True sellouts

The Rays will finally have some true sellouts at Tropicana Field. They're removing the blue tarps over the nosebleed seats in the highest recesses of their home park, giving 5,762 more people the chance to experience a postseason game.

The reason those seats weren't open in the first place?

The upper-deck seats were covered in part because they're not exactly the best seats in the house. Tropicana Field's infamous catwalks block the view of the field for a number of those seats.

"Some are obstructed-view, some don't have seatbacks, and they're pretty high up," Silverman said, according to the Tribune. "But you're in the ballpark and you're there making a difference to the team."

That's got to be the worst ballpark in baseball, but hopefully this means the Rays are gaining some long-term support in Florida.

NLCS game five - Hamels vs. Billingsley

The most intriguing pitching match up of the postseason comes tonight when the Phillies and Dodgers throw their young guns in game five of the NLCS.

Philadelphia pitches 24-year-old Cole Hamels, who threw well in a game one win. The Dodgers counter with Chad Billingsley, who was rocked for seven runs in 2 1/3 innings in his game two loss.

This time Billingsley's got the crowd behind him, and Hamels has to deal with more adversity. Billingsley's been better at home this year (2.95 ERA), but Hamels is very strong on the road (3.19 ERA). This one should be a classic, if the youngsters can shake off the nerves.

Kazmir to start game five

The Rays have every advantage in their favor, including the ability to throw Scott Kazmir Thursday in game five of the ALCS in Boston and save James Shields for game six back in St. Petersburg. That's exactly what Joe Maddon is doing, giving Kazmir a chance to finish off the BoSox at Fenway.

Chatham A's change nickname

MLB continues to police usage of its merchandise and likeness. One Cape Cod Baseball League team is changing its name due to the heavy-handedness.

The decision comes after Chatham, one of 10 teams in the Cape Cod Baseball League and one of six sharing a nickname with a Major League Baseball franchise, decided not to sign an annual contract that would allow them to keep the A’s as their name but require them to purchase all uniforms and souvenir merchandise from MLB-licensed vendors.

It has not yet been established what the other five CCBL franchises using MLB nicknames – the Bourne Braves, Hyannis Mets, Orleans Cardinals, Y-D Red Sox and Harwich Mariners – are planning to do, but Bourne and Orleans are strongly considering a name change as well, according to Cape Cod Baseball League Commissioner Paul Galop. All teams must make their intentions known to the Cape League by Oct. 25.

The six CCBL clubs sharing nicknames with major league teams signed an abbreviated contract with MLB Properties this past summer (covering the 2008 season), but have until Nov. 1 to opt of the contract, which covers the 2009 season.

Major League Baseball threatened to withhold its annual $100,000 grant last year until a temporary contract with the six targeted CCBL teams was signed. The Cape League is not in jeopardy of losing that funding next year, Galop said, now that they’ve cooperated with MLB, either by signing the licensing agreement or changing their name altogether.

As I always say, I understand that baseball wants to protect its product, but how far is too far?

Rays on the doorstep

What a thrashing the Rays put on Tim Wakefield and the Red Sox Tuesday night. So deep are the Boston wounds after a 13-4 pounding at Fenway Park that you have to wonder if Boston can force the series back to St. Petersburg on Thursday. I think they'll get that part of the job done, but the Rays are primed for their first World Series berth.

Padres close with Hoffman

It sounds like the Padres will bring back Trevor Hoffman. This is a good move on a couple of fronts. First, it's never a bad thing to have an experienced closer, even if Hoffman's numbers have slipped. Second, a one-year contract makes him obvious trade bait if San Diego struggles. He likely commands at least one prospect near next year's deadline for a big-spending contender.

Move playoffs to cable

Baseball's Monday playoff TV ratings weren't too spectacular.

Over on Fox the NLCS game scored a 5.1/8 between 8pm-10pm. Kinda eh for the playoffs and though MLB is touting that the combined playoff ratings for this round are up, but that’s not doing Fox any good since the growth is all being driven by huge growth over last year on TBS (last year it had the Diamonbacks/Rockies NLCS, this year TBS has the Red Sox).

I'm thinking that all playoff games will move to cable outlets in the coming years, kind of like the NBA format with the finals on network TV.

Dunn done in AZ?

It doesn't sound like the Diamondbacks will be bringing back Adam Dunn. If that's the case, I heard Chicago sports radio talking about the Cubs potential interest in the slugging right fielder. The Cubs need balance in their order, and they might be able to afford him for year. Why wouldn't Dunn sign up and force Kosuke Fukudome into a platoon in center with Reed Johnson? It might work.

Papi is popped

David Ortiz is in a 4-27 postseason funk. I think a number of people point to Manny leaving Boston as the reason he's not hitting well, but that's not right. Jason Bay, Kevin Youkilis and others are still going strong. This has to be the classic case of a wrist injury never quite going away until a player gets an extended period of rest.

Phils and Rays

Shane Victorino's game-tying two-run homer, followed by Matt Stairs' game-winning two-run homer in the eighth inning of game two pushed Philadelphia to a 3-1 lead over the Dodgers, 7-5. The Phillies have a good chance to clinch in Los Angeles with Cole Hamels going against Chad Billingsley.

B.J. Upton's three-run homer ignited a 9-1 Rays blowout of Boston. The good Matt Garza showed up, too. How about that. Tampa leads 2-1, and if they get another one in Boston, forget about it BoSox fans.

Nohawks

The Rays honored a kid who got suspended from school for sporting a mohawk, a fashion that a number of players on the Rays have been wearing this year.

It's ridiculous that the boy got suspended from school in the first place, considering his school district's dress code states: "students shall keep their clothes, bodies and hair clean and well groomed." As long as the little guy is washing his hair, is a mohawk that disorderly? Please.

The boy was soon to be switching schools prior to the mohawk incident, and the new school district is cool with any kind of hairdo. He'll feel right at home.

Do you really have to ask?

Steve Melewski of MASN asks:

We start games all year at 7:05 p.m., so why does MLB and the networks insist on start times of 8:00 and 8:30 in the playoffs. And its hard to ask any fan to sit through any game in any sport at any time that last 5 ½ hours.

Actually, that's a question in statement form, Steve, and you'd think someone representing a cable outlet like MASN would get it that baseball is trying to raise ratings by getting the games on television while a bulk of the US audience (four time zones) is in prime time. That just makes sense, no?

Maybe Steve's just complaining because he's on the East coast, and he expects everything to be regionalized for his viewing pleasure. I'm guessing Steve, even if he's a Boston fan, has a New Yorker hanging on his wall. There's more than the East out there, pal. 5 1/2 hours ain't a problem for die-hards, if that's what you really are.

Cal Ripken for a day

Jeff Conine completed the Ironman triathlon today with a time of 14 hours, 43 minutes and 45 seconds.

Manny, just be you

L.A. Batchelor says the media and Tim McCarver must get off Manny Ramirez's back. This is nothing new, but Batchelor brings up the McCarver-Deion Sanders saga of yesteryear, and you have to wonder if Manny could get mad enough to enact a little payback himself.

Didn't McCarver not learn from ripping Deion Sanders back in 1992 when he called him selfish for playing in the NFL and MLB and got a champagne shower when Deion finally had to see this judgmental coward?

Where does he get the audacity to criticize Manny Ramirez for the last two months in Boston and accuse him of dogging it and faking injuries. Was he in the clubhouse with Manny?

I had a friend who covered the Boston Red Sox when Nomar left. My buddy called Nomar a "cancer" in Boston's clubhouse. Similar things were said about Manny this year, but the Dodgers certainly experienced a resurrection once he arrived in Chavez Ravine. I say more power to Manny. He's had a very good year, if not a great one. I'm not sure why this has happened a couple times now with the BoSox and their star players, and I'm guessing we never get the whole story on either player.

Hitting from one side

Ryan Theriot is on the Tim McCarver show tonight. He said his path to the majors was a complicated journey, complete with a failed attempt at switch hitting.

"I think it slowed me down," Theriot said, "but one thing it did do, is it showed me how to fail -- how to effect the game in another way. I learned to come out the next at bat or the next day and make an impact."

Theriot said he had never even considered to switch hit until it was proposed to him in the low minors. He said he didn't want to say no to the proposal as he wanted to do everything to make it to the big leagues. Theriot feels he might've mad it to the majors sooner if he hadn't dabbled with batting from the left side.

I'd say Theriot figured things out from the right side alright. He hit .307 in his second full season with the Cubs.

