Fraudtober: Where Amazingly Bad Happens (With Poll Question)

[Ed. Note: If the NBA is where amazing happens, then Fraudtober is where amazingly bad baseball happens.  It seems that every October brings a goat -- and being a Cubs fan -- I know October failure when I see it.  So after every round of playoffs, there will be a poll after the jump to see who will be named each round's OctoberFraud.  In the end, we'll take all the winners and pit them against one another.]

Matt Holliday was not the only star to fall in October.  Check out the rest of the OctoberFrauds after the jump.

Holliday's struggles are well documented.  He hit only .167 (2-for-12) in the NLDS after posting a .353/.419/.604/1.023 line in 270 plate appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals after posting  who were expected to be the National League's representative in the World Series.  His homer, one of only two dingers hit by the Cards, gave his team a 1-0 lead in Game 2.  But it was his error that opened the flood gates to a Dodgers come-from-behind win, and eventually, a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers.

But he's not the only Cardinal up for the LDS OctoberFraud award.  Teammate Joel Pineiro took to the bump for Game 3 and struggled.  After going 15-12 with a 3.49 earned run average and 1.145 WHIP, one of Dave Duncan's pet projects allowed four runs on seven hits in four innings in the Redbirds' Game 3 loss.

After winning Game 163, the Minnesota Twins were swept out of the playoffs as All-Star closer Joe Nathan was amazingly bad in his two outings.  In Game 2, Nathan allowed a game-tying two-run home run to Alex Rodriguez in what turned out to be an extra-inning loss.  He would go on to allow two more runs in the team's Game 3 loss, as well.

Nathan's numbers: 9.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 1 blown save, 5 hits, 2 IP

Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon was more like Papelboned... am I right?  In two innings of work, Papelbon posted an 0-1 record, 13.50 ERA, 3.00 WHIP and allowed three earned runs and four hits.  His blown save ended the Red Sox's season while sending the Angels to an ALCS showdown with the Yankees.

Let the trade rumors begin!

The only hugs Colorado Rockies closer Huston Street received might have been from Phillies fans, because for the second straight game, Street picked up the "L" as Philadelphia escaped the NLDS to set up another showdown with the Dodgers.

Street's numbers are astonishingly bad, especially for someone who converted 35 saves and notched a 3.06 ERA.  In 2.2 IP, Street allowed six hits, four earned runs and posted a 3.38 WHIP en route to failing his October test.

So, who wears the goat horns after the LDS round?

Biggest LDS OctoberFraud?

• Matt Holliday (2-for-12, 1 HR, 1 costly error)
• Joe Nathan (9.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 1 blown save, 5 hits, 2 IP)
• Jonathan Papelbon (0-1, 13.50 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 blown save, 2 IP)
• Huston Street (0-2, 13.50 ERA, 6 H, 4 ER, 3.38 WHIP, 1 blown save, 2.2 IP)
• Joel Pineiro (0-1, 9.00 ERA, 4 IP, 4 ER, 7 H)

Created on Oct 13, 2009

View Results

poll by twiigs.com

Why I Hate Your Playoff Baseball Team

Confession: I am a baseball nerd.  Really.  When I was younger, I found myself watching playoff baseball despite the fact that my favorite team had been eliminated from playoff contention for a good chunk of those years.

But now, after back-to-back soul crushing playoff sweeps, my favorite team failed to make the postseason altogether.  I thought about latching myself to the bandwagon of one of the remaining teams.  Upon further review, I couldn't find it within me to do it.

And this is how "Why I Hate Your Playoff Baseball Team" got started.

The longest (and arguably most offensive to those of you who take your favorite team way too seriously) post in TBDS history after the jump.


YANKEES

Everyone hates the Yankees because they are what their favorite team is not.  Honestly, if your favorite team's owner/management group went balls out to put a winner on the field, how would you feel?  Whether it be through the minor league system or buying the open market's best player, if the Cubs did that, I would be happier than Derek Jeter on ladies night.

