Opinion

I thought that the Giants would have a better offense this season than last season, but I was very wrong. This 2009 lineup of the Giants is just plain awful.

I figured that the young players such as Fred Lewis, Pablo Sandoval, and Travis Ishikawa would boost the offensive production of this team and that the veterans, such as Edgar Renteria and Aaron Rowand, would also help out.

Rowand is only batting .233 and Renteria is not doing that much better with a.253 average.

Carlos Zambrano, the fiery Cubs ace, beat out a bunt single in the fifth inning on Sunday. Thanks to Derrek Lee's mammoth grand slam later that inning, he got a win. But because of his base running, he'll be on the disabled list for at least 15 days.

Zambrano pulled his hamstring running to first. He was removed for a pinch runner.

Issue Number One: Rich Harden pinch running? One pitcher gets hurt running so Lou Piniella uses another in his place on the base paths? And picks one that has a laundry list of injuries in his own past? Are you serious?

The Boston Red Sox have one of the most storied histories among all baseball franchises, although that's not necessarily a good thing. After being the dominant team of the early 1900's, even winning the inaugural World Series against Pittsburgh in 1903, the Red Sox went 86 years without another championship, leading some to believe they were cursed.

Despite the annual letdowns in October, the Red Sox still have had many, many great players patrol the outfield or turn double plays in the infield of hallowed Fenway Park.

It has been reported that Oliver Perez is headed to the New York Mets bullpen.

According to Manager Jerry Manuel, he experienced the same thing with two starters when he was manager of the Chicago White Sox—James Baldwin and Jon Garland.

I guess what Jerry means is that those two pitchers had the unique ability to hit the sweet spot of the bat very solidly with their thrown baseball, while mixing in a few free passes to the tune of one per inning. Ollie is very good at that.

Some say happiness is a state of mind. As a rabid sports fan, I have to disagree. To me, happiness is your team's place in the standings.

Now that the Phillies and Red Sox have won the last two World Series, the title for most tortured fan base is up for grabs!

While fans in Cincinnati, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Washington can all make compelling arguments, the lack of expectations, poorly attended games and the "football first" mentality of these cities disqualifies them from the race for most miserable.

SAN DIEGO - The Padres had a promising start to the season, however slowly but surely the team's 40th campaign will become another losing proposition. Fans may complain about the club's on-field performance, but in the broadcast booth, the Padres have a solid lineup.

San Diego Padres TV

With child-like enthusiasm, he greets his listeners.

“Halo, Angels fans!”

His infectious excitement bubbling over, color commentator Rex Hudler weaves together a pleasant salutation with the nickname for his beloved Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

But he is not one to fancy himself a clever linguist.

I've read a lot of articles lately calling for Omar Minaya's head. Why not? The Mets are off to a slow start after two of the most agonizing September swoons in baseball history. Somebody must take the blame for this.

As a Met fan, I'm as disgusted as anybody else by what's gone on in Flushing. But I don't direct my ire at Omar. Before I go into why I think Minaya is a good (not great) GM, I'd like to address the reasons people are calling for his head in the first place.

The Oliver Perez Signing

Is Ollie erratic? Yes.

What if your wildest dream came true?

Do you dream of winning the lottery, being president, or just finally having that hot chick at work talk to you?

Well my dream would be to coach the Minnesota Twins.

As it seemed on Friday, the planets have finally aligned. With one mighty swing from Joe, the Twins still have much room for improvement.

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that Jeff Weaver would be replacing James McDonald in the starting rotation Tuesday versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Considering McDonald's struggles so far this season, the decision is a smart one.

However, the decision did not go far enough.  James McDonald needs to be sent to Albuquerque.