It's the end of the World!
Guys, I'm scared.
Seriously, I'm worried. I fear that the world may be coming to an end, and it might be happening in the very near future.
The Middle East is stuck in two different wars, with a third one looming on the horizon. Terrorists are plotting to bring the transportation industry to its knees.
But the most ominous sign of all? The Red Sox just got swept by the Kansas City Royals, in the process of losing five out of six to two teams (KC & Tampa Bay) with a combined winning percentage of .384. .384!!!
The Royals sweeping anybody is like the first horseman of the Apocalypse. Nostradamus once predicted that "within three weeks of the American baseball team hailing from Kansas City completing a sweep of a team with a .575 or better winning percentage, the world would come to a cataclysmic end..."
That Nostradamus... pretty smart guy. I'm already stocking up on canned goods, bottled water, and I'm thinking about building a bomb shelter in my back yard, just in case. You can never be too prepared for a Nostradamus prediction to come true.
I guess there's only one thing left to do in the meantime...
Quick Thoughts while waiting for the end of the world...
n First things first, the 2006 World Series of Poker is (finally) over. It ended just before 7:00 AM EST this morning (4AM in Vegas). If you want to know who won, click here. If you prefer to wait for the edited down Main Event coverage on ESPN that begins in two weeks, then don't click. Simple as that. I'll refrain from spoiling the surprise for those that want to watch the month-old tape delay, like I did the past two years.
n On a personal note, I'm going for it next year. I'll explain that in more detail over the next few months...
n Some reaction to the MLB deadline deals (and the few that have occurred in the waiver trading process), since it's been two weeks, and that's enough time to make snap judgments...
o The Yankees fleeced two teams, and that's pretty damned hard to do. No one wants to be the team that helps the Yankees win another title, but at least in the past, other teams have demanded top prospects (or at least, some prospects) in return for their talent. This season, New York made two deals that were essentially salary dumps for the other side - hell, Pittsburgh willingly took Shawn Chacon (Shawn Chacon!) in return for Craig Wilson. Not even a minor league prospect to trot out for their deprived fans as something to look forward to. At least Philadelphia took four prospects, albeit not very highly regarded prospects, for their two albatross contracts.
o Doug Melvin, Brewers' GM, might be one of the most underrated GMs in the entire game. He knew he wasn't going to be able to retain Carlos Lee after the year, so he flipped him to Texas for three pieces that can contribute immediately, and that the Brewers have financial control over for years beyond 2006. The Brewers aren't quite dead yet in the unbelievably poor NL Wild Card race, and that's pretty amazing.
o I know I was killing Wayne Krivsky and the Reds for their deal shipping Felipe Lopez & Austin Kearns to Washington for a washed-up journeyman utility infielder and a couple of bullpen arms. And it may be so, considering that one of those arms might have been damaged goods before the deal. But you can't deny the fact that Cincinnati is sitting atop the NL Wild Card pile, and is somehow still in contention for the outright NL Central crown. The deal might hurt them in the future, when Jr. retires and Adam Dunn walks and they need more offense, but for now, they got the help they needed to go for it in '06. If nothing else, it gave their fan base some hope that the organization actually does care about wining, and not just lining their pockets.
o For as much as the Yankees were the big winners at the deadline, The Red Sox (along with the Astros) were easily the biggest losers. Boston proposed so many trades with so many teams that eventually everything just fell apart. To be fair, two of the biggest deals were scuttled when the third team changed their minds (whether it was the acquisition of Miguel Tejada to flip to Houston, or Andruw Jones to flip to Houston, either one for Roy Oswalt or maybe even Roger Clemens). But with that many propositions on the table, and with as many needs as the team had (right fielder, starting pitcher, middle relief, and now a catcher), for them to get nothing done is a huge, huge loss. A Wild Card berth would be a massive coup, if they manage to actually pull it off.
o The Dodgers three acquisitions - Wilson Betemit, Greg Maddux and Julio Lugo, all looked to have immediate impact, vaulting L.A. back into the NL West race. Well, they have, but looking more deeply at the trades, they all seem a little strange. The Maddux deal with Chicago made the most sense for LA (and absolutely NONE for the Cubs). The Dodgers added a starting pitcher who still had something left in the tank, while shipping out a decent but injury-prone infielder coming up on his walk year. But the deal for Lugo was downright strange. Now that Jeff Kent and Nomar are back, Lugo doesn't have a home. He's a shortstop who's being asked to platoon at third base (with Betemit). He has already declared his intent to file for free agency after the season. And for this, the Dodgers gave up two pretty highly regarded prospects to Tampa Bay. Sure, he's got a good bat. But when it's only in the lineup for half of the games, how effective can it be?
o Somehow, and I have no idea how, the Royals actually made a good trade at the deadline. They managed to dump Jeremy Affeldt & Danny Bautista on the Rockies for the Rockies' top prospect, Ryan Shealy. If Colorado truly thinks they can make a push for the NL West, then this deal might help them do it. But if not, then they've got no one to step in for Todd Helton when he invariably breaks down, or when they finally find a taker for his gigantic remaining contract.
n I'm looking forward to the Patriots first exhibition... I mean "Pre-Season" game tonight. It will be good to get back into the football season once again. Besides, this means only four more weeks until I get to pore over fantasy football and the Mirage spreads for four straight months. It's the most wonderful time of the year! And even moreso this year, since I now have my new toy to watch the games on…
OK, that's it for today. In two or three weeks, (just before my annual Labor Day excursion to the Jersey Shore), I'll put up my 2006 NFL Preview and Predictions, and maybe even a post dedicated to the first two rounds of everyone's fantasy draft. But, until then,
posted by Big D @ 10:48 AM
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