A. visits Wrigley Field to take on the Cubs. Picking up Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake near the trade deadline, the Dodgers finally found a consistent offense in the nick of time. Combining an interesting collection of “oldies but goodies,” don’t be surprised if the Dodgers squeak past the Cubs in the NLDS. Then again, don’t be shocked if the Dodger bullpen (especially in middle relief) can’t hold a lead. Chicago’s pitching looks better on paper and I’ll go with the Cubs in five games.
 
In the most unpredictable LDS, Milwaukee takes on Philadelphia. Few expect the winner of this opening round series to last past the NLCS. Look for Milwaukee’s power to outslug the questionable Phillies offense. Philadelphia needs to step up in the postseason. This team lost three consecutive games last year in the NLDS to Colorado and must forget about that debacle if they want to beat the Brewers and advance into the NLCS. Ill take Milwaukee in four.
 
The playoffs start on Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia. Expect to see sacrifice bunts, multiple pitching changes and other moments that take your breath away.
 
After all, it is October.
 
Finally.

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Rich Hofmann of the Philly Daily News:

Piniella Hands One To The Mets
My night began with a post about how Cubs manager Lou Piniella was resting three of his biggest bats -- Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano -- in a game with huge implications for the Mets, Phillies and Brewers. And how it kind of mocked the notion of the integrity of the pennant race that everyone in baseball loves to talk about.

Then they played the game and it got worse.

The big bats stayed on the bench, right to the end. Daryle Ward was the pinch-hitter Piniella called on in the top of the ninth inning with two runners on base and two outs in a tie game. Yes, Daryle Ward.

And the bullpen? Bob Howry blew the save in the eighth inning. Kevin Hart lost the game in the ninth inning. Carlos Marmol? Kerry Wood? Nope and nope. They stayed dry as the Mets scored one in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the ninth to come from behind and win, 7-6.

Yes, it was wet at Shea Stadium. Yes, you are entitled to give some people some rest after you have clinched your own business. But propriety suggests that you rest one or two guys at a time and no more. Common decency suggests you don't take the field with the Iowa Cubs and then do nothing as the game slips away in the late innings.

But that is what Piniella did. And because of that, the Phillies' lead over the Mets is one game with three to play.

Really, Rich? It's Lou's fault? Let's look at some facts:

1. The Cubs arrived in New York for a four-game series with the division title already locked up. After winning a game, they locked up home field advantage. Yet, they won two of four. On the road.

2. The Cubs are 4-2 against the Mets this year. The Phillies are 7-11 against the Mets this year.

3. The Phillies were up 2.5 in the East, but lost two of three to the Atlanta Braves. At home. The same Braves team that entered the series with a 26-49 road record.

4. A Phillies magic number that was 6 to start the week is just 3 today. Why? Because the Cubs beat the Mets twice, while the Phillies could manage just one win against the lowly Braves.

Yep. It seems like this is all Lou's fault.

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Rich Hofmann of the Philly Daily News:

Piniella Hands One To The Mets
My night began with a post about how Cubs manager Lou Piniella was resting three of his biggest bats -- Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano -- in a game with huge implications for the Mets, Phillies and Brewers. And how it kind of mocked the notion of the integrity of the pennant race that everyone in baseball loves to talk about.

Then they played the game and it got worse.

The big bats stayed on the bench, right to the end. Daryle Ward was the pinch-hitter Piniella called on in the top of the ninth inning with two runners on base and two outs in a tie game. Yes, Daryle Ward.

And the bullpen? Bob Howry blew the save in the eighth inning. Kevin Hart lost the game in the ninth inning. Carlos Marmol? Kerry Wood? Nope and nope. They stayed dry as the Mets scored one in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the ninth to come from behind and win, 7-6.

Yes, it was wet at Shea Stadium. Yes, you are entitled to give some people some rest after you have clinched your own business. But propriety suggests that you rest one or two guys at a time and no more. Common decency suggests you don't take the field with the Iowa Cubs and then do nothing as the game slips away in the late innings.

But that is what Piniella did. And because of that, the Phillies' lead over the Mets is one game with three to play.

Really, Rich? It's Lou's fault? Let's look at some facts:

1. The Cubs arrived in New York for a four-game series with the division title already locked up. After winning a game, they locked up home field advantage. Yet, they won two of four. On the road.

