St. Louis @ MindSay

St. Louis vs. Detroit

In my original predictions, I had Minnesota over the the Cards.  The reason I had Detroit losing in the first round was that I thought they were too inexperienced, but that doesn't seem to matter.  They are on fire right now.  Their pitching and hitting both look better than St. Louis.  Plus they've had about a week to set up their rotation and rest their bullpen.  I have to go with the Tigers in 5 games...they're just so hot right now.

An amusing note on the Yankees:

A caller, who is a Yankee fan, on a sports radio show compared their line-up to a gourmet dinner when he said it's like they combined caviar, steak, and fettuccini...they are all great foods, but they don't make a good meal.

Giants managerial search:

The names that seem to keep popping up are Bruce Bochy (manager of the intradivision Padres), Manny Acta (coach for the Mets), Bud Black (the Angels' pitching coach), Joe Girardi (former Marlins manager), and Dusty Baker.  First things first, DON'T HIRE BAKER.  Plain and simple.  The guy has had his chance with some great talent and hasn't gotten the job done.  Not only that, but the Giants are going to be getting a lot younger this offseason, and I don't think Baker has it in him to coach up a group of youngsters that might not be competitive for a couple years.

If I had my choice, I would like to see them hire Girardi.  He almost got Florida into the playoffs with a payroll ($15 mill) that was less than Alex Rodriguez' 2006 salary ($25 mill).  Not only that, he did it with a roster that featured 22 rookies.  The reason he got fired in Florida obviously has nothing to do with the teams' performance; he was fired because of personality conflicts with the owner and GM.  As far as I have been able to tell, the Giants' owner and GM have never gotten into any sort of altercation with a manager or anyone else.  This seems to make perfect sense for a team that has to retool (and you probably thought I was going to say rebuild).  The only problem is that he might get snatched up by Washington before we get the chance.  But if Peter McGowan gets the opportunity, I hope he brings in a young, successful, proven commodity like Girardi.

As always, comments, critiques and suggested topics are welcome by replying here or by emailing me at KONsports@yahoo.com.

I'm in my sister's appartment in St. Louis right now. I'm bored. Later my dad and I are going to go to the History museum (I think). I saw King Kong the other day and since then I've seen The Brothers' Grimm, The Island, Euston Road, and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. All of them were pretty cool. My throat hurts and I have been sneezing like crazy. Stupid gay allergies. Well, I'm going to go find something interesting to do. Bye!

Ponson, 29, will give the Cardinals additional depth in their starting rotation, increasing the chances that the team will trade a starting pitcher for a second baseman or corner outfielder.

The Orioles terminated Ponson's contract after he was arrested for driving under the influence on Aug. 25. The players' union has filed a grievance on Ponson's behalf, contending that the team still must pay him the balance of his contract, which runs through 2006.

Despite his off-field troubles and 6.21 ERA in 23 starts last season, Ponson drewa surprising amount of interest as a free agent, receiving attention from the Rangers, Phillies and other clubs.

The Cardinals are gambling that Ponson finally will fulfill his promise after cleaning up his lifestyle and entering their winning environment. Ponson voluntarily spent 30 days in a rehabilitation center last September. He has stopped drinking and lost weight, friends say.

In his grievance, Ponson is seeking $1.1 million in salary from last season and the $10 million he was set to earn this season. The Orioles are expected to lose the grievance, which is scheduled to be heard in March.

Ponson's negotiated base salary with the Cardinals will off-set the Orioles' obligation. His deal also will include an incentive package that also could reduce the Orioles' payment.

In eight seasons with the Orioles, Ponson was 76-91 with a 4.81 ERA.