MLB Bullets Makes A Stand For Hygiene

I'm still on vacation.

• The Cole Hamels trade rumors are heating up.
• With the Athletics surging after a hot June, might the A's be buyers rather than sellers at the deadline?
• Anthony Castrovince has five trades he thinks make sense. I'm sorry, but Billy McKinney for Shark does not make sense. Poetry, maybe.
• The Phillies need to trade Hamels to start the rebuilding process, but might the new cornerstone of the franchise already be in Philadelphia with Maikel Franco?
• And it looks like our old good friend Andy MacPhail will be in charge of the rebuilding efforts in Philadelphia as the new team president.
• This will probably be in Cub Tracks tomorrow, but I need to include it here to set up the next links. Joe Maddon is upset with the replay officials, thinking that umpires are hesitant to overrule fellow umpires. He wants the replay rulings to be handled by "a bunch of nerds."
• CJ Nitkowski thinks that's a bad idea, even if he would like to see umpires held more accountable.
• Rob Neyer thinks umpires should be removed from the replay process, if only because it creates the perception of a conflict of interest.
• One change MLB is definitely making to the replay process is that all decisions will no longer be made in New York. Soon, a second replay center will be located in San Francisco. A good idea, if only so that blurry-eyed umpires in New York aren't making calls on games in Seattle at 2 a.m.
• The story of Chris Janes, the whistleblower on the Jackie Robinson West scandal, from his point of view. And all the abuse he's had to deal with.
• Former Tigers great Willie Horton is still working to bring this country together.
• Sean Conroy, who pitches for the independent league Sonoma Stompers, became the first openly gay professional baseball player last night. And to top that off, he threw a shutout.
• That would have been a much bigger story if Conroy pitched as part of a major league organization. Rob Neyer has a response for those who don't think it should be a story at all.
• Getting back to the Touki Toussaint trade, Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart explained why the team dealt Toussaint for what they got for him. Also, Ken Rosenthal reports the Astros are interested in Jeff Samardzija.
• Dave Cameron explains why if you are a DBacks fan, Stewart's comments should make you very afraid for the team's future.
• Cameron also says that the Braves are rebuilding like an NBA franchise would. He means that as a compliment, I think.
• The Astros really are good.
• Yes, Virginia, you just won the College World Series. So there really is a Santa Claus.
• The Mets are promoting prospect Steven Matz and going with a six-man rotation for now.
• The Amazin's are also moving Wilmer Flores to second base and Daniel Murphy to third base.
• Free agent pitcher Chris Perez was suspended 50 games for a "drug of abuse." Toking up with your pothead dog again, Chris?
• Albert Pujols is hitting like "The Machine" again. Jonah Keri examines whether this is a permanent return to form for Pujols or just a fluke. (Answer: a little of both but closer to the former than the latter)
• Neil Paine normalizes Alex Rodriguez's 3000 hits, as well as those of every player who reached 3000 hits, to see where A-Rod ranks.
• Ben Goldfarb reports on the Alaska Baseball League and their traditional Midnight Sun Game, played this past Sunday with a 10:30 p.m. start. And no lights.
• Jerry Crasnick looks at hitters who don't use batting gloves.
• Dustin Pedroia has been using an "axe-handled" bat this year. Are they the wave of the future?
• Who's been the best hitter in baseball over the past 365 days? Paul Goldschmidt. No real surprise there. Who's been the second-best? You'd probably guess for a week before you answered Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner.
• The Dodgers sent their rookies for coffee at Starbucks at Wrigley in full uniform. No word on whether they saw Theo Epstein.
• And finally, staying with the Dodgers, they'd better wash their hands carefully. Because if you don't wash your hands after going number two, Zack Greinke WILL call you out in a team meeting. He's done it before.

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