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This rumor fulfills two purposes for San Diego:

1. Warning shot to Padres fans... Gonzo is going to be traded asap, deal with it. Blanks looks ready to step in. Adrian is a tremendous trading chip. Do the Padre owners really care about their fans? It seems like their new strategy is long term - at best.

2. This was also a warning to other teams: MAKE OFFERS NOW. Bring the good stuff. Don't miss out on AG because you are sittin on your butts. The more absurd this rumor was (and it was), the better. SD will get more bidders. Teams with modest resources will think it over. Early offseason timing is good for SD too because teams have the most flexibility and haven't blown their budget yet.

As others have pointed out... Angels would do this... Why? Morales is 26, made 1.1m in 09' and hit .306, 34 hr, 108rbi. Do they NEED Konerko at DH? I know Vladi is a free agent, but I assume they have other options. Abreau resigned and I presume he will start getting more DH at bats as he ages.

The Gonzalez sweepstakes has begun.

What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, Varitek and his moron agent were misreading his value terribly, throwing away millions in the process and looking like drama queens. Resigning Varitek last year should have taken a few hours max (like Wakefield). Instead of the Red Sox spending their time trying to make the hitting and pitching better, they had to jerk around with Boras. Then they had to flirt with Texas and other teams for options other than Varitek. Again.. More time & effort wasted... Then Varitek craps the bed 09'. Decent start, but slow steady fall. Then the RS had to go out and spend resources to adequately fill the position that they paid Varitek to fill. The previous Tek contract (4yr/40m) was a very generous gift from the RS based on actual quantifiable production. While I am sure Tek calls a great game, he did not invent catching and I don't believe for a second that he affects team era that much. Some, sure. Remember too that Victor has caught two Cy Young winners in Cleveland. VM calls a good game AND hits. Tek hasn't hit in years. Really... he should retire after last seasons performance. I really wonder what he expects to do at the plate in 10'? How delusional is he? His family should splice together all his at bats from 09' on one big video clip and FORCE Jason to watch it. Think.. Clockwork orange type ultra- violence. Anyway, if Jason had to watch the video and saw HOW MANY TIMES he was completely over-matched by ML pitching, he might exit gracefully now. That said, I still want to see him show up and have a good year. Hard to believe it will happen though.

Varitek better hope the holdout and drama of last year are forgotten by RS mgmt. He has got a big problem. He no longer throws worth a crap and VM ain't so hot in this category either. Sox are going to need a catcher who isn't victimized by opposing runners. Are they going to carry three catchers? Not likely. Backup catcher is also the roster position you can use to break in a rookie catcher. Dusty Brown would seems like a better compliment to VM, in that he can throw. AA prospect Mark Wagner might be a better option soon. George Kotteras has been pretty solid and handled Wakefield without issue. Further complicating the issue is Victor Martinez' status in 11'. Will he resign? Will he still be able to handle his position defensively? Sox could need a more complete and younger catcher soon and should they find someone who fits, it could cost Varitek his job. Til then JV, you still have a shot. Come out swinging huh?

Suns are looking good, but their depth is questionable. It ain't brain science and it affects all teams (08'-09' Bos?). One injury by Amare, Hill or Nash would end their season. The Suns bench has played over their head. That has been the real surprise thus far. Jason Richardson has played great and seems to have assimilated into the Suns system. That system sure seems a helluva lot more fluid with Shaqs **** out of the way. The Suns "Big Three" of Amare, Nash and JR is formidable. Another surprise is Frye. His shot hasn't always fallen, but he fits in well and seems to provide some inside presence. Who would have predicted that? They have also done most of this winning without Lopez. He looked damn good last year and should help out later. Barbosa has been injured too. Jared Dudley & Louis Amundson bring great energy from the bench. Dragic has shown great improvement and runs the team well when Nash is on the bench. Is it enough? Can Hill put two healthy seasons together? Can Amare get through one?

Defense this. Defense that. You can't write about the Suns without talking about defense. It all comes down to point differential. When they were winning, their differential was always top 5 in the league. It is a different style. It doesn't mean they don't play defense. Suns punish other teams with tempo. Suns also can't do it and play 48 minutes of stingy D. Instead, they trade hoops and try to clamp down the D at the end. Considering their talent, it seems like a decent strategy. It should continue to work in the regular season. In the playoffs? History says no. They could use a defensive stopper. Also their Big 3 might not be really that big compared to other playoff teams. Good team though. Fun as hell to watch.