Speaking of which, screw you Jeter.  My one hope in life is to date one girl that is out of my league.  However, I can't because they're all swooning over you. His dating resume includes Jessica Biel, Minka Kelly, Mariah Carey and others.  Then there was this experiment with a college girl.  I have enough trouble dating girls my own age, Jeets, there's no reason to be dipping into my pool.

The One Thing I Like:  With all that said, I'd kill to be Jeter's wing man.  His sloppy seconds and rejects are 10s.  I'm down with OPP.

RED SOX

When I was younger, I used to like the Red Sox.  They were my "other" team.  My godfather played for the BoSox from 1989 'til 1993.  He always hooked me up with tickets and it was flippin' sweet.  I got autographed balls from Mike Greenwell, Mo Vaughn, Roger Clemens, Eric Wedge -- all those guys.  Heck, I got to meet Wedge and others one time when he was Cleveland's first base coach.

Those memories are gone, replaced with this story.

I went to a Cubs-Red Sox game in 2005 at Wrigley Field and hit it off with an attractive young lady.  A baseball fan with a passion for the game and the willingness to buy a then underaged Cubs fan a beer or two.  Then I told a funny joke.  A rarity still in this day and age ... she laughed ... and sounded like Peter Griffin.

Un.  Attractive.

We went our separate ways.  I wanted no part of that.  She's ruined Boston fans until I go to Boston and need a place to shack up.  I guess I could always hang out with Tom Brady.

The One Thing I Like: See first graph.

ANGELS

I'd be a terrible person if I wrote bad things about the Angels after the tragedy that struck them this year.  So I'll be kind.  Sorta.

I hate that you have baseball's best manager, Mike Scioscia.  He's awesome.  I hate that you reload, rather than rebuild.  I hate that you beat Dusty Baker in the World Series in 2002.  The loss cemented the end of Dusty's stay in San Francisco and began his run in Chicago, where he would go on to ruin the perfectly good arms of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.  His effect has also touched the careers of Matt Clement and has started to do so for Carlos Zambrano as well.

The One Thing I Like: Vlad.  VladGuerrero's style at the plate encapsulates my collegiate dating career.  Swing hard and hope you make contact.  However, Vlad's been a little more successful with his style.

Then there was this...

TWINS

I was ready to write this about the Tigers, but I've got my fair share of beef with the Twinkies.

First of all, thanks for Andy MacPhail you asshole pricks.  Thanks a f****** lot.  Never have I met such an egomaniacal baseball jerkwad.  Never.  That includes every Philly, Yankee, Red Sox, Cardinal, Bradley Braves fan I've ever met and despised.  A member of the lucky sperm club, MacFail was the sonofabitch whose 5 year plan didn't hatch a playoff team until 1998, and a division champion until 2003.

Then there's that whole cheaping out for Joe Mauer thing.  Mauer would look mighty fine in a Cubs uniform right now.  You know, that left-handed run producer Jim Hendry craves more than three dozen freshly baked jelly donuts.

The One Thing I Like: Oh yeah, and Favre can go to hell too.  Oh, this is where I say something nice.  Joe Mauer is a bad ass.  So is Joe Nathan.  If Mauer doesn't win AL MVP, someone should piss in the cereal of the baseball writers who voted for someone else.

PHILLIES

Philadelphia is looking to win its second straight World Series.  It won't.  Brad Lidge sucks and if he gets into the game, every other pitch he throws is going to end up putting another crater on the moon.  If the Phils somehow meet the Cardinals in the NLCS, they might have to put Lidge in the witness protection program.

Overall Philly isn't that terrible.  It's the place that helped raise The Fresh Prince, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Kobe Bryant.  On the other hand, it's the same town that throws batteries at Santa Claus when they don't get what they want for Christmas.

And you thought Jay Cutler was a whiny bitch.

The One Thing I Like:  Ryan Howard.  I drafted Howard in my fantasy league and traded him at the All-Star break for Alex Rodriguez.  In the second half, A-Rod hit .310/.394/.518/.912 with 13 homers, 50 RBIs and 11 steals en route to a fantasy title.  Howard performed well, but my third baseman prior to that trade was Mark Teahen.

