NL Central

10:15 pm ET, Monday, 8/9 TV: CSN+, CSBA

Probable pitchers: Carlos Zambrano (3-6, 5.61) vs Madison Bumgarner (4-4, 3.20)

10:15 pm ET, Tuesday, 8/10 TV: WGN

For die-hard Reds' fan this could easily have been titled, "Bring it on Cards!" But various politicians have used that sort of rhetoric before, and it hasn't worked very well. And as a die-hard Reds' fan...a little good karma can't hurt.

And it's not a stretch to say that deity Shiva owes the Reds a bit of good karma.

With practice starting on Monday, West Virgina's new allegations and BP now blaming RR for the Gulf Oil Spill, I thought I would take a break from regular news and find some funny stuff to post. 

First Funny

In an earlier post, I pointed out that the Pittsburgh Pirates were showing signs of life against the three weaker opponents of the National League Central. This was because the Pirates could actually win, in some cases, and came within a run or so in other instances, suggesting that a stronger version of the team could win such games outright.

The Houston Astros have been beyond busy lately.

Less than a week after trading two of the biggest franchise players to ever don an Astros uniform, Houston had won seven games in a row—culminating with an 18-4 beat-down of St. Louis—before the Cardinals finally ended that streak with an 8-4 win over the Astros last night at Busch Stadium.

But wait, there’s more!

This is the day a lot of people have been waiting for since the decision came down that the Texas Rangers would go up for auction. At this moment it's a two team race, so to speak, as to who will be the new owners of the Texas Rangers. The two teams are groups headed by Attorney Chuck Greenberg and Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan up against Houston businessman Jim Crane and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban .

The St. Louis Cardinals' run at an 18th National League pennant took a serious hit Tuesday, when the team learned that rookie third baseman David Freese re-injured a sore right ankle in a rehab start with Double-A Springfield, and will miss the rest of the 2010 season.

After injuring the ankle on June 27, Freese was expected to help rejuvenate a limping Cardinals offense sometime this month. Instead, it appears St. Louis will have to do without him.

But without adding another bat, another National League Central crown seems unlikely.

Corey Hart is having a huge season for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2010 and the Brewers have rewarded Hart with a contract extension.

The Brewers signed Hart yesterday to a three-year extension worth $26.5 million. The deal will cover Hart’s final year of arbitration and his first two years of free agency eligibility.

Hart has put up an impressive .288/.346/.565 hitting line with 23 HRs so far this season. The Brewers now have their left fielder and right fielder locked up for the foreseeable future.

They say "Home is where the heart is," and that saying is truer now than it has been all season in Milwaukee.

Except now the saying goes, "Home is where the Hart is."

MLB.com's Adam McCalvy has reported that Corey Hart, 28, has signed a contract extension with the Brewers to continue his memorable season.

As recently as May, a contract of this manner would never have been fathomable. Hart, coming off the team's first arbitration hearing since 1998, was not making regular appearances in the lineup.

The trade deadline has come and gone and the Reds stood still, opting to go forward with what they have.