Three Week Notice

Oh, it hurts my heart how long I've been away from you. But I'm here to make up for lost time. I've been keeping track of all the major events that have been taking place during my blogging absence and I hope to cover a few of them with you today. So without further ado, let's get to some baseball news.

One of the bigger stories that caught my eye a few weeks ago was a performance by Brandon Morrow of the Toronto Blue Jays. Mr. Morrow was one out away from his first career no-hitter when Ray's third-baseman Evan Longoria reached base on a single. "That would have been a great feat," Morrow said, "but I'll start at a complete-game, one-hit shutout with 17 strikeouts." You heard right in that MLB.com article. Morrow no only shut down Tampa Bay, but did it while striking out 17 batters, a career-high. And while this is a tremendous feat by Brandon Morrow, it must also be stated that this was the third time this year that Tampa Bay was shutout while having one hit or less. This one-hit gem by Morrow, the no-hitter thrown against them by Edwin Jackson, and the perfect game that Dallas Braden threw back in May. But somehow, they don't let this all-or-nothing failure get to them, because they still are tied with the N.Y. Yankees for the best record in baseball.

Another gentleman making noise up in Toronto is Jose Bautista. The 3B/OF has always struggled to find playing time, and other than a four-year stint with the Pirates, had never found a home before now. But boy is he making the most out of his time in Canada. Jose is leading Major League Baseball with 42 homeruns, and by a comfortable margin I might add. He has nine more homers than the next hitter, Miguel Cabrera. Bautista is also second in the majors with 99 RBI, and while his average hovers around a decent .265, he doesn't struck out that much, which is a good sign for future sucess. In case you are wondering, his previous career-high for homeruns in a season was 16. So while Jose is having probably the best year he will ever have, it should be noted that he has yet to do this consistently over a few years. Toronto hasn't put him on waivers or attempted to trade him, so he will get the chance to do this again in 2011. Then we'll see if this is a flash-in-the-pan year, or a sign of things to come for the 29-year-old.

One event that I missed while away was a little incident that happened between the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals. On August 9, Reds' 2B Brandon Phillips had some unkind words for the Cardinals organization. Phillips is quoted as saying, "I hate the Cardinals. All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little bitches, all of ‘em. I really hate the Cardinals." Thanks to LarryBrownSports.com for the quote info. Now usually you hear a guy say something like, 'We don't get along with those guys.' But Phillips decided throw off the kid-gloves and say what was on his chest. And for the fans in the stands the next day it was a real treat, because they got to see a brawl of massive proportions. When Brandon came to bat in the bottom of the first inning, he and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina exchanged some words, and it didn't take long for the melee to ensue. Benches cleared, bullpens rushed in, Reds' 1B Scott Rolen pushed his former teammates around, Johnny Cueto got pinned against the backstop netting and kicked Chris Carpenter in the back, and while both managers were ejected, not one player was thrown out of the game. It was an incident that many analysts say was good for baseball, because it injected some passion and a sense of rivalry that sometimes is lacking from the sport. And essentially no one was really hurt, so it can't be said it was horrible. True, it may not be the best example for kids to follow, but it will teach them that they have to be passionate in their pursuits and that sometimes they have to stand up for their teammates and friends. So was it a good thing? Maybe, maybe not. But it sure was fun to watch.

Meanwhile, Francisco Rodriguez, also known as K-Rod, decided to go nuts and start his own fight. However, this wasn't on a field with another player. Instead, the N.Y. Mets' closer beat on his children's grandfather in the Mets' locker room after a game. The two men had to be separated by the police and Rodriguez had to appear in court in the following days. And unlike the Reds/Cardinals incident, there was a related injury. K-Rod torn a ligament in a finger and will now miss the rest of the season. The Metropolitan front office is attempting to halt Franky's pay for the rest of the season and may have a case to void the rest of his contract. This, unlike the fight on the field, is a disgrace. Rodriguez, who is known to have a temper and some emotional problems, brought his personal business into his work place, and has now made his team suffer for his irresponsible actions. It shows that he is both an immature person, and a bad teammate and I for one would be glad if the Mets decided to get rid of him entirely.

Also in the National League East, the Atlanta Braves made a little noise. Unfortunately the noise was the sound of third-baseman Chipper Jones' knee snapping. On a grounder that took him past the foul line, Chipper made a jumping throw and landed awkwardly. Sadly, the potential sprain ended up being an ACL tear that required surgery, ending Jone's season and maybe even his career. Chipper, who has been a staple of the Braves' organization for 15 years, has had a multitude of injuries in the past few seasons. Since 2004 he's missed significant time every year and has played 140 games once. This might have been Chipper's last year anyway, as he might have called it quits alongside manager Bobby Cox, who is retiring from baseball this year. And since the Braves have a good chance to make the playoffs this year, it would have been the perfect ending for both men. Unfortunately that is an impossibility, for Jones at least. He has said he doesn't want that play to be the last thing fans remember, but in all actuality, with the various injuries he's been dealing with over the years, and the severity of this last one, the likelihood of Chipper making a comeback is slim. While I used to despise him because he was a Met-killer, Chipper was always a class-act player who never ran his mouth. He let his bat do the talking for him. If this is indeed his last season, then a further segment will be needed to chronicle his wonderful career. For now, get well soon Chipper.

To accommodate for the loss of Chipper, the Braves went out and traded for Derek Lee, the former Chicago Cubs 1B. This gives Derek a great chance to make the post-season again. It also made it extremely clear to anyone who doubted it, that the Cubs need to start rebuilding. They have too many hefty contracts and players that aren't performing enough based on what they are paid. And to make matters worse, manager Lou Pinella no longer had control of the team. Carlos Zambrano routinely lost his temper and mind, and players just weren't performing for him. So it was a beneficial parting when Sweet Lou decided to call it quits a few months earlier than he had planned, in order to be with his ailing mother. On Sunday, August 22nd, Lou managed his last game, fittingly against the Braves. And while the Cubs got spanked 16-5, the Wrigley faithful gave Lou a fantastic ovation and sendoff. Pinella was very emotional in the post-game interviews as his life has consisted of either playing or managing baseball for the past 40 years. The three-time Manager of the Year and manager of the 1990 World Series Champion Reds was a sports reporter's dream. His heated tirades both on the field and in the pressrooms made him a legendary character that baseball could hang its hat on. And while he quieted down some over the years, they was never anyone quite like Lou. And there never will be again.

Lots more has happened than I've been able to report. There have been some great games played. The Rockies had a fantastic comeback against the Braves a few days ago. The scores have been steadily rising all over the league due to pitcher fatigue. The S.F. Giant's rotation has been faltering. The Twins added bullpen help in the form of Brian Fuentes, marking an Angels' admission of Ranger dominance this year. The Red Sox are still clinging to hopes that either the Rays or Yanks will start to lose. The playoff race is in the air and meaningful games are plentiful in both leagues. I hope to be able to get into the swing of things again. I'm sorry I've been away. Let me make it up to you.