Gregory Pratt

I have a good joke on this but I can't share it. ... In reality, I do not feel old.

You can find it here. Gregory Pratt can not believe he made it through the entire regular season while writing this weekly column. It wasn't always pretty but it was always fun. Now let's head to October, and write there! Why Milwaukee Won Part I -- Is it too mystical of me to credit good karma from Eric Gagne for the Brewers' winning the Wild Card? "Brewers reliever Eric Gagne has said all along that he bears no ill-will toward the fans who have tried to boo him out of town all summer. On Thursday, he proved it with his pocketbook. Gagne footed the bill for 5,000 tickets to Thursday's Brewers-Pirates finale and then gave them away to fans via Brewers.com. The supply of seats was gobbled up in 20 minutes, according to the team." It's hard to dislike Eric Gagne, even if he is the best example of a reliever who made himself great with steroids and robbed a small-market of ten million dollars. He's just so likeable and polite and Canadian. Why Milwaukee Won II -- 9 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 0 earned runs, 0 HR, 1 BB, 7K. Milwaukee Three -- I don't want to dumb down Milwaukee's Wild Card berth -- its first playoff appearance since 1982, for those of you keeping track at home -- but they clearly had the best starting pitching in the league until Sheets went down. Their offense consists of some of baseball's finest young players: particularly Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and JJ Hardy. Coupled with their excellent defense, which Asher will tell you about until your ears bleed, that rotation was destined for the playoffs. They sure came close to losing it, which I thought at the time would be a travesty, but they managed to make it through with a little help from their friends in New York and a lot of help from CC Sabathia. Is Sabathia already the greatest mid-season acquisition of all-time? Go-go White Sox -- The Chicago White Sox got swept by the Minnesota Twins last week, lost two against the Indians, and all-but-gave-away their division to the Twins. But the Twins didn't want it, so the Sox wound up playing the Tigers on Monday to determine whether or not they'd be able to face the Twins in a one-game playoff. They managed to beat the Detroit Tigers even with Big Game Freddy Garcia putting in a strong performance. Tonight, they'll be playing Minnesota for a chance to come under attack from the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round of the AL playoffs. Playoff Picks -- I hate the idea of making playoff predictions, but I think the Rays will beat the Sox/Twins while the Red Sox lose to the Angels, and then the Rays will beat the Angels in the ALCS. In the NL, I think the Brewers win against Philadelphia and the Dodgers beat the Cubs. I think the Rays will win the World Series over the Brewers, who will have beaten the Dodgers. Of course, it's all luck for me and you. Congratulations to all the playoff teams and whichever of Minnesota/Chicago loses, too. Old Workhorses -- Greg Maddux won his last start of the season to pass Roger Clemens on the all-time wins list, making me a very happy man. Randy Johnson threw a complete game two-hitter for his 295th win of his career in his last start of the season, virtually ensuring that he will be back next year to win his 300th game. Jamie Moyer pitched the clinching game of the National League East division for the Philadelphia Phillies, proving that he still has some "stuff" left in the tank. And most importantly, Mike Mussina won his twentieth game of the season, eliminating the stupidest argument of all-time against any player's candidacy for the Hall of Fame ("He never won 20"). Young Workhorses -- On Saturday, Johan Santana pitched a complete game shutout on three days' rest against the Florida Marlins to keep the New York Mets alive in the Wild Card race (they would be eliminated the following day). On Sunday, CC Sabathia hurled a complete game victory against the Chicago Cubs to ensure that the Brewers would win their division;. Also that day, Mark Buehrle threw seven innings of one-run ball to beat the Cleveland Indians and ensure that the White Sox would live to play again on Monday. Roy Halladay, in his final start of the season, threw a complete game victory against the New York Yankees. Earlier in the year I bemoaned the lack of workhorse starting pitches, but I must say that I feel really good about the future of the major leagues so long as these men are alive and kicking. Sabathia, incidentally, became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson for the Diamondbacks in 1999 to threw double-digit complete games. I thought Halladay would be the man to do it, but his team wasn't in a pennant race. Good to be Stark -- Jayson Stark has, for the first time in what feels like forever to me, written a quality article recapping