ROCKIES

As a Cubs fan, I'd like to thank the Rockies for Don Baylor.  Not.  Don Baylor sucked.  He was a terrible manager who promised free agent hitters would come in droves to Chicago.  And the best we got was Moises Alou, who absolutely tanked in his only year under Baylor.

Then there's the Jason Marquis factor.  Did you know every team Marquis has pitched for has made the playoffs.  He's Dave Kaplan and Steve Stone's golden boy, despite the fact that neither of them were crying a river of Cubbie blue tears when he was shipped out west.

In total, Colorado sucks for many other reasons.  It's cold.  Who wants to play baseball in the snow?  No one with a brain.  Your big tourist attraction is skiing in mountains.  The only thing that would be as dangerous would be if Florida tried to sell vacation plans in which tourists would hang out in the swamps with gators not named Tim Tebow.

The One Thing I Like:  Thanks for Jeff Baker, pricks.

DODGERS

The Dodgers are lucky to even have a baseball team.  Their fans are a joke.  They come early and leave early.  They have a rich history, most of which revolves around the team's Brooklyn roots.  Oh, and the entire NL West can screw itself.  Two transplanted New York teams, two expansion teams and a team that had to build its ballpark so it wouldn't get crushed by one player that retired three years after the damn thing opened.

Back to the Dodgers.  They're blessed with one of baseball's best minor league systems, hence the team's young and talented roster.  They also have Alyssa Milano who is absolutely smoking hot.  And she's only a fan because her daddy was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan.  I would give up five Wrigley Field bleacher babes for one night with Alyssa Milano.  And that is after taking into consideration she's been in more major league clubhouses than Milton Bradley.

Also, it was the Dodgers' sweep of the Cubs that sent me into a heavy drinking binge last October.  Like, heavy.  I mean, cashing a bottle of Jack Daniels and a case of Miller Lite and waking up wishing I hadn't, kind of binge.

One Thing I LIke:  Vin Scully.  He's the sh*t.  The best announcer in any sport, ever.  Better than Marv Albert.  Better than Joe Buck.  Better than Jack Buck.  Better than Harry Caray.  Vin Scully is the Jay-Z of broadcasters.  I'd go out of my way to listen to Scully.  It's too bad Dodgers fans or too much of uberdouches to realize they are blessed with greatness.

CARDINALS

What can I say about the Cardinals that hasn't already been said about herpes, chlamydia or genital warts?  I would rather see eight more years of George W. Bush running this country than see one more St. Louis championship.

Mark DeRosa will make his third straight playoff appearance and is bound to break the hearts of Cardinals fans just as he did Cub fans, right?  He was the man who turned a 3-1 count with the bases loaded against Livan Hernandez into an inning-ending, rally-ending double play.  He was the man who couldn't handle what should have been an inning ending double play ball against the Dodgers last year as L.A. completed the sweep.

Yet, women love him ... why?  Because of his stubble.  F*** his stubble.  If that's all they loved, I would have been knee deep in 20something college co-eds since I was 12.  Go choke, DeRosa.  History tells me you will.

One Thing I Like: I know a pretty girl that happens to be a Cardinals fan.  A.  Pretty.  Girl.

At least I'll always have this to keep me warm at night.

Cubs Interested In Shipping Zambrano? Here's Your Irresponsible Blogger-Turned-GM Post Of The Day!

The story of the day in Chicago baseball was the Cubs' 2-0 win against the Milwaukee Brewers.  The win would have meant something a year ago at this time as the Cubs and Brew Crew were duking it out for NL Central supremacy.  Right now, the Cubs' biggest battles are against themselves and mediocrity.

And now we bring you to the buried lead in the story brought to you by Chicago Tribune Cubs beat writer Paul Sullivan:

Now that Hendry is assured of returning in 2010, he'll have to decide which players to bring back. Dempster, who signed a four-year, $52 million deal last winter, is assured of returning. [Carlos] Zambrano, who signed a five-year, $91.5 million deal in August 2007, is not.

Despite the fact that Zambrano has a full no-trade clause, the Cubs plan on shopping him this off-season, sources said, believing he'll waive the clause to go to the right team, as Jake Peavy eventually did when the Padres consummated a deal this summer with the White Sox.

