Remembering Pete Rose, the Player

I recall that I loathed Pete Rose the player as a kid. I loathed him with an intensity that bordered on maniacal hatred. I despised him because I feared him. Feared what he could do on the field. Feared what he could do with a bat. He was a time bomb, waiting to go off and it was always a bad thing for the opposition when he did.

Many of us have forgotten about Rose the Player because all we recall is Rose the Gambler, Rose the Liar, Rose the Bad Cartoon of a Man. Steve Treder over at the Hardball Times has done a great job reminding us about Rose the Player. Something we should all do on occasion. It's also a great read...

This Just In: Pujols is Good!

Albert Pujols has cemented his legend. With one mighty swing of his bat, he has that Iconic Moment etched in the minds of baseball history. No matter what happens next in the NLDS, Pujols is now Legend. Great players rise to the occasion in moments such as this, and Pujols most certainly rose to this particular occasion. Most emphatically.

This was no cheapie Crawford Boxes HR, this was a Ruthian blast. As Bernie Miklasz wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch today,

The home run was measured at 412 feet, which is absolute fiction, and a joke - because this baby had to carry about 435, 450 feet.

which means that Pujols blast carried to Game 6 tomorrow night in St. Louis. The St. Louis faithful will most certainly bring down the house the first time Prince Albert strides to the plate tomorrow. A thundering ovation is slowly building up along the banks of the Mississippi. The crescendo will be in the bottom of the 1st inning. The Astros may never recover and the Legend will grow.

To those who haven't figured it out yet, Pujols is that good. Last night was proof.

Woof! Woof!

That would be the sound of Alex Gonzalez's play in the ALDS, in his own words. And in some respects The Bench Jockey has gotta agree. Of course, he had company in the Pin Striped dog pound. Namely Gary "I didn't know Barry was giving me Steroids" Sheffield and Hideki Matsui were equally ineffective during the ALDS. It kind of seemed like the Yankees in the last four games of the ALCS from just a year ago. The Big Bats fell asleep.

Woof, indeed.

Now begins the media's favorite game: Watching the Yankees to see what George and Co. will do. Which begs the question, would the media care as much if George owned a team in Milwaukee?

I'd just as soon stay fired, thanks...

Today, the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to announce that recently sacked LA Dodgers skipper Jim Tracy will be taking command of the Good Ship Lollipop that is the Pirates organization as we know and laugh at it.

What is that man thinking? I would just as soon stay unemployed myself. That team is a bad joke, from top to bottom. Got a new ballpark and can't give tickets away to games being played there. I'm thinking this is one job that make unemployment checks look good...

Best of luck, Mr. Tracy...you're going to need it.