NL West

Looks like the apparent blunder of nixing a Washburn deal with the Minnesota Twins last year was not much of a mistake. 

Who out there still thinks Major League Baseball is genuinely troubled by steroids and performance-enhancing drugs?

I hope not too many hands are being raised.

Don't get me wrong—MLB knows it has a problem on its hands and PEDs are the source, but the suits only believe the issue to be skin-deep. It's a matter of public relations damage control and nothing else.

Spin.

Moral obligation to society? Ethical duty to protect the record books?

How about health? Sanctity? The kids? Surely you can't be serious.

Aaron Cook enters Monday night's game against the Angels with 58 career wins. A win tonight will put Cook solely in first place on the Rockies all-time wins list.

It should be a special moment for Cook. While his talent has never been questioned, the fact that the 2007 All-Star is still pitching in the big leagues is no small miracle.

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Matt Cain is coming into tonight’s start against the Texas Rangers as a rising star. His stock around the league is rising, and fans across the nation are starting to know his name.

Yet Cain should not be looked upon as a new arm. After all, he’s compiled almost four full years of major-league service time, and has been playing professionally for the last eight.

Derrek Lee hit two homers on the day today, bringing his season total to ten. Anyone who has read this blog at all knows that I am very anti-D-Lee. He had that one great year, and has basically been a good average guy with little power that ends up on the DL a lot. Matches his initials, isn’t that cute? 

He is having a pretty good season, but he hasn’t really been injured yet, and I still would not touch him.  If you have him, I would try to cash in on this time and see if you can trade him for someone a little more safe.

These are not your father's Rockies.

Former Major League pitcher Shawn Estes has retired today.

Estes was acquired in 2001 from the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo and infielder Desi Relaford. In one season with the Mets, Estes went 4-9 with a 4.55 ERA. His best year came in 1997 when he won 19 games with the Giants while pitching his way to a 3.18 ERA. Although Estes never regained that great form in his career again, he went on to win 101 games.

Anyone who knows Ubaldo Jimenez knows that his boyhood hero is Pedro Martinez. Jimenez watched his fellow country man dominate opposing Major League hitters from his home in the Dominican Republic.

For the latest edition of the San Francisco Giants Roundtable, we decided to revisit Randy Johnson’s historic accomplishment from a couple weeks ago.

Now that the furor over the Big Unit’s feat has died down and baseball fans have had some calm to digest the latest entrant in the 300 Wins Club, we took a look at whether RJ will be the last pitcher so blessed, what it meant to the Gents, how the big lefty’s signing has worked out for the franchise, and basically all things Randy Johnson.

Enjoy.