This is what stupid cousins are for... At least Crabtree can distance himself later and try to look like less of a dolt. The cousin can make ridiculous claims to TRY and drive the market up, but they have no leverage. 49'ers should slot the salary between adjacent picks and give him not a penny more. Camp has begun and it is time to go to work, especially for a rookie. What a way to make a first impression on your new team... Market value is one thing, but creating your own fantasy market? I suppose that is not new. I grudgingly accept wild values in regard to free agents, but this seems extra crazy because he has not played a down of NFL football.

The one thing cousins are not good for is public relations. This guy is coming off like a HUGE turd and he has nobody to thank but himself for not getting adequate representation. My parenting skills are limited but the one thing I do know is that you never threaten something that you are not determined to actual do. It is about credibility and looking like a drama queen. There is NO way Crabtree sits out this year. No f'n way and everybody knows it. With this stunt and a year off from competitive football, his value will be much less than now. Add the loss of pay from this season and it is an obvious fail. I don't think even Scott Boras could make those numbers work out.

This is just a desperate action to scrape a few more dollars out of the Niners. They definitely need help but they have plenty on their plate and don't need this BS. Has Crabtree overplayed his hand so much now that Niners can pull away? This should be a real concern for the Crabtree braintrust. What if they now think he is a complete clown and don't want him on the team at all? The Patriots might be able to rehab head cases but the 49'ers are trying to build it from the ground up. The team could now offer him a crap contract and force him to sit out. Would their fan base really complain? The moron and the cousin gave them the excuse. Why not fix the mistake now before he gets piles of team $ and fouls up the operation?

What a waste. Seemingly terrific first round pick for a once proud and now rebuilding franchise. Crabtree should be the shiny new prize that they proudly display to their tired fans as proof of a bright future. It was a tremendous opportunity to show that the franchise is getting it together and are all working toward the same goal. Instead you get this BS.

I think your view is still possible, but the Suns roster still seems thin. The latest Amare injury was a death blow to the Shaq / Suns experiment. It was a wacky idea to begin with but they thought they could add Shaq into the mix and still keep the run magic. The Suns lost their way and this off season was about reclaiming their passion. The reason Shaq is gone is two fold. One is obviously money. My calculation has Sarver saving 10 mil from Shaq deal (5 salary, 5 cap penalty). The other reason is the reintroduction of Stoudemire into the Suns offense. Suns really looked like Shaq's team at the end of last year. I think Nash could have dealt with the big ass, but in reality it is Stoudemire who wants him gone. Amare will now get the ball and the space. If he needs big guy help it will be Frye, Lopez and Clark to help. Richardson & Hill should get the ball more too. Stoudemire could use a good center beside him, but Shaq was not going to be that guy. Here is a roster reminder...

1. Steve Nash - pg
2. Amare Stoudemire -pf
3. Jason Richardson - gf
4. Grant Hill - fg
5. Channing Frye - c
6. Leandro Barbosa - g
7. X-f
8. Robin Lopez - c
9. Earl Clark - f
10. Goran Dragic - g
11. Alek Pavlovic - gf
12. Louis Edmundon - f
13a. Taylor Griffin
13b. Jared Dudley

First four are a given. Assume Frye starts at C. He runs but does he play defense? Maybe the transition style will make better use of his defensive skills. Barbosa has great energy but he definitely seems to have reached his peak. He seems like a great role player, but him being the first guy off the bench is not a team strength. I left the next spot empty. They really need a good player here. I suspect they will run out Edmundson for this spot, but he is he capable of consistent umm... impact? I bet return to "<7sec O" will be good for Louis. Robin Lopez will come of the bench for Frye. He played well in his first year and should thrive with more minutes and a chance to steal Frye's job. Lopez fits run well.. In a rare display of Suns draft optimism, I give the next spot to Earl Clark. Haven't seen him much but reports look promising. Suns will definitely need forward production behind Amare. Clark has a great opportunity. Next spot goes to Dragic, I guess. Is he really their next point guard? How about Pavlovic? I hear he dogs wing players pretty well. He and his 6 fouls might be a good fit for Phx. With Shaq wheeling & dealing he might already be gone... Other roster options include Jared Dudley and Taylor Griffin.

