MLB Bullets Has Run Out Of Gas

I really thought I was going to be able to sleep this week after the minor league season ended. But I had no idea the affiliation shuffle would be so wild. I kind of expected Boise. I'd heard rumors about Kane County but thought they'd patch up their differences. Daytona just stunned me. I guess I'll sleep next week.

• Remember when the Athletics had the best record in baseball and were adding pitching for the playoffs? Yeah, about that. The A's are on the brink of an epic collapse.
• Tony Blengino examines the causes of Oakland's collapse. He's got some reasons that don't involve Yoenis Cespedes.
• Grant Brisbee writes that Oakland's roster instability is not the cause of the Athletics' collapse.
• Joe Stiglich sees little evidence that the A's can bounce back.
• Oakland's collapse has made us forget the earlier collapses of the Blue Jays and Braves. Jay Jaffe looks at how those teams blew a chance at the postseason.
• David Schoenfield points out that acquiring David Price hasn't been worth it so far. That's the awful thing about the A's. Jon Lester and Jeff Samardzija have both been very good for Oakland. It hasn't helped.
• One thing people say is that experienced teams have an advantage in a pennant race. Russell Carleton says the data doesn't support that piece of conventional wisdom.
• Phil Rogers has a formula to predict who will play in the World Series. In the end, his basic computations just predict the two teams with the best records in their league will face off.
• Michael Baumann gives you a guide to the final days of the pennant races.
• Ron Washington held an odd press conference to announce that he resigned because he had been unfaithful in his marriage. If every manager and player who had fooled around resigned, we wouldn't have enough left to even have a league.
• Jon Heyman looks at which managers might not be back next season for reasons that have nothing to do with their marriage.
• Rob Neyer points out that the Orioles under Buck Showalter have consistently outperformed their pythagorean projections and maybe that's because Showalter is a great manager.
• Neyer also points out that a big reason for the Angels success is that Mike Scioscia has "shifted" his way of thinking this year.
• Five years ago, the Nationals were the worst team in the majors. Now they have the best record in the National League. Jonah Keri looks at how the Nats built a winner.
• Did the Pirates just demote their best starting pitcher to the bullpen?
• Ned Yost's changes in the lineup are having a positive impact on the Royals offense.
• Tracy Ringolsby thinks that Royals GM Dayton Moore's trade for James Shields has paid off big.
• I just can't escape the affiliation shuffle. GM Doug Melvin was very upset about the Nashville Sounds refusing to renew their affiliation with the Brewers. It was made worse by Fresno picking the Astros over the Brewers and the Brewers got stuck in Colorado Springs.
• Don't bunt on Anthony Rendon.
• Umpire Joe West was suspended for one game for his role in the Jonathan Papelbon incident.
• Despite rumors to the contrary, MLB suspended Marcus Stroman for throwing at Caleb Joseph.
• A fan in Atlanta was ejected by umpire Tim Welke for bad language while verbally abusing Brian Harper.
• Giancarlo Stanton visited his Marlins teammates.
• Jon Heyman says that Stanton is still the NL MVP over Clayton Kershaw.
• Barry Bonds is appealing his obstruction of justice conviction.
• Rusney Castillo and Yoenis Cespedes have the Cuban community in Boston very excited.
• The Mets are interested in Cuban defector Yasmany Tomas but think he'll cost too much.
• Joey Votto addressed the whispers that he's not trying hard enough to come back from his injury.
• Peter Gammons says that MLB teams are trading OBP for SLG.
• Emma Span castigates Bud Selig for ignoring the allegations against the Wilpons and their mismanagement of the Mets.
• This list of the ten highest-paid relievers is a pretty sad list.
• Craig Calcaterra asks whatever happened to Khalil Greene? Apparently he's in a better place. No, he's not dead. A better place for him.
• A lot of pitchers in the minor leagues hit 100 mph on a radar gun this year. None for the Cubs.
• And finally, Baseball America eats some humble pie and lists the top ten major leaguers whom they never ranked on a team's Top 30 Prospects lists. Number one would be a Cy Young candidate this year if it weren't for that pesky Clayton Kershaw.

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