tkeith

Doubtful. He should, but I think Youk having a career year will cost him votes. Unfortunately, too many sports writers confuse "Most Valuable Player" with "Greatest Offensive Season" (see Ripken, Cal vs. Fielder, Cecil and/or Belle, Albert vs. Vaughan, Mo). Nonetheless, it'd be a helluva finish to the season (you know, *after* they win the series).

I think Barry Larkin. Joe was in the 3-hole most of the time during his MVP years, as I recall.

Don't believe so. But the Brewers' appeal has been denied, according to ESPN. Wow! Mark the date -- Olney got one right!

I agree. It certainly is hard to argue that it was a "clean hit," and it probably should have been scored an error, IMO, but it wasn't, so ... too late now. I wonder how long is appropriate to wait? Given Dan's argument above, would it have been appropriate for the scorer to change it to an error in, say, the ninth inning? Or the eighth? It's a slippery slope. I'd say it's perfectly acceptable to change a score by the start of the next half inning, certainly. ... Would you agree the window has closed now? The window is far from closed -- an official protest of the scoring has been filed with the league according to Buster Olney. He doesn't expect it to be overturned, which means it's likely that it will be. As for an in-game scoring change, the scorer can use the whole game if he wishes. Folks might not think to highly of it if the change were made in the 9th inning, but he'd certainly be within the rules. Whether people want to asterisk this thing if it happens is one thing, but bluntly, the correct calls should be made -- end of issue. Been a busy weekend and I haven't seen much -- has the instant replay been given a trial yet?

Very strange after the whole team was hitting right after Manny got there..... Not so strange... it's the curse of the Manbino.... still glad he's yours.

Heck no, Al... just the crickets. Perhaps the majority share your take but don't want to hurt my feelings. I'll say this much: I didn't set out to create the great mix-tape to end all tapes (didn't think that was the point). This compilation is truly about being a *blindfold* test, and I intended it to be a bitch. How'd I do? :bwallace2:

According to Olney and Gammons, they are talking to him about his no-trade clause. Certainly wouldn't bother me, if the cost isn't significant. I certainly hope not. 6 HR, 37 RBI... he's basically Coco Crisp with less speed.

Have to smile; I just read this as the Jays made their pitching change in the top of the 6th.

You're too generous! I don't want him tossing fucking wiffleball batting practice at this point. This guy makes Derek Lowe look like the fucking terminator. Sew his vagina up and ship his ass out of town.

Last I saw of him he was quite large. That along with the years of chain smoking, I can't say I'm surprised. Still, hope he recovers quickly.

Yes but what has he really done for them aside from keep them from falling even further out of the division race, and possibly out of the wild card, too? Hmmm... based on the responses, Dan, I think you need to borrow this:

Computer: easy fix, but getting a new PC creates an issue... that negates my easy fix (go Mac). I've used Avast and AVG, I recommend the latter -- it'll be worth the trouble to figure it out. Son-in-law: This one is easy -- kill 'im!

I'll plead live recording again. I saw this band two days before this, having never heard of the tenor, and had the chance to have dinner with them and talk extensively with the tenor player at the break. Both his playing and his persona made an impression on me. Turns out, I should have known him anyway. OH! KICKED!!! I have an official man-crush on the tenor player, and my favorite drummer. In fact, my initial idea for a BFT was one that had this drummer on all tracks. Finally got one you liked. Unfortunately, you're wrong on all counts. At least you enjoyed most of it, though! I expected many to get this wrong, but in a different direction. Original tune. The title gets me in a personal spot that I'll make clear when answers are revealed. On this one, I might recommend a re-listen when not cranky -- even while I'll acknowledge creating the mood. I agree about the sound of the date, but this trumpet always knocks me out. Kicked!!!!! We'll see. I hope so! I'm feeling bad about this one now. For the future, I get the message: Shorter or shorter tunes. Thanks for given the ears over.

