If I was willing to offer money to someone in exchange for removing Adam Eaton from the Orioles' rotation by any means necessary:

How much would you want?

What would be your plan?

I'm getting desperate here, and I'm sure there would be many here in the Queen City of the Patapsco Drainage Basin willing to contribute...

If they take that job can they do Wedge/Shapiro and the whole Indians team next???????

Actually, my offer's off the table. Rumblings around the Orioles-Wide-Web are that if (when...) he pitches poorly tomorrow against the Yankees he'll be gone and someone brought up from Norfolk.

I'm just trying to take solace in that the team spent the whole spring and the season up to this point all but publicly saying that Eaton is the stopgap of stopgaps and would be removed at the earliest opportunity, and the way some of our guys are pitching in the minors that time appears to be now.

Now if I can only find the patience to June 9, which is supposed to be the official unofficial date for the first Matt Wieters appearance...

Chris Tillman, Chris Tillman?! Send up Chris Tillman! He's one of my keeper prospects!

Oh sure, you have happy things to look forward to.

My offer is still on the table..... and someone take out Dwight Howard's knee while your at it.

Sooner rather than later; he got dumped this afternoon. We brought up Matt Albers for a couple days worth of bullpen help with an eye on bringing up someone (not Tillman by most opinions) from Norfolk.

Between that and getting a chance to beat up on the Gnats, things really are looking up :p

Adam Eaton's gone. Mark Hendrickson is in the 'pen. The Orioles have already brought up Brad Bergesen and Jason Berken from Norfolk, with David Hernandez rumored to be Thursday's starter to make it 3/5 pitching prospects up already. Nolan Reimold is off to a hot start in his major-league debut.

And, Friday night, May 29, 2009, against Detroit, will be the major league debut of one Matthew Richard Wieters, a week after his 23rd birthday and already an Orioles legend.

Things are looking up in Birdland!

STL back in a tie for first
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i2...happydance.gif
Yes, that is what I look like when I dance.

Maybe I'm glad Tillman will stay down for awhile, as to avoid an early debut spoiling the potential I think he has. That being said, I think he's the best prospect you've got for the rotation.

At the same time, I hate the Wieters hype. Hopefully he'll live up to it, but there seriously hasn't been this much hype over a non pitching prospect in a long long time. (Pitchers always get hype, because they are more likely to get starts, etc.)

---------- Post added at 12:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 AM ----------

Unfortunately all is not well in 'the Nation'. I wish our rotation would figure it out. We are supposed to have one of the best rotations in the Majors and the only people who can win games are Wakefield and a very hittable Brad Penny with a 6 something ERA. Ugh. At least Smoltz is a Sea Dog, we'll see how he comes along. I've been begging for Clay Bucholz to have Penny's spot in the rotation, and I'm not sure why he hasn't been called up while Daisuke was on the DL. At least the Bullpen is phenomenal. 6 wild pitches in the game tonight holy shit.

Toronto is falling fast.

Must be the absurdity of Ryan Franklin's chin-piece.

http://a.espncdn.com/media/apphoto/1...00ea1a226b.jpg

Prediction for Matt Wieters tonight: 0-3, 2K, 1BB

Yeah, just like all of our other rookies.

Oh wait, we're the first team since 1900 to have four pitchers win their major-league debuts in the same season...and it's the end of May ;)

Well, you were WRONG!


0-4 with ONE K ;)

But our rookie starter pitched eight strong innings after being reunited with the guy who caught him last year and this year in the minors, and Wieters played some good defense on the chances he had.

And don't look now, but the O's are five games back and on a five-game winning streak :D

Now, I'm not going to knock Wieters... I'm going to knock all the fucking people putting him on a pedestal. Just treat him like any other rookie!

How DARE you call him "any other rookie"! :mad: :D

texas rangers....in first.....wtf?????

would be awesome if it lasted!

Let's see, we lose Sizemore, Martinez, Carmona is done, our bullpen sucks and we can get on but for what ever reason we can't score.

The good we have Pavano, Lee is still strong, Wood isn't too wild but needs a steady diet of work which the team can't give him, Asdrubel is a hitting machine, Peralta is coming out of his slump..... and we play in the AL Central so we still have a chance.