Big Dodgers win for everyone but Philly

Certainly a good win for the Dodgers tonight, who blow by the Phillies 7-2 for a must-win game three victory. The Phillies might be up 2-1 in the series, but Los Angeles has the next two at home, and the Dodgers looked strong at home.

Jaime Moyer's regular season magic vanished in just 1 1/3 innings. He gives up six runs, all of them earned, as the Phillies never stood a chance. Blake Dewitt's two-out, three-run triple blew the game open in the first. Moyer only lasted for two batters in the second, watching Rafael Furcal lead things off with a home run.

This Dodger win might matter most for the American League champion, whomever that may be. With the ALCS tied at a game apiece, the Phillies could've clinched as early as Monday night with a win. That would've set their pitching staff up nicely for the World Series. Instead, the Dodgers can now even the series at two-up.

Benches clear responsibly

It is rare in baseball to see benches clear and then cooler heads prevail. That was the case Sunday night in game three of the NLDS. After Jaime Moyer hit Russell Martin in the first, Clay Condrey fired one up and in on Martin in the second.

The Dodgers retaliated with Hiroki Kuroda lifting a fastball up over Shane Victorino's noggin in the third. Victorino shouted at Kuroda, telling the Dodger starter to hit him in the body if he had to hit him, not to hit him in the head. Victorino grounded out to end the inning, and with Kuroda covering first the two started jawing again. The benches cleared, with Manny Ramirez appearing as animated as anyone. Nobody lost their cool, however, and the game played on rather calmly the rest of the way.

Afterward Victorino said he would "squash" the dust up, and it wouldn't be a factor for the remainder of the season. Martin said Kuroda acted on his own after the game, but he seemed to think it was the right course of action to retaliate. "The passion causes the emotions," Joe Torre said. "I don't look at it as bad blood."

It's hard to blame Martin for his feelings. It was good to see no ejections in such a big game. Torre mentioned in his postgame comments that baseball's had a history of policing itself in these sorts of incidents. In this case, it worked.

Cleaning up after the Cubs

This has been documented elsewhere, including their own blog, but after last week's Cubs debacle it deserves another play. When the Cubs win a World Series might be the best punk rock song ever dedicated to the Chicago National League ball club. This hits it on the head.

Free Agents

MLB Trade Rumors has an updated list of 2009 free agents available. I think Ken Griffey, Jr. will be too expensive for the White Sox to retain.

Rays win game two

Forget about the Rays heading to Boston down 0-2. In a classic test of will, Tampa Bay got a shallow sacrafice fly out of B.J. Upton to score a speedy Fernando Perez in the bottom of the 11th. Tampa wins 9-8 at 1:35 a.m. to send the series to Boston knotted at 1-1.

If the Rays had lost, things would've looked really bad.

Tampa Bay's devastating double

A loss for Tampa Bay tonight might be devastating. If it happens, forget all the stats you'll hear about a team dropping the first two games at home and then attempting to come back to win an ALCS and just hear this. For the Rays, losing at home is something they simply don't do, and falling in the first two at Tropicana Field would have to shake the team's confidence considerably.

Tampa hasn't dropped back-to-back games at the Trop since losing their first two of three to the Yankees on September first and second. Those two losses provided the Rays with their first losing series in St. Pete since falling in two of three against Houston from June 20-22. Prior to that, you have to go back to a three-game set with the White Sox from April 18-20 to find the last time the Rays fell in a home series. The last time they lost two in a row at home prior to the Yankees "twin" wins in September? It was a pair of losses to the Yankees back on April 14 and 15, which was part of an overarching slide that saw Tampa Bay fall six times in nine games.

If the Rays lose games one and two, they'll fall into near unprecedented territory. It might put major chinks in a young team's confidence. After losing those first two of their series against the Yankees in early September, the Rays got game three. Then they turned around and lost three straight on the road in Toronto. The good news? Tampa next visited Boston, and after the BoSox took game one to make it four straight road losses for the Rays, Tampa took the next two.

Down (a bit) on Upton's defense

B.J. Upton appears to be a very good defensive center fielder. He threw out 16 runners in 2008, almost double the number of any other center fielder. He appears to have a lot of range. His range rating (2.84) was third in baseball this year for his position, behind only the speedy Carlos Gomez (3.15) and the somewhat surprising Aaron Rowand (2.95). Upton's speed allows him to play shallow and get to a number of balls other player couldn't reach.

That said, he might be lacking in a single area. I think he plays too shallow. Maybe the Rays encourage this, thinking Upton can make up ground behind him with his impressive speed, but it doesn't seem to do so in actuality. Two cases in point - I've seen Upton now have no chance on what would've been potentially routine fly balls this postseason, because he was playing too shallow. The first came against the White Sox, the second came tonight with a Coco Crisp ground-rule double in the ninth of game two in the ALDS. Upton also carries a below average zone rating for center fielders. That means he's not getting to a number of balls considered to be hit to his area.

Are the balls he struggles to get hit mostly over his head? Baseball should follow this stat (balls hit over outfielders head) to help us determine how often a fielder tends to be in position. There could also be stats kept on balls that get past fielders to their left and right. We'd get a pretty good idea of which players overplay in certain directions versus other fielders. Tendencies of incorrectly overplaying fielders could be examined regarding how teams position their players for certain batters, pitchers, etc. Just a thought.

Update: Upton just ran one down at the track - another ball that almost got over his head.

Not even seeing about Seattle

Buster Olney says Athletics assistant general manager David Forst will not interview with Mariners officials regarding their GM opening.

"There's going to be plenty of room for growth for David in the Oakland organization," said Billy Beane, the Oakland general manager, on Friday. "He wants to stay here and be a part of what we've started."

I'm shocked he would flatly turn down the opportunity. Does that mean the Marniners organization is not attractive? I can't believe staying in small-market Oakland as second in command could beat running a team in Seattle.

San Francisco steamin'

I guess San Francisco can't get over its hatred for Tommy Lasorda and the Dodgers. This is ridiculous.

Tommy Lasorda has withdrawn as grand marshal of Sunday's Italian Heritage Parade due to public stink about his selection and because organizers couldn't assure that he would get to Los Angeles in time to see his beloved Dodgers play Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.

San Francisco Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier threatened to introduce a resolution calling for Lasorda's ouster from the parade because of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry. Alioto-Pier called the former Dodgers manager "enemy No. 1" in San Francisco. She never introduced the measure.

"I'm not going to go. They made a big thing out of it," Lasorda said today as he watched the Dodgers' batting practice in preparation for their game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Alioto-Pier's resolution also called Dodger fans "boastful and smug."

Asked if the episode bothered him, Lasorda said, "Sure it did, putting up a resolution to get me not to be the grand marshal. How would you feel?

"I wanted to do it because I love San Francisco, I really do. I love the city. We have a rivalry there. What the hell? That's the way it is."

Never should something like this be "the way it is." This is insane. The guy was already booked for the parade; then they raise the stink?

Enemy no. 1? I'm sure San Francisco can do better than Tommy Lasorda for their most hated enemy. How about fault lines or obscene cost of living?

Dodger Blues

Dodgers turning into Cubs? Bill Plaschke thinks so.

Who is this team that, one week after boldly sweeping the Chicago Cubs, is timidly collecting at the same dust pan after losing the first two games of the National League Championship Series to the Philadelphia Phillies?

The final score here in Friday's Game 2 Phillies' victory was 8-5, but it wasn't that close, because the Dodgers just weren't that good.

Who is this manager who allowed his starting pitcher to wilt for a second consecutive game? What happened to the great Joe Torre?

Who is this outfielder who has one bloop hit in seven at-bats, zero hits in five chances with men on base and one big center-field boot? Where is the likable Matt Kemp?

What about the leadoff hitter who has one hit in nine at-bats, a game-changing wild throw, and all sorts of uncomfortable grimaces? Who took the beloved Rafael Furcal?

The Dodgers didn't just leave Citizens Bank Park field Friday, they were thrown out by a Phillies team that pushed them to the door just before snatching their swagger.

My sentiments, exactly.

Canseco caught with illegal drugs

The Jose Canseco saga enters a new chapter of his troubling life as the former slugger is caught trying to smuggle fertility drugs across the border from Mexico.

Canceco was detained at San Diego's San Ysidro border crossing Thursday after agents searched his vehicle and said they found human chorionic gonadotropin, which is illegal without a prescription, said his attorney, Gregory Emerson.

Emerson declined to say if Canseco -- who admitted to using steroids in a 2005 book that also alleged steroid use by other baseball players -- had the drug, which is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency for use in males. The drug helps restore production of testosterone lost in steroid users.

This would appear to be the desperate move of a desperate man.

