TWIB Notes- 8/14

- What a great year this is turning out for pennant races. When was the last time 5 divisions were still this close this late in the year? How about never- since the change to 6 divisions in '94, most races have been confined to wild-card and a couple of divisions. Have you even really heard anything about the wild-card yet? 2 divisions are tied as of this morning: NL West (Dodgers- D'Backs), NL East (Phils- Mets), and AL Central is 1/2 game difference (Twins- White Sox). Should be an exciting last 40 games for all involved.

- Could we possibly see an NL MVP and NL Cy Young who weren't even in their league on July 1st? It's never happened, but Manny Ramirez (Dodgers) and CC Sabathia (Brewers) are making a case. Sabathia is 7-0 since joining the Brewers and has them poised to make their first playoff appearance since 1982. Manny is hitting .467 with 5 HRs and 16 RBIs in 12 games with LA. Both are probably long-shots just because of a lack of games in the NL, but should that really be a punishment? I don't think so.

- Team USA Baseball won this morning against the Netherlands. If we don't win the gold medal, we will never see baseball in the Olympics again. Something to play for, indeed.

Olympic Fever- Catch It!

A sleepless night last night (I've been awake since 2:30 AM) led to something good for once. Once I realized that I was not getting back to sleep, I started flipping through NBC's kajillion channels of Olympic coverage. Some of what I saw:

- US Women's Gymnastics qualifying 2nd with some great moves.
- US Men's Swimming Relay as Michaal Phelps worked his way to a 2nd gold already with a dramatic finish.
- Long distance scull race.

OK, so they weren't all winners. But I can't remember the last time I watched so much Olympics in one sitting. '96 Atlanta, maybe? And now I can't wait to see some more. The Olympics certainly is not what it was back in the day, when we hated Russia and vice versa. In fact, that's all sports talk has mentioned today (but at least it's not Brett Favre coverage). I can remember 1984 Los Angeles like it was yesterday, you couldn't tear me away.

But there are good storylines, great athletes, and hopefully many more wins for the US. And instead of just watching baseball, men's basketball, and women's volleyball, I might sit around and check out a good archery match.

For the take of the man who rooted for the USSR in the 1980 Hockey game, go here.

Dan & Keith Discuss Favre

Ahh, a preview of the Big Show:

Paris Shoots Back

Hilarious response by Paris Hilton to being used in McCain's "Barack is a celebrity" ad. Contrary to rumor, Paris did not memorize her lines. Thanks to FunnyOrDie:

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

Star Wars Night at Frawley Stadium

I am excited about this one, as are most of the front office. So in honor of tonight, here's a couple of clips from Family Guy's take on the Star Wars universe:

Musical Interlude

I can't remember the last time I thought a video was cool, but Gnarls Barkley's new song "Who's Gonna Save Your Soul" fits that bill. Check it out, if you've ever had your heart broken, you will relate. Gets a little strange, but that's what makes Gnarls such an interesting group.



And for a time when even commercials were great videos, let's go back to 1983 (dont know why the video says 1988). Michael Jackson (pre-creepy) and MJ impersonator Alfonso Ribiero (pre-Carlton on Fresh Prince) dance thru the streets.

14 Games In 17 Days...

...starting tonight. The good news is that after this, all that is left is 4 more games (and possible playoff games). To get to that point, there will be no sleep, lots of money spent on gas, and probably more rain than Seattle. But the finish line is out in the distance...

King of the Kraut

I was bestowed the Sauerkraut Award at work during our last staff meeting. You may ask yourself, what the heck is the Sauerkraut Award? Well, it is a fun award to break up the monotony, given to the person who has gone above and beyond during the last couple of weeks. I was awarded it for personalizing hundreds of kid camp shirts for the marketing department. There are many rules to the Sauerkraut Award, including not forming alliances to award to friends or department buddies, but the most important rule is that you do not eat the Sauerkraut Award. I will keep this proudly displayed at my desk as I try to find the next recipient.

TWIB Notes- Trade Deadline Edition

Here are the winners and losers from the most exciting trade deadline in a decade:

Winners

Dodgers- Of course I am starting with my boys in blue. Casey Blake and Manny Ramirez (see my previous post) add playoff experience to a young team.

Brewers- Traded for CC Sabathia (above) 3 weeks ago, and all he has done is go 4-0 with 3 shutouts and a 1-something ERA. Milwaukee loving baseball for the first time since Molitor and Yount.

White Sox- This move is getting bashed by some, but adding Ken Griffey Jr to their lineup is an immediate upgrade. And Griffey getting a chance on a contender is fantastic as well.

Yankees- Once again this year, the Yanks give up nothing and get everything they want. The idiot teams who agree to this are the ones to blame. Damaso Marte, Xavier Nady and an HGH-free Ivan Rodriguez are not marquee names, but should fill the holes the Yankees needed.

Check Back In October

Red Sox- Addition by subtraction, as they say. Manny was mailing it in, but Jason Bay is not an upgrade, and Big Papi may not get pitched to the rest of the year. Boston may just be good enough to get past this.

Cubs- Rich Harden is a great pitcher if he stays healthy for more than a month. A curious move for a team that has dealt with the Prior and Wood injuries for 5 years. So far so good for the Cubbies, but will he last till October?

Angels- Why do people love this move? Mark Teixiera adds great offense, but the Angels are up by a zillion games in the AL West. Supposedly picked up for the postseason, Teixiera has never played a postseason game, and pitching, not hitting, wins in October.

Rays- Did nothing, and that was they should have done. Will it pay off? If they continue their magical season, it should be with the chemistry and youth that got them here.

Phils- Joe Blanton may be the kind of quiet deal that makes the difference is the NL East.

Losers

Braves- Gave up 4 top prospects last year for Teixiera. This year, got serviceable Casey Kotchman and 1 prospect for Teixiera. Yikes.

Astros- Traded prospects for LaTroy Hawkins. They are currently 14 games out in the best division in baseball.

Pirates- Traded their 3 best players for alot of prosects, but none that stand out. Sound like the last 15 years for the Pirates? That's because it is.

Nationals- Worst team in baseball should have traded for more prospects. Instead, did nothing and then released 3 veterans (LoDuca, Lopez, and Estrada) immediately after the deadline. You couldn't get anybody back for those guys? Anybody??

Mets, D-Backs, Twins- All in hotly contested races and made no moves of note. Could be the reason none of them make the playoffs.


My baseball comrade Lazardus has returned from a hiatus that would make Tony Kornheiser proud. Check out his thoughts here.

ManRam Heads West

Every year, the Dodgers are in the discussion for the biggest names in baseball at the trade deadline. And every year the Dodgers do next to nothing. Instead of Alfonso Soriano and CC Sabathia, they choose Hee Sop Choi and Scott Proctor. Not this year, though. In the biggest in-season trade in Dodger history (not exaggerating, you can look it up), the Dodgers traded 2 overrated prospects for future Hall of Famer Manny Ramirez. The Dodgers, with the best pitching and the 15th best hitting in the NL, have effectively won the division (barring more injuries or an '07 Rockies-like winning streak) with this move.

Now I am not nieve, Manny is a flake who makes cell phone calls and takes bathroom breaks during innings. But he also is the main reason the Red Sox won 2 World Series in 4 years, and he is a free agent at the end of the year, which means he will be playing his ass off for one more $100 million dollar contract. The biggest key to me is that we did not trade any of our future stars like Matt Kemp or James Loney. I can't remember the last time I was this excited about something the Dodgers have done, as it has been a long 20 years since our last championship. And this may not be the year either, but things look alot better than they did 24 hours ago.