>>>>One of those WTF things....
>>>>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903366504576488123965468018.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories
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>>>I see this only affects peple who've deposited more than $50 Million since the end of July. Whew, just squeezed in under the wire.
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>>LOL
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>>I just pulled in from Nazareth, enjoying the Giants-Phillies game on satellite radio for most of the last three hours of the drive. Jon Miller is always a pleasure to listen to -- great voice, great knowledge of the game, forever unruffled. It doesn't seem to wear him down to describe the Giants' offense (so-called) day after day. Well, if you listen for the nuances in what he says you can tell when he is exasperated with a player who has been letting the team down on an ongoing basis. He just doesn't shout it from the rooftops.
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>>Now that makes me smile thinking of Harry Caray. He was the polar opposite of Miller. He wore his heart and his partisanship on his sleeve, which is one of the reasons he was so beloved by the average fan. It was like he was one of them, drinking beer in the bleachers and bellowing at players who annoyed him. He had a one of a kind gig where he could do his bellowing and beer drinking from the broadcast booth. (Especially during the late innings of games in his later years, when you could tell he had been showing his personal support of all those Budweiser ads he read). Once while announcing a White Sox game, a day Sox starter Jim Kaat didn't really have it, Harry literally leaned out of the booth and tried to make himself heard to the manager down in the dugout. "Get him out of there! He couldn't break a pane of glass with that fastball!" Other times the Sox, or later Cubs, would have runners in scoring position and the hitter would fail to drive them in. "POPPED it up," Harry would say disgustedly. He never left you in the dark about how he felt. There is a statue of him outside Wrigley Field, which is notable, especially of a guy who was closely associated with three different major league teams.
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>>You will not be surprised to learn that I enjoyed today's game, considering the Giants won 3-1 behind Tim Lincecum to break their losing streak and the Phillies' winning streak. Both streaks began immediately after Lincecum shut down the Phillies a week and a half ago, that time in Philly. He was not dominant today. After walking Jimmy Rollins on four pitchers to start the game, he went to a stretch position even with nobody on. Miller said he does that when he doesn't feel like he has command of his fastball. He gutted through it like a guy who is learning more and more how to be a pitcher and not just a flamethrower you can't catch up with. The Phillies never really had him in trouble. They scored their only run after a defensive miscue that wasn't an error. The win pushed Lincecum's record to 10-9. That doesn't sound like much until you look at his numbers and the run support behind him. The three runs he got today were a wild outburst for them. The Giants have scored fewer runs than any MLB team other than the Mariners. Other than his strikeouts being a little down and two really bad outings, he has been the same guy as always.
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>>Given the clear bad blood between the Giants and Phillies, it would be cool if they meet again this year in the playoffs. You probably heard what happened in SF Friday night. All kinds of unwritten rules broken, or at least perceived to be broken.
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>>On that same topic, the Brewers (my team) and Cardinals had a nasty series last week in Milwaukee. Many, many unwritten rules broken. They get together for three more in St. Louis this week. Since I am working here in STL for the next several months, possibly much longer, I plan to get out to one of the games. The new ballpark, which is gorgeous on TV, is only about 10 miles east on I-70 from here. It will be another major league ballpark in my collection. Cardinals fans have the reputation of being among the best in the majors, knowledgeable and friendly.
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>>I am commuting back and forth every week. With both of my daughters off to college by the end of the month that will be the case for a while, then maybe more like every other week. It's a long drive but an easy one, at least this time of year. Friday on the way out of town (seems about an hour ago) I went through downtown instead of my usual, probably faster, exodus on the I-170 and I-270 bypasses. You don't quite see the ballpark if you're turning north onto I-55 but you go right past the Edward Jones Dome and then, much more spectacularly, the Gateway Arch. It is truly monumental when you're that close to it. Within a space of minutes you see the arch and the Mississippi River, two of the most spectacular sights in this country.
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>Hah! When the Giants are as good as the Jays, then we can talk. ;)
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>I have to admit. While the Jays are not tearing up the league, they sure have been a fun team to watch this year. And now that we have a for real center fielder in Colby Rasmus and a third basemand (not that Bautista doesn't play a terrific third, but he likes right field better and with his arm, that's where he belongs) in Brett Lawrie, this could be a pretty good looking team next year. All we need now is a bullpen. I think the fun has just started.

That the Jays are over .500 in that division proves they are good. It's no treat competing against the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays. What Toronto needs is a new division. Either of the other AL divisions would do. The Angels and Rangers are decent and that's the end of the story for the Central and West combined.

It has diminished my enjoyment of baseball -- even though this season has been a renaissance -- that a handful of rich teams have such an unfair advantage. It's no guarantee, as any fan of the overspending and underachieving Cubs or Orioles can assure you. But year in and year out the Yankees and Red Sox, and now the Phillies, sign the highest profile free agents and scarf up the highest profile players at the July 31 roster deadline. Hunter Pence, who is already making a noticeable contribution to the Phillies, as if they needed it, is the latest example. God love Tamar but I hope the Phillies never win another game. Roy Halladay -- bought him. Roy Oswalt -- bought him. Cliff Lee -- bought him. Hunter Pence -- bought him. Is there a pattern here? At least the Giants' crappy hitters are home grown ;-)