2. The Cubs are 4-2 against the Mets this year. The Phillies are 7-11 against the Mets this year.

3. The Phillies were up 2.5 in the East, but lost two of three to the Atlanta Braves. At home. The same Braves team that entered the series with a 26-49 road record.

4. A Phillies magic number that was 6 to start the week is just 3 today. Why? Because the Cubs beat the Mets twice, while the Phillies could manage just one win against the lowly Braves.

Yep. It seems like this is all Lou's fault.

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For some reason, every single collector has to have terms they use to describe everything. There is no wavering, its all the same term, no variety allowed. I dont understand why you cant just say "Wow, what a card!" when you get a nice card, instead of "YESSSSSSS MOJO!" It makes you sound half your age and half your smarts. But, I have commented at length about MOJO because it seems like it has wrapped its slimy oozing tenticle around every douche's brain in this hobby.

What about the word "SICK" to describe the prowess of the card? Obviously its just as bad, as every dimwit in every card store uses it like it was their first word as a child. Why cant we just say, "Fuck me, that card is awesome!" instead of "Get some life support, that card is SIIIICK!" I want to shoot myself in the face with buckshot for maximum pain.

Why is every relic and auto card called a "HIT"? The term is a little more practical than the mind raping nature of the above two, as most cards like that are a hit in a pattern of packs. But still, that is pretty dumb that we cant come up with better names with more descriptive variety.

How about the word "PULL"? This one is actually relevant to any chance ridden hobby. I have seen it in Miniature games that have random boosters, I have even seen it used for lottery tickets. Yes you are hearing that right. Its almost like we take a burning hot emblazened prod and burn these things into our brain, so that the neural pathway always leads to that term when encountering something of that nature. Its fucking ridiculous, and it makes collectors seem VERY ignorant and simple.

Basically, I hate people who cant think for themselves, and the collecting base is so full of these people that I think its reached critical mass. Lets hope the hobby doesnt run to a toilet and crap out the normal people, which always seems to happen.

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I call this a classic Browns cap because it dates not from the present franchise but from the last years of the old Browns, the team that the sinsister Art Modell carted off to Baltimore to become the dead-to-me Ravens.
The original Browns started in the All American Football Conference that was folded into the NFL in the early 1950s. My early childhood centered on baseball, and football didnt enter my consciousness until early grade school. In fact, my earliest pro football memory is of the day of the 1964 championship game in which the Browns defeated the Baltimore Colts (another team that would ultimately and appallingly be wrenched from the hearts of its fans). The game was blacked out on television in Cleveland, so my dad sent me to the attic to move our antenna around so we could catch the game on a Toledo station.
The demise of the old Browns roughly coincided with my move to California, where Ive since attached my primary allegiance to the San Francisco 49ers and, given a few beers and the right opponent, the Oakland Raiders. I have not bonded with the new Browns, but should they advance to the playoffs, Ill be pulling for them hard. And yeah, I want them to crush the Dallas Cowboys today.
In the meantime, I reserve my Browns cap mainly for the winter months, always hoping for the delightful contrast of white snowflakes settling on its rich brown bill.