Recap. Nash still decent. Amare will come back strong. Suns will regain lost chemistry. Still missing one impact forward off the bench. Lack of depth makes long injuries fatal in loaded West. Can Hill be healthy for two straight years? Nash? I am worried about his health but I expect he will thrive with an open lane and some new targets. In Nash they trust...

The apparent terms of the deal were that GS drafts FIRST. They could have completed the deal and Phoenix could have drafted for themselves. There had to be a reason GS wanted to draft themselves. One possible reason was the right to veto the trade if they thought it was not advantageous for their franchise. That is what happened. No big deal. Sure, the AZ Republic is getting the full story out and fanning the flames, but they need the attention. Also, the Suns want their fans to know that they are trying to turn it over and look to the future. Shaq deal was mostly a clear your claven type deal. The reported Amare deal had real pieces. Back to the drawing board for Steve Kerr. I can see why he might be pissed. Who knows how many deals they turned down or ignored because they already thought they had one (sorta..). A lot of player moves have happened pretty quick and the landscape has already changed. I don't think the Suns plan is that hard to figure out. The plan is "In Nash We Trust", for now.. Steve and the Suns are going to start throwing it around again. With the big Cactass out of the paint and Amare anxious to throw down, they will start strong. People act like the Suns won 30 games last year. They won 46 games and would have slotted @ 4th in the East playoff order (by point dif). This was with Amare being hurt half the year.

The addition of Shaq was not for defense. It was for rebounding and half court offense. The truth was that the Suns CRUISED through most teams in the regular season. The playoff style is different and run/ gun was not enough. Many brain dead fans keep saying that the Suns didn't play defense. BULLCRAP. Check their percentage against and point differential for the three pre-Shaq years. Both stats were upper third in the league. Was that championship quality? Obviously not. but it was never bad. It was a different style that wore out opponents in the regular season. You just can't look at points per game against and truly evaluate the run/gun style. A team really can win and give up 112 per game, IF they are putting up 120. Playoffs was a different story.

The Suns had really crappy playoff luck. That is part of the game and titles are won and lost because of it. The Suns were close enough that they should have kept fighting for it. They threw in the towel WAY too early. The trading of Kurt Thomas to Seattle was PATHETIC. When you are giving away 1 rd draft picks to save money and acquire salary exceptions that you do not even use, then you are pretty lost.

It now seems Amare did not want to sign a long term deal with GS and who can blame him. GS franchise makes the Suns look pretty good. I can see why GS demanded an Amare extension while giving up all those pieces. They needed more, but with Amare that would have had risks too. if I was a GM I would like to see Amare have a healthy season before I sent him a new deal. His health has more to do with the Suns current position and playoff failure than any BS trade that has gone down in the last three years.

Diamondbacks are in trouble. The worst thing that happened to them was the phoney success in 2007. It made them complacent with their personnel moves. They should have packaged a few of their modest young talents and brought in a middle of the order hitter. Or they should have made a better effort to keep Dunn. Their hitting is poor and prone to ugly streaks. They seem to need greater veteran presence and leadership, yet they hire a young manager. Tony Clark seems to be the only one qualified as a veteran type player and he is just clogging the roster. I refuse to believe the flake Byrnes is any type of leader.

The Dback lineup is pizz poor. The young individual players are okay in a vacuum, but when you put them all together they are quite flawed. Lopez was a good addition and is hitting well now but he should be back to his .264/ .332 lifetime numbers soon enough. The Dbacks need a few high .obp guys at the front of their lineup. They also need more production from the corners (inf & of). Upton's caught fire and Conner Jackson deserves more rope because of his plate discipline. The rest of them should/ could be replaced. I would also move Young for a more useful piece. 1300 mlb ab and he is lifetime .238 / .300. +600 ab of that muck was done in the lead off spot. Next!