According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, Carlos Zambrano has $53.75 million coming his way from 2010-12, with a vesting option worth $19.25 million in 2014.

Let the record show that despite a mediocre season by Zambrano (8-6, 3.77 ERA), pitching has not been the Cubs' downfall.  The North Side staff ranks in the top-5 in strikeouts, ERA+, WHIP, H/9 and K/9.  But with a weak free agent market awaiting, now might be the best time to move Big Z.

But where?


NEW YORK METS

The Metropolitans might be the ideal landing spot for the beleaguered Cubs ace.  Big city, bright lights and the opportunity to be a hitter are probably things Zambrano would look for in a new team.  New York's "other" team provides all that.  Adding Zambrano would also fall in line with Omar Minaya's blueprint of creating a Latino baseball All-Star team in the NYC.

The Cubs could go one of two routes here.  They could opt to go for the home run and try to acquire the equally beleaguered Jose Reyes.  The shortstop has been bothered by injuries this year and rumors have already been floated that he could be moved.  Adding Reyes would improve the Cubs in a variety of ways.  It would move him immediately into the lead-off role, while pushing Ryan Theriot to second base.  For this to happen, the Cubs would likely have to eat a huge chunk of his salary.

Another option would be swapping bad contracts with the Metros, which would ideally send center fielder Carlos Beltran to Chicago.  As it stands now, the Cubs have a right fielder playing center, and adding Beltran (who makes $37 million over the next two years) makes a lot of sense as well.  Beltran is a career .392 hitter at Wrigley Field with 9 homers, 22 ribbies and a 1.292 OPS.  Bringing in the switch-hitting center fielder would leave Kosuke Fukudome in right field, especially if Peter Gammons' recent nugget of sending Milton Bradley back to Texas comes to fruition.

New York Yankees

If one New York team is involved, the other can't be too far behind, right?  The Yankees are a team that is usually more than willing to take on other teams' misfits and salary problems.  I wonder had Alex Rodriguez struggled mightily after the whole roid-gate thing if he would have been on the trading block because at times, I have wet pipe dreams of A-Rod suiting up at shortstop and reuniting with Lou Piniella.

Pure speculation here, but if the Cubs also threw in Ryan Theriot, could they land lefty-swinging second baseman Robinson Cano and his career OPS of .816?  He's owed $48 million through 2013 if all the options are picked up.

Boston Red Sox

If the Yankees are interested, so are the Red Sox.  Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman reported Toronto declined to accept Boston's 5-for-1 deal for Roy Halladay.  Could the BoSox be interested in Big Z?  If I were Jim Hendry, I'd be intrigued by a number of their prospects.

Texas Rangers

Remember when you were a kid and you had problems finding Waldo?  That's how the Rangers feel about finding pitching.  Former top prospects Edinson Volquez and John Danks have flourished since leaving the organization, so adding a pitcher of Zambrano's caliber might be the best avenue for Texas' team.

Infielder Michael Young just signed a five-year deal worth $80 million in 2009, and when he played shortstop he posted a .310/.358/.453/.811 line before moving to be the Rangers' full-time third sacker.

Colorado Rockies

If the Cubs want to go into complete blow-up mode, the Rockies might make an ideal fit.  The Rox usually have a good amount of young talent going through the system and actually making a difference at the big league level.  Chicago could land some valuable pieces in exchange for its troubled right hander.

THE ULTIMATE WILD CARD: Florida Marlins

Hear me out.

The Cubs have a problem child in Carlos Zambrano.  The Marlins supposedly have a problem child in Hanley Ramirez.  Since the 2002 season, the Cubs have made seven trades with the Marlins, six of them have spawned under The Hendry Regime.  So, the question is: does Trader Jim have another one left in him.

Bringing HanRam to the Cubs would be the blockbuster of all blockbusters.  He's owed 64.5 million over the next five years, so swapping salaries wouldn't be that big of an issue.  The Cubs would likely need to throw in prospects such as Jeff Samardzija, Andrew Cashner, Jay Jackson and (*screech*) Josh Vitters ... among others.