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There has been a lot of talk about who are the promising rookies, but there hasnt been a whole lot said about who has fallen apart this season.  There were several guys who need to do something . . . anything in 2009 in order to save their careers. I figured I would break it down as a countdown.
10.  Jason Varitek - C - Boston - 0.222/13/22 is not going to get it done as the captain and starting catcher for the Red Sox.  His numbers have been going down steadily over the past 2 years and Im thinking this might be the end of the line for him in 2009 at the age of 36.
9. Barry Zito - P - San Francisco - 10-16/5.82/1.62 at only 30 years old, its hard to believe he is done, but trends dont lie and this is the 3rd consecutive down year for the once mighty lefty.  Since he is a lefty, as long as his arm stay attached, he should continue to start for the next 5-6 years, but his best days are over and dont expect more than 10-11 wins for him anytime soon.
8. Corey Patterson - OF - Reds - 0.206/9/33/13 he was once a very promising rookie, but now at the age of 29 and on his third (soon to be fourth team) the trends are starting to catch up to him.  This is his second consecutive down year and I think the writing is on the wall, he might not be in the league at 31.
7. Nate Robertson - P - Tigers - 7-11/6.35/1.66 hitters are hitting him with all star caliber numbers.  His average against hitters was a whopping 0.315.  Last year it was 0.285.  The truth is, this is his 3rd straight sub par year and at 31 it doesnt look like its going to get better.  Expect a trade next year or a release.  Maybe try to resurrect his career elsewhere.  Im guessing next year will be his last in the bigs.
6. Kahlil Green - SS - Padres - 0.213/10/35/5 hes 29 now and hes not getting better.  Its true that he was injured since July 31st, but lets face it, this is another horrible season, and the Padres have better options at short.  Last years 0.254/27/97 may be his career highs and its doubtful they are going to get any higher than that.
5. Livan Hernandez - P - Rockies - 13-11/6.04/1.65 at 35, his best years are gone, he may still be able to win games, but that ERA and WHIP is awful.  Ill give him 2 more years, but that might be it.
4. Jeff Mathis - C- Angels - There was hope for him after a 0.211/4/23 season last year, but what ever hope he had was lost after this abysmal 0.189/9/42 season.  He is just nothing more than a backup in this league, and since he isnt the best defensive catcher, he might not even be worth that right now.
3. Jack Hannahan - 3B - As - 0.218/9/47 After three seasons as a reserve, he got pressed into starting action, playing most of the season and almost 500 at bats.  He is not a starter, he may not even be a backup in this league.  I dont believe he brings much to the table and by this time next year, he wont be an As player and he might be in AAA.
2. Dontrelle Willis - P - Detroit - 0-2/10.61/2.46 - Its looks like hes done.  He spent almost the entire season injured and he looked awful when he wasnt injured.   This is his third bad year in a row and he will most likely be released this season.  Look for him somewhere in 2009, but if he falters again, he might be done.
1. Andruw Jones - OF - Dodgers - 0.158/3/14 - and I though 0.222/26/94 was bad.  What the heck happened to him?  Im thinking he just has given up, but he still has a multi year contract so at least hes here until that ends.  After that he may never play again.  What happens when he shows up to camp at 300lbs next season?
Tomorrow I will look at 10 on their way up.  I know Ive missed a few on here, tell me some of the guys you think are on their way out of town / baseball.

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For some reason, every single collector has to have terms they use to describe everything. There is no wavering, its all the same term, no variety allowed. I dont understand why you cant just say "Wow, what a card!" when you get a nice card, instead of "YESSSSSSS MOJO!" It makes you sound half your age and half your smarts. But, I have commented at length about MOJO because it seems like it has wrapped its slimy oozing tenticle around every douche's brain in this hobby.

What about the word "SICK" to describe the prowess of the card? Obviously its just as bad, as every dimwit in every card store uses it like it was their first word as a child. Why cant we just say, "Fuck me, that card is awesome!" instead of "Get some life support, that card is SIIIICK!" I want to shoot myself in the face with buckshot for maximum pain.

Why is every relic and auto card called a "HIT"? The term is a little more practical than the mind raping nature of the above two, as most cards like that are a hit in a pattern of packs. But still, that is pretty dumb that we cant come up with better names with more descriptive variety.

How about the word "PULL"? This one is actually relevant to any chance ridden hobby. I have seen it in Miniature games that have random boosters, I have even seen it used for lottery tickets. Yes you are hearing that right. Its almost like we take a burning hot emblazened prod and burn these things into our brain, so that the neural pathway always leads to that term when encountering something of that nature. Its fucking ridiculous, and it makes collectors seem VERY ignorant and simple.

Basically, I hate people who cant think for themselves, and the collecting base is so full of these people that I think its reached critical mass. Lets hope the hobby doesnt run to a toilet and crap out the normal people, which always seems to happen.

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So I guess Fred Wilpon must have called Omar Minaya into his office.

OMAR: You wanted to see me boss?

FRED: Yes, Omar. Thanks for coming in. Close the door.

(Omar gets up to close the door, then pauses. Sensing something ominous, he looks back.)

OMAR: I’d rather not.

FRED: It’s best for both of us if you do.

(Omar stands still… not moving.)

FRED: ZEILE!

(Former Mets thirdbaseman Todd Zeile walks in. He glares at Omar and then shuts the door.)

OMAR: Was that Todd Zeile? What the f ?

FRED: I keep him around. He needs a job and sometimes, I need some muscle.

(Omar sits down.)

FRED: Let’s review some stuff, OK?

OMAR: Fine.

FRED: This is your 4th season as GM.

OMAR: That’s right.

FRED: And you’ve done some good things… like trade Kris Benson for John Maine.

OMAR: And bringing in Pedro and Beltran! Don’t forget that!