It is frequently hard to understand why teams spend on what they do. Dback can be particularly frustrating. Hudson should have come back. That was a no-brainer. Byrnes contract was absurd given the other decisions they were making. Who were they bidding against? What other team wanted him at 3/ 30? Why is it that teams think they can neglect their bullpen? The Dbacks had some good talent here in recent years but most have drifted away. Reliever contracts avg around 3m per year, so that should not have been a huge issue. Byrnes = 3 relievers. I give them credit for passing on Johnson and spending the money they do have on starters. The Dbacks have some talent but they are three or four good players away and have no way of getting them. In that crappy division they could be a disruptive force but come play off time they will be easily disposable. I don't know about Hinch, but it seems like they are punting on the season. Three year contract.. Really? Josh Byrnes got his guy. Someone who is less experienced than he is and will do it his way. The question is whether this is a winning way? You could come up with a list of 100 great baseball active coaches (pro benches, minors, college, overseas). People with relationships with players and proven track records on the field. Hinch would not be on that list. People of Arizona deserve better. Between zillions or Spring and Fall games in our neighborhoods, we still support the Dbacks pretty well. Let's see what Hinch can do. They can't hit .220 all year, can they?

Word count my arse...

Pt. 2



The Red Sox should be and have been a loyal customer of Boras. After his completely tasteless highjack of the Red Sox most recent title, the spiral started. The Manny outbursts of 08' and the public extortion to decline options that were not due til the offseason also hurt their relationship. Would Manny have done all that crap without Boras pushing the buttons? I don't think Boras ever got over the Matsuzaka contract. I don't know what the heck he expected. The RS dished out a helluva lot of money (even if half was to a japanese franchise). How much were they going to pay for a player with no MLB experience? Boras didn't like the take it or leave it position. God forbid anybody else but him call the shots. Deadline? Boras doesn't believe in them. Having the Red Sox ownership fly around for a contract signing that was never going to happen was the final nail. The Red Sox won't say it, but it takes a legend like Varitek to stomach more negotiations with the jack ass. Could that drama have dragged on any longer? If I was Jacoby Ellsbury, I would not buy a house around Boston. He has ZERO chance of resigning if Boras remains his agent. It is probably NOT all about Boras' personality. The agent has his own timeline for getting maximum value and if it screws the team, so be it. This year the Red Sox made a HUGE effort to sign some of their young talent through arbitration and first free agent years. The Red Sox also never go to actual arbitration because they reach mutual agreement before the b1tch fest starts. Boras believes all his players should go to free agency and buying those years early does not happen. Boston no longer seems interested in giving long expensive contracts to free agent pitchers. They prefer the former All Star scrap heap -on one year deals. Boston will continue treat their existing players with respect regardless of their agent. I just don't expect them to initiate with Boras anytime soon.

The legitimate number of Boras buyers is dwindling. Boras has over played his hand. Let's see how it all works out. Collusion is hard to prove. If Boras players can be proven to cost more than similar players, then the owners can avoid them on economic grounds. The key will be the young players and they are still gonna be drawn to the dark side. Hard to blame them. We get wrapped up in the big deals but I suspect Boras does pretty dang well for the high profile prospects who never make the majors.

I dislike Boras strongly but the stuff written here seems absurd. Death?

He is an agent for entertainers. Let's keep this in perspective.

Boras has a very strong operation that embraces young players and really seems to garner unwavering loyalty. With his support team and facilities, he truly provides young players with something that most agents simply can't (undetectable steroids.. :). Boras understands leverage and uses his position as a leading agent to push the limits of the market. Boras thinks that salaries only go in one direction. Up and then up some more. I think he is in denial about the current market. What can he do? Lower salaries would destroy years of his work and completely wreck his one way salary fantasy.

Hand it to Boras on this... He is not afraid to fall on a sword to the benefit of those he represents. The 2007 dance with Yanks over the Arod deal played out like a soap opera. Despite no declared interest or offers from other teams, Boras STILL got the craziest contract in baseball history for his lying client. He looked like a complete ASS, but the check cleared. Given Arod's current position, the opt out and new deal seem rather well timed. Yanks sure didn't mind Boras when they were negotiating with Tex. The Yanks are a forgiving bunch. They will always be the last Boras call made before any big free agent deal.