We're fucked.

Anyone watching the NCAA tourney. 32-0 After 5 for FL St. vs Ohio St. 37-6 final I think. Jessh, isn't there a mercy rule or something? That was historically embarrassing for Ohio St.

At least OSU doesn't get their ass beat like that in BCS Bowl Games


GO NOLES!!!!!!!!!

Also Texas and BC going 25 innings. Heard that over the weekend. Sad that BC is out, but they took #1 Texas for a ride.

Hey Pan, when is someone going to go Teddy Ballgame on those seagulls? ;)

(Read near the bottom of page 54...)

It maybe a sign. It's been funny listening on the radio to Hamilton and Hegan talking about "hundreds of seagulls invading the... (Jake)" ( I still can't call it Progressive Field). It's kind of like those bugs that choked up Joba. In fact that's part of why the gulls are there, to eat the bugs. It's the ultimate home field advantage. That and 455, which they say Boston will break..... yeah keep dreaming.

As for the story about Ted, I liked it but knowing our Tribe, it would be like Lee and he'd blow out his shoulder. Or Martinez and he'd get backlash in his eyes. Naw, Teddy was able to do something like that because God watches after fools, drunks and the rest of the Red Sox. Cleveland is just plain cursed, why help it along?

*Ahem*

Click me.

God watches after fools, drunks and the rest of the Red Sox :thumbsup:

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/8...2779945803.png

That's how I feel right now.

What an amazing comeback by the Brewers against the Indians last night. I love seeing a grand slam.

Pan is going to kick your ass :lol:

Naw, I've come to accept it with our bullpen now.

I look to see them trading a very unhappy Wood (no opps there), probably Lee and wouldn't be surprised to see Pavano go either.

The team sucks from Wedge down. They have very little fire, they don't seem to like each other or have any type of chemistry there. What they need to do is watch what Jocketty is doing down in Cincy and replicate it.

---------- Post added at 04:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:28 AM ----------

You're doing far far better than my Indians.... but not as well as Cincy. This is the beginning of another "Big Red Machine".

I love seeing Prince Fielder run and immediately thinking of "Baywatch" :eek:

An update from "THE NATION": 500 consecutive sellouts tonight, Jacoby Ellsbury makes his first career error in an absurd amount of opportunities to do so (232 games, 554 chances), John Henry looks like a woman when he wears a turtleneck, I want Clay Bucholz to be called up.

Matt Wieters hit his first career home run tonight. And I WAS THERE! :hyper:

Only 762 more ;)

He's got what, about 2213 games left to start at catcher?

only call up Clay if he's not going to crack like last season.

please.

I don't care if he is 6-foot-5 and ripped, I'm calling him "Pudge". That seems like a pretty lucky nickname for a catcher :lol:

It's just a matter of luck that they're not any further back in the NL East. They're toying with me, hanging around long enough to make me think they'll finally make it back into the postseason before they blow it (again) on the final day of the season.

Hey don't knock blowing leads and games man..... Hell, the most exciting part of Indians baseball this season is to see how they can blow a 7 run lead and lose the game..... and it seems to happen every game. Whoops, there's another Wood blown save.

Dice-K lifted from the rotation, Becket looks like an ace again, Lowe returns to a standing OVATION at Fenway park, and MAnny headed to the triple AAA. So much RedSox stuff!

Orioles have won five straight, and seven of eight, including a sweep of the defending champs. The roller coaster goes up the hill...

Yes the Orioles have played well andcould play the role of the spoiler in the AL East. The Red Sox play the Orioles in Baltimore at the end of this month. Should be interesting.

Well, starting August 31 we play every team in the division at least five times (Boston five, New York and Toronto six and Tampa Bay eight). The expectation around here is that due to the young talent that is coming up now developing and the ones in AAA giving a boost there won't be our annual 6-24/8-22 September. So the other teams shouldn't just write us off as irrelevant.

