MLB Bullets Is Just Watching The Playoffs

I sure hope the rest of the postseason is better than last night.

• Buster Olney reports that the Cubs are looking to make a substantial offer to Joe Girardi to become the team's new manager if the Yankees give them the chance to talk to him. Olney says his sources say A.J. Hinch is indeed a fallback option should the Cubs not land Girardi but that Brad Ausmus is not.
• The Yankees, however, have no intention of letting the Cubs speak to Girardi while he is still under contract.
• Andrew Marchand adds that this is a delicate balancing act for the Yankees, who want to re-sign Girardi sooner, rather than later. However, there is a sense that Girardi at least wants to hear Theo Epstein out before returning to the Bronx.
• In any event, Girardi's people met with Brian Cashman and had what they termed "a good meeting."
• In case Cub fans are insisting upon getting a manager who is a Hall of Fame middle infielder who played in the eighties and nineties, Cal Ripken Jr. said he'd listen if the Cubs wanted to consider him for the job. Because that other guy's not available.
• Ripken would also listen if the Nationals wanted to interview him for their vacant managerial position. He has absolutely no coaching experience, it should be noted. But at least he'd never take a day off. Or it would be really funny if he did. "Sorry, I need to miss two games in July to go to Cooperstown for the induction ceremonies."
• It may have been a bad night in Atlanta, but at least all three Uptons (B.J., Justin and Kate) appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. I think Kate might be adopted.
• He may not have been invited to the Upton photoshoot, since he's not a member of the family, but David Wright decided to sneak into the picture anyway.
• Dan Uggla is upset that he was left off the Braves postseason roster. And probably the Upton photoshoot as well.
• He may be a local boy done good, but when the Braves season ends, Brian McCann's career with the team is probably over.
• Dave Sheinin thinks the Braves are not a very scary team, even if they are a very good one.
• Grant Brisbee points out that for a team that won 96 games this year, the Braves had some really terrible luck in 2013. Both Sheinin and Brisbee are making the same point: the Braves greatest strength is their depth. Unfortunately, great team depth isn't the advantage in the playoffs that it is in the regular season.
• The team that beat the Braves pretty soundly last night was the Dodgers. Minority owner Magic Johnson told Jay Leno that he'd jump in a pool wearing a Speedo if the Dodgers won the World Series.
• Magic Johnson also said the Dodgers would not pursue Robinson Cano this offseason. Looks like even their payroll has a limit.
• It's been exactly 25 years since the Dodgers last won the World Series. Yeah, I know. Cry me a river. But Fox Sports West published an oral history of Kirk Gibson's famous home run in game one from those who were there.
• ESPN NY looks at eight teams that might sign Cano. The Cubs are team number five. Except the Dodgers are team number two, so there might be something wrong with the list.
• The Rays beat the Indians, of course, in the one game AL Wild Card game. Ken Rosenthal presents three things we learned about the Rays in that game.
• Danny Knobler thinks the Rays are good enough to beat the Red Sox in the ALDS.
• Eric Nusbaum looks at the important role James Loney played for the Rays this season and how he went from incredible disappointment to, well, a 29 year-old first baseman who had a decent season. He also contrasts him with Nick Swisher, who was taken three picks before him in the 2002 Draft.
• Brandon Moss wants everyone to focus on the positive things about playing at the Oakland Coliseum and not the negative ones. He also says the Athletics are better in 2013 than they were in 2012.
• Scott Miller agrees with Moss that the A's are better in 2013 and says Bartolo Colon is a really big reason why. Pun intended.
• Josh Donaldson says he's learned a lot about hitting from watching Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera thinks that's awesome. We'll see if he still thinks it's awesome if the A's beat the Tigers.
• Speaking of Miguel Cabrera, he's still injured but he's going to play in game one today.
• Marc Normandin says those of us who hate the Cardinals (and I think that's pretty much everyone here) are in for a rough stretch, because the Cards are built to be a great team for a long time.
• Carlos Beltran hit a three-run home run as the Cardinals embarrassed the Pirates last night. Matt Snyder thinks that Beltran's amazing postseason performances should make him a Hall of Famer. Or rather, when you add that to the rest of his career, it puts him over the top for Cooperstown induction.
• Brandon Phillips said the Reds choked against the Pirates.
• Tom Verducci says the Reds didn't choke, the Pirates were just the better team.
• In any case, Dallas Latos, the wife of Reds pitcher Mat Latos, said she was assaulted by Pirates fans at the game.
• In case you missed it, Old Hoss Radbourn previewed the Cardinals-Pirates series for Fox Sports. Or as he called it "The Papist Cardinals and the Barbary Pirates"
• For those of you who don't like the one-game playoffs (I'm looking at you, Doug Glanville), I've got bad news for you. The television ratings on the games were very high.
• Not only is Rangers manager Ron Washington coming back for 2014, GM Jon Daniels wants to sign him to an extension beyond next season.
• The Rangers will likely make a qualifying offer to free agent OF Nelson Cruz. That means with between his PED suspension and losing a draft pick making him a rather undesirable free agent to give a multi-year deal to, Cruz will likely accept the offer and be back in Arlington for 2014.
• Gerardo Parra quietly had the best defensive season of any major league outfielder.
• Joe Posnanski looks at four thing people say about MLB awards voting and disagrees with all four. One point of his deserves emphasis: Terry Francona never won a Manager of the Year award in the years he won the World Series in Boston, or in any other year. He'll probably win one this year for barely getting the Indians to the playoffs.
• Former major league outfielder Chad Curtis was sentenced to 7 to 15 years for sexual assault.
• Jorge Arangure Jr. looks at the culture clash in major league baseball between Latin players and what he terms the "old guard." He thinks the flair the Latin American players bring to the game should be encouraged, not retaliated against.
• Five teams, the Rangers, Red Sox, White Sox, Marlins and Giants all had a large presence at Cuban slugger Jose Abreu's showcase in the Dominican Republic.
• MLBPA Executive Director Michael Weiner is continuing to work as he battles terminal brain cancer. And that's the way he wants it. He's been given between two to six months left to live.
• Finally, a hospital in Pittsburgh as found some Pirates fans who have never seen the Pirates have a losing season. And they're going to make sure they stay Pirates fans.