the season. I particularly enjoy his section on the Least Valuable Player of the National League, the "Cy Yuks" of the NL, his "craziest games of the year," and "impossible stuff that really happened this year." No, Jerry Manuel. You Are Not Cool -- Different men react to different situations differently. I reacted to Johan Santana's shutout on Saturday with a feeling of pride for one of my favorite pitchers; Jerry Manuel replied with this: "Wow, wow, wow. If I have to describe that, I'd say it was gangsta." Isn't this the same guy who planned for his meeting with the White Sox for the manager's position by fasting and praying? What the hell has happened to him that has made him sound like such an incoherent idiot? Unloved Shea -- Just thought I'd pass around this testimonial to the New York Mets. I'm sorry to say I didn't bother to visit Shea when I was in New York a couple of weeks ago. Sober Story -- I don't know whether you've seen it before or not, dear Reader, but several major league teams, including the White Sox and the Yankees, are in trouble with the league and the FBI for stealing Latin American prospects' bonus money and giving them steroids, among other things. I find these crimes especially heinous because they pervert the game of baseball, exploit the poor, and hurt people on a real individual level. Anyone who could play with peoples' dreams like this, who could toy with someone's health in such a brazen and callous manner, deserves to spend the rest of their life in prison. Such disregard for your fellow man is unacceptable. History of the Week I: A Fun Question to Ponder -- This Baseball-Fever thread points out that September 25th was the 43rd anniversary of "Satchel Paige pitching for the Kansas City A's in 1965 (v. Boston). Satchel, at 59 years old (some say older), seemed like a pawn in yet another Charlie Finley publicity stunt. HOWEVER, he pitched 3 scoreless innings and gave up only one hit (to Yaz). Here's the question then: If given the chance (no color-barrier), could Satchel have pitched 30+ years in MLB? I'd say it's entirely possible if he became a middle-man/spot starter towards the end of his career (which is what he did from 1948-53). Would a MLB (sic) actually keep him on the staff for that many years? Who knows...but my question relates more to Satchel having the talent and stamina to keep going while posting (at minimum) respectable numbers. The historical record would seem to lean in his favor." At the least, it's another reason Paige is so much more compelling a character than just about anyone else who has ever pitched. History of the Week II: "What If?" -- This B-F thread describes numerous "What could have been" baseball stories about legends who had a missed connection with different teams. My favorite is this one, about Walter Johnson and the Pirates: "Johnson had been attracting major league scouts from every team with his incredible fastball which he displayed while pitching in the minors. Amazed at the kid's blazing speed, and even more impressed by his control of it, a friend of Pirates' skipper Fred Clarke begged the manager to have Johnson shipped to Pittsburgh for a tryout. Clarke's friend had actually spoken with Johnson about coming to Pittsburgh for a look-see, and Johnson was more than willing to do so, but he was almost broke. All he needed was the nine dollar train fare to Pittsburgh. He would even be willing to have it taken out of his first paycheck if he made good. Pittsburgh's front office wouldn't hear of it, claiming that nine dollars wasn't that much money and if Johnson wanted a tryout badly enough, he would find a way to come up with it. Johnson, whose nickname, ironically enough, would later become 'The Big Train', missed the one to Pittsburgh that could have made him a Pirate. He eventually found a team that was willing to cough up his train fare and, needless to say, it was the best nine bucks the Washington Senators ever invested. For the skinflints in the Pittsburgh front office, it's said that Fred Clarke had nothing but contempt ever since." History of the Week III: The Man I Wish I Was -- I was amazed when I first read about Ted Sullivan and thought you deserved the honor of doing so too, dear Reader, so allow me to pass this link about Baseball's Fullest Resume on to you. History of the Week IV: A Brief Note -- Last Tuesday was the 100th anniversary of Fred Merkle's "boner." I hope it doesn't count as piling-on when I mention that it troubles me to see his mistake written about even after all these years.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Sep 29, 2008 -> 12:49 AM) 1. I was there. 2. I called that shot with 20+ witnesses in the stands around me. Yeah. You and every other man with a drink or two in him calling every shot every five minutes.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=3609833 Relevant to Sox portions here: More at the link.