Watch for Brad Bergesen. He was our minor-league Pitcher of the Year last year, dominated AAA before his call-up and has looked great so far. He's not an overpowering guy, but he pitches as fast (time-wise) as anyone in the modern game, keeps the balls down and doesn't walk anybody. He hasn't pitched less than six innings in a start since May 24, and pitched less only four times since coming up April 21. He's not an ace, but he's going to be an inning-eater and a mid-rotation guy; the kind of guy people love to watch pitch.

I grew up watching and listening to the Orioles and wish I followed them a bit closer. Thanks for the info on them and the pitcher to watch. I'm hoping the Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays keep the Yankees busy.

So Manuelito made a rehab start, but I'm really curious why the league is allowing him to do this. He wasn't on the DL, he was suspended from baseball activities, and these are baseball activities.

I'm always skeptical of that kind of description for a player. Usually, innings eater = suck but Bergersen has a 121 ERA+ right now. That isn't ace material but close to it. The K/9 needs to be higher though. It's really hard to be successful if your K rate is that low.

That was the main knock on him coming up, but whether it is just the league not catching up to him yet or something in how he's pitching (he seems to have better stuff and more movement than advertised) he's looking really good.

Just so everyone knows, the Church of Markakism is offering a special to converts from the Boston area tonight. Switch allegiances now, and get a free Jonathon Papelbon voodoo doll just for signing up!

Largest comeback in franchise history, next best was back in 1956! Down 10-1 going into the seventh, scoring five runs in the seventh and eighth innings to win!

Well today was a different day, Red Sox seem to have dusted them selves off after yesterday and have done the comeback thing to the Orioles. Papelbon sure looked good. I will say the Orioles pitcher, Brad Bergesen, alsolooked good. Too bad the bullpen couldn't hold that lead, but then that's what happened to the Sox last night.

So, manny acta's been fired from the nats. Mark my words, if the mets fail to make the playoffs Acta will be their skipper next season.

Minaya going for the first all-Hispanic major league franchise? :lol:

Seriously though, he's got the playing experience, the managing experience from making mistakes in an organization that would be an embarrassment if John McGraw was running the major-league team, as well as the willingness to look at new ideas instead of blindly following "the book" that was written by Frankie Frisch in 1936.

Any decent team that hires him is going to be making a good hire, no matter how much of an effect you believe the manager has.

I think the Orioles may be looking for a new manager after the season, and he's a guy we should be VERY interested in hiring if that is the case.

Not Surprising Acta got fired but when you have a team with as little talent as they do, someone will be the fall guy.

The Nats definitely got an upgrade in Nyjer Morgan considering he's replacing Elijah Dukes. You can't teach speed, people!

HR Derby was boring. My beers are the bar held my attention better than the "Ball Tracks". Though the view of the arch from home plate is fab. Obama has the first pitch in 1.5 hours. Here's saying he gets to Pujols' glove.

Well, Obama made it to the glove. He was also wearing his ChiSox jacket, which I can respect. If I was throwing out a first pitch anywhere (especially Yankee Stadium) I'd be wearing my Boston hat and jersey.

Pedro signs with the Phils. I don't think he'll be much of a difference maker, but its not like its a risky investment either.

Where do you think Halladay will end up? Even though the Sox rotation is jammed I'd like to see him here. If I were Theo, I'd offer Brad Penny, Nick Green and another lower level prospect. Then I'd move Smoltz to the pen after this Clay Buchholz callup that I've been waiting all season for. Here's saying he flirts with a shutout tomorrow.

THanks to Pujols' ability as a first baseman to stretch-and-scoop. If they had a real catcher back there that ball was bouncing in the dirt and off his chest :lol:

Not that I'm one of those dweebs who are whining about that. What I really find funny is that apparently Fox made sure they DIDN'T show where the ball ended up after he threw it. I guess there was a little miscommunication between Fox News and Fox Sports ;)

Me too, only with the O's. There are too many politicians who would have walked out there at best in full Cardinals gear or at worst without anything at all.

I love the move. He's cheap, short-term, and if he can come back and provide anything for the stretch run it would be great. Hell, you could put him the bullpen for the playoffs if you have to and I bet he would shine for one last run.

Just has to get as healthy as he can, which really isn't very healthy at this point.

