Hall of Shame

What's in the water in Texas? Either the team is full of losers who like losing or there's something going on we don't know about: First, Juan Gonzalez, who has a history of preferring playing with losers rather than in pressure situations (2000 he nixed a trade to the Yankees from the bottom-dwelling Tigers) tells the Rangers to fuggetaboutit when they tried to trade him to the Montreal Expos, who at the time, were 14 games better than the Rangers and in the thick of a pennant/wildcard race.

Now Rafael Palmeiro has balked twice at being traded to the Chicago Cubs who are in the thick of a pennant race. It reminds me of 2001 when another choke-artist/loser named Fred McGriff wanted to create a hostage crisis and had to be forcibly shoved out the door at Tampa Bay.

The question to pose to each of these players, especially since two of them no doubt would like to be considered some day for the Hall of Fame, is why would you turn down a chance at participating in a pennant race for a few months in order to continue playing for a team that sucks, doesn't want you on their roster and won't have you on their roster the following year?

Palmeiro, in an Ari Fleischerian manner of truth-fixing, tries to get us to believe that he's "staying here and helping this team get back to .500 because that is a possibility and it would be a great thing if we were able to do that." Get back to .500?? What is he basing this fantasy on? The Rangers are 15 games below .500. He's hitting .253 for the season. He's had all season to "help" the team to get to .500. Looks like he's failed. At this point, he isn't helping. His salary is an anchor. His "team" might be able to get something for him from the Cubs even though he's a gutless wonder with no World Series experience. How is that "helping" his "team"?

Oh, he also says he wants "to help them do it and in the meantime, hopefully work something out so I could finish my career here." Finish your career?? Isn't it already finished? What, you need a few more years to hang around and pad your stats, playing DH with a losing team? He makes $9 million. The Rangers want to get rid of his bloated salary. Let's see what his part-time bat yields him next season as a free agent.

The funny thing is, A-Rod, a guy who should stick it out for the duration of his 10 year purgatory in Arlington because through the greed of his satanic agent Scott Boras, his team was gutted for the sake of one player's salary alone and yet ARod wants to get out because he knows what a losing future these Rangers have.

Players like Juan Gonzalez and Rafael Palmeiro and Fred McGriff are like welfare recipients who don't want to stop collecting checks and go out to look for real work.

It sounds like this trio prefer being losers on the field than winners. They prefer to be relaxed while they make their millions, not to have pressure on them to produce.

It sounds like none of them should ever step foot in the Hall of Fame except as visitors, regardless of their stats which they've clarified they want to pad playing on a losing team with no added pressure.

NL Central Duel

Last week it was the White Sox battling the first-place Royals at home. This week, the Chicago series is at Wrigley. The Cubs flew home with a 4-2 record on the West Coast trip, trailing Houston by 2½ games. Now they've got to face those Astros in a BIG four-game series at Wrigley Field. Today begins a stretch in which the Astros will play seven of their next 10 games against the Cubs, offering a chance to fortify a lead that has not been larger than 2 1/2 games since July 27.

Before the game Sammy Sosa's agent, Adam Katz, confirmed Sosa is considering his option to explore free agency after the season. In 47 games since June 18, the day Sosa returned from the suspended list, he was batting .313 (57-for-182) with 22 homers and 49 RBIs and thinks he might be worth alot more than he can get from the Cubs next season. Sosa also is nearing his ninth consecutive 100 RBI season -- he has 76. Hall of Famers Mel Ott and Willie Mays are the only National League players to post eight straight 100-RBI seasons.

With all the salary the Mets were able to dump Roger Cedeno ($5 million each in 2004 and 2005), Al Leiter ($8 million in 2005 with a $2 million buyout) and Mo Vaughn, who would make $15 million a year each of the next two seasons if by some miracle he can get down to 400 pounds and his old knees could support such an enormous weight, the Mets would have $28 million to offer Sammy. And let's not forget Piazza's $15 million to be a broken-down catcher and a reluctant first baseman. That's $43 million. With that money, they could get Sammy AND A-Rod. Can you imagine what a coup? Sammy's making $16,875,000 and he'll be 35 next season. How about a nice 4 year deal at $20 million per? Would that get him to Shea where all his Dominican homies can come and cheer him on? Ah, the sweet nectar of speculation.

Getting back to the NL Central though, the Cubs had better not let the Astros hold the lead going into the 9th if they want to win. Since Opening Day 2001, Houston is 209-5 when leading after eight innings. Four Houston pitchers -- Octavio Dotel (.170), Jared Fernandez (.167), Brad Lidge (.185) and Billy Wagner (.168) -- have held opposing hitters under a .200 batting average so far this season.


Monday: Wade Miller (8-10, 4.69 ERA) vs. Kerry Wood (11-8, 3.44)
Tuesday: Tim Redding (8-9, 3.73) vs. Carlos Zambrano (10-8, 3.25)
Wednesday: Jeriome Robertson (11-5, 4.70) vs. Shawn Estes (7-9, 5.53)
Thursday: Jared Fernandez (1-1, 3.72) vs. Matt Clement (9-10, 4.08)

If Wood can strike out 9 Astos, he would become the fastest major-league pitcher to 1,000 strikeouts. His big-league total is 991 after 133 games. Roger Clemens set the record when he reached 1,000 strikeouts in 143 games.

The Houston Astros have the oldest starting eight in the National League Central Division. but their pitching staff is youthful. Robertson, Redding and Ron Villone, the lefty who won Sunday's game against the Expos, have helped push the Astros atop the National League Central by combining for 23 victories and a 3.98 ERA. They have half the staff's 52 quality starts.

The Astros are tied with San Francisco for the most wins against division opponents this season, with 35. Houston's 35-22 (.614) record vs. NL Central opponents is 13 games over .500.

The St. Louis Cardinals will be at Pittsburgh.

Everyone Keeps Pace

Meanwhile, although the Marlins inexplicably lost to the lowly Milwaukee Brewers, they remain tied with the Phillies for the NL wildcard as the Phillies lost their second of three games at San Francisco.

Now the Phillies get their shot against the Brewers at home and the Marlins will face the Dodgers at Pro Player Stadium, where they are 35-23.

The White Sox are still a half-game behind the Royals after both teams won and the Twins also won, keeping them two and a half games behind. But the Royals are off to Yankee Stadium while the White Sox will be at Anaheim and the Twins will be at home against Cleveland. By the end of these three series', look for the White Sox to gain 2 games to take over first.

Possible AL Central by Thursday:

Chicago 64-56 ---
Kan. City 62-57 1.5
Minn. 62-58 2