It's easy to manage when your pitcher doesn't blow up and your team scores runs.

From BP: "This guy is a great pitcher, but his mind is not good." --Twins center fielder Carlos Gomez, on Tigers starter Justin Verlander. "Me and you are going to work this guy and mess up the mind." --Gomez, referring to teammate Alexi Casilla, who bats behind Gomez. This one is from BP but modified as I read a more sensible version somewhere else: "Why you look at me like that? You don't intimidate me. I'm not a player you look at and puts my head down and looks away. Hell no, I look at you right back!" --Gomez, to Verlander after he stared into the dugout.

This next inning is a huge one for the Sox.

lesssssssssgo

What did Buehrle call the Twins after the game? "f***ers"?

Griffey would've caught that

Five Years Time by Noah and the Whale Fun fun fun!

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Sep 18, 2008 -> 10:12 AM) NYC is close enough where we sometimes reference it to being in New England Right. My mistake.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Sep 18, 2008 -> 08:35 AM) Zambrano is better than a few of those pitchers you have mentioned. Tim Hudson? Ben Sheets (always injured)... give me Zambrano over either. And seriously... Billingsly has had a nice little start to his career, but Big Z has been just as good but over a much longer stretch. Seriously, your main problem is with Zambrano walking too many people, when his career WHIP is below Billingsly's (1.28 vs 1.32), and that's over 1,000 more innings. I'm not a big Zambrano fan at all, but he's easily better than some of those you list as top pitchers. Sheets is hurt often but I didn't say that he's had a better career than Zambrano. I said he's a better pitcher than Zambrano. And he is, in much the same way that Rich Harden is a flat-out better pitcher than Mark Buehrle. If I were constructing a team I'd pick Buehrle but if I wanted one of them for one start I'd of course take Harden. That's the way I look at that comparison. As for Hudson, I think it's clear that he has 1. had a better career 2. was having a better year than Zambrano and has been 3. on the whole, better than Z. Unfortunately he's out for the season now so we can't continue this conversation but I'd say that through his last start Hudson has been a better single-game and career and single-season pitcher than Zambrano. So I don't accept that Z is better. As for Billingsley -- my main problem with Zambrano is he is not all that great a run-preventer. He strikes guys out and throws innings but is not a run-preventing pitcher. Billingsley is hard to hit, strikes out a ton of guys and gives up comparatively few runs. He's a better pitcher now and going into the future than Zambrano, that's for sure.

Longoria has three homeruns tonight but the Rays might well lose the game as they're tied in the 9th with Minny threatening.

That is why he doesn't have the courage to face anyone.