Epstein wouldn't get past "Brad Pen..." before the click on the line. The Jays are going to want a fortune, and doubly-so from the Red Sox or Yankees. The discussion wouldn't start without Buchholz involved.

Everyone seems to think St. Louis or Philadelphia, and those probably are the two best places for him.

That Pedro signing is going to haunt the Mets (as if the Perez signing isn't haunting them already).

Speaking of which, I'm hanging up my jersey for the season. My emotions just can't take the abuse any longer.

It doesn't help that you can't really tell if the Mets are a baseball team or a disabled list.

Mark Buehrle is the f**king man.

Mark Buehrle Tosses Perfect Game - ESPN Video - ESPN

I've always been a Buehrle fan. He's a horse who pitches fast and does it well. He should get more attention than he does.

I agree that Buehrle should get more attention.. he's calm and collected.. and doesn't have the pitchers hangup of superstitions..

and man..what a catch in center field to rob Kapler of a lead-off homerun.. that was just special.

What, no mention of Manny's pinch-hit grand salami on his bobblehead night?

us Boston fans try to forget manny as much as possible.. it's painful to watch him in another uni.

Sometimes this just happens to a lucky guy. I'm not going to pretend like I think Mark Buehrle is a fantastic pitcher all of a sudden, now that he's pitched a perfect game. I'll give a tip of the cap to the accomplishment because its quite a feat, however though he has starts of brilliance, he has also had poor starts. His ERA over July has been a 4.50 and June was a 4.30, rising from the 2's and 3's over the beginning of the season.

The things I do like about him are how quick he works, and how he never shakes off the catcher. Those are two things that are actually pretty important. The defense (and some luck on foul balls and such) were crucial to this success. Though in support of Buehrle, its not like the Rays exactly have a poor offense either, so kudos to him.

So bravo for that game, it was fantastic to see. I'll still take Johan Santana over you 9 out of 7 days a week.

---------- Post added at 12:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:06 AM ----------

This just helps me make a killing for him when I go to trade him in my fantasy leagues.

Common sense prevailing in Flushing?
Tony Bernazard, New York Mets executive, reportedly fired by New York Mets - ESPN

Bernazard, VP of player development is responsible for the Mets' minor league farm system. He also figures to be the driving force behind the firings of Willie Randolph and Rick Peterson last season, and in some circles he also appeared to be aiming for Omar Minaya's job.

Given the lack of credible call-ups to replaced the injured Beltra, Delgado, Reyes, Putz, Maine, Sheffield, and three other players currently on the DL and the horrendous performance of their minor-league affiliates, I only wish he had gone into his shirt-tossing tirade earlier so they could've gotten rid of him sooner.

Apparently, Rhianna has been dating a bunch of Mets players lately..

she's pretty comfortable they don't beat anyone..

I hope Minaya loses his job over that press conference today. What he said in his comments about Adam Rubin and suggesting that he broke the story because he wanted the guy's job with the Mets is just embarrassing.

Even if it's true that Rubin was lobbying for a job with the Mets even as he was covering the team, revealing that, especially in a situation where it comes off as an accusation of why the story was even broken, is uncalled-for. How can anyone in the media trust what he has to say anymore?

That sounds like a severely dysfunctional organization, even without the struggles at the major-league level.

Cliff Lee to the Phillies for pitchers Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, shortstop Jason Donald and catcher Lou Marson.

I think it's a great deal for the Phils. Knapp is the only one that I wish we could have kept but they had to give Cleveland something.

Yeah, stupid Indians wanting something for their players :lol:

Pan nervous breakdown coming in three...two...:eek:

George Sherrill looks like he might be drawing interest from the Dodgers among other teams, and could get the O's a nice haul. Also went to the game last night to see Chris Tillman make his MLB debut; got hit a bit hard (on a rainy night delaying the start and screwing up his warm-ups), but had really good stuff and kept the team in the game.

Also, as an Orioles fan I love how Toronto thinks someone is going to help them re-enact the Bedard trade (where the Orioles got Sherrill and Tillman, along with Adam Jones...Bill Bavasi should get a World Series ring in two years when we win), and am praying they don't settle for whatever Boston offers, or worse, the Yankees' leftovers.

