Cubs Not Alone in Losing Star Player to Injury

As Cub fans bemoaned the loss of Alfonso Soriano and collectively wondered if the race for October might be over, one doesn't have to look very far to see that other teams still in the race have also suffered the loss of a key player. In pitching alone, the Padres Chris Young, the Mets Pedro Martinez, the Cards Chris Carpenter and the Brewers Ben Sheets have all gone down and left their teams markedly weaker. However, the Brewers and Mets are still in first place and the Padres are only two games out. The Braves put SS Edgar Renteria on the 15-day DL with an ankle sprain and they are still in the race as well. The Cubs brought up Eric Patterson from Triple-A to fill in. Whether GM Jim Hendry will sit tight with that arrangement or look elsewhere for help probably depends on how Soriano looks in the next several days.

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Glavine Wins 300th Game/Kerry Wood Returns

Tom Glavine won his 300th game last night, beating the Cubs 8-3. He pitched 6 1/3 innings in front of a sold-out crowd. The Wrigley fans treated Glavine with respect and gave him a standing ovation when he left the game. The other standing ovation of the night was reserved for Kerry Wood, who came into the game as a relief pitcher and pitched one scoreless inning. He has not pitched since June 6 of last year. Wood is still beloved in Chicago for his grit and determination in trying to return from 11 stints on the disabled list. He is humble and apologetic to fans for not delivering on the promise of his early days, when he struck out 20 batters against Houston 9 years ago and when he helped get the Cubs to the playoffs four years ago. The warm feelings for Glavine and Wood could not offset the disappointment of watching Alfonso Soriano hobble off the field with a right strained quadricep, not to return for 2-4 weeks.

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Bonds Hits 755th Home Run

Other than family, friends and the die-hard fans of the Giants, is anyone happy for Barry Bonds? Did Bud Selig represent us all last night when he sat and watched Bonds hit one out of Petco Park with his hands in his pockets and no emotion on his face? No one can stop Bonds from breaking the record but we can all control how we feel about it. It's a joyless pursuit and one can only feel that's what he deserves. The steroid issue aside, he has been surly and unappreciative of his fans throughout and he isn't worthy of their support now.

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A-Rod Hits 500th Home Run

Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs, beating Jimmie Fox, who was 32, 338 days. Only Babe Ruth and Mark McGwire got to that mark faster. If he stays healthy, he will probably surpass Barry Bonds with little trouble and with no asterisk needed.

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Neifi Suspended for 80 Games

Tigers Neifi Perez was suspended for 80 games yesterday after testing positive for a banned stimulant. He was suspended in July for 25 games and this is now the third time he has tested positive. See if you buy this one: Perez says he was diagnosed at the end of last season with ADHD and was prescribed Adderal, a ritalin-based substance, commonly used to treat it. Supposedly, according to Perez, he was unable to refill his prescription this spring so he was advised (by whom?) to take any amphetimine. That is why he is repeatedly testing positive. This explanation is so preposterous, it might just be true. Neifi is batting .172 and no one in the Tigers organization has come to his defense, backing up the ADHD diagnosis. If he was batting .300, would the scenario be different??

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What's Up with the Brewers?

After yesterday's dust up in the dugout between manager Ned Yost and catcher Johnny Estrada, one wonders is this the beginning of the end for them or a turnaround point. They are 4-10 in their last 14 games and have blown an 8 1/2 game lead in their division to find themselves tied for first with the Cubs. Manager Yost said after the game that what was seen in the dugout was misinterpreted and that Estrada and Tony Graffanino were actually coming to the defense of another player they felt was being treated badly by Yost. No matter where the truth lies, it doesn't sound like a very happy camp at the moment.

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Twins Will Pay For Trading Castillo

On July 30th, after months of speculation, the Twins traded speedy second baseman Luis Castillo to the Mets for Drew Butera and Dustin Martin. Although Butera and Martin have the potential to be solid players, there is no filler for the time being, and the Twins know that. Just after trading Castillo, two time Cy Young winner Johan Santana voiced his displeasure to reporters about the trade saying that he understands the business of trades, just doesn't understand this one in particular. After hearing those comments David Ortiz sided with Castillo and said he hopes to see Santana in a Red Sox uniform if he leaves the Twins, which he expects. Furthermore, Twins outfielder Torii Hunter said there would be no hometown discount for the Twins this coming off season. Castillo was not only a good hitter and fielder, but he was a spark in the clubhouse and a leader, despite being new to the team. Stripping someone away like that only hurts a team, and it obviously upset some of the players.

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Damon Next Yankee To Go

The Yankees were trying to trade Johnny Damon all season, but with no suitors found at the deadline, the Yankees are set on show-casing him for the rest of the season and then dumping him to a team for prospects. Damon has not been the same player since he left the Red Sox, and although he had a decent first year with the Yankees, he is now batting .251 with 6 HR. Teams will probably look at Damon as a fallback option after missing out on players like Jermaine Dye, Kosuke Fokudome, and Torii Hunter.

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Sox Contreras Bumped Out of Rotation

More fallout for deals that didn't happen. While the Sox tried to trade Jose Contreras and were unable to, the result of that is a temporary move out of the rotation. "Maybe its only one turn." said Ozzie Guillen. Guillen went on to say it would not be automatic for Gavin Floyd to take over the rotation spot but it is obviously a possibility if he does well enough. "Right now, that's what we're going to do for the good of Jose. We try to protect him to see if its mental, physical, guts, whatever it is."

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Sosa Being Benched

After failing to trade Sammy Sosa, the Rangers have let him know that his playing time is about to be greatly reduced. "They have a couple young kids they want to see. I don't have a problem with that." Sosa has 16HR and 70 RBIs but his average is .239 and below .200 in the last 2 weeks. At 38, Sosa may have a little time left if he can find a home next season. Otherwise, this could be the end for his playing days. Give him credit for taking the news well, at least publicly. He's come a long way since refusing to move down in the lineup for Dusty Baker in his days as a Cub.

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The Morning After the Morning After

Now that I've recovered from my carpal tunnel syndrome after the last couple days tied to my computer, I have a few thoughts on the deadline. Teixeira wasted no time making a splash for Atlanta last night, driving in four runs. Ron Mahay and Octavio Dotel both gave an inning, allowing no hits. GM John Schuerholz, at 66 seemed like a man on a mission to get this year's team to post-season play. He made the big deals and improved his team dramatically. Now if he can just find another starter laying around somewhere... The Rangers may have given up some big names but they came away with 9 prospects, several of whom are considered to be the real deal, especially Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Elvis Andrus. Boston must feel great, having won the Gagne sweepstakes and it further positions them for the post-season. Further fallout from the deadline will be seen in the next few weeks as players are put on waivers. Players that couldn't be moved in trade will see themselves finish the season at a new ballpark anyway. Orioles Miguel Tejada, Giants Omar Vizquel, Twins Torii Hunter, and Blue Jays Troy Glaus could all be put on waivers.

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Are the Prospects Worth it ?

In a trade season when deals fell through over unknown prospects being fought over, it got me thinking how often do these prospects, pried from the hands of savvy GMs, live up to their hype? Consider these few who were part of midseason deals who actually did: Randy Johnson was traded from Montreal to Seattle in 1989 for LHP Mark Langston. RHP Trevor Hoffman went from Florida to San Diego in 1993 for OF Gary Sheffield and OF Grady Sizemore went from Montreal to Cleveland in 2002 for RHP Bartolo Colon. Can anybody think of any others?

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