Gregory Pratt spent the weekend in Philadelphia and New York City and caught games at Citizen's Bank Ballpark and Yankee Stadium. He thanks the Chancey family for their hospitality and will be writing about the games soon. Zambrano-no -- Full disclosure: this headline is from a teaser on the front page of a Chicago newspaper. That said, I've always considered Carlos Zambrano a fun guy to watch and I enjoy rooting for him because he is passionate and talented and crazy as all hell, but I have never bought into him as a legitimate ace starting pitcher. He walks too many hitters for my taste and a quick look through the league shows him to be clearly inferior to many of the very best pitchers in his league. Off the top of my head I count Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Cole Hamels, Tim Lincecum, Chad Billingsley, Roy Oswalt, Ben Sheets, and Tim Hudson (though he's out with injury) as better pitchers, so I consider Zambrano to be the best of a second-tier of pitchers which includes guys like Aaron Harang, Matt Cain, Aaron Cook, and Jeff Francis. Sunday night, however, he was world-class, as he threw the league's second no-hitter this season against the Houston Astros of Milwaukee. Congratulations! Wagner the Dog: Redux -- I sat right behind home plate in the upper deck at Citizen's Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia with an IRS agent on Sunday, and we talked about everything from his job to my studies to his watching Richie Ashburn in childhood. At one point, we got around to the subject of Billy Wagner, who talked his way out of town in Philadelphia, and the man told me a story about how Wagner complained that fans would boo him for not throwing 100 MPH. "It was a joke!" he protested in defense of Philly fans, and I laughed. I know Wagner's always gotten into trouble for being candid, but I appreciate his forwardness, as I've written before. Well, anyway, he's out with an arm injury now and will require Tommy John surgery. Wagner has said that he has thrown his last pitch as a Met, citing inside information, and I'm sorry to see it. What fascinates me about him, however, is that he has promised to come back and pitch in the major leagues again. This is not remarkable in and of itself, but Wagner is a man who works hard and deserves all the respect in the world for going out there and doing his job year in and year out. I hope he makes it back at his high level, and I have no doubt that he will... Did you know this: "As a youth, Wagner was a natural right-handed pitcher, but after breaking his throwing arm twice, he taught himself how to use his left arm by throwing nothing but fastballs against a barn wall." That's why I say God bless Billy Wagner. Konerko -- Paul Konerko sprained his knee last week when he mis-stepped during a rundown, and it appeared to be as serious as Jose Contreras' injury several weeks ago, in terms of both his personal health and ruining the team's post-season chances. Konerko had been the White Sox' best hitter since the start of August and was especially valuable in light of Carlos Quentin's broken wrist. Well, he looks like he's going to be back Tuesday, which is good for him and the team he serves. Homefield Advantages -- You know, we talk about Texas and the inflationary effect it has on players' offensive numbers, but it can't be fun to play baseball in the heat at the stadium during the summer, especially since it's got high walls all along the sides which keep the breeze out. I, truthfully, don't think that the Ballpark in Arlington ought to be allowed to exist as it stands now, because it is brutal for the fans and the players and pitchers. Houston has a retractable roof with good reason and Texas should be forced to adopt it. On a related note, I don't think Major League Baseball should have sent the Astros and the Cubs to Milwaukee to play out their series in light of Hurricane Ike hitting Houston. It's unfair to the Astros to be sent to an away ballpark for a home game that will clearly be filled with their opponents' fans, which is exactly what happened. If I were the Commissioner, I'd have sent them to a small town with a minor league ballpark in the plains states and had them play with all tickets going to charity and memories being given to people who might never otherwise get the chance to watch a major league game. Good Graces -- When I met Black Jack McDowell this summer, we talked about a variety of things that didn't make it into the article for various reasons. One of them concerned Joe Maddon, whom he called one of the funniest guys he's ever met when they were teammates on the Angels. I thought of what Jack said to me about Maddon this week after a Disney movie-like moment in a Red Sox-Rays game last Wednesday. From this article: "Dan