Somewhere amid the ridiculous buzz surrounding super-prospect Matt Wieters, and the noise following Nolan Reimold, Jason Berken, Brad Bergesen, and David Hernandez, super utility guy Oscar Salazar got the call up to Baltimore.

It's not as if he didn't earn it. He along with Reimold and the injured Lou Montanez were all hitting above .370 at the time of their call up. He also had ten home runs and 43 RBI in 50 games at AAA Norfolk. The difference between Salazar and Reimold however, may be the very same reason why the former is a perfect fit for these O's.

The Major League baseball season is a marathon, and usually the teams that end up playing in October are the ones who deal best with the adversity that’s encountered throughout the course of a long season.

Fortunately for the Angels, Manager Mike Scioscia is one of the best in the game at finding ways to win, regardless of the hand he's dealt.  

The Florida Marlins have enjoyed a nice recovery thanks to Interleague play. Taking two of three against the Yankees and sweeping the Orioles have helped them climb back into NL East contention.  

There seems to be a battle for the team RBI lead. Hanley Ramirez currently has 47 thanks to two grand slams in the Baltimore series. Jorge Cantu is in second with 46, while Cody Ross and Dan Uggla are tied for third with 45. Emilio Bonifacio has 13 stolen bases, while Ramirez has 11. 

The MLB season is a war.

Whether it's injuries or a hitting slump, there are many minor battles that occur over the course of season. But during the Cubs' 6-5 win over the White Sox on Friday, Lou Piniella fired the first salvo in one of the most important battles the Cubs will face all year: the battle for the clubhouse.

This past week the Braves played a three-game series against the Yankees in Atlanta. As expected, the stands where split about 50-50. After all, New York has a large following.

The amount of visiting team fans is not my complaint. It's the unbelievable lack of respect that the fans showed during the games that upset me. 

It is important to point out that I do not wish to pin this on just Yankees fans. I know these people are all over and no team is exempt from a variety of disgraceful followers.

The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan is reporting that, after flying out in the sixth inning against the White Sox Friday, Milton Bradley was involved in a verbal altercation with Cubs' manager Lou Piniella.

Bradley was replaced in right field by Ryan Freel in the bottom half of the inning, and was reportedly seen leaving US Cellular Field in street clothes before the ninth inning.

So not only is Bradley not hitting anything, or driving in any runs for his $10 million-plus salary, but now the inevitable has happened.

It's over. It's done. Forget about it Braves fans. This team is the most dysfunctional, mentally deficient Braves team I have witnessed since 1989.

Sure, the record doesn't indicate that, but the stats surely do.

For that reason alone General Manager Frank Wren should wave the white flag on this season and sell off valuable, veteran pieces that could net the Braves a serious influx of young, talented players for 2010.

Now I know what some of you will say.

"You're an idiot! We're only four games out!?!" or "You aren't a true Braves fan!"

<!--StartFragment-->

Scott Podsednik lined a two-out single to center field to bring an end to a marathon 13-inning game on Thursday afternoon.

The Chicago White Sox (35-37) mounted threats more than once in the late innings, but Podsednik's single plated Gordon Beckham and finally gave them a 6-5 victory over the majors’ best team, the Los Angeles Dodgers (47-26).

For the past three nights, the Tampa Bay Rays brought back memories of the 2008 World Series—a series they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies.

On Tuesday night, the Phillies returned to Tropicana Field for a rematch and Rays management expected a filled house to greet them. There were plenty of factors to assume this. First, no World Series rematch had ever drawn less than 37,000 fans.

Second, the Phillies have long trained in Clearwater—a short distance away from Tropicana field, creating a huge following.

Cleveland Indians mascot Slider has done a lot for his favorite team over the years. 

He's boogied to the radio hits of the day on the roof of the team's bullpen while wearing crutches.

He's sent foil-wrapped hot-dogs from slingshots into the stands.

He's cheered through unbearable heat, torrential rain, and yes, in this Rustbelt town, even swirling snow.

But one thing he hasn't done for this proud franchise is bring home a winner. And some of the teams' players and management are starting to take notice.