Manny being Manny, Phillies being World Series bound

Back-to-back four-run innings push the Phillies past the Dodgers, 8-5. Chad Billingsley, the young Dodger ace who looked unflappable at Wrigley last week, got slapped hard by the men in red. The Phillies nickel and dimed him to death for seven earned runs charged to Billingsley in just 2 1/3 innings of work. Shane Victorino's two-run triple in the third capped off the barrage of scoring. It was over after three.

Manny Ramirez did pull three runs back in the fourth with his third home run of the postseason, but it wasn't nearly enough. A sloppy Brett Myers gives up five earned in five innings, and still gets the win.

Up 2-0, the Phillies are in the driver's seat. LA probably needs to win all three at home starting Sunday.

Dice rolls

Very impressed watching Daisuke Matsuzaka tonight. The Boston ace went seven strong innings, striking out nine and not allowing a run. Thanks to timely-enough hitting, Boston squeezed out a couple of runs to beat Tampa Bay, 2-0. That puts all the pressure on the young Rays in game two.

Conine going extra

162 games of baseball is often referred to be like a marathon. Jeff Conine wanted to see if he could push things a bit further. The former MLB player will participate in his first Ironman triathlon in Hawaii Saturday.

Conine, a member of the Marlins' two World Series championship teams, must swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles in 17 hours to claim Ironman status.

''There's nothing that I've done that will come close to this,'' Conine, 42, said Wednesday by phone from Hawaii. ``I'm nervous. I'm anxious. I'm fearful because I've never done all three [disciplines] in one day at this distance. You don't know how your body will react and how you will get through it.''

For the first time, I might actually check out the results of a triathlon this weekend.

Manuel's mother passes

Charlie Manuel's mother passed away. Manuel will still manage game two of the Phillies-Dodgers NLCS. The Phillies manager is one of ten surviving children.

June Manuel, who was 87, reportedly suffered a heart attack on Wednesday and died Friday at Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Virginia. She lived in Buena Vista, Va.

What a difficult moment for the Phillies and Manuel. He'll certainly have the support of his team and the tough Philly crowd after this. All the best to Charlie.

WBC on ESPN and MLB Network

The World Baseball Classic will be split between ESPN and the MLB Network. That's not necessarily bad news. MLB Network is getting distributed by a number of the providers that butted heads with the NFL Network, because those providers own a share of MLB's Network.

Thanks to negotiations, some bizarre and some fractious, the MLB Network will begin with an endowment of more than 50 million subscribers, which will provide the channel with a level of cash that Werner said would make it break even immediately.

Baseball is swapping one-third ownership of its channel with DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner and Cox for wide distribution, thus avoiding the kind of ongoing distribution turf war that the NFL Network is having with Big Cable.

Smart business, and there's a good chance you'll get to see the games.

So-so, so far

Spitting Seeds' playoff picks? Just OK for the first round of the postseason.

My pre-playoff pick for World Series has no chance of materializing, but a Cubs-Red Sox clash felt very possible going in.

Boston did defeat 100-game winner Los Angeles in the ALDS, but the White Sox couldn't keep up with the Rays. I've been picking against Tampa all year. I thought the Red Sox would catch them by the All-Star break, and they did, but they couldn't hold it for long as the Rays won the division. I'm still taking the BoSox in the ALDS, although these Rays are making me more of a believer. I don't like picking against them, because I do think they have a good team. They just don't impress me like others do. Boston better win one of the first two, however, because this series seems likely to return to St. Petersburg, and it would do them good to have a little confidence winning in the dome for the return trip.

In one NLDS series, the Cubs got swept by the Dodgers, whereas I thought the Cubs would carry the broomstick. Philly made quick and easy work of Milwaukee, as expected. I love the Phillies-Dodgers NLCS matchup, and while I don't like picking against Joe Torre's club, my gut goes with Philadelphia. I think the series goes seven games.

CC you in NY or LA

Ken Rosenthal releases his CC Sabathia odds as the lefty hits the free agent market in November. Only the top two (Yankees at 5-2 and Angels at 4-1) seem possible to this Spitting Seeds. Nothing else in the list seems to work even remotely at this time.

Soriano: "We can't sprint"

Alfonso Soriano has a theory on why the Cubs didn't win in the postseason. Soriano says the Cubs can't win in series play.

"Yeah, it's tough," he said. "We tried, but it just didn't happen. We played all year like a very good team and we expected a little bit more, but it didn't happen."

While he didn't pass the buck, Soriano said he believes the Cubs were built for a marathon, not a sprint.

"We're a very good team for [162] games, but we don't do nothing after that," he said. "That's the difference. We're not put together for [a short series]."

I think this assessment is only fair in terms of the Cubs being too right-handed in terms of their power. Only Jim Edmonds brought a routinely robust bat from the left side. When the Cubs face a team like the Dodgers with a righty-only rotation, this right-handed stacking can only hurt their opportunity to score runs.

The Cubs, however, still thrived against all sorts of pitchers all season long. They dominated the National League, winning 97 games, and they might be the most well-rounded team in baseball. Their rotation trotted out three aces against the Dodgers, yet each looked extremely hittable. Well-rounded teams with front-line pitching is perfectly built for the postseason. The Cubs just failed to put anything together in any facet of the game. Call it tightening up, choking or poor playing; the Cubs were built to succeed but didn't.

Cursed Kenney

Something that went under-published in recent days: Cubs chairman Crane Kenney, who isn't much of a baseball man in the first place, hired a Greek Orthodox priest to lift the "curse" on the Cubs. Cubs players didn't know about it until they saw the curse removal on TV. A TBS camera man happened to catch it.

The story began a couple days ago, when Cubs Chairman Crane Kenney left a message on Greanis’ voice mail to call him. Greanis thought his friends were playing a prank on him, but when he eventually got in contact with Kenney, he found out the reason for the call.

“He said, ‘I’m a devout Catholic, and I’m not superstitious, but if there is anything there, I want to take care of it,’” Greanis said Thursday.

The Billy Goat curse was placed on the Cubs in 1945 when Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis was denied entrance to a World Series game at Wrigley Field because he wanted to bring in his goat. The curse was immortalized in newspaper columns over the years, particularly by syndicated columnist Mike Royko, and gained widespread attention during the 2003 postseason when Fox played it up during the Cubs-Florida match-up in the National League Championship Series.

Kenney told Greanis that they wanted a Greek Orthodox priest to bless the dugout, since the alleged curse was placed by a Greek-American.

Cubs management really doesn't get it, do they? I mean, this sort of thing just promotes the lugubrious hex that some say haunts the Cubs. Get a clue, Crane Kenney. It's a joke that someone in his position would believe in such a silly superstition as a curse. His odd attention to something Lou Piniella himself deems ridiculous only adds distraction to the matter at hand.

On the other side of the same coin, Cubs players should be able to shrug off this sort of misstep by their organization.

Dodgers: Cubs buckled

Whether or not we buy it, the Dodgers are saying that pressure got to the Cubs. Joe Torre may know a thing or two about the pressure of the postseason.

"Starting in Chicago may have been a benefit for us," Torre said. "Because I just thought that with everything going on with them having the record they've had, I've experienced it before.

"It's a lot of pressure when you're playing at home. I may be off base, but that's just my feeling."

Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre, the former Cub, shared Torre's opinion that the Cubs were under big-time pressure.

"In Chicago, everybody worries about the Cubs and you can't relax and go out and play without hearing the hype and it definitely adds pressure, because you're supposed to win," Pierre told MLB.com. "They'd have done better if they opened on the road.

"The fans there are craving it for so long, it escalates and snowballs as soon as any little thing goes wrong, and everybody starts thinking about the past."

White Sox willing to fight

The White Sox 5-3 win in front of a "black out" crowd at Wrigley means the Sox live to fight another day against the Rays. A three-run fourth proved enough to rattle the Rays in their first opportunity to clinch, and the Sox looked comfortable the rest of the way.

Afterwards, A.J. Pierzynski said this was the "loosest" team he's been on in terms of big games. Pierzynski must be on to something. These Sox have won four straight elimination games in the past two weeks, including three straight over three different teams to get into the posteason; something that's never been done before. Closing them out will be tough for the Rays, a feelgood bunch that looked on a roll in the first two games of the series.

Gavin Floyd goes against Andy Sonnanstine Monday afternoon at the Cell. Floyd is extremely tough to hit at home, posting a .209 batting average against.