No apologies, Big Al! Nobody has crankier responses than yours truly. In fact, I still feel bad about the way I kicked Berigan incessantly while listening to #57. Damn! I was really hoping this one would be the stumper and already two have nailed it. Fair enough. It *is* a live recording, though, and is probably the best outing (IMHO) for this well-known tenor. Rawest of the raw blues. I understand your position and respectfully disagree. Another live one. Yeah, this one probably works better in context. There's a fun story that goes with it and I expect this to be the A1 stumper of the BFT. Yeah... I like to put this one on when someone questions the composer's hipness. Not to go Deanna Troy on you, but I'm sensing that you don't care for extended solos. Kicked! The pianist is going to be difficult one for people to name, but I love the arrangement of the tune.

And don't forget, the trading deadline used to be BEFORE the all-star break! (Mid-June, if I recall correctly)

OK. But if you set it up so that Cleveland couldn't pull him back once they put him on the waiver wire, and once Boston claimed Byrd they would have to either sign him to a new deal, or (failing that) pick up his remaining contract, then teams would (A) only put players on the waiver wire that they really wanted to waive, and (B) acquiring teams would only move to pick up players they really wanted acquire or were willing to sign, and not simply grab players they don't really want in order to block rivals from acquiring them. The way things are now, the waiver wire system, as I understand it (or maybe, misunderstand it) is in some respects set up to encourage the non-movement of players, except for the purpose of dumping a salary. I would think the union might be opposed to that, but I guess it benefits the players somehow. The system you are describing is the one that exists. Remember, teams have the option of placing a player on revocable waivers or irrevocable waivers. The situation you describe is what happens with a guy like Canseco going to the Yankees. In the current system there is the risk for the claiming team that they may get stuck with someone if they claim him. A deal sending Canseco to the Sox had been struck, all that was left was for him to clear waivers. The Skanks claimed him to block the deal, and... I forget who had Jose at the time, but they were pissed because they stood to pick up a player they wanted if the deal went through with Boston. Now that that was messed up, they just dumped him on the Skanks. I think the confusion is the notion that trade talks don't begin until a player clears waivers; that's not always the case. In *most* cases, though, teams put ALL their players on waivers (you're allowed, I believe, 7 a day) just to see who might be interested. Most players clear waivers and we never hear about it. By having that in place, though, it also forces teams to be on the lookout, lest a Paul Byrd slip by without being taken.

I have to agree with Dan on this one; the answer to "why" is because it works. Otherwise, let's assume I'm Cleveland with a grudge, and Paul Byrd *doesn't* go to Boston. I pull him back and re-waive him so the Rays can pick him up. Great for the Rays, but sets a bad precedent for teams to bear out grudges. The primary difference between Phillips explanation and Dan/wiki is the timing. It's actually a touch more contrived. For instance, teams have 47.5 hours to work a deal, not 48, and 'why?' I have *no* idea. But Phillips' explanation really let you see how intricate and hard to manage the whole thing was, but it was also very understandable. It did interest me that you have to clear waivers in your own league first -- yet another argument for doing away with interleague play.

Oooo, cough syrup.

Coltrane -- Impressions -- Live at the Showboat

You can listen online at www.mpbn.net and/or use the audio-on-demand feature to listen to shows from the past 2 months. Coming up in September: Friday 9/5 - Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris Conductions, Part 1 Friday 9/12 - Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris Conductions, Part 2 Friday 9/19 - Sam Rivers/Dave Holland Friday 9/26 - Big Band Music from Sam Rivers, and David Murray (conducted by Butch Morris) Next month - New Releases If you do listen, and like what you hear, please drop MPBN an e-mail letting them know.

F*ck Manny with a donkey dick. Good riddance to him and his inability to hold a turd for an inning.

Yes, with Dice being one of them, they seem poised to be the first team to try the 6-man rotation.

If you're an ESPN insider, Steve Phillips does a great job explaining it here. I'm not an insider, or I'd just post it. He explained it on BBTN, too. Skanks are letting it happen how it happens this year. They've clearly decided not to mortgage the future, which is unfortunate, because they have a lot of young talent waiting in the wings. Hopefully, it backfires.

What NL team can afford him? He'll be a Skank... count on it.

Moot point. Pauley optioned, Jeff Bailey recalled.