FRED: Um… they came here because I opened up my wallet. And any yahoo calling Mike and the Mad Dog knew that bringing in Pedro and Beltran was a smart move.

OMAR: I traded for Johan Santana! Don’t forget that.

FRED: OK, so besides the Benson trade, your great accomplishment was seeing that Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana might kind of sort of help the squad.

OMAR: I’m a visionary.

FRED: Right. Have you noticed that our team is doing a swan dive for the second September in a row?

OMAR: We’re right in it!

FRED: And last year we all blamed Willie. Well Willie is gone, he’s sliding into second base to great cheers at Yankee Stadium. And we’re saying “Johan Santana and then pray for Hurricane Ike!”

OMAR: I got Johan! He’s MY pick up.

FRED: Meanwhile you traded away Heath Bell and Matt Lindstrom, who we could use in our bullpen. Brian Bannister who we could use in our rotation.

OMAR: Hey, young kids are always a risk.

FRED: Omar, do you see the team is breaking down again?

OMAR: Fluke injuries.

FRED: Isn’t part of your job making sure that the bench is stocked with players who could fill in in case of injuries?

OMAR: I’ve been doing it.

FRED: Robinson Cancel? Andy Phillips? Ramon Martinez? Raul Casanova? Trot Nixon?

OMAR: We need their veteran leadership!

FRED: Have you noticed you have a tendency to sign old players. I mean really old players!

OMAR: Not THAT old!

FRED: You signed Moises Alou to a multi year deal! You had us sign Julio Franco to a 2 year deal when he was in mid 40s! Damion Easley is 106!

OMAR: That’s an exaggeration.

FRED: You put together a team filled with 30 and 40 somethings and are stunned that they crash and burn down the stretch?

OMAR: They are healing in the trainers room.

FRED: Unless there is a f ing Cocoon at the bottom of the whirlpool, I don’t see this team healing.

OMAR: So what are you saying?

FRED: You’ve had four years. That’s a recruiting class in college. And when people look at our roster, I have to say the sentence “I convinced him to come out of retirement one last time” more often than a Clint Eastwood film festival. It’s over.

OMAR: Over?

FRED: It wasn’t Willie’s fault. We need a new direction.

OMAR: So you are going to fire me?

FRED: Yes.

(Omar cracks his knuckles.)

OMAR: And I assume Mr Zeile will enforce that.

FRED: That’s the case.

OMAR: It would be a shame if the New York press got a hold of certain pictures.

(Fred’s eyes widened.)

FRED: Willie told me he destroyed those.

OMAR: Oh, pictures can be copied. And mailed quickly.

(Omar holds up his iPhone.)

OMAR: And with a click of a button they will be in Mike Lupica’s Outlook Express.

FRED: God DAMN you.

OMAR: No need for that. This can be between you and the petting zoo.

FRED: (Seething) What do you want?

OMAR: An extension.

FRED: AN EXTENSION????

(Omar holds up the iPhone.)

FRED: Fine… you have an extension.

OMAR: Another four years.

(Fred meekly nods.)

OMAR: Thank you. It was a pleasure doing business with you.

(Omar gets up to leave. He opens the door and Zeile is still standing there.)

OMAR: Get used to me Zeile… I’m sticking around for a while.

(Omar walks down the hall and makes a call on his iPhone.)

OMAR: Isaiah! It’s Omar! I used your job saving technique! Man it works like a charm.

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Ken Griffey Jr. just hit his 610th career home run, making him #5 all-time in baseball history.  He is in the company of the games greatest power hitters - Bonds, Aaron, Ruth, and Mays.
One has to imagine what we could really be celebrating if Griffey had manged to stay healthy for his entire career.  In each season between 2002-04 he played in less than half of his teams games.  If you double his output from the games he played in over those years, he would have hit another 41 HRs bringing him closer to 650.  In 2001 2006 he missed an additional 100 games and if his averages held true another 30 homers could have been added.  All of a sudden 600 turns into 700 and then who knowsGriffey is not a one dimensional player though.  The Kid was on pace to reach 3,000 hits and 2,000 RBI prior to his injuries.  These are remarkable numbers for a hitter that came into the big leagues 20 years ago and was not considered to be a power hitter but a finesse hitter with a sweet swing.  Add to that the fact that he won 10 consecutive gold gloves and you have another absolute Hall of Fame player that could be considered one of the best outfielders to ever play the game of baseball.
Congratulations to The Kid!!.