Just to update, Sherrill was traded to the Dodgers this afternoon. Great deal for both teams.

Hal and the other Dodger fans hanging around: you're going to love this guy. He's death to lefties, pretty good against righties, and even when he's struggling he has the bulldog attitude that will help him get through an inning or forget a bad appearance. Oh, and the flat brim on the hat will fit in well with Manny's dreds ;)

Orioles needed to make the trade, and appear to have acquired two quality prospects. Josh Bell is a power-hitting corner infielder who is likely within a year of the majors. Steve Johnson, in addition to being a flamethrower who strikes out everyone, is the son of former Orioles pitcher Dave Johnson.

I think this is one of those deals where both teams win, which is a rarity for the Orioles under Andy MacPhail (though not in a negative way for us :lol:).

Looks like Boston may be getting desperate..

Tazawa to start on Tuesday against Detroit.

Dodgers have been bombing lately. Damn. I suppose it needs to happen at least once during the season.

The Dodgers will be fine. They have a huge lead in the division.

Not that it matters but it's nice to see my DBacks finally playing like a professional baseball team again. They sucked like hell in the first half but have the third best record in MLB from July to present. Mark Reynolds has a 1.288 OPS in the second half of the season and 8 HR in the last two weeks. He's turning into one of the best 3Bman in the game.

The 2 gritty wins over the tigers should help boston get a little bit on track. If Boston can ever get it's rotation settled there may be enough time to make a late push..

If they can at least get the wildcard, then maybe they can have things come together at the right time..

For the Red Sox, picking up Alex Gonzalez from Cincy is big. Light hitting, but the best defense at short the Red Sox have ever had. That brings more stability. Now if the rotation will settle down, and it just might. A push to the finish!

The interesting thing is, according to UZR, Nick Green is better defensively at shortstop both this season and for his career. Plus the much better offensive season he is having.

Fangraphs.com has a statistic where they translate a player's overall performance into monetary terms. Basically, this season Nick Green's performance has been worth $2.6 million. Alex Gonzalez? Minus-$3.1 million.

And yes, I realize Gonzalez is going to spend the rest of the season killing the ball and stealing the Human Vacuum Cleaner title from Brooks Robinson, just to piss off all non-Red Sox fans ;)

Well, our long national nightmare has come to an end. The Nationals signed Stephan Strasburg to a four-year, $15.67 million contract.

Biggest contract ever given to a draft pick, but for a guy with Strasburg's ability and Scott Boras' contract demands, a pretty good number for both sides.

Probably the only guy in this class we will hear about before 2011, too. Though the record for pitchers selected first-overall is atrocious, which I know as an Orioles fan who's earliest memories of the team involve the original "Greatest College Pitcher EVAR!!!11" Ben McDonald. The most-memorable image I have of him was from a game from the early years of Camden Yards where the dugout flooded during a downpour and Cajun boy Big Ben was fishing from the bench. Funny as hell, though :p

The Orioles managed to sign a bunch of picks that dropped due to signability concerns, as well as our second-round pick, a Boras client who looked like a lost cause as late as yesterday. None of which we'll hear about before 2012 :lol:

Shit, the Dodgers keep sliding. I don't know what is wrong anymore. They didn't get a pitcher when they needed to and now they're going to sink.

The Rays, The Red Sox...
 

I was sort of hoping Madden and the Rays would keep coming on, mixing things up in the ALE, but they don't seem to be getting any real traction. They do manage to satisfy my habit for baseball, since FOX provides super regional coverage here in SWF on my limited cable TV budget.

Any other Rays fans here?

Regardless, I am always happy to see Francona and the Red Sox keeping things interesting and will transfer all my excitement there in the post-season if they prove to be the ALE representatives or the WC.

Yes, I cannot stand the Yankees...

:cringe:

....despite their record in the second half. So they are the best team in BB right now, but it's a personality thing. Just don't like (and never have) their superiority-jock-we-are-the-best-and-we-know-it attitude.

Thome and Garland to the Dodgers. I understand Garland, but WTF is LA going to do with Thome? Is he just a high priced PH unless they make it to the WS and then he can DH? At least my DBacks beat them today.