The Boras boycott has already started. Prospective clients have got to see this. First, while Boras does represent a significant percentage of players that earn high salaries, there are also a large number of AAAA or less players who got nice checks (salary boni) with the aid of the Boras hype machine. Concerning the more successful group, only teams that are prepared to offer large contracts to elite free agents will be on Boras' speed dial. This require cash flow and a decent roster that is capable of contending. There are only a handful of teams that fit this criteria. There are already teams that have disavowed Boras clients. The White Sox are one of them. I thought the Reds did too, but they aren't big spenders. It sure seems like the Angels are not big Boras fans. If you look at the entire AL central and AL west, I don't see great prospects for elite Boras players. The Dodgers held their nose to get the Manny deal done. Some of the quotes flying back and forth in that negotiating were pretty funny. Serious offer? How about only offer.

Yanks are reeling. They attached their proud franchise to a fraud, and it must go on for nine more years. They went out of their way offer him money that no other team would consider matching. That has to irk them. With all those bonuses for records, they were betting on the publicity benefiting the franchise. Wrong.

I think the Red Sox owners did a good job of not commenting on the Yankee circus in that interview. The Yanks are low hanging fruit right now and they are lucky that the Red Sox show class. The Sox are doing their own thing. Could there not be a bigger difference in the franchises right now? Players are accepting MUCH lower contracts to come play for the Sox while the Yanks have to overpay to lure players away.

While nobody should cry for the Red Sox salary situation, let's get some facts straight. Let's start with the Yankee collection of highest paid players by position in the history of the game. Posada, highest paid catcher in the history of mlb. Tex, highest paid 1st basemen in the history (Saving Giambi for later). Cano, NOT the highest paid, but I believe his 6m ranks him 3rd in current 2b salaries. Jetes, highest paid shortstop in mlb history not named Arod. Arod, is the highest paid shortstop and 3rd baseman in the history of mlb. Mariano is the highest paid reliever in the history of baseball. CC Sabathia is the highest paid starter in the history of mlb. Giambi, was the highest paid DH in the history of baseball.

The highest paid current Red Sox is JD Drew at 14 mil per year. Got that? That is not even in the top 100 of yearly player salaries in baseball history. That is even less than Johnny Damon. Of course, the Yanks dominate these salary stats. There are only two Red Sox in the top 50 (Ramirez & Pedro).

The Red Sox might spend good money to compete with the Yanks, but they do it in a way that is not detrimental to the league. The Red Sox do not give "no trade" clauses. They are bull crap. If you want to field a winning team in the long term, the management needs to be able to control the roster 100%. If the players don't like it? Go play elsewere. THAT is better for the league and it is holding the line for small market teams. The Red Sox have the cash to dish out player friendly contracts but they stay within the established market. Also, the Red Sox do not give player out clause early in multi-year contracts. I believe this is why they call it a contract. Team pays, player plays. The Red Sox have added health clauses with outs to facilitate the acquisition of players with questionable health, but this was deemed in their benefit. This lack of an out clause supposedly was one of the reasons that the RS lost out on Tex, but Henry had it right in the email that Boras was just playing them to get a max deal from the Yanks.

I don't begrudge the Yanks for their ability to overpay players. My favorite team is doing just fine (thanks to the wildcard). I just feel bad for the really small market teams. I don't buy this parity BS. High payrolls and decent management will get your team in the playoffs almost every year. The Yanks have proved it. After that it is a crap shoot.

Start the clock. From the moment he stopped playing until the day he admits his crime. Whatever that amount of time is... Then add that same amount of time as his sentence before Hall Of Fame election.

I am already sick of this crap. We don't need another Rose situation that drags on for decades. Pete impugned a lot of good people just to keep his lie going. Dowd. Giamatti. What do you think Giamatti's family think about Pete? Bart spent the last few years of his life trying to get Pete to be accountable for his actions. I still think the only reason Pete fessed up is that he wanted to sell books and get into the Hall. Maybe they should wait till he dies.

Roger is a disgrace. I am trying to see his side of it but it is dang difficult. It's gotta go something like this... Roger was a great pitcher. Maybe the greatest of our lives. He didn't become a great pitcher because of steroids. Roger is a humongous turd, but I still believe the previous three statements. Did he take steroids... Umm, yes. The question is how much and when did he start? Maybe he just dabbled in it. Maybe he started when he was quite old and only did it to stay competitive. Maybe he used them to heal from injury. . or get ready in Spring. All COMPLETE bullcrap that should never have happened. Granted.. Back to Roger's head. What if Roger Clemens only did steroids 3% of his career? In his head being labeled a steroid user is a bad wrap. It is not fair. He has worked hard and been idolized his entire adult life. He thinks his reputation should be based on that 97%. Roger is a hick at heart. I don't like to generalize but I can safely say that hicks think in Black & White only. There is no gray area. Nuance is not their thing. It is either right or wrong. These hicks are Roger's peer group. Even if Roger wanted to come clean, he can't or he risks losing his enablers. The lie must continue.

