The Damon news is tought to take, but I think Rosenthal is overstating things a bit. Red Sox season crumbling? Hardly. Yes, there's now a big hole in CF, but not one that is impossible to fill. Just as a starting point, here are the 2005 EqA's of Damon and some possible replacements:

Damon .291
Coco Crisp .290
Jason Michaels .285
Jeremy Reed .249

Actually, the best option probably would've been Mike Cameron (.284 last year + superior D), but the Mets have already traded him. Not like there's anyone on the Sox that the Mets were interested in.

All that said, the Yanks' lineup is looking pretty stacked. I'm still not sold on the rotation. The Unit has to show his age one of these years. Pavano is a big question mark. And I'm not sold on Wang or Chacon.

I like the idea of the Mets signing Dotel, but most pitchers aren't so great their first year back from Tommy John, so it's not exactly a slam-dunk signing for the Yankees.

The Mets would be even dumber if they sign Julian Tavarez to a rumored three-year deal. This guy is a total chump. I'd be down with getting Octavio "Please" Dotel. the yanks are in the hunt for him too.

look at this chump:

the cards are dumb. 3 years $13.5 mil for boo-per? (I was saying boo).

I'm not sure I understand the Lo Duca deal. If the Mets are both counting on increased revenue from SportsNet NY and looking for marquee stars to push ratings why not just bring back Piazza if you are not going to upgrade the catcher position? Lo Duca bottoms out towards the end of every season, he's only 3 years (or so) younger than Piazza with stats that don't exactly dazzle.
So if you're not going to upgrade the position or get younger, why not keep the best offensive player in Mets history and one of the most popular players they've ever had?

How have I never heard of this player?

4 Years, $43 M?? Really? No Offense, but in 4 years he'll be throwing about as fast as our own resident Billy Wagner.

the florida marlins report that there will be a "significant market correction" to their payroll.

uhhhh, do they think that the 10 remaining fish fans won't realize that they're dumping payroll again?

ESPN says the marlins are now actively exploring a move out of Miami. Good, they've never drawn, despite they're two world championships. Sure, they've been screwed by bad ownership, but both Florida teams were a terrible idea by M.L.B. Contract the Rays and Marlins and move the Brewers back to the AL.

Xavier Nady? I know I'm a bigger fan of Cameron's than most, but I really thought the Mets could get more than Nady. Maybe this is part of a master plan to package Nady for Manny, but don't the Red Sox need a CF? For that matter, it seems like a lot of teams need a centerfielder, and that one of them would've been willing to give more than Xavier Nady. I guess Nady can be part of a decent cheap platoon with Jacobs. At best, meh.

Unrelated Mets goodness.

Why is it that people with money cry about needing public assistance? Article on hidden costs for the proposed yankees/mets stadia.

Did Papi get screwed?

Epstein's left the Sox! Wow, pretty surprising, especially so since he's talking about leaving baseball altogether. Burnout perhaps?

The team Bobby V is facing in the Japan Series, the Hanshin Tigers, suffer from the "Curse of the Colonel"
in 1985, when the Tigers last won the Japan Series, celebrating fans uprooted a statue of the KFC Colonel after the clinching game and threw it into a river in Osaka. They have not won since..............................(and are now down 2-0 in the series thanks to MATT FRANCO!)

Meanwhile. the president of FOX blames short games for the ratings dropoff in this year's World Series!!!!!

Maybe it's the inane announcers and deluge of graphics and video-game crap that turns off much of the nation. good article today in the times revealing the "video-game" philosophy of Fox' baseball producers.

Marines are in the Japan Series! Check out the pic of Bobby V being tossed in the air by the team.

Leo Mazzone to the Orioles! Excellent, he's out of the Mets' division, and into the Yankees'. This will be the year the Braves finally lose the divison.

I think the end of the article sums it up absolutely perfectly:

In closing, let’s hear from the great Keith Hernandez who said, “You don’t win a World Series drinking milk.”

Screw Clemens. Go Sawx.

I can't see how it's possible to root for clemens and his robin, the boy wonder sidekick. they're wack and their whole "let's ride/lift together" relationship is just too weird.

wouldn't mind seeing jose contreras win the world series mvp. traded for esteban loiza and a bottle of rogaine. oh, and one of the great postseason peformers el duque even tho the chisox will never use their bullpen again.

Speaking of the 'stros, has anyone else noticed that they have zero Molinas on the team?

From Ravi: Modern Drunkard magazine article on the '86 Mets.

Speaking of the 'stros, has anyone else noticed that they have zero black players on the team?

Here's the dilemma for Yankee-haters: do we root for or against Clemens, Pettitte, and the Astros? I realize some of us may have other reasons for hating Clemens (i.e. trying to kill Piazza), but would the Astros winning the World Series be positive or negative for a Yankee-hater? On the plus side, there will be lots of outrage among Yankee fans, both for the betrayal by Clemens and the foolishness of the Yanks for not re-signing Pettitte. On the con side, Yankee fans may become even more self-righteous about the greatness and clutchness of the "real" Yankees like Pettitte and Clemens (ignoring that Clemens wasn't around for much of the dynasty).

I'm torn. I'll probably end up rooting for the Cards. Whichever side you choose, we can all rest easy at night knowing that the Yankees won't win.

Last year there was a lot of hooey about Red Sox fans losing their meaning or existence if the team won. Obviously, that was nonsense.

but meanwhile, there is another faction of fans who are at risk of actually losing their reason for existing.....Yankee-Haters.

Now what? it's barely October and there are no yankees to root against. Time to once again watch baseball?

In an upcoming book, Mad Dog includes Mariano Rivera in his list of the 10 best baseball players of all time. TOP 10 OF ALL TIME!