Orioles were officially eliminated from the American League East playoff race tonight with a loss to the Yankees. Although in related "So you're saying there's a chance?" news, the magic number for the wild card is still seven games :p

Of course, the team already announced that Matusz and Tillman are going to be shut down after a couple more starts (good to hear after Matusz's dominating start Sunday) and Bergesen has been officially shut down without returning from his injury this season. Not much to look forward to until December, I guess, unless Reimold gets hot and takes the Rookie of the Year award that he arguably deserves.

And I just want to thank the Chicago Cubs for Felix Pie. That was a nice gift you guys gave MacPhail and the Orioles, especially now that he's killing the ball.

Exactly. This reunites Jimmy and Manny as team mates. Big deal. I think Jimmy is a free agent at the end of the year so it's purely a move to have a big bat on the bench during the playoffs. Plus he's a smart hitter and has faced most of the ace American league pitchers of late...not a bad guy to call on in a WS pinch.

Well, the Rays are officially going down in the standings. And with a string of 7 losses, they are going down even faster now. I don't quite understand the logic of trading away one of their better starting pitchers, when it is the middle relief and closers that are the problem. Couldn't they have used Kazmir as a relief pitcher? Or maybe they wanted to trade him while they thought he still had some value.

:shakehead:

Oh well....the Red Sox will be my post-season ALE team.

Well get ready for the post season. Yankees are the best team money can buy. <sigh> But anything can happen, and HAS happened before.

Yes, it's looking more and more like October will include the Yankees, but hopefully the Red Sox can stay close and keep it interesting, at least in the AL East and make it to the playoffs. Boston is ahead 9-6 against the Yankees so far this year, with 3 games to go.

Of course, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing the Rangers in the playoffs, either. But I don't know if the Rangers can put out the Yankees. It would be an interesting playoff series. The Yankees are 5-4 against the Rangers this year.

The Rays are officially (and I guess mathematically) eliminated from the 2009 post-season along with several other teams.

That means it is therefore officially time for me to get into Red Sox mode...and the Red Sox are surging a bit...

:thumbsup:

please.. oh please let Lester be ok in time for the playoffs.

Oh the Yankees look good, maybe too good, maybe peaking right now, maybe maybe maybe.

The Yankees are looking unstoppable for the moment. But Post Season is a whole new season, so hopefully the Red Sox or the Angels or Detroit can shut them down. I'm not so certain if the Twins (vs Yankees) make it to October. Historically, the Yankees have had the Twins number.

Of course, a LAD and NYY WS would be poetic justice for Torre to win...but even in that situation, the NYY will have home-field advantage due to the AL All-Star win...

cards clinch, see ya post season

I don't think the Yankees look that unstoppable really. While Joba had a decent outing on Saturday, I don't see it continuing, and we all know how A-roid and SaFAThia are playoff bombs. Winning the league over a season is a lot different than winning a 5 or 7 game series. I see NY leaving after the first round in all honesty.

Boston looks like the best team going into the playoffs for the AL. Sure I'm biased, but the bullpen is coming around, the starting rotation (hoping on Lester) is settling in, and the offense has started to come around. They may not have been very powerful in NY this weekend, but let's be honest, the Red Sox are looking for October, not catching NY. If history repeats and Boston gets past Anaheim, and if NY happens to make it past Detroit or Minnesota, Boston will take the ALCS from NY in a series. I get flashbacks of '04 watching the season play out this year.

I agree about Boston, but they have to get past Anaheim first. That might be one of the best post-season match-ups this year. Angels are up 5-4 against the Red Sox in '09, so it's evenly matched. Both teams want the WS; we'll see who wants it most, I guess.

After last night's loss, the Red Sox are now tied with the Yankees 9-9 for the season, so I definitely think it's possible for the Red Sox to take all. And you're right--in the post-season, the Red Sox have the definite edge and I think Francona definitely has it over Girardi. Let's hope history repeats itself with the Yankee's lack of post-season production. Teixeira is a factor as the AL HR leader, although he's mostly untested in the post-season.

