Random Thoughts

-As far as frustrating players goes, Hank Blalock and Eric Chavez are high on my list. Each was at one point though of as a franchise 3rd baseman and perennial all stars for many seasons to come. The fiscally conservative Athletics were so confident in Chavez that they gave him a 6 year $66 million dollar contract through 2010 while the Rangers extended Blalock to a 5 year/$15 mil dollar extension in 2004. However, both players have seen their careers derailed thanks to injuries. Chavez has missed most of this season with a shoulder injury while Blalock has missed most of this season with various ailments. I can't express how disappointed I am that both of these guys got hurt because I was really looking forward to watching their careers blossom. Now, all I can hope for in a healthy 2009 for both. Go get 'em guys

-Congratulations Rays on your first playoff birth ever! You guys sure know how to celebrate even though your kind of new at this.

-I watched some of the Cubs game today and couldn't help but wonder if Carlos Marmol will have some shoulder problems down the road. That delivery looks awfully stressful and awkward and lets hope for the Cubs sake that he holds up.

-Get well soon Shaun Marcum. You were fantastic on my fantasy team for about 3 months this season and I became a huge fan of yours along the way. While Marcum doesn't throw that hard, he has wonderful control that allows him to strikeout lots of hitters and get lots of weak ground balls. See you in 2010 sir.

-And seriously this is the third major injury to a young Blue Jays starting pitcher. Actually the fourth if you count all the injuries to Gustavo Chacin. Casey Janssen, Dustin McGowan, and now Marcum have all undergone major operations to their arms and have missed/will miss significant amounts of time. Is there something in the Blue Jays water? Or is this just a coincidence? I'm not sure, but I hope that GM JP Riccardi looks into it this offseason.

-I am going to miss Yankee Stadium alot. Even though the Yankees are one of the Mets most hated rivals, I can honestly say that everytime I stepped foot into Yankee Stadium that something magical could happen. What a remarkable place. More about this from me tomorrow.

-And how about those fading Brewers...what happened? Well, it seems as though the offense has collapsed at the worst possible time while the brilliance of CC Sabathia/the health of Ben Sheets has faded away. And to make matters worse, the bullpen has still been terrible (see Torres, Solomon). And Mr. Melvin, c'mon, firing Ned Yost with 12 games left in the season reeks of panic and desperation. If that didn't doom the rest of the season, then I don't know what did.

-Finally, how amazing would a Cubs-Rays World Series be?
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Pretty good, but I want my Mets in there.

Go Mets.