Johnson woke up in Pennsylvania in triple A on Tuesday. He'll go to bed in New York on Thursday as a member of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays. Johnson, scratched from the lineup because he didn't get into town until just before the first pitch, hit a tying pinch-hit homer in the ninth inning off Jonathan Papelbon, Dioner Navarro doubled in the go-ahead run, and the Rays beat Boston, 5-4, to extend their division lead." I saw an interview with Maddon about that homerun in which he spoke about how magical that night was. He mused about modernity making it all possible: "[Looks like we're in trouble and then Johnson] arrives with the good graces of modern technology and US Air." Huffing and Puffing -- I looked up this week and noticed that Aubrey Huff was hitting .314/.370/.575 with 31 homeruns, 104 RBI and 94 runs scored. How does a guy have such a great year after years of being decent but nothing to write a Pepper about? I guess he woke up at some point last offseason and decided it was time to party like it's 2003. Good for him. Did You Realize? -- From this website: "Mike Gonzalez blew his first save in 40 chances since June 25, 2004 by giving up a run Tuesday against the Rockies. Gonzalez had gone 183 appearances, most of them as a closer or a top setup man, without blowing a lead. In some ways, the streak was more impressive than Eric Gagne's. It never got any attention, because he only has had one year of more than 10 saves and he missed a full season due to Tommy John surgery. Still, 183 appearances without blowing a lead is flat out incredible." Did You Realize? II -- The Houston Astros are two-and-a-half games back in the Wild Card standings. I mocked Ed Wade earlier this summer for making a trade to acquire Randy Wolf for his rotation because I thought it was absurd for him to even consider making it to the playoffs with that team. Now they have a decent chance and have, at least, made a helluva run. I don't take back what I've said about them before, however. They have a bad rotation, and that is what will keep them out of the playoffs this year. The Michael Bourn for Brad Lidge trade might be the worst since the Giants traded Francisco Liriano, Koe Nathan and Boof Bonser to Minnesota for A.J. Pierzynski. That said, Roy Oswalt threw a complete game while facing the minimum last Wednesday (he erased all three hits he allowed with double play balls) and made a hilarious joke: "I was trying to make it as quick as possible so I could get home. Somebody said there was a hurricane on the way, so I was trying to be as quick as possible." There's a part of me that wants the Astros to make the playoffs just so Oswalt can continue his recent dominance, but I really like the Brewers and the Phillies. Burnt Yost -- Ned Yost finally lost his job yesterday. I've long considered him one of the worst managers in the game. His handling of his bullpen last year was atrocious, and it's remained so. I got to witness his mediocrity in person in Philadelphia Sunday afternoon as Shane Victorino reached base to start the bottom of the eighth inning and Yost brought in a lefty to face Utley, who sacrificed the runner over to second. The pitcher intentionally walked Ryan Howard and was then allowed to pitch to Pat Burrell, who singled in the go-ahead and ultimate winning run. Yost then made a change and called for Eric Gagne, who is still "Game Over" Gagne, but in different ways than he was in 2002. That game didn't end well for the Brewers. Hopefully, Yost's replacement, Dale Sveum, can lead that team to the postseason. It would be a shame if C.C. Sabathia's Herculean effort went wasted for the Brewers. History of the Week -- Immediately upon hearing of Yost's firing I wondered whether or not any teams had ever fired someone so late in a pennant race that they were involved with and a friend of mine fortunately posted the following online: "There are two examples of such a firing working out. One is when the 1983 Phillies firing Pat Corrales when the team was in first place, and replacing him with Paul Owens. The other was when the 1981 Yankees fired the unstable Billy Martin (who had worn out his welcome) and replaced him with Bob Lemon, who took the team through an extra round of playoffs to the WS (which they lost) after Gene Michael had led the Yankees to qualify for a playoff spot by their performance in the 1st half of the season. If there are other examples of firing a manager in the middle of the pennant race when that team was in a commanding position for the postseason, I cannot think of any. I can't believe that this is going to work out for the Brew Crew, but maybe I'm missing something." It's unorthodox for a team to fire their manage so late in the season, but Yost was done a long time ago.

