Separated at Birth: Vernon Wells and Miguel Batista

It's been a while since I've pulled one of these out, but a fresh connection finally occurred to me Monday night at the Mariners' game. Wells (above) has struggled this year after signing a sizeable contract extension; Batista has found his groove in Seattle and put together a career-best season.

Kobe Requests Trade to Team USA

Kobe Bryant is loving this.

The team is getting along well, he's finally getting the scoring support he needs, and he believes this is a group of guys that can win a lot of championships.

That's why Bryant has contacted Lakers' owner Jerry Buss to request a trade to Team USA.

"Team USA is a team I could see myself retiring with," Bryant said Wednesday. "Los Angeles may be my city, but the world is my playground."

Bryant also expressed his satisfaction with Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski.

"He lets us call him Coach K, which is really great," Bryant glowed. "It's barely longer than 'Phil.'"

If the trade goes through, it is unclear who the Lakers would receive in return for Bryant. What is clear, however, is that Team USA would be considered an instant contender. Many basketball diehards are already envisioning a Team USA - Boston Finals.

The above is purely satirical and should not be taken as fact.

Come All Yi Faithful

The Milwaukee Bucks wanted Yi Jianlian more than you know.

After Yi made it pretty clear that he didn't want to play in a city like Milwaukee (he hasn't acquired a taste for beer, cheese, or sausage, yet), the Bucks went ahead and