Apparently, she’s not banned for her antics–just not allowed in after a loss.  ‘Cause clearly she’s…ahem…distracting.

Now, if she actually sleeps with a Yankees player, we’ll be sad. But for the moment, we think this is hilarious post-feminist awesomeness. What do you think?

Last year, for example, one game didn’t go live until the second inning.  Instead, they were showing an episode of the Ed Harvey show.  (We assume someone got fired for something that egregious, but who knows?)

While we’re at it, a few more complaints.

• Analysis:  “You don’t want to go to a three and two count when the bases are loaded.”  Thanks, TBS. Really.  You’re improving our game-watching experience like whoa, there.
• Ads: Remember FrankTV? How could you not, if you watched the playoffs on TBS? The promo spot seemingly showed up between every half inning.  This year, it seems that George Lopez’s new show–which, coincidentally, is going in that FrankTV slot of latenight–will be the culprit. As a result, we will likely go out of our way to AVOID the darn show.  TBS, give your viewers a break: don’t sell ad packages that show an add a hundred million times.
• Commercial cutoffs at game end or after a big play: We all want to see a little celebratory jumping.  We want to learn the special V-Mart, David Ortiz handshake.  BUT WE CAN’T, TBS. Because you had to show us that George Lopez spot. Again.

One thing that looks good, incidentally: we like the onscreen graphics–they show everything we need to know at a glance, and the pitch speed pops up quickly and undistractingly.

Sure, they lost last year’s one game playoff, against the White Sox, and thus ended up finishing second in their division.  But this year, we think, they can do it.

It’s a confluence of circumstances, really.  First off, that ridiculous rain-caused doubleheader last week against the Tigers, when the team was only two games back.  They won one and lost one, so no big drama results-wise, but then they kicked the crap out of the Royals for a bit, while the Tigers were busy losing two out of three to the White Sox (whose 79 win season is good for a winning percentage of .488.  Stunningly mediocre at best.)

One game playoffs are historically played the day after the regular season, in the stadium of the team with the stronger record in the season series (the presumptive division winner, if you will.)  This year, though, things are a little odd.

First of all, MLB instituted a coin toss to determine where the game would be played…and the Twins won it.  Good karma? Well, just wait.  The Twins play in the Metrodome.

You know who else plays in the Metrodome? The Vikings.  You know when they did that? About the same time the playoff game should have been in the fourth inning or so.

So, an extra day off for both teams ensued, but the Twins have all the momentum going into this one.  They took their last series, won their last game versus Detroit, and get to play in a stadium full of what will undoubtedly be some residually-hyped fans.

Plus, the fact that football was played there last night might do some odd things to the game.  Sure, the technicians try hard, but divots, uneven spots, and other weirdness just can’t be avoided, even on AstroTurf (although the Metrodome website assures us that the field surface is actually state of the art Field-Turf.  ‘Scuse us, Metrodome Gods.)

Point is, the Twins are more used to the havoc that home football games wreak on their playing surface than the Tigers.  Even though all but two of their games the day after football in the ‘dome have been played away in the last couple years, they still deal with practices, scrimmages, and all the other business sharing a stadium comes with.

The Tigers don’t, and that could be a difference.  Not to mention that whole, you know, psychological Minnesotans-are-winners thing from last night.  And the Twins have taken 18 of their last 23.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have a scratch-happy Miggy Cabrera providing distraction.,  If the Twins win, their resulting one game lead will be the biggest of the season.

Favre’s handing the baton: round two is on.  We’ll take the Twins. (And we may be blogging the game, so stay tuned!)

For now, a bit of updated playoff analysis.

Clinched

The Yankees have clinched the division title, but playoff questions remain.  Specifically, after you start C.C. Sabathia, then what happens? A.J. Burnett has been good at times, but terribly inconsistent.  Pettite–despite the sore shoulder–is probably your best bet for a number two, because he at least eats some innings, even when he’s off.  Because of the extra days off in the first series, this won’t be an issue right away.

The Angels have also clinched. But they always get swept in the first round.  Will this year be different?  Well, last year they needed a bat, and got swept despite the addition of Mark Texeira.  This year they didn’t add that bat. So….you be the judge.  (They have, however, added Scott Kazmir, late of Tampa Bay, so their pitching is solider than in past years.)

