MLB

No matter what happens this year, the Mariners are building and playing for 2010 and beyond. While the roster isn't particularly loaded with top tier talent, Captain Jack and Co. can rebuild this roster pretty quickly by letting go a couple of these guys.

Its a Billy Beane move, throw away your season that’s going nowhere anyway in order to compete in the future. I think Z would be wise to take said road.

If your dad needs money, go ask  Mickey Mantle. See what happens.
                  
Mickey Mantle don’t care about you. Why care about him?
                  
Nobody cares.

-Sonny "A Bronx Tale"

The month of June has just started, but by the time it ends the Minnesota Twins could know whether or not they’ll be in the mix for the postseason.

Following last night’s win against the Seattle Mariners, the Twins are only 7-16 on the road, a far cry from the 21-12 record they hold in the cozy, teflon confines of the Metrodome.

Two years ago, the Chicago Cubs made a bold decision. The one-time face of the franchise, the future of the starting rotation, the hope of the city of Chicago, Kerry Wood, was going to move to the bullpen.

The decision was partially made to give Wood a career. He had a longer laundry list of injuries and surgeries than he did pitching successes. But he always busted his tail to get back on the bump for the Cubs, so, out of respect for that, the team moved him into a role that would use his arm and shoulder more conservatively.

If I had to pick one story that made me nauseous by the end of the 2008 season, it would be Josh Hamilton's journey from "hell" to the big leagues. 

So what?  He put down the crack pipe, found Jesus, and started playing a game again.

Did Tim Raines, or any of the other 12 coke heads, get standing ovations when they came back from the infamous 1985 Pittsburgh drug trials?

Tim Raines did lines of coke off of his glove while playing the outfield.  He slid into bases on his non-vial side to make sure it wouldn't break.

This slide show will rank the best hitting seasons in Mets history.

Similar to the previous article, which listed the best pitching seasons, a player will only be ranked once.

When you think of the Mets history, pitching is usually the dominated vision.

But the Mets have had their share of outstanding hitting seasons, which is why it was difficult to rank these seasons. I would say that any of the top 5 ranked players can is fitting to be #1.

Now on to the list...

The trade by the Pittsburgh Pirates of All-Star outfielder Nate McLouth is another reminder that the great tradition and history of the Pirates is now just that: history.

It has been 17 years since the Pirates last posted a winning record, and for most of that run they haven’t even been close.

Like most reasonable people in the good old United States of America, I marvel at the utter stupidity, egregious arrogance, and incredible greed of some of our most cherished professional athletes.  At the same time, I'm disgusted by some members of the media who lack either the knowledge, integrity, or tact required to be admirable journalists.

That covers two of the three branches of the sports universe.  It also covers the two most trivial ones.

Another injured Tiger is close to getting his wings back. Marcus Thames has been heating up on a rehab assignment with class AAA Toledo and could be back in Detroit soon.

Thames has been on the disabled list since April 19th, after straining his ribcage in batting practice.

The Tigers could use his power in a lineup that has struggled to score runs.

Small ball may be virtuous for many reasons. the Tigers have not played very good small ball lately, and therefore could greatly benefit from the smashing potential that Thames brings to the plate.

Everyday I lie in wait. Squirming at the HDTV in my house which plays ESPN, believing that a day will pass without hearing the name of another New York Met pulling up lame or contracting a peculiar strand of the flu.

I have previously mentioned in posts that I believe somewhere in a secret study, in a room hidden behind the 2008 championship trophy, Phillies GM Ruben Amato Jr is dressed in robes, decorated in face paint poking at voodoo dolls in certain Mets likenesses.

How much longer before he sticks a needle in David Wright's back?