Angels survive thanks to mercurial Napoli

Mike Napoli continues to baffle with wild streaks of productivity and slump. Tonight, productivity won out in Boston as Napoli belted two home runs and scored the game's winning run in a 5-4 Angels survivor win at Fenway. With the win, Los Angeles forces game four Monday night.

Napoli, who continues his September rampage that saw his average climb from .212 to .273, was down at .197 for a day in mid June before rebounding to .223 in August. He started April off at a solid clip before bottoming out to .218 by the end of the month. He got it back up to the .260's and then .258 in early June before the slide sub-Mendoza.

Overall, his numbers have generally improved over his first three seasons. He's at least a candidate to earn more playing time if he stays hot, but has yet to reach 300 at bats in his career. That makes him an iffy fantasy option again next year, unless youngster Jeff Mathis finally gets his act together. He started hot, but then slumped to .197 himself. Even so, he ended up with more at bats than Napoli.

A steal, or not a steal?

Jacoby Ellsbury's attempted steal of second base tonight, a simple caught stealing in the box score, deserves a little more attention, I think.

For as long as baseball's been scored, players stealing second, who then fall off the bag as Ellsbury did, have been considered "caught" stealing. I've always thought this was a flawed scoring of the play, and I think the remedy should be to give the player a steal and a caught stealing on the same play. Statistically this credits the player with reaching the bag before the throw, giving us a better indicator of his ability to steal, but also explains to us why he was out (over-sliding the bag).

Just an idea I've been kicking around forever. Baseball is unlikely ever to adopt this practice as the could not possibly go back and find out how many caught stealing calls were actually steals and then tag outs. Oh well.

TBS troubles

Anyone notice all the issues TBS is suffering from covering these MLB playoff games? Craig Sager's interview with Mike Napoli is echoing like the two are talking in a tunnel. The same happened during Joe Blanton's postgame interview live on the field in Milwaukee.

TBS has experienced a few technical glitches, as well, with pops in broadcasts and audio dropouts at times. They also employ Chip Caray, which doesn't help their reputation any better. Also, their strike zone indicator appears a bit off on some pitches.

One more note, Ernie Johnson and TNT's pregame/postgame shows are a lot more watchable than MLB's cast. Dennis Eckersley, Curtis Granderson and Cal Ripken don't seem to have the same spark as Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. I think the problem is that TBS is almost entirely copying the way they analyze NBA games for a baseball show. I don't think you can do any two shows on two different sports the same way. Something doesn't sit right, and this comes from a person who's spent a number of years in broadcasting. I can't quite figure it out, but I'm uncomfortable watching the shows. Maybe it's that I feel like baseball needs a ton of analysis and less playfulness among the analysts, where as basketball is sometimes the opposite.

Update: For instance, the TBS panel just talked about a pop fly that dropped into center field, explaining why the ball dropped between Howie Kendrick and Torii Hunter. Whether or not that play matters very much, they spend too much time talking about something that any fan can discern from their couch at home. Yawn.

Bad Backe

Brandon Backe has been arrested on Galveston. Hurricane Brandon blew through what sounds like a wedding party. There's a lot going on here, so I'll allow you to sort it out.

Fukudome to Triple-A?

The Chicago Tribune offers some similar questions to Spitting Seeds on the future of the Chicago Cubs. The Trib also wonders if Kosuke Fukudome might start next season at Triple-A.

One scout interviewed Saturday suggested a course of action that could be tough to swallow.

"He has to go to the minors," the scout said. "He has to get rid of all those habits, pulling out on pitches, collapsing. He'll never hit the way he's hitting now, and this is a tough place to work out your problems. Always has been."

While it's hard to imagine the Cubs paying Fukudome $11.5 million to play for Triple-A Iowa next year, there is precedent.

I think it's a quick judgment to make at this point. Fukudome will first go through spring training with the Cubs even after an entire offseason that should be spent changing his hitting approach. What worked in Japan hasn't worked here. Fukudome needs to stop bailing toward first base. It's what every little leaguer is taught, and you'd think that might help at the MLB level.

Signable Cubs pitchers?

With Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood needing new deals for 2009, here's wondering how quickly the Cubs can act. With the team's sale taking a long time to get done, and with both players finishing off outstanding 2008 seasons, how deep into the pocket book can the Cubs go? Can they afford to wait until the sale until they lock up these two with good deals?

I'd assume Dempster and Wood would be very willing to sign with Chicago, considering the patience the Cubs have had with their previous injury histories. Both seem to enjoy playing on Chicago's North side for manager Lou Piniella, who already was extended through 2010.

Sox get lefties going

With right hander Matt Garza on the hill for Tampa, Dewayne Wise and Ken Griffey, Jr. are back in the lineup for the White Sox. They replace Nick Swisher and Brian Anderson.

No black towel affair?

I was there last week when the White Sox clinched the A.L. Central Division title over Minnesota, 1-0. The White Sox encouraged their fans to wear all black, and I believe they distributed black towels as well, to create a festive atmosphere against the Twins.

Today, they're "blacking out" U.S. Cellular Field again, but the fans are waving white towels. This is not a true blackout!

Pena to face Danks

This time, Rays first baseman Carlos Pena is in the lineup. Considered probable for Friday's second game against the White Sox, Pena will, in fact, be part of the starting lineup tonight. He ended us sitting out of Friday's game two Rays win after experiencing discomfort with the eye in warm ups.

It's good for the Rays to get more pop in the lineup, but they're facing John Danks tonight. Pena hits .190 against lefties. He's 2-9 against Danks with four strikeouts.

The Rays still will go right-handed heavy against Danks.

Brewers bashed

The Phillies makes easy work of the Brewers in game four and the series. Jeff Suppan gives up 3 home runs: one in the first to Jimmy Rollins, and then back-to-back homers to Pat Burrell and Jason Werth in the third. That was that.

Suppan left the game for a pinch-hitting CC Sabathia in the third. You mean Milwaukee doesn't have a bench guy who's a better hitter than Sabathia? CC struck out against Joe Blanton.

The the Brewers come back in the fourth with Yovani Gallardo, who was considered unable to start, but somehow he's capable of relieving a worthless Suppan. That makes zero sense. If Gallardo can pitch, why not start him and get things going on the right foot?

Once again, Milwaukee's in-season slump was not the managing of Ned Yost; it was the lack of talent on the Brewers. This team came out of the gates hard the last two seasons and then fell back to earth. Milwaukee gambled away a trio of good young players for a few months of Sabathia. They've mortgaged at least a part of their future for nothing. Sabathia could easily be gone. Ben Sheets is gone, and Milwaukee still lacks offense. Good luck next year, Beertown. You need it.

Weeks done

Rickie Weeks has been removed from the Brewers NLDS roster with a knee injury. Alicedes Escobar takes his spot, and considering Weeks' limitations as a hitter, Escobar might have been the better choice as a defensive addition, anyway. Escobar it .328 in Double-A, and he can steal a base.

Everybody's Bud

Only in Milwaukee can Bud Selig get a standing ovation. I guess making the postseason for the first time since 1982 has good feelings flowing in Beer City. Don't Milwaukee fans realize how soft Selig's been on policing baseball?

Bud on tickets

Bud Selig rarely reports economic problems in baseball. Things usually look sunny from his perspective, but lost in yesterday's game three matchups between the Dodgers and Phillies and Cubs and Dodgers was Selig's warning to MLB owners about ticket prices.

It's probably not easy for teams to lower prices given the salaries they're paying players, but it will be interesting to see if prices do go up from this year to next year.

Cubs collapse & future

I was going to write up the Cubs' debacle today, but Baseball Musings said close to everything that needed to be said.

There are a few more points on the Cubs, however, and it starts with starting pitching. I don't think anyone could have expected Ryan Dempster to have the kind of year he did, and maybe for one night the old Dempster reared his ugly right arm. For the first time since 2001, Dempster started over 30 games. In '01 he went 15-12 in Florida with a 4.94 ERA, almost two points higher than this year's 2.96 ERA. Despite his great season, Dempster's career ERA improved to just 4.55. I'm a firm believer in using a player's full resume in predicting his future, and to me Dempster was not a front-line starter despite his great year. At best I liked Dempster as a number three starter on this team, because I think both Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden can be more dominant.

That said, both Zambrano and Harden struggled down the stretch. 'Z' suffered through several bad outings while Harden experienced arm troubles. I think Lou Piniella was offered no other alternative than to start with Dempster, and I'm not sure that's what he would've wanted in a perfect world.

Alfonso Soriano is not a leadoff hitter. Piniella gave his player what he wanted rather than going with Piniella's gut or a statistcal analysis, which shows Soriano is a better middle-of-the-order type.