St. Louis….looks like St. Louis. They clinched their division behind Pujols, and they’ll play in the playoffs behind Pujols.  They’re not especially exciting, but they’re getting the job done. Again.

Playoff Bound

The Dodgers have clinched their second playoff berth in a row under manager Joe Torre, and they look good going into the playoffs.  With Manny Ramirez’s famously torrid postseason play on their side, they could go far.

Questionmarks

The Red Sox had a magic number of 1 to clinch a playoff berth …three days ago.  They still have that 1.  They’re imploding, and if Texas weren’t quite so far back…well, actually this might still be a race.  The Sox just got swept by the Yankees and lost one to Toronto last night. Why? Who knows.

Texas is less than likely to make the playoffs–their collapse in the month of August was nothing short of spectacular.  They control their own destiny only minimally, but hey, miracles happen.

The Rockies, the little team that could, could also still make the playoffs.  We’ll see…

Detroit and Minnesota: playing a doubleheader today with the Twins two games back.  Update on that one later.

It’s about hats. The hats that ball players wear, the hats that gang members wear, the hats the fashionistas wear that kind of look like those other two types.

New Era is the official maker of caps for MLB, something they began doing for their first professional team contract, with the Indians, in the 1920s.  They keep all their logos and color swatches on massive computers, so that’s why you get any combination you want of color, style, and logo.  Including, at one point, logos for the Crips and the Bloods!

And, yeah, probably why you get pink freakin’ hats.

We’re fascinated by the immediacy that the 24 hour news cycle and the advent of the internet have brought to the world of sports reporting.   (Except when our twitter feed refreshes faster than our MLB GameDay and we find out that in fact someone just grounded out with the bases loaded on the second damn pitch they saw, oh my God, Lance Berkman, how the hell are we supposed t–)

Ahem. Sorry. That’s a different rant.

Today, however, is the beginning of a new era–an era of repression! Of tyrrany!  Of…The New York Times pointing out that some leagues don’t like bloggers much, with our opinions, and our darn free speech.

Actually, while the article’s lede is about bloggers of a more traditional nature, the more important parts are about video rights: gone are the two minute highlight packages you’d see on local news after the game, thanks in huge part to ESPN, the behemoth that will likely change the face of broadcast sports soon even more than it already has.  (Think about it….remember when the MLB playoffs were on an actual channel anyone could watch?  Now there’s only one October…and it’s on TBS, which isn’t even in DirectTV’s basic cable package, by the way.)

ESPN can afford to pay to broadcast sports.  We can–and do–pay to watch them, more than ever before.  Bloggers who shoot video or, as technology increases, stream games, are infringing on these rights, say the conferences, leagues,  and TV execs.  But movie pirating’s a big business–how much more of a big business could livefeeding a sporting event become?

And if enough of that begins to happen, the model will be forced to change.  Even just one good site streaming live video could do it, if they could make a good argument for being allowed to broadcast their own video and commentary  (the commentary might make it a first ammendment issue, we think, though we didn’t go to law school.)

Well, we’ll see.

Pudge Rodriguez is headed back to Arlington to lend his bat and leadership to the Rangers. Rodriguez, who has been with the Astros, is batting only .251 this year in 93 games, but his veteran presence will provide depth and a soothing influence in the playoff run, where  Texas doesn’t usually find itself.

We said it last week, and we’ll say it again.  The Rangers are playoff-bound.

As for the Astros, they–finally–are picking up a couple of prospects…no word yet on names.  We’ll check that out later for our Houston readers.

Alex Gonzalez to the Red Sox

The struggling Sox’ current best defensive lineup would feature Casey Kotchman (recently acquired from Atlanta after spending years with the Angels) at first, Kevin Youkilis at third.  But the Sox can’t hit lately, and as a result they need the resurgent Mike Lowell in their lineup daily as long as his body holds up.  THAT, in turn, means they need some compensatory defense at short, since Lowell–a gold glove third baseman–doesn’t have the range he once did, especially this year given his injury.  Gonzalez isn’t a heavy bat, but his range to his right is phenomenal, so acquiring him means you can slot Lowell back in at third and let Youk and Victor Martinez have the days off they want or need at first without sacrificing power entirely.  This is big.