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Coming to Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame Game on June 16?
The Cooperstown Cookie Company is a sponsor of the Cooperstown Game Day Parade, which means well have a car full of baseball cookie fans riding in the parade, and Ill be walking alongside, passing out treats to parade-goers. The parade starts at 12 noon, pick a shady spot along Main Street to watch the fun! The Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres will ride in the parade in trolleys. Its a great chance to see big leaguers in Baseballs Hometown.
Be sure to stop by the Cooperstown Cookie Company table on Main Street, well be in front of the Doubleday Cafe (93 Main Street). We welcome all fans, whether youre rooting for the Padres, the Cubs, or just want to enjoy the chance to see Major League teams compete in historic Doubleday Field. The Homerun Derby starts at 1 pm, and the game is at 2 pm.
The Baseball Hall of Fame has events throughout the weekend. The Hall of Fame Game has sold out, but the Hall of Fame says any returned tickets will be made available at 9 a.m. on Hall of Fame Game Day, June 16, in the Doubleday Field parking lot.
Hall of Fame weekend will be a good warm-up for us, the Cooperstown Cookie Company will be featured at FanFest in New York City, as part of the All-Star Game festivities. We love chatting with customers and friends, be sure to look us up.

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Football season might be under way, but theres still plenty of baseball to be played. Hence the $65 million Major League Baseball ad campaign, s only one October.
You might have thought that your favorite major leaguer does nothing but spend hours at the batting cage. But there are several professional athletes who are working out a new muscle group, mainly, their fingertips.
New television ads will feature Torii Hunter, Mark Teixeira, Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, Jermaine Dye, A.J. Pierzynski, Kosuke Fukudome and Aramis Ramirez. Youll get an up-close look of each player blogging, all in an effort to build up hype for the upcoming playoffs.
Expect Jeff Foxworthy, Randy Jackson, Stewie from Family Guy and several other FOX personalities to make an appearance as well.
According to MLB, many players are computer savvy and either participate in or are blog readers.
Glad to see its not just for geeks anymore.
Next up: Carpal Tunnel putting the pros on the DL? Doubtful.

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ST. PETERSBURG -- Outfielder J.D. Drew, who had planned to rejoin the Red Sox here today, will instead return tomorrow.
Drew, who has been out since mid-August with a herniated disc in his back, went to Georgia over the weekend to attend his grandmother's funeral.
In a message for the training staff, Drew said his back, which received an injection Friday before he left, was feeling better.
``There was marked improvement,'' said Terry Francona, while adding that Drew hadn't done much physical activity since the end of last week.
Drew won't play in the series here. The Sox are trying to determine how much they want him to do Tuesday and Wednesday.
``We'll talk to the medical guys,'' said Francona, ``and what they're comfortable with.''
Francona and bench coach Brad Mills were thrilled that Dale Sveum is getting the chance to manage the Milwaukee Brewers for the final 12 games of the season.
Sveum was named interim manager of the Brewers yesterday after manager Ned Yost was fired following a four-game sweep by the Philadelphia Phillies. The Brewers had lost 11 of their last 14 games.
``I'm really happy for him,'' said Francona of Sveum, who was the Red Sox third base coach in Francona's first two seasons in Boston. ``When anybody gets let go, that's never good. But Dale is one of my better friends in the game.''
Said Mills: ``From what I understand, (the Milwaukee) players love him. He's got the right personality. That might be just what that teams needs.''
The Sox had planned to talk to pitcher Bartolo Colon about his role for the remainder of the season, but Colon arrived late to the ballpark and the talk was postponed until Tuesday.
Colon pitched six innings against Toronto Saturday night, giving up two earned runs in his first major league start in almost three months.
The Sox had discussed asking Colon about pitching out of the bullpen, but Colon has sent signals that he's not interested in pitching in relief. There's still a chance he could get another start in the final week of the season, but Colon won't be part of the team's post-season roster.
Shortstop Julio Lugo (quadriceps), who still holds out hope of returning to action before the season ends, had a good workout here, taking batting practice, fielding some ground balls and doing some running.
Lugo estimated that he's about 70 percent healthy.
``He was pretty active,'' said Francona.

Ominous stat of the night: the Sox are 3-15 in domed stadiums this season. They were 1-1 in Tokyo against Oakland; 0-3 with the roof closed in Toronto; 0-6 here at Tropicana Field; 1-3 in Minnesota; and 1-2 in Houston.

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