1. ATHLETICS: Could be
playing best baseball in AL. Last week (6)
2. METS: Could be playing
best baseball in NL. (1)
3. YANKEES: Chien-Ming Wang
becomes unlikely ace in The Bronx. (3)
4. WHITE SOX: Jermaine Dye
making MVP push. (5)
5. TIGERS: They haven't
taken a series since Aug. 14-16. (2)
6. TWINS: Were going good
before tumble against Royals. (4)
7. PHILLIES:
Setting stage for another late-season
disappointment. (13)
8. ANGELS:
Staying close, but time is running out. (8)
9. CARDINALS:
They are just .500 against their own division.
(9)
10. DODGERS:
Just when you think they're running out of
steam, the come back to life. (11)
11. PADRES:
Beating up on their division mate making it
interesting. (10)
12. ASTROS:
Cards and Reds letting them hang in Central.
(20)
13. REDS:
Being swept by Dodgers says it all. (14)
14. RED SOX:
Trip out west was a nightmare. Freefall
continues. (7)
15. RANGERS:
AL's most erratic team is deep in the heart of
Texas. (15)
16. DIAMONDBACKS:
Young snakes have a future, just not now. (16)
17. BLUE JAYS:
Does Gibbons' Jays have any fight left? (12)
18. INDIANS:
Late surge is exactly that, too late. (18)
19. GIANTS:
Staying just close enough in a bad division.
(17)
20. MARLINS:
Fish have a breath of hope, but just one. (21)
21. MARINERS:
Have won seven of ten. (25)
22. BRAVES:
Never going to win the East if you can't play
.500 ball against them. (22)
23. BREWERS:
Lost ten straight. (19)
24. ORIOLES:
What's a better pick up than hosting the Rays?
(23)
25. ROCKIES:
Wouldn't be bad if wasn't for 28-41 road mark.
(24)
26. NATIONALS:
5.04 team ERA worst in NL. (27)
27. DEVIL RAYS:
Delmon Young erases any doubt he can play. (28)
28. CUBS: Catcher
Micahel Barrett done for the season with what
was termed"intrascrotal hematoma." (26)
29. ROYALS:
Prepare for February. (30)
30. PIRATES:
Freddy Sanchez only guy in this lineup worth
following. (29)
FANTASY CORNER
JOE MAUER, Twins: Many feel that Mauer
will make a run at becoming the first AL catcher
to win a batting title. But he hit just .277
last September. He is struggling again.
NICK MARKAKIS, ORIOLES: The rookie has
flourished after moving up to the No. 2 spot in
Baltimore's order. He had 10 homers and 10
multi-hit games in August, including a
three-homer game on Aug. 22.
MATT KEMP, Dodgers: Looking for a rookie
and that's not named Delmon Young. Just look to
Kemp, who was promoted to the Dodgers on Friday.
Kemp hit .346 with 10 homers, 70 RBIs and 25
steals in Double-A and Triple-A combined.
AL Extra Bases
Tigers rookie Andrew Miller made his
major-league debut Wednesday, months after being
drafted out of North Carolina. Miller has a
chance to become the first player to pitch in
the College World Series and the World Series in
the same year. … Chicago White Sox Manager Ozzie
Guillen referred to the Twins as "piranhas"
recently, complimenting their intensity and
tenacity. You won't be surprised to learn that
piranha-themed merchandise is now available at
the Metrodome. … When Twins Gold Glove CF
Torii Hunter fails to make a play, he puts
his glove in a microwave for 30 seconds. If he
makes an error, the glove gets cooked for two
minutes. "You do something bad, you go to hell,"
Hunter explained.
NL Extra Bases
When Greg Maddux was traded from the Cubs
to the Dodgers, Brad Penny offered to
give up his No.31 to the low-key future Hall of
Famer. Maddux declined and took No.36 instead.
"No need for the clubbies to have to change
things," he explained. … Gary Bennett was
a career .243 hitter with 15 homers in 1,357
at-bats at the start of the season. So there was
no real reason to expect the Cardinals catcher
to do what he recently did, which was go
11-for-16 in five games with consecutive
walk-off hits, including a grand slam. "This
isn't quite the norm for me," he said, "but I
could get used to it." … The Cubs used a rookie
starter in 58 of their first 133 games, and the
number keeps rising. Rookies started all three
games of a weekend series against the Giants.