Boston knows how to handle Tex. He was the only one who really produced for the Angels last season in the playoffs and I think Francona will be ok if the same thing happens this year if Boston gets past the Angels. Anaheim never seems to be able to get past Boston in the post season and I don't see it changing. They just don't seem to have enough shut down power on the mound or enough power in the box. They can certainly run against Boston, but Boston is capable of running themselves and if they get their bats going, Anaheim is going to have problems getting to the ALCS. IIRC, Anaheim has also been ahead of Boston the past few regular seasons in head to head play, but the playoffs bring out a different Boston team and Anaheim seems to shy away from the spotlight as the pressure gets turned up.

The yankees are going to be dependent on their pitching staff.. and while their bullpen has improved this season, I have this sneaky suspicion that Burnett and SaFAThia are going to choke. I'll put money on A-roid doing nothing as usual. It would still please me to no end to see them bow out in the first round again. I don't like Girardi and I want to see the Skanks bemoan all that money.

If Lester is healthy and Beckett finds his post season form, Boston should get out of the first round easily. I'm confident enough in Dice-K to add a third win since he's been back from rehab.

It's Rocktober again. The Rockies will pretty much need a miracle to win the division, but at least they have the wild card spot clinched. Honestly I think they are a better team now than when they went to the World Series two years ago.

Those last three games between the LA Dodgers and the Rockies will be a fun series to watch. It's always much more interesting when division titles come down to the wire like this.

I love the trainwreck that the Tigers turned into this weekend.

Mauer is the AL MVP and Grienke is the AL Cy Young. Anybody who doesn't agree is just plain retarded.

Yeah, pretty much.

I'm just disappointed Matt Wieters came on a little too late. He was 14th in the majors in OPS for catchers overall, and was crushing the ball throughout the last month of the season. He could have been Rookie of the Year had he got hot earlier. Just watch out for next year.

The Orioles had three legitimate candidates in Wieters, Brad Bergesen and Nolan Reimold. I already mentioned Wieters, Riemold was hurt the last three weeks of the year and Bergesen the last six weeks. It stinks.

Well, the Twins are officially In. And after that final tie-breaker game with the Tigers, I have to say--they deserve it: they are the AL Central Division champs. Congratulations, Twins!

I typically don't pay too much attention to other teams, but damn, that was one hell of a game for the AL Central yesterday.

And I disagree with your statement, guccilvr, about the Halos shying away from the spotlight of the postseason. It's not so much that they shy away from said spotlight as much as they just don't perform well when they are in it. BoSox definately bring it on in the postseason, I'll give ya that. Offence and starting pitching are very much the same for both teams, (no numbers wars here, please?) but the bullpen will be the real test. Halos are more of a finesse bullpen while Boston is gas, gas and more gas.

Realistically, this series is all about Game #1.

Fair enough Mister Coaster.

Maybe it's just because I don't have as much exposure to the Angels, it just seems like they will be on a hot streak and something happens in the postseason and they just stop. Maybe Boston just has their number. I'm really not sure, but either way I'm ready for the playoffs :)

Here's hoping the Twins knock the Skanks out in the first round.

I was a little worried about the Phils going into this postseason but the game today was awesome. Unfortunately I think that might be the only game I get to see in person. My sister has seats for game 5 of the series (if they make it that far), but my mom claimed them.

I feel like I'm in some alternate reality. CC and Afraud are both actually performing well in a playoff game.

I don't like this version.

Well, it is early yet, gucci. Remember, it's not so much that the NYY are unbeatable, it just may not be the Twins who do it.

But I am not altogether ready to count the Twins out just yet. It's going to be tough for them, but they've shown they can overcome adversity.

Plus, Gardy has a lot of baseball tricks up his sleeve and they play extremely intelligent and well-executed baseball. Gardy also has extensive post-season experience versus Girardi...

Oh, I know it's early, but Gardy doesn't have much success playing the Yankees away. I'm not counting out the twins just yet, but if they don't win tonight and wrestle some home field advantage away, they are doomed.

I'm actually kind of hoping that Boston gets past the Angels, and the Yankees get past the Twins so Boston can stomp all over NY in their precious stadium during the playoffs. That would be epic :D