Kosuke Fukudome poses a potential problem in right field for years to come. Fukudome was figured out by MLB pitchers after just over a month of baseball. They pounded him away, realizing his bail-out style cannot catch up to heat on the outside. With a contract at four years and 48-million still on the books for the next three seasons, are the Cubs in a Barry Zito situation? A player too expensive to trade? Certainly the commitment is too strong to give up on the guy. Fukudome has his work cut out this offseason.

Jim Edmonds might retire, might go elsewhere, or might return to the Cubs. That's not a huge question mark, but given his fairly solid play in Chicago, the Cubs might have a hard time improving on his production in center field.

Henry Blanco holds a mutual option with the club on 2009. This needs to be sorted out quickly.

Red Sox mix in Kotsay

The Red Sox lineup for game two of their ALDS series with Anaheim:

Jacoby Ellsbury (CF)
Dustin Pedroia (2nd)
David Ortiz (DH)
Kevin Youkilis (3rd)
J.D. Drew (RF)
Jason Bay (LF)
Mark Kotsay (1st)
Jason Varitek (C)
Alex Cora (SS)

No Mike Lowell tonight. Mark Kotsay provides an extra lefty bat against Ervin Santana, but it's the power hitters who get to the Angels right hander, not so much the contact guys.

Economy and Baseball

Will the economic crisis hurt baseball? According to the Boston Red Sox, it won't be bothering them. Most of their players contracts must not be paid through credit lines.

Dee said there are areas where Fenway Sports Group, which also owns a minor league baseball team, and consulting and representation businesses, may look to expand.

"There's undoubtedly going to be hard times ahead over the next couple years across the world of sports and entertainment," he said. "With hard times come opportunities."

While there are no plans to increase the stake in its NASCAR team, Dee said the company is looking to do more in racing, including possible marketing or representation deals.

"We're interested in expanding our footprint in racing," he said, pointing to the company's lack of knowledge in such areas as open-wheel racing, like the IndyCar series.

Dee agreed buying another minor league baseball team makes sense, but team valuations have become "a little crazy" over the past two decades. Representing or even buying top entertainment events also would interest him.

Fenway Sports Group's sports consulting business has been its fastest growing segment, with more than 15 corporate clients, including Major League Baseball's media unit, Dunkin' Donuts, Verizon Communications Inc's (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) wireless business and EMC Corp (EMC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), said Dee.

To further boost that business, Fenway Sports Group recently opened an office in San Diego with hopes of picking up deals on the West Coast.

Talk about diversification!

Baseball explains the election

After a couple of 'graphs I couldn't continue reading this, but you might.

Dunc back with Redbirds

Dave Duncan will be back as Cardinals pitching coach next season. Considering the work he did with a makeshift unit like this year, 2009 is going to be a breeze.

Rays - Sox game times set

The game times for the remainder of the best-of-five Rays-White Sox series have been set. All are EST:

Game 3 will start at 4:07 p.m. Sunday in Chicago. For many Tampa Bay sports fans, that will make for some channel surfing. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play the Denver Broncos on Sunday with kickoff scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
Click here to find out more!

Game 4 of the Rays-Sox series, if necessary, is 5:07 p.m. Monday in Chicago.

If there is a Game 5 back at Tropicana Field, it will start at 6:07 p.m. Wednesday.

Are you SIRIUS?

Even after the announcement that SIRIUS customers could purchase XM channels and vice versa, there will be no MLB broadcasts on SIRIUS in the near future.

Reilly, the company spokesman, said that baseball is not part of the package because there is no agreement to have it there currently. He did say SIRIUS XM hopes to be able to add the MLB to the Best of XM package at some point.

Too bad.

Rays lineup - game 2

Two interesting notes in the Rays lineup today. First, Carlos Pena is back, as expected, from his minor eye injury on Thursday.

Also in Tampa's lineup is Rocco Baldelli. The chronic fatigue sufferer wears out Sox starter Mark Buehrle. He's hitting .500 with a home run and three RBI in 10 at bats for his career against the Chicago southpaw. Baldelli hit .292 vs. left handers this year in 48 at bats.

Update: Pena went through pregame workouts and decided he was unable to start. Willie Aybar took his place at first.

Junior sits in game 2

As predicted here in the wee hours of Friday morning, Ozzie Guillen benched Ken Griffey Junior for today's game against Tampa. It makes sense. Griffey is hitting just .202 vs. left handers while Rays starter Scott Kazmir is keeping lefties just under .200. Brian Anderson starts in his place in "centre" field. Gotta love the Canucks (hey they did post the story first!).

In a bit of a surprise, Paul Konerko, who's been hot of late at the plate including a home run in yesterday's 6-4 loss, will ride the pine in favor of Nick Swisher. Swisher, a switch hitter, is hitting just .197 against lefties. Call it Ozzie logic: one smart move, one head scratcher.

Update: Guillen came to his sense on Konerko. He started his regular first baseman as well as Swisher.

Cubs chances: not good

The Cubs will try to become just the second team in MLB history to go down 2-0 at home and rebound to win the series. The 2001 Yankees are the only team to get it done when they beat Oakland, 3-2. Here's MLB.com's list.

Rich Harden should be expected to help the Cubs win game three against Hiroki Kuroda, but Harden doesn't last very long in games.

Rivera shoulder surgery

Mariano Rivera is set to have minor shoulder surgery.

Rivera revealed late in September that he had pitched nearly the entire season in pain. Tests revealed inflammation and calcification on top of the AC joint in the 38-year-old reliever's right shoulder.

"You learn how to deal with it," Rivera said. "Obviously, there are days that you won't pitch because it hurts, because it's cranky, but I'm here to pitch. I don't come here to sit down and just see what happens."

The procedure is considered relatively minor and Rivera is expected to be ready for Spring Training, though he will likely assume his usual light workload -- skipping all road Grapefruit League games -- heading into the regular season.

That he still recorded 39 saves is impressive, even for the greatest closer in the history of the game.

Brewers boss bitching about revenue

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio thinks big market clubs need to share more revenue.

``It's always amusing to me to hear the Yankees, they can't get into the playoffs with $200 million, and they say, `well, we've done enough,''' Attanasio, the chief investment officer at money management firm TCW Group Inc., said in an interview with Bloomberg Radio's ``On the Ball'' program that will air tomorrow. ``The advantages that you're given in the bigger market teams -- if they really wanted to have a fair fight they would do more revenue sharing, but I guess the obvious battle lines are drawn on that.''

Making the playoffs, something Milwaukee finally did this year for the first time since 1982, doesn't always have to do with money. Since Attanasio's team last qualified for postseason ball the money-challenged Marlins have won two World Series with two entirely different teams.

Revenue sharing helps small market teams survive, if not stay competitive financially. Staying competitive on the field has more to do with finding good players for good bargains and hiring management with good baseball sense.

Here's wondering if Milwaukee makes a DVD about the Yankees' payroll and sends it to MLB.

Sabathia deal completed

Cleveland receives outfielder Michael Brantley from Milwaukee's farm system to complete the CC Sabathia trade. Brantley is a solid hitter for average, and he can swipe a base. I think Cleveland got the better end of this trade then, and I still think so now. The could re-sign Sabathia in the offseason.

Wall Streeters don't know baseball

Wall Street Journal readers probably paid too much attention to baseball this year. They didn't get their picks right in the MLB marketplace, either.

Longoria in short company

Evan Longoria's bust-out against the White Sox got me thinking: has anyone else homered in their first two MLB postseason at bats? The answer is yes, just one: Gary Gaetti. Here's guessing that Longoria has the better career between the two third sackers.

Friday predictions

Only two games on the docket for Friday, and I'm probably only going to see half of each. Oh well, here goes:

Chicago White Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays
Buehrle (15-12, 3.79) vs. Kazmir (12-8, 3.49)

-Mark Buehrle's really done a good job on righties the past couple of seasons, and that's helped him against Evan Longoria (0-6 vs. Buehrle). The Rays, however, have a number of players with robust numbers against the White Sox left hander, including Carlos Pena's .500 mark. The Rays will hope he can get back in the lineup after scratching his eye in Thursday's opener. Buehrle didn't have much success against the Rays, going 0-1 with a 4.58 ERA in three starts.

He'll meet hard-throwing lefty Scott Kazmir, who struggled in two of his last three outings. Kazmir, however, had the better year between the two pitchers, and he's dominant at home. Kazmir won eight of his 12 games at the Trop, and held opposing hitters to a .197 average. The White Sox will stack righties against him as Kazmir served up 22 of his 23 home runs to right handed hitters. Expect Nick Swisher to take one outfield spot, and perhaps Brian Anderson to start in center over Ken Griffey Junior. Expect the Rays to win, too. Kazmir is too tough at home, and the White Sox looked sloppy fielding in the dome on Thursday.