It'd be a deal worth making for both ends, seeing that the Fighting Fish build their teams around pitching, and always have a prospect nipping at the heels of their current players.  For the Cubs, slotting Ramirez in the No. 3 hole in front of Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano would give the Cubs the best heart of the order (on paper) in the National League.

As the title suggests, this post is highly irresponsible on several fronts.  But hey, one of the top signs that your team is out of contention is when trade rumors start popping up in September.  Besides, what else am I gonna do.  I've got to wait 'til Sunday to see a meaningful Chicago sporting event.

Wang Yanked Early ... Oh, And He Didn't Pitch Well Either

Wang doesn't last long as Red Sox wear him out after another short appearance. Think Joe Girardi regrets re-inserting Wang?

Probably much as Chien-Meng regrets his last name being symbolic for a penis.

And that, my friends, is as close as I am getting to analyzing Red Sox-Yankees.

John Smoltz must have missed the memo

After more than 20 years with the Atlanta Braves, future Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz is almost set to sign with the Boston Red Sox to cap his illustrious career.

The signing will likely put an end to the idea of three of the baseball's best pitchers to walk into Cooperstown at the same time.

Greg Maddux retired earlier in the offseason at the Winter Meetings in his home town of Las Vegas and Tom Glavine will likely retire if he is not healthy to start the 2009 season.

It would have been the greatest spectacle the Hall of Fame would have ever seen. All three will likely join the Hall as members of the Braves after one World Series title and a billion National League East (and one NL West) title.

As for the Smoltz signing, it shocks me because I thought he was at the end of his tether after an early season-ending arm injury. Instead, the BoSox have made their big splash of the offseason after seeing the New York Yankees spend more than $240 million on two-fifths of a starting rotation and the defending AL champion Tampa Bay Rays add Pat Burrell as a power-hitting right-handed stick to be the team's designated hitter.

Slot Smoltzy in with Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka and the balance of power in the AL East is even again.

If he is healthy, of course.

Here We Go Again Pt. 2

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

The Boston Red Sox are pushed to the brink of elimination and thanks to the contributions of David Ortiz, Jonathan Papelbon and Jason Varitek they're baseball season lives long enough to force a Game 7.

OK, I thought we've gone through this scenario once or twice.

If the Red Sox do indeed come all the way back to win this series, the Tampa Bay Rays will likely be written off as frauds by the media folk out there. They would go immediately from the darlings to the dumpster.

It'd be the biggest collapse since - dare I say? - the 2003 Chicago Cubs had a 3-1 lead and then choked away their best opportunity to go to the World Series since 1945.

Yeah, I'd say it.

Tonight's Game 7 matchup doesn't provide the sexy pitching names of this series like Beckett (who was darn good last night), Matsuzaka or Kazmir but baseball people like myself will enjoy tonight's pitching duel between Jon Lester and Matt Garza.

Lester and Garza are both wealthy with young talent and if both teams do their part, it won't be the last time we'll see these two square off in a big game.

So long from Austintown, Ohio. We've gotta go back to Carbondale.

[Red Sox 4 Rays 2]

Here we go again...

Photo Credit: AP

Remember that MLB campaign "You can't script October?"

I do.

And I hate to say it but tonight's ALCS Game 5 looked like something straight out of a Disney movie.

The up-and-coming Tampa Bay Rays were looking to knock off the big bad Boston Red Sox from their championship form. And up 7-0 with the franchise's best pitcher it looks bleek for the home team.

Then the big bad Red Sox took a risk throwing their all-world closer in the seventh inning.

The move will go down in history as helping to spark the BoSox's 8-0 run to end the game, giving the team an extra life and helped send the series back to Tampa Bay.

If the Red Sox win this series, I'll be sick. But I won't be surprised.

Because I've seen this movie before and to be honest, I didn't wanna see another sequel.

[Rays 7 Red Sox 8]

Are the Rays ready to go all the way?

A franchise that was the laughing stock of baseball just one season ago could be getting the last laugh with a victory tonight in Game 5 of the ALCS.

Standing between the Boston Red Sox and their chance to send the series back to Tropicana Field is one Scott Kazmir, whose flame-throwing left arm is 4-4 with a 3.02 ERA at Fenway Park with 68 strikeouts in 62.2 innings at the venerable Boston ballpark.

