Happy Labor Day. So that means no one will be wasting time at work reading this. So I guess no one will read this.
- The Angels swept the Athletics in a four-game series this weekend which probably just ended the AL West race. A's manager Bob Melvin was not happy. In his post-game comments, Melvin said
"Eighty-five percent of ballplayers are working. The other fifteen percent come to Oakland""It was embarrassing. Pathetic. We don't play like that . . .I feel bad for our fans to have to watch that." - So I guess the Athletics are done. Make that, the Athletics are Dunn as they acquired Adam Dunn from the White Sox.
- Dunn, for his part, said that this is going to be his last season. He should finally make the playoffs, although it very possibly could be for just one game now.
- Ken Rosenthal thinks that the A's acquiring Adam Dunn is an admission that trading Yoenis Cespedes was a mistake.
- The Angels stood pat at the trade deadline, although they did inquire about A.J. Burnett. But they wouldn't trade for him unless Burnett agreed to waive his option year for next season, which Burnett wouldn't do.
- Al posted his response to Ben McGrath's "Baseball is dying" piece, but here is Craig Calcaterra's take on the same piece. It won't surprise you to hear that Calcaterra doesn't agree with it any more than Al does. And what is Mike Trout doing at a bar, anyway? OK, he is over 21 now, but he's busy pretty much every night.
- In a coincidentally related piece, Kevin Maney wonders if "Big Data" could make baseball more compelling television. What? Is having Hawk Harrelson tell you each player's TWTW (The Will To Win) stat not compelling TV?
- Speaking of Hawk, here's some news that will make a lot of you happy. Harrelson said he's thinking about cutting back on his road schedule next season.
- Phil Rogers thinks the Cubs ought to trade Edwin Jackson to the White Sox for John Danks.
- The White Sox are reportedly looking to sign Victor Martinez this off-season.
- In trades that were actually made before the deadline for the postseason rosters, the Blue Jays got John Mayberry Jr. from the Phillies.
- The Orioles got Kelly Johnson from the Red Sox.
- The Brewers picked up Jonathan Broxton from the Reds.
- Back to trades that didn't happen for a moment, the Brewers made a run at David Price before he went to the Tigers, but they weren't willing to give up Jimmy Nelson. Really? Nelson's a nice pitcher and all, but he's not the type of guy you should put on your untouchable list. And if you won't trade him for Price, then he's untouchable.
- The Indians signed Russell Branyan out of the Mexican League. The Indians' calendar broke and it's stuck on 2008.
- Last time we were optimistic that Masahiro Tanaka would be able to pitch again this season. But he rehab was shut down again over the weekend because of "general arm soreness." How the greatest Union commander in the Civil War that no one has ever heard of played a role in derailing Tanaka's season, I couldn't tell you.
- C.J. Nitkowski explains what a pitcher means when he says he has a "dead arm." No, it's not some sort of zombie thing, although that would be cool if it were.
- Don Mattingly thinks that Yasiel Puig might be too emotional to play 162 games in one season. So he gave the slumping outfielder a day off.
- Ben Reiter believes that among all the wreckage of the Rangers season, Adrian Beltre remained a bright spot. He thinks that Beltre sealed induction to Cooperstown with this season.
- How Alex Gordon put it all together this month.
- Peter Gammons has eight thoughts about the rest of the season.
- Ken Rosenthal says that Astros' GM Jeff Luhnow and manager Bo Porter aren't getting along. The manager always loses these fights. Either the owner takes the GM's side and the manager gets fired, or the owner fires the GM and the new one wants to bring in his own guy as manager.
- Rob Neyer agrees with Phillies GM Ruben Amaro when he said that the Phillies' poor play this season is not manager Ryne Sandberg's fault. Left unsaid is who Neyer thinks is at fault. But it's pretty clear anyway.
- Tracy Ringolsby wonders whether 2014 could be like 1968 in which both leagues named a pitcher as MVP.
- Anthony Castrovince has advice for the Nationals on how to set up their rotation.
- Jayson Stark has five ways that Rob Manfred could be different than Bud Selig.
- Tyler Kepner thinks the Marlins' fire sale of 2012 is starting to pay off.
- A Japanese high school game went 50 innings over four days. And both starting pitchers went the distance.
- Steven Goldman profiles how we got here and where do we go after "ice cream sandwich-gate" in Jesus Montero's career.
- The Dodgers put four infielders on the right side of second base. It worked. And Tom Verducci's luxurious hair just fell out.
- Aroldis Chapman could be the first pitcher since they started tracking these things in 2006 to have an average fastball velocity of over 100 mph in a season.
- What does it take to score David Ortiz without hitting a home run?
- Jeff Sullivan explains why today's hitters have so much trouble with pitches high in the zone.
- Coco Crisp nearly made a spectacular catch and nearly killed himself doing it.
- Brewers farm hand Nathan Orf played all nine positions in yesterday's Brevard County Manatees game.
- Bill Murray took tickets at the last game in St. Paul's Midway Stadium.
- And finally, this isn't a baseball story. It's a basketball story. But it's too good to pass up. Stephon Marbury: The Musical. Starring Stephon Marbury. For real.
And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.