Alex Rios to the White Sox

This one was the shocker: a longtime Blue Jay put on waivers–salary dump, clearly.  Four teams professed interest or put in claims, the White Sox won the war.  Rios can play all three outfield positions, giving the White Sox a way to rest the aging Jermaine Dye and Scott Podsednik.  He hits lefties and righties about equally well, too, so you can put him in the lineup every day.  And so far, his RBI numbers have made a difference.  To us, this could push the White Sox over the top.

Greg Zaun and Russ Springer to Tampa Bay Rays

Zaun has spent time with many clubs, mostly Baltimore.  He gives the Rays the kind of veteran bench presence they need if they’re going to pull it together and contend again in their “young guys reaching the playoffs for the first time” mode, as last year.  Springer, a bullpen pitcher claimed off waivers from the As, has bounced around like crazy, but is arguably a serviceable bullpen arm against a righty-heavy lineup (lefties bat .352 off him this year, which means he’ll be useless against the Yankees, but useful against the Sox, both of whom the Rays have to deal with if they want to make the playoffs.)  His ERA on the year is actually slightly lower than his career ERA, and in the last 30 days, his ERA’s under 3. 00.  Good acquisitions both, though under the radar.

Carl Pavano to the Minnesota Twins

…Actually, we’re kidding.  We think Pavano’s done.

Daniel Cabrera to the Diamondbacks

Cabrera is an enigma…he was supposed to be so good, but has struggled with command despite at times having overpowering stuff.  He’s still a couple years shy of thirty and can hit the high nineties on the gun, but Baltimore kept using him as a starter and finding they couldn’t depend on him.  In last year’s down market, he went unsigned in the off season.  The Diamondbacks can use his speed, assuming he can be consistent.  He’s not currently on the roster, so we don’t know how much of a difference he’ll make, but he’s worth noting.

These won’t be the last of them, as we’re still waiting for a lot of people–Ryan Freel et al–to clear waivers or be claimes, but in the meantime who else do you think made a difference? Sound off in the comments….

He just wants you to know, and that’s why he told USA Today he’s been taking supplements since age 5–up to 20 different kinds a day–and half of them aren’t on the approved list and NOBODY FREAKIN’ CARES.

He brings up an interesting question:

I can see where guys like Hank Aaron and some of the old-timers have a beef with it,” Arroyo says. “But as far as looking at Manny Ramirez like he’s (serial killer) Ted Bundy, you’re out of your mind. At the end of the day, you think anybody really (cares) whether Manny Ramirez’s kidneys fail and he dies at 50?

Hm. Does anyone care? Does UPH?

Arroyo thinks Americans, most of whom put all kinds of crap in their bodies (just ask Morgan Spurlock!) don’t give a damn about steroids as long as their team keeps–or starts–winning, and owners don’t care about anything but making money.

We’re not sure we want to believe that, but we have a sinking feeling it’s true.  At least someone’s saying it.

AND he has a rock band.  In fact, if it weren’t for the current unfortunate hairdo, Bronson Arroyo would officially be our Yum of the day.

She speaks movingly about the power of forgiveness and talks about those who say they just can’t forgive her husband his lapse.  That comment made us think about something we didn’t cover the other day, and that’s the pressure that being a role model may put on players in all sports.

The pressure doesn’t come so much from kids who want to be you when they grow up.  It comes from the parents who know that you’re the player that their kid looks up to.  Who have used you as a parenting tool: “I bet Josh Hamilton would have apologized to his sister!” Who now have to explain to their kid why the hero’s in the news with mud on his face.

Being a role model is a heady thing, but a hard one.  And the added pressure is a force to be reckoned with.  But a player who makes a mistake and then owns up to it, who struggles, who is flawed but works to overcome, is the kind of role model we want our children to have.  Hamilton is forgivable, even to those parents, because of how well he takes responsibility and how he keeps trying, day by day.

That’s a lesson all of us could stand to have modeled again, yes?