Boston Red Sox @ Los Angeles Angels
Matsuzaka (18-3, 2.90) vs. Santana (16-7, 3.49)

-Boston always beats Los Angeles, but not when Daisuke Matsuzaka's pitching. In his only meeting with the Angles this year, the BoSox ace gave up six runs in five innings to pick up the loss. Matsuzaka was cruising, however, until giving up five earned runs in the sixth inning.

Quick, who was the best pitcher in baseball named Santana this year? You might be surprised to learn that Ervin Santana matched or exceeded Johan Santana in several categories this year. The two had identical records (16-7), Ervin struck out more batters in fewer innings the Johan, and Ervin also owned the better WHIP at 1.12 to 1.15 for Johan. Then again, he wasn't better at keeping those runners from scoring, as Johan's ERA ended up almost a full point lower. The point is, the Angels young right hander came into his own in 2008, or came into conversations with the game's elite, which is incredibly good. Where he struggled, however, was in pressure situations. With runners in scoring position, Santana's ERA soared to 8.29. He's even worse in the clutch, posting an ERA of 19.68 with RISP and two out. Here's guessing that a potent Red Sox lineup is just too much. Boston takes game two, but it's a close one. Matsuzaka will enjoy his revenge.

Thursday picks revisited

Winning two of three is pretty good in baseball, so I should be happy with calling the Dodgers and Phillies wins on Thursday while misfiring on the Rays' 6-4 win over the White Sox.

After writing that Javier Vazquez would outperform a rusty Rays offense, I read in the paper that Vazquez's 16 losses were second most in baseball history for a pitcher throwing game one of a series. I should've remembered how poor his September went, but I'm of the opinion that hot streaks are abnormalities, as are cold streaks. Players typically even-out over time, and I figured a rested Vazquez against the wide-eyed Rays would do the trick. Ozzie Guillen must've thought the same thing. Nope.

Cubs crazies

This is funny. Cubs fans are some of the more irrational in sports, especially when the Cubs go belly up.

Fukudome will sit in game three

Lou Piniella responded angrily to a post game question regarding Kosuke Fukudome. Before the reporter finished, Piniella said Fukudome would not be playing any more. The Cubs right fielder, who struck out three times in four trips to the plate Wednesday night, does not yet have a hit in the series.

Piniella said "The kid's struggling." Then he walked off the podium. Piniella said Mike Fontenot or Reed Johnson would be taking Fukudome's place. Which one plays depends on the health of Mark DeRosa, who's been nursing a strained calf. DeRosa was considered unavailable to play right field because of the injury, as he started at second base instead. DeRosa made a key error in the second inning as the Dodgers scored four undearned runs.

With the Dodgers up 2-0 headed back to Los Angeles after a 10-3 win in game three, the Cubs have been outscored 17-5. They need better bats in the lineup. If DeRosa can play right, Fontenot is probably the better option at second defensively.

Minaya stays with Mets

The Mets extended GM Omar Minaya through 2012. This has to be the worst decision of the day, but the New York National League ball club is using reverse logic to explain why Minaya gets to stay.

"We failed this year, and we want to get the redemption that we need and move forward," Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said. "We obviously were not a very good team when Omar came aboard, and he's turned this thing around, and we think he deserves another chance to keep getting us to where we want to be."

Minaya understands some fans blame him for the Mets' collapses the past two seasons.

"It comes with the territory," he said during a conference call.

New York failed to make the playoffs after leading the NL East by seven games with 17 games left in 2007 and by 3½ games with 17 to go this year. Wilpon and Minaya have begun reviewing what went wrong.

"What is it that we lack? What is it that we need to get across that finish line?" Minaya said.

Wilpon said "there might be some addition by subtraction" on the roster.

"We're going to find out why we fell short the last two seasons," he said. "It's up to Omar and his staff to correct that, but we are asking those tough questions."

Deleting manager Willie Randolph this past season was subtraction by subtraction; the Mets didn't make the postseason anyway. The Mets needed to go in a new direction organizationally and missed the boat.

Cubbie blues

If you're new to understanding Chicago's Northside fragility, read this. It explains almost everything.

Obama on steroids

Swipe at John McCain or not, I totally agree with Barack Obama that steroids in baseball should not be part of Congress's daily docket. It never should have come up in Washington, and it should be even less of an issue now.

"I gotta admit that seeing a lot of congressional hearings around steroid use is not probably the best use of congressional time," Obama said.

Exactly. Lawmakers have a war waging in several countries, plus a balky (pun intended) economy to deal with.

Steroids are an important issue, especially with kids and young adults tempted to use them the way their heroes do, or did. Baseball needs to police the problem, and I still contend that it is Bud Selig's fault that the lack of policing by MLB led Congress to get into into the fray in the first place.

The Tampa Rays of St. Petersburg

This article might split hairs a bit, considering the Tampa Bay Rays aren't the only team that play in a city next door to their actual hometown (the New York Jets and Giants play in a whole other state!), but we get their point. The Tampa Bay Rays don't play in the city of Tampa; they play in St. Petersburg.

Obama gets a pass on messing up the Tampa/St. Pete deal, but broadcasters should know better.

Heave Javy, Ozzie

Chicagoland's Daily Herald published a postseason White Sox by the numbers piece. Most interesting - Javier Vazquez's horrible month of September.

3.66

White Sox pitcher Javier Vazquez's September ERA through his first 10 seasons (not including this year). It's the only month over his career in which he has posted a sub-4.00 ERA. His ERA this September: 6.25.

Vazquez still gets the nod as the Sox opening-game starter against Tampa. He lost 16 games this year, which is tough to do on a winning team.

October Reign

Which sport has the best postseason? That's what ESPN is asking, and Baseball Musings' David Pinto defends his favorite pastime quite well.

Red alert: keep an eye on this guy

Alex Buchholz has the full attention of his parent club, the Cincinnati Reds. He pounded the ball at Delaware, and now in his injury-riddled first pro season, Buchholz continued to rip.

Buchholz, whom the Reds selected out of the University of Delaware in the sixth round of June's First-Year Player Draft, hit .396 in 134 at-bats for Billings. He flirted with .400 for nearly two weeks at season's end before going "only" 1-for-4 in his final game to finish just shy of the magical mark. He also fell short of qualifying for the league batting title, which was won by Orem's Roberto Lopez (.400).

"I would call it an almost seamless transition," Cincinnati director of player development Terry Reynolds said. "A majority of guys have a problem moving from aluminum to wood bats. But he didn't seem to have that issue."

The Reds want to move him from second base to shortstop, which might make him a high riser in their organization thanks to the revolving door at that position at the big league level. Keep an eye on him through the winter and spring. He might be a minor leaguer to grab for future fantasy help.

Rays the roof

If the Rays get fans under the roof at Tropicana Field, they win. According to this ESPN.com article, however, they only put 30-thousand in the seats 23 times this year.

The Rays drew crowds of 30,000 or more on 23 occasions (winning 21 times), though eight of those were boosted by free Saturday-night postgame concerts by the likes of LL Cool J, Trace Adkins, and Kool & the Gang. As recently as Sept. 18, with the Rays closing in on a playoff berth, they drew just 17,296 against the Minnesota Twins.

In its 11th season, the team continues to suffer an identity crisis. No longer do out-of-town broadcasters use the former Devil Rays moniker, but the team's home still often is referenced as "Tampa" even though it plays 15 miles south in St. Petersburg.

An ambitious plan unveiled in November to replace the quirky, domed Tropicana Field with a $450 million ballpark on the downtown waterfront in St. Petersburg by 2012 was abandoned in June amid citizen protest and little support from city and Pinellas County officials.

Is Tampa, er, St. Pete eventually doomed? Watching Joe Maddon ask fans to show up at his Wednesday press conference, you might think so. They'll probably draw in the postseason, but in the future? That's a big question mark without a new ballpark.

Thursday predictions

Good matchups for Thursday, here's what Spitting Seeds is forecasting:

Chicago White Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays - Game 1
Vazquez (12-16, 4.67) vs. Shields (14-8, 3.56) - 2:35 p.m. EST

I'm not a big believer in "momentum" from game to game in baseball. I think you're either playing well or you're not. The Sox are playing well enough to beat three different teams in three games. Tampa hasn't played in three days, and Carl Crawford, who's been out since August, is in the starting lineup. Can you say rusty? Chicago will win game one of this series with Tampa's bats swinging through Javier Vazquez's pitches.