MLB.tv is one of life's most simple pleasures. It allows me to follow my favorite pitchers live. Roy Oswalt is simply a treat to watch.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Sep 11, 2008 -> 03:19 PM) I remember that doofus Walter Jacobson complaining on the news when Paulie circled the bases in Minnesota holding a beer can back in 2000. Did he really circle the bases after a homerun with a beer can?

QUOTE (TheBigHurt @ Sep 9, 2008 -> 08:31 PM) Quentin's old? No, you're right. I meant old guys getting freak injured and freak injuries in general.

What's with all these old White Sox players hurting themselves on basic movements? Contreras, Konerko. Quentin, to an extent. And we all know Griffey can't run hard or else he'll do it to himself.

http://baseballevolution.com/gregory/weekreview23 Gregory Pratt is doing very well, but he hopes that the Patriots bring someone competent in to Quarterback in Tom Brady's stead, even if he is irreplaceable. Slap-Happy -- Carlos Quentin, the American League's leading Most Valuable Player candidate and homerun leader, is likely out for the season after fracturing his wrist while slapping his baseball bat in anger. Some, like Ichiro Suzuki, might suggest that his fracture is karmic retribution for the manner in which he treats his bats. (For more information on that, I direct you to this Jim Caple article from July 2002 about how Ichiro treats his bats and, tangentially, how other major leaguers do. My favorite portion: "Ichiro admits -- gasp! -- that he threw his bat during a game in 1995 and felt such regret that he brought it to his room that night to keep it with him. He cannot believe the way many major leaguers treat their bats -- flinging them in disgust, smashing them against a wall in frustration, snapping them in half and not storing them in a hermetically-sealed chamber under 24-hour escort." I've been meaning to bring this article up for months now and thought this situation was apropos of the subject. I am of course being facetious. The real point is that the White Sox have lost their best offensive player to a fluke injury that rivals Sammy Sosa's throwing out his back while sneezing, so the division race against the Minnesota Twins is likely to get interesting. For my money, Justin Morneau is the league's Most Valuable Player now, assuming the Twins win the division, because his ability to hit with runners in scoring position for the Twins (see his fantastic splits) has carried them through the season. If the White Sox manage to play through September and make the playoffs, then I am not opposed to giving the MVP to Josh Hamilton in a feel-good tribute of sorts (also an attempt to inflame Asher), assuming he has a good month, but the award is up in the air now. Falling Star -- Speaking of Josh Hamilton, he has been mediocre since the All-Star Break, something I attribute to two things: fatigue (he is, due to his past drug use and the shortness of every season he's had before this one, ill-conditioned for a full season at this time, especially playing in Texas heat) and the collapse of the lineup around him. Since the break, Milton Bradley has been in and out of the lineup, Michael Young has been off (not to mention the fact that this is an off-season for him in general, as he is 35 hits away from 200 and might therefore fail in his bid to become the first right-handed hitter to have a six-year streak of 200 hits), and most importantly, the dynamic Ian Kinsler is out for the season. It happens, though he's been hot the past week and is showing signs of going on another tear like the one on which he started the season. Incredible, Rising, Declining First Basemen -- Carlos Delgado started this year terribly (carried a sub-.700 OPS into June!) but has been tearing the ball apart since then, including a two-homerun performance against Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday night. As much as I prefer to root for the Phillies over the Mets, I must say I am happy for Delgado, who has always seemed to me a decent, hardworking, and talented guy. Another incredible, rising, aging first baseman is Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox, who has raised his OPS from .691 on August 13th to .775 through September 7th. Neither is having an exceptional season, but both have gone from appearing to be dead men walking earlier in the year to becoming valuable contributors for their teams in playoff races, and that counts for much in the real world. First Time for Everything -- In his first major league start, Brandon Morrow, whose name is one of my favorites in baseball, threw 7.2 innings of one-run and, until Wilson Betemit doubled in the eighth, no-hit ball to beat the Yankees. Morrow's been a highly-touted prospect for years now and is still considered by many to be a fixture on MLB's leaderboards in the years to come. Scott McClain, on the other hand, has never been a highly-touted anything and is, in fact, a 36-year old journeyman who has played baseball all over the world, in just about every league you can think of, but had never hit a homerun in the major leagues until he went deep on September third for the San Francisco Giants. His story makes me happy. Now I'd like to also mention Alberto Castillo, who is a 33-year old rookie relief pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles. He's been good for them, though it's important to consider that he's pitching for a last-place team and his numbers ought to be taken with some grain of salt as a result, but that doesn't matter in the end: he's made it. Instant Material -- As Alex Rodriguez is not already on enough MLB record pages, he decided to hit a questionable homerun against the Tampa Bay Rays on September third, off of the catwalk at Tropicana Field, to check and see if the umpires would uphold it. They did, and Rodriguez is now the first MLB player to have a homerun replayed by the umpires. I'm pleased to report that it didn't destroy the game of baseball, although I am disappointed in its introduction all the same. Not to Get Political or Anything -- My fellow Democrats have a reputation amongst people who follow politics as a party which can lose "winnable" elections better than any political party in history (see: 1988, 2004, 2000 for just a few examples) and that is the first thing I thought of when I read this: "[sean] Rodriguez strikes out on 4-2 pitch." Mussina -- After losing to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, I think it's safe to expect Mike Mussina to fail to win 20 games again this season. I just don't think he's going to do it, as he is only scheduled to pitch three more games, although the Yankees could bump him up for the final game of the season as well. He still needs to win three more, and I don't think he has enough left in the tank to do it. Oswalt That Ends Walt! Oswalt That Ends Walt! -- I'd hate to be a broken record (that's what Michael Phelps is for, right? I guess I might be misunderstanding the Olympics...) but Roy Oswalt had a phenomenal start Saturday night against the Colorado Rockies, throwing a one-hit complete game shutout at Coors Field, and I wanted to express my delight. Since topping out at 5.61 in ERA on May 22nd, Oswalt has come down to 3.72 and is working on a 23 1/3rd scoreless innings streak. Also, I like writing "Oswalt That Ends Walt!" I think it has charm. History of the Week -- When I read the book Cobb a few weeks ago, I came across the story of Cobb's battle for the batting crown with Nap Lajoie in 1910. It is a remarkable and disgusting story that I thought I'd share with you. But first: what do you suppose would happen if, in the midst of the Albert Pujols-Chipper Jones batting crown race, the Mets allowed Pujols to get on base 8 of 9 times just to keep Jones from winning it? Can you believe it's happened before? Eventually -- and this isn't mentioned in the article, unfortunately -- the record-keepers of MLB from that time got together and gave Cobb a couple of hits from earlier games that had been called errors, thus taking the win from Lajoie. Both players were playing for a car, awarded to the batting champion by the Chalmers company, and the company decided after it all settled down to give them both a car. Eventually statisticians revised that season's BA race and gave it back to Lajoie, but as far as I'm concerned Cobb is the rightful 1910 batting champion. This whole incident is just more proof that baseball was not a gentleman's game when it first started.

At the least I take pleasure in the Colts losing today. Good to see the Neckbeard do well, too.

Time for the Patriots to call Vinny Testaverde out of retirement.

The "Democratic nominee" thing is perfectly fine. That's how campaigns like these have often been done. In major speeches many candidates have flat-out refused to give much attention to their opponent by name. It's really not a big deal.

That line about Obama having written two memoirs but no significant bits of legislation is one that ought to be used and re-used in every speech. What a great job Palin did.