WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

***...AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN NEED A BROOM***
The Sox get swept and in reading the various articles about the series, I noticed one glaring difference: They were devoid of comments by Sox fans. Usually they are there, gloating over every Red Sox hit, run, defensive play and victory. They abuse the Yankee players and fans alike and predict World Series championships. Not this weekend. What happened, Sox fans, did you forget there were games this weekend? You can talk about injuries and slumps and the like, but lets give the Yankee pitching staff all the credit they deserve. They were nothing short of terrific.

***YOU CAN'T SHOW UP THE UMPIRE***
Are these guys getting way too sensitive or what? When they start tossing guys standing 300 feet away, it's time for MLB to take a hard look at their attitude. Umpire Ed Rapuano didn't like Philly centerfielder Shane Victorino's reaction to his ball/strike calls, so he gave him the thumb. Maybe if Rapuano paid more attention to the strike zone and not any criticism from the players, he wouldn't wake up Monday morning looking like a petulant little kid.


***WHO'S UP AND WHO'S DOWN***
We know Boston is riding the chutes and the Yanks are climbing, but how about those surprising Washington Nationals? 8 in a row and climbing. I glad to see it, but's let's not lose sight of the fact that they are still 22.5 games out of first. The Phillies are sliding (3-7 in the last 10), Minnesota is slipping (3-7), The Cardinals are coming on (7-3) and the Dodgers are slipping (4-6).


***SPEAKING OF WHICH...***
This little mention from Buster Olney: For weeks, Dodgers manager Joe Torre kept using his relievers heavily, especially Ramon Troncoso and Ronald Belisario, and right on schedule, the L.A. bullpen seems to be crumbling, and the Dodgers' lead is sliding away. By the way, Vod is right: former starter, Jeff Weaver, has been transferred to the bullpen. Of course there's a reason for that.

***BASEBALL'S VERSION OF BUY 1, GET 1 FREE***
Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox, says he's tired of his players getting hit. From now on, he says, if one of his gets hit, two of yours are getting plunked. He'll get suspended for that, but Ozzie says that's okay. Maybe the threat is enough. We'll see.