Milwaukee Brewers @ Philadelphia Phillies - PHI leads 1-0
Sabathia (11-2, 1.65) vs. Myers (10-13, 4.55)

All signs point to Milwaukee winning this one. CC Sabathia looked outstanding the last two times out, including a complete game win to clinch the Wild Card Sunday against the Cubs. He's working on just three days of rest, but even so, Philadelphia starter Brett Myers gave up 14 runs in his last 8 1/3 innings. Myers could easily be rusty, too, not having pitched since September 24th. But there's something about these Brewers finding ways to lose, including a three-game sweep at Philly late in the year. It's going to happen again, as Philly shakes Milwaukee badly with a surprising win in a Sabathia start.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Chicago Cubs - LAD leads 1-0
Billingsley (16-10, 3.14) vs. Zambrano (14-6, 3.91)

This is a flip of the coin, really. Both pitchers are dominant at times, but both got beat up by their opponent this season. Billingsley, however, has been very consistent with seven quality starts the last nine times out. Zambrano, who runs hot and cold, sandwiched four clunkers around a no-hitter late in the year. He brought it for his one game in last year's postseason, but the Cubs still lost. Now they're going to lose game two of their series to the Dodgers, and panic will set in on Chicago's north side.

Sox win, other Sox tomorrow

Jonathan Papelbon earns his first save of the 2008 postseason, closing out the Angels in the ninth for a 4-1 Boston road win. I must say I expected the BoSox to start this series strong, but it could easily go the distance.

That makes two road winners in the three divisional series openers on Wednesday. Chicago visits Tampa on Thursday to get the final series started. I think Chicago must win if they're going to take that series.

Ellsbury burying Angels

Jacoby Ellsbury loves the end of the year. He shined last season in the playoffs, and after a hot streak to conclude September this year, he's looking just as strong this postseason.

Ellsbury made a diving catch in the eigth inning, then collected his third hit in five at bats in the top of the ninth, knocking home Boston's third run in the form of Jed Lowrie. Ellsbury scored Boston's fourth run a short while later off a David Ortiz single.

Jonathan Papelbon is in to close things out in the ninth, and Ellsbury is the player of this game if JP gets the job done.

Atypical, but typical, Torre

Watching Joe Torre, Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez go through the post game press conference routine I was struck with the fact that here was a former Yankees manager getting the job done for Los Angeles with Boston Red Sox spare parts.

Lowe pitched a very good game against the Cubs, giving up two early runs on a second-inning Mark DeRosa home run, then shutting out Chicago for his final four innings. Lowe worked six, struck out seven and walked one while counterpart Ryan Dempster issues seven free passes in less than five innings.

Ramirez didn't deliver the big blow, but his seventh inning solo homer padded L.A.'s lead at 5-2, and cast doubt on a Cubs comeback that never materialized.

If Torre got it done with two of his former foes, he still got his typical Texas production. Torre used to lean on native Texans Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens as staff aces on the Yankees championship teams. Tonight, Texan James Loney delivered a fourth inning grand slam off of Dempster that propelled the Dodgers.

Running out of a big inning

Vladimir Guerrero, in typical Angels fashion, tried to go from first to third on Torii Hunter's bloops single in the eighth with Anaheim trailing Boston, 2-1. Kevin Youkilis proved why he's a gold glove first baseman on the play, gathering the ball quickly in shallow right field and gunning Vlady out at third. It was an aggressive move Guerrero, and he looked to run through a stop sign from the Angels' third base coach.

Boston's Justin Masterson got out of the inning without giving up the tying run. Sometimes aggressiveness can cost you, but I still think Mike Scioscia is the best manager in the American League.

Can't pitch or catch

Yovani Gallardo certainly didn't help himself in game one of his Brewers NLDS series against Philadelphia, but he also deserved better from his teammates. Milwaukee failed to produce a run until it was too late, and the Brewers defense coughed up three unearned runs in the 3rd.

After a walk in the third, Gallardo (75 pitches in just his second start back from ACL surgery) saw Rickie Weeks drop a throw a first on Cole Hamels' attempted sacrafice bunt. The error allowed Chase Utley to come to the plate with two runners on, and the Philadelphia second baseman rifled a ball at center fielder Mike Cameron. Cameron misjudged the ball, then dove and dropped it, allowing Philadelphia's first two runs to score. Utley earned a double from the official scorekeeper, which was the correct call. He later scored in a three-run Philadelphia third.

Gallardo only lasted four innings and walked five, but none of his runs were earned. He could have used some help from his offense and defense.

Dempser can't dodge the big inning

Ryan Dempster said his problems in the NLDS opener against the Dodger (7.71 ERA in 4 2/3 innings) were due to "not executing" his pitches. Dempster didn't pitch badly, but struggled to close out at bats, especially when he got ahead. Manny Ramirez walked after going down 0-2, then James Loney swatted a grand slam after also falling behind 0-2. Dempster gave up four in the the fourth and couldn't get through the inning, going over 100 pitches on the evening as the Cubs fall, 7-2 to Los Angeles.

Homers down

Homers hit a 15-year low in MLB this year. Note to MLB: it was still entertaining. Steroid policy should've been in place years ago. If the olympics can get it right years and years ago, so should have you.

A.L. home run champ Miguel Cabrera thinks it's bigger stadiums, not 'roid testing.

"I think it's the bigger stadiums," Cabrera said.

Well, said. I think Miguel should go back and play in Forbes Field. Then he'll know what a big stadium looks like. And are stadiums really that much bigger today than they were in 1998? No.

Mirror images

By the way, the Sox and Twins not only have identical records at 88-74 heading into tonight's playoff, they also have identical home records (53-28) and road records (35-46). That's about as even as it gets.

Playoff number seven

Here are all of the one-game playoff capsules of the six previous one-off games in MLB history thanks to mlb.com. We're likely to have more and more of this with more teams making the postseason since MLB expanded its divisions.

Oct. 1, 2007, Rockies 9, Padres 8, 13 innings
The Padres lost on the final day of the regular season and the Rockies won to finish at 89-73, forcing the one-game Wild Card playoff game at Coors Field. The Rockies held the lead twice during regulation, only to see the Padres come back to tie. In the top of the 13th, Scott Hairston hit a two-run homer off Jorge Julio and San Diego took an 8-6 lead, its first of the game. In came all-time career saves leader Trevor Hoffman, who imploded. The first three batters belted two doubles and a triple, tying the score. Holliday stood on third 90 feet away with a chance to win the game. He didn't disappoint.

Oct. 4, 1999, Mets 5, Reds 0
Both teams won on the final day of the regular season to finish at 96-66, setting up a Wild Card playoff game at old Cinergy Field (Riverfront Stadium) in Cincinnati. It wasn't much of a battle. The Mets scored twice in the top of the first on Edgardo Alfonzo's two-run homer and never looked back. By the sixth inning they led, 5-0, with Al Leiter on his way to a two-hit shutout. Pokey Reese and Jeffrey Hammonds had the only hits, both singles. Steve Parris started for the Reds, didn't make it out of the third inning and took the loss.

Sept. 28, 1998, Cubs 5, Giants 3
Both teams lost on the final day of season to finish at 89-73, setting up the Wild Card playoff game at Wrigley Field. The Cubs built a 4-0 lead off Giants starter Mark Gardner. And when they scored a single run in the eighth to make it 5-0, their first postseason berth since 1989 seemed secure. But wait. These are the Cubs. This is the curse. In the ninth, the Giants started picking away, scoring a run and setting up a bases-loaded, no-out situation for Barry Bonds. With the crowd standing and in clear angst, Bonds lined a sacrifice fly to center, scoring the second run against left-hander Terry Mulholland. Rod Beck came in to get the final two outs: a Jeff Kent run-producing grounder and a Joe Carter pop fly to end the game. It was his 51st save of the season.

Oct. 2, 1995, Mariners 9, Angels 1
The Angels had an 11-game lead in the AL West as late as Aug. 9. By Sept. 20, the Mariners had caught them, but the Halos won six of their final seven games, including the finale at Oakland, to keep the two knotted on the final day of the season. Meanwhile, the Mariners lost three of their last five, including their finale at Texas, to set up the one-game playoff for the division title at the old Kingdome in Seattle. The first six innings matched left-handers Mark Langston of the Angels and Randy Johnson of the Mariners in a pitching duel. With the Mariners leading 1-0 heading into the seventh, the game got out of hand as they scored four times each in the seventh and eighth to win the first playoff berth in franchise history.