One other thing.. Imagine the **** ego and lack of conscience it requires to not only take PEDs and lie about it, but PARADE around as the poster boy for training and health. What a freakn fraud!

I wouldn't bet against him. I still think he has got two good years in him. He has been through a great deal in the last few years. Some of these nagging bs injuries would go away if he could get back in routine. Dude always seems to be rehabbing something.

Ask him again in October or in the Spring.. The Red Sox are doing pretty dang well with injuries they have endured. With player like Drew & Lowell near ready, they are still poised to make a splash in the playoffs. Becketts elbow is not screwed up and Dice K is in a groove. Lester has been great all year and is playoff tested. Lets say the Red Sox ride momentum to a title.. Maybe Kotsay even plays a big role, like Kielty did last year. This could have been Giles best chance to get a ring. The Padres could still decline his option and force him to hunt for a new team. Are the Padres supposed to be loyal to him after they worked a trade to benefit the team and he declined it? Giles could have accepted the trade on conditions. He could have demanded that his option not be picked up, taken the immediate 3m bonus (paid by Boston) and become a free agent in 09'. SD could have then taken the Red Sox prospect for a few month Giles rental and resigned him next Spring.

The dude just wanted to stay in Cali and hang with his family. Who cares about competitive baseball when you are making millions? He really does have his priorities straight in many ways. Who knows what is home situation is like. Still, this hang loose persona doesn't help him IF he becomes a free agent.

Hats off to the Rays. I made a prediction that the Sox would catch them by now but that aint happening. It still could, but the Rays have not shown much vulnerability.

Because he hits left handed and they don't need 8 outfielders?

Anybody want to guess the date that TB relinquishes the AL east lead to Boston? They gave up 5 games liketty split before the All Star break. They are up 4 games right now.

I say Wednesday the 20th. Red Sox will be in Baltimore finishing a series. Tampa will be finishing a series with the Angels.

Tampa Bay emergence has been one of the great stories of 08' MLB season but it is hard to see how they survive the Crawford/Longoria injuries.

I look forward to next year when he is released and never heard from again. What a legacy... He started off as an error prone shortstop & third baseman. Now he can't even DH full time. Known to throw games and underperform when it suits him. Steroids. Burnt bridges with every team he has played.

Let me get this straight... He is asking to play out field for a contending team.. Really? This defies logic. Any team crappy enough to play him in the outfield would be by definition not worthy of contender status. Gary has no trade value. He has negative value. 14m next year? Who would be able to absorb that? Certainly not the Rays. National league is out of the question. Tigers could pick up +9m of 09' salary and I bet they would still get no takers.

Gary needs to shut his mouth and ask for Leylands forgiveness. If he is not careful he is one DFA from the full Bonds treatment. He should treat every single moment on those fields as precious because his are surely numbered (time on mlb field).

Then there is Scott Boras... How will he try to get leverage for JV's pending free agency? How do you sell a 36 year old catcher with .220 average and 30 rbi? I am sure Scott will find a way. All Arod had to do was come back on his hands and knees and kiss lil' Steins ring to get his ridiculous contract. Manny is free from the oppression of 40 mil/ 2 years of options. If there is any team that should DESPISE Boras, it is the Red Sox. If he keeps f'n with Theo, he is going to lose one of his biggest customers. If the "drop his options and Manny will play" call to Theo EVER happened, then Varitek should dump Boras asap. Jason knows this is wrong and should hold Boras accountable.

The answer is four. Nomo. Lowe. Bucholz. & Lester. Schilling lost a no-no in Oakland last year in the ninth (I am sure that breaks most of your hearts). . Varitek could have had 5... Red Sox have the record with 18 no hitters total. Before Nomo in 2001, you had to go back to 65' for the last Red Sox no-hitter.

