THE AL MVP NO ONE'S TALKING ABOUT

He's homered in 6 straight games. His numbers look like this:

36 98 .283 .396 .566, 73 walks

His team is in 1st place by 5.5 games. And he bats 4th in the lineup.

I'm not saying he should win the award, but shouldn't we be hearing about him in conversation? Without Thomas the A's are an afterthought.

Frank Thomas AL MVP A's

THE METS HAVE A SHOT

In Walt We Trust sums up the NL's chances in the World Series as such:

“I have no doubt that whoever represents the National League in the Fall Classic will be taken out quicker than a bowlegged asthmatic kid in a grade school dodgeball match.”

What about the Mets? Only Minnesota, Oakland and San Diego have allowed less runs. Only the White Sox, Yanks, Indians and Phils have scored more. They have a run differential of +134, topped only by the Tigers and Yanks. Their starters don’t look that great, but they can thump, their defense is incredible and their bullpen is awesome. And don’t forget the El Duque factor.

The AL is the dominant league. But I give the Mets a chance, assuming Pedro is healthy.

Technorati tags: World Series / Pennant Races / MLB / Mets

HILL MAKING HIMSELF KNOWN

Cubs fans may have an excellent reason to watch games until the end of the season. Rich Hill.

Last night Hill had his best start, a dominating 7 1/3 innings with 11 Ks and only 4 hits allowed. His last 4 starts have given Cubs fans a glimpse of what Hill can do.

The numbers for his last 4 starts:

28 1/3 IP, 18 hits, 5 ER, 25 K, 6 BB.

Earlier this year Baker was quoted as saying something to the extent of there being no good reason to bring Hill back up. Earlier I have referred to him as "The Great Rich Hill", because of Hendry's steadfast refusal to include him in any deals.

Hill is a rare find--a big lefty that can strike guys out. Maybe, just maybe, the Cubs have a #2 or #3 pitcher for next year. Yes it's September, but you can't help but be impressed by Hill. And next year he goes into the season knowing he can be successful in the bigs. And that is huge.

Closer, of course, is a totally different story. But for now, rejoice!

Tech Tags: Cubs Dusty Baker Rich Hill MLB

DENIS LEARY ON RED SOX, MEL GIBSON

Denis Leary joins the Red Sox broadcast booth and hilarity ensues.

Thank you, Glumbert.