Oct. 6, 1980, Astros 7, Dodgers 1
The game at Dodger Stadium wasn't much, but the last weekend of the season certainly was. The Dodgers trailed the Astros by three games in the NL West with three games at Dodger Stadium between the two teams. The Dodgers had to win out and they did, swiping three one-run games in front of frenzied sellout crowds that Steve Garvey dubbed "the 10th man," setting up the one-game playoff as the teams finished at 92-70. Manager Tommy Lasorda had the option of using a 19-year-old left-hander named Fernando Valenzuela in the playoff game, but he chose the more experienced Dave Goltz. Bad choice. The Astros jumped all over Goltz, knocking him out after three innings. Meanwhile, Joe Niekro tossed a complete-game six-hitter for his 20th win of the season, giving the Astros their first postseason berth in franchise history.

Oct. 2, 1978, Yankees 5, Red Sox 4
It had been another year of turmoil in the Bronx. Manager Billy Martin was fired, replaced by Bob Lemon, and rehired effective for the 1980 season five days later. On July 16, the Yanks trailed the Red Sox by a full 13 games in the AL East. Under the calm hand of "Lem," they caught them on Sept 10 after the famous four-game sweep at Fenway forever known as the "Boston Massacre." It was then nip and tuck, with the Yanks holding a one-game lead from Sept. 13 until the final day of the season, when they lost and the Red Sox won, setting up the one-game division title playoff game between the two 99-63 teams at the Fens. The game was as good as the regular season.

The Sox took a 2-0 lead into the seventh off Yanks ace Ron Guidry when the tables turned. Dent took former teammate Mike Torrez just enough into the netting above the Green Monster for a three-run homer that gave the Yanks a 3-2 lead. Thurman Munson added an RBI double in the inning. And when Reggie Jackson homered to dead center in the eighth, the Yankees' 5-2 lead looked pretty complete. But it wasn't. Rich "Goose" Gossage bailed out Guidry in the bottom of the seventh. He pitched out of that jam, pitched out of his own self-generated jam as the Sox came back with a pair in the eighth, and induced Carl Yastrzemski to pop out in the ninth with runners on the corners to end one of the most thrilling games and races in baseball history.

Postseason Predictions

I got slammed somewhere for my picks to win divisions. I got 7 of 8 right with the Dodgers catching the Diamondbacks for my lone hiccup. Here goes for today's game and beyond:

AL one game playoff:
White Sox over Twins, 6-4; Sox advance to play Tampa in ALDS.

Divisional Series:
White Sox over Tampa, 3-1; Layoff hurts young Rays while Sox homer way to divisional win.

Red Sox over Angels, 3-2; A lack of meaningful games down the stretch hurts the Angels.

Cubs over Dodgers, 3-0; Chicago's pitching too much for the Dodgers to compete with.

Phillies over Brewers, 3-0; Milwaukee limped into the postseason and stands no chance.

Championship Series:
Red Sox over White Sox, 4-1; ChiSox don't stand a chance in this one.

Cubs over Phillies, 4-2; The Cubs are just a little bit better in most categories.

World Series:
Red Sox over Cubs, 4-2; I like how Boston's built. I don't see it in the Cubs' cards.

Numbers game

Game 163 between the Twins and White Sox tonight will have the stats count toward the regular season. I've never understood that, but that's how it works. Imagine if someone hit home run number 74 in game 163. Yikes.

That said, John Danks is happy that stats count. He's starting for the Sox tonight, and would love to improve his numbers against the Twins. Minnesota is hitting .349 against Danks this year, tagging him for a 7.91 ERA.

The again, the Twins stand just 2-7 in Chicago, so don't right off the Southsiders, who won just one game themselves in Minneapolis.

Alexei the hero

Alexei Ramirez's fourth grand slam, which sent the White Sox past Detroit, 8-2, set a rookie record for four-run homers in a season. He's hit 21 this year, and with his average well over .290, Ramirez is a solid rookie of the year candidate.

Carlos Quentin would have to be the front runner for the Sox team MVP, but Ramirez is near the top of that list as well. We called him Alfonso Soriano light earlier this year. He's living up to that billing.

Freddy in a tight spot

Watching Freddy Garcia pitch for the Tigers against the White Sox on Monday, I remembered the big starts he made for the Sox in 2005's run to a World Series title. Garcia almost finished off his former team except for shoulder tightness which ended his day early.

Here's hoping Garcia is OK. When he's right, he's still one of the better pitchers in the game.

Brewing up pure fiction

Ken Rosenthal says the Brewers' move to fire Ned Yost got them into the postseson. He says it was a "bold" move. Seriously? That's weak.

Last I checked, Milwaukee went just 7-5 over the last 12 games managed by interim manager Dale Sveum. The Brewers beat lowly Cincinnati once and pathetic Pittsburgh three times. They took two of three from the Cubs over the final weekend to clinch the Wild Card, but Chicago was preoccupied with setting its postseason pitching staff and resting its every day players as often as possible. The Cubs threw an all-staffer on Sunday and almost beat Brewers ace CC Sabathia.

The firing of Yost was a desperate move. It was the pushing of the proverbial "panic button." That it worked out is far less a bold stroke of genius and much more a shaky step turned miracle by an inept organization. Milwaukee hasn't been to the postseason since 1982, but buoyed by a midseason trade for Sabathia, whom Rosenthal says is destined (along with Ben Sheets) to seek a new home in the offseason, they somehow weathered another free-fall in September.

Milwaukee is made up of underachieving players like Rickie Weeks, Bill Hall, Mike Cameron and Eric Gagne. The bullpen almost has enough spare parts to build a clunker. Forget a postseason force; after Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, an occasionally helpful Corey Hart, Sabathia and Sheets, Milwaukee is a mess. The Brewers stumbled into the postseason only because the Mets stumbled more.

The one bold move we'll see from the Brew Crew the rest of the way is that they'll actually show up for their Philadelphia farewell. Milwaukee is the top candidate to be swept in the divisional series. Their 10-16 record in September should shake even die-hard Brewers fans enough to see the tunnel through Rosenthal's red herring of a light. The firing of Yost was shock therapy? Please. The Brewers proved nothing other than they can beat the league's worst.

You knew it was coming

How long will were hear this story during the MLB postseason? If there's any time that the history of seasons past matters less, it is right now. We just witnessed 162 games of baseball, giving us a recent history of one full season to determine which are the best four teams in each league. We don't need to know that the Cubs haven't won in 100 years, that the Brewers haven't been here since 1982, that the Phillies are the losing team you'll ever know, or that the Dodgers haven't done a thing since 1988.

The reason they're all here is they're better than everyone else right now (although Milwaukee's merits are debatable). Save the loser stories until each one is about to get eliminated or finally win.

Deal with it

What does a deal really mean? Well, CC Sabathia certainly worked out for the Brewers. Sabathia kept Milwaukee in the pennant race with a 10-2 record in the second half and then won his 11th game against the Cubs on the final day of the regular season, helping the Brewers clinch the National League Wild Card.

Tomorrow, the White Sox send Gavin Floyd to the hill in a makeup game with Detroit where they'll face the guy they traded for Floyd, Freddy Garcia. The Garcia for Floyd deal originally sent Garcia to Philadelphia less than two years ago, but he was scooped up from the free agent scrap heap late in the year by the Tigers. Floyd is certainly the better pitcher at this point of the two players' careers, but all that matters is the one game tomorrow. If the White Sox beat the Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field, they get Minnesota in Chicago one day later for a one-off division title playoff.

Beckett bumped to game three

Josh Beckett will be pushed back to game three of the ALDS with an oblique strain. Jon Lester gets to start game one, and that might play right into Anaheim's righty-heavy lineup.

Angeles ALDS roster

Here's the Angels' division series roster. They took rookie relielver Kevin Jepsen over Justin Speier, which many expected.

Fox wants Cubs-Sox fall classic

Fox wants an all-Chicago World Series? No. They just want lovable losers.

Angels = God's number

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune says the Angels are the seventh best team in baseball. Last I checked, the Angels are the only team that won 100 games. I understand they're in arguably the weakest division in baseball, but they're not worse than the Brewers, Phillies or the Dodgers.

What might have been

It looks like the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (99 wins) will be the only team to win 100 games this season. You know, we forget how much more fun this final week of baseball would be if the Cubs (96 wins) and Angels both had home-field advantage on the line for the World Series.

All you need to know about tiebreakers

A major tiebreaker logjam is the potential result of this weekend's games. Here are the details from MLB.com. Somehow, I don't see it all happening.