Fyi, there is another old catching geezer who has caught 4 no hitters, BUT they reclassified the specs for no-hitters and one of his didn't meet the cut. His official count is 3. Sorry to the geezer/ corpse's family, because I can't remember his name and am too lazy to sift through BR.

Varitek has looked pretty week for some big stretches this year. He hit .273 in April. .299 in May w/ 13 rbi and .913 ops. Then he took a crap. He hit .122 in June. .197 in July... So far he has brought that up to .250 in first 10 days of August. He seems to have less 0-4 days in the last three weeks. Now he is getting one hit...

Tek runs the staff. He is the captain. As long as he hits .240, he will have a job in Boston. They need to bring in Salty asap to begin the transfer of info.

What a dismal display by the NY fans last night. While Fox and the league were trying to deliver a 5 hour tv felatio to the organization, the fans acted like a bunch of 5th grade boys. The Yankee-centric chanting was embarrassing. The blatant rip off of the Ted Williams golf cart ride did not sit well with me either. George Steinbrenner? He is the equivalent of the greatest pure hitter in the game? Steinbrenner was convicted of a felony, he is not a war hero fighter pilot. If it wasn't for his political connections he would have never been given a "pardon". Steinbrenner might be a hero to Yankee clowns but he is DESPISED all over the league. His ridiculous spending has set us on the road we are now on. For that he is truly a pioneer.

What happened to all the fans? I suppose if you had been drinking all day, it would be hard to sit through an extra inning game. I can't help thinking that if the game was in St. Louis or Boston that the park would have still been half filled.

At least the Yankee fans are realists. Most of us were all caught up in "it counts BS". Not for Yankee fans. They know their team is going nowhere. This was simply an exhibition game. ...And NY fans showed why they are the most self centered variation on the planet.

FYI, Papelbon did not blow the game or pitch poorly. He gave up ONE single. The only way that runs scores is with an error and that is why they call it and unearned run. Palebon got two strikeouts and had no walks. He can't play catcher and second base too. Lucky for you NY fans that Tito is such a nice guy. If he had a Lou Pinella brain transplant, he would have pitched Papelbon as #1 closer. Sorry losers, that is what champions get to do. Tito gave NY it's 9th inning Rivera show and it almost cost him the game (because of poor usage of Krod/ Papelbon).

And FINALLY mlb players... If you are not able to pitch in the all star game for two innings, then DO NOT COME. Only people who can play should be taking up roster spots.

Sorry for the long posts.. That is what I do.

Why this ugly scene for nothing?

RELEASE HIM!

Hear that Ted?

If he is no good and you don't want him starting for your team...

RELEASE HIM.

Anything less and the Green Bay management is talking our of both sides of their ****.

Favre was the starter last year and had a great year. The job should be his. If GB doesn't want him, FINE. Release him. They are ready for him to retire right now for nothing, why do they need compensation in a trade?

Favre deserves to find the best situation for himself. He shouldn't have half the league off limits because his old team is paranoid.

RELEASE HIM..

... and end the Favre soap opera.

Bonds has had a house in Scottsdale for years (or did). His old girlfriend lived out here too. He and his dad went to ASU. Giants spring training home in Scottsdale has kept him connected to the valley over the years. It seems like one of the only three options he had. One was SF and that door closed because BB was an ****. You would think Pittsburgh could be nostalgic, but Barry doesn't real create that kind of loyalty. Kharma is a ****. He left the Pirates for more money and greener pastures. The Pirates don't need a side show. WHO does? It is not the alleged crimes that keeps the teams away. It is the Barkalounger. Barry is just not perceived as a team player. A player of his experience and accomplishment should be a great mentor. The Diamond backs have great young players. A perfect match? Except that BB is all about BB. How can any team expect him to do a 180 degree turn? Just not logical. The D-backs are not desperate enough. A veteran team like Boston might be a better fit for BB. If he started acting up, the veteran presence could check him. I am NOT saying Boston would go for it, just that it is a better fit. The AZ press are lapdogs though... The team could do this and the locals would not put up a fuss. It might actually help fan interest. Even after their fine season last year, the Dbacks are not drawing well. They also went off free TV for the first time this year and local interest is weak considering their position in the standings. If the Dbacks slip in the standings, they might just get desperate enough to do call Bonds.