MLB Bullets Has Had A Change Of Heart

I think that at the start of the season you would have told any of us that the Cubs would only be a game and a half behind the Dodgers, Angels and Blue Jays, we'd all take it, right?

• According to his new book "To Stir A Movement", young Jeremy Affeldt would refuse to leave his hotel room on road trips to the Bay Area because, you know, teh gay. Affeldt now says he was wrong and he credits the warmth and diversity of San Francisco (as well as a Starbucks employee in Cincinnati) for changing his heart. His attitudes now is "I'm going to love on them just as God told me to love all human beings. I'm not going to sit there and worry about all that other garbage." So much so that he just signed a three-year extension with San Francisco.
• Remember those Playgirl photos from the last bullets? One of the hunks of the eighties in those photos was Steve McCatty, who now just happens to be the pitching coach for the Nationals. So what did the pitching staff do for their coach? They had T-Shirts made up with his picture from Playgirl on them, of course.
• The Mariners sent Jesus Montero down to Triple-A. With Mike Zunino already in Tacoma, it looks like Montero will be learning to play first base there, as well as get his hitting stroke back.
• The Mets Ike Davis may soon join him in the Pacific Coast League.
• If the Mets coaching staff can't help Davis, then The Amazing Kreskin has offered to help him find his hitting stroke.
• Danny Knobler wonders if the real reason for the Yankees success isn't Kevin Long, their hitting coach. Maybe, but since the Yankees are 11th in the AL in runs per game and 2nd in runs prevented per game, maybe Larry Rothschild deserves some credit.
• David Schoenfield at ESPN.com think the Phillies will be buyers, not sellers, at the trade deadline. He doesn't give his opinion as to whether or not he thinks that's a good idea.
• In his spare time, Chuck Norris tells Evan Gattis jokes. Not quite, but you get the idea.
• Jeff Passan has a look at the White Sox secret weapon over the past 34 years: athletic trainer Herm Schneider. Over the past decade, no team has even come close to the White Sox in fewest games lost to injury.
• The Yankees are labeling Chicago's Goose Island Beer as an import at Yankee Stadium. We always knew they didn't think anything west of the Hudson River was important, but we didn't think that was because they thought that's where Canada started.
• Since their team name is the Brewers and all, Leinenkugel Brewing Company is making a Bernie's Barrelman Ale, to be sold exclusively at Miller Park. I always had a soft spot for robots made out of beer barrels.
• Terry Francona got a warm welcome in his return to Boston. One year of Bobby Valentine and all is forgiven.
• The Rangers released Derek Lowe.
• Carlos Zambrano's comeback had a successful first step.
• Joe Mauer says despite an eight-game losing streak, the Twins don't need a team meeting.
• Shin-Soo Choo is looking at cashing in on a big contract this off-season. The Reds want to keep him, but they may not be able to afford him.
• An umpire crew that included Angel Hernandez used video replay to review a play that didn't appear to be reviewable under the rules.
• The Royals broadcast team asked if you'd rather have Nationals slugger Bryce Hunter or Mets pitcher Matt Jones on your team.
• Jed Lowrie says that the Astros may have been bad while he was there, but he still has fond memories of Houston.
• Finally, Jayson Stark has a list of all the records for futility that the Astros and Marlins are challenging this season. It's more than just the record for losses, although that's there too.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.