(On a somewhat related note: standing between a New York Mets fan and suicide watch is the picture in this post. I digress.)

The Rays are hot and have been the talk of the baseball world of late. ESPN is catching on, and it almost seems as if (for once) they will be ready to relinquish Sawks/Yanks talk if only for one night because of the Rays' surge.

But don't count out the Red Sox just yet. We've seen this song and dance before and to be honest, it's getting kind of old.

"Oh, let's dig ourselves a deep hole and then slowly climb our way out of it and gain the love and recognition for being a bunch of gritty grinders."

Bleh. Screw that.

Dear Scott: Finish them.

I promise a better blogging day tomorrow.

Until then...

Good night from Carbondale.

The Boston Red Sox Don't Care About Black People

While this may be news to some of you out there living in caves, under rocks or in mom's basement it isn't news to the TBDS team of sportswriters.

It's been a fact since the dawn of time - or at least since Ted Williams was swinging the stick.

The Boston Red Sox (a.k.a. the NEW New York Yankees) don't care about black people.

And it could hurt them when the free agency market opens up in the offseason.

Per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports:

"The trade of left fielder Manny Ramirez and loss of shortstop Julio Lugo to injury left the Sox with a predominantly Caucasian roster. Why bring this up now, with the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series? Well, the free-agent market will open in about a month. The makeup of the Red Sox's roster could be a concern for players they pursue, whether it's this offseason or in the future. ... The Sox's composition is surprising in an era in which rosters are more diverse than at any point in the game's history, even as the number of African-American players continues to decline."

True that. I think it was an ESPN piece a few years that remarked about the declining number of African-American ball - to the point where traditional black universities are giving scholarships to non-black players just to field a team.

But wait, there's more...

"But the Sox carry a special burden. They have a shameful history of discrimination, one that their present ownership group has tried to address. And a perception has long existed among some African-American athletes that Boston is hostile to players who are not white. ... The question is whether the Red Sox will lose players they want because of the makeup of their club, the perception of the city or both."

It would be terrible to lose out on a player that can change the face of your franchise (no pun intended) because of the color of his skin. Isn't this why Jackie Robinson was so important to the game of baseball?

It's almost sickening that this is an issue.

What's with all the new-fangled racism in baseball?

I think it all began with the concept that white players that aren't as athletic as their teammates are scrappy and that distinction only (apparently) goes to white players.

But Rosenthal has a point. We'll see how the offseason shakes out. Likely, this will be a story that drifts away after a while

But maybe it shouldn't.

I'll leave you with this very curious comment from a columnist last year.

Found at FireJoeMorgan.com and reproduced with the help of the BBTF Newsblog Discussion:

"My disinterest in baseball as a kid has lasted all my life. I’m still not interested in the game. I don’t watch it on television or follow it in the newspaper. I know all about Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, but today’s baseball stars are all guys named Rodriguez to me. They’re apparently very good but they haven’t caught my interest."

Daily Dosage: Like life, baseball goes on

First of all, let the record show that Nick Cannon has no business being married to the beautiful (and a little bit loco) Mariah Carey.

Seriously, Mariah can sing her butt off and look good in it. Nick Cannon had that one song with R. Kelly and that other song with a bunch of rappers.

At least he has Drumline money to fall back on.

Still, it's unfair.

Moving on to the Dosage.

The Phreakin' Phils Are Having Phun! Through four NLCS games, Brad Lidge has proven to be the anti-Mitch Williams.

Lidge converted his first four-out save this season and he did it at a perfect time for Philly fans as the fans of the Illa-delph's baseball team were rewarded with a 7-5 come-from-behind victory.

The Dodgers bullpen (normally good) allowed five runs in four innings of work to a powerful Phillies offense that is one win away from its first World Series since 1993.

Remember the Wild Thing? Here's hoping Brad Lidge has a short memory. Remember the last time he was in a LCS clinching game?

[Phillies 7 Dodgers 5]

Rays romp in Boston. To quote Eminem in the great movie "8 Mile": "Now who's afraid of the big bad wolf?"

Not the Tampa Bay Rays.

In their first playoff appearance at Fenway Park, the Rays looked like a group of veterans, knocking around Jon Lester (surprising!) to the tune of five runs (four earned) on eight hits in 5.2 innings. Then the Rays knocked around Paul Byrd (not so much!) for four runs (all earned) in 3.1 innings.

Oh yeah, and B.J. Upton is turning into an October star.

His summer troubles were chronicled here at TBDS.

The good news for the Rays center fielder is that it's the fall.

He's batting .308 after a 2-for-5 day at the plate in which he knocked in three RBIs, scored a run and hit a loooong home run off of Lester in the third inning.

The Rays are up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

[Rays 9 Red Sox 1]

Quality Linkage:

• The SIU men's golf team posted its worst finish of the fall season. [Daily Egyptian]
• The Heisman Field is lackin' for talent. [The Big Lead]
• The best Madden glitches ever. [on205th]
• A victory for "baseball geeks" like me. [Gawker]
• Marshawn Lynch is just like me. And by just like me, I mean he's a blogger. [With Leather]
  

Jonathan Papelbon is excited to see Big Papi because he really wants to celebrate

The Boston Red Sox celebrated another AL playoff berth with the team's 5-4 victory over Cy Young candidate Cliff Lee and the Cleveland Indians.

And they celebrated like any victorious team should.

By getting each other wet.

I feel sorry for the clubhouse manager. I don't know how he would get all that stuff out. It looks like a big mess and by the look on Papelbon's face, Big Papi's got some more coming to him.

I'm assuming those are some top-notch goggles, I'd hate for that crap to get in Papi's eye, causing him to miss some key games down the stretch.

Seriously, is this not the greatest photo ever?

Kudos to With Leather for the inspiration for this post.

Should The Red Sox Pursue Barry Lamar Bonds?

If losing 1B/DH David Ortiz is damaging to my fantasy team, imagine how the Boston Red Sox feel.

"Big Papi" has been placed on the DL retroactive to June 1 because of a torn tendon in his wrist. Despite a slow start, which has his batting average currently sitting at .252, Ortiz has 13 home runs and 43 RBIs. Until further notice, manager Terry Francona has moved left fielder Manny Ramirez into the designated hitter slot while Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew man the outfield.

And while the Red Sox still have one of the most explosive offenses in baseball, the BoSox are basically replacing David Ortiz's bat with Coco Crisp and that's not going to be good in the long haul.

Enter stage left Barry Lamar Bonds.

Bonds, Major League Baseball's home run king, is sitting at home awaiting a phone call from somebody (anybody) who wants to pay him to play baseball. The Red Sox, who are in second place behind the Tampa Bay (not Devil) Rays are in search of a left-handed power hitter to fill in for an injured star.

It's not like anyone's really interested in Bonds right now. There won't be any competing offers, so you can get baseball's most prolific home run hitter without entering a bidding war.

In 2007, Bonds hit 28 home runs in 340 at-bats with an on-base percentage of .480. You can easily slide him in to the three-hole and have Ramirez batting with a runner on 48% of the time. There isn't a hitter in the world that wouldn't want that, let alone the RBI machine known as Man-Ram.

And it's not like Bonds will just be padding his stats, though that is what he'll be doing if/when he comes back. Barry is hungry for a ring, and with the kind of talent the Red Sox have, it might be his best chance ever.

So there's a free agent with these career numbers: 762 HRs, 1,996 RBIs, .298 BA and a .444 OBP. And your team needs a free agent. Sounds like a match made in heaven, right?

Well, almost. See, this wouldn't even be an issue if it wasn't for three dreaded letters: H-G-H.

But let's be honest, if adding Barry Bonds would guarantee you a World Championship, would you care about BB's past? Wait, what if Bonds was caught juicing (CJ in your scorecards) the night your favorite team clinched the title.

I wouldn't.

Because if my favorite team won the World Series, Barry's BALCO usage would be the furthest thing from my mind. I'd probably be too busy downing Old Style, spraying champagne on Erin Andrews and the Wrigleyville beauty of my choice.

Somewhere, there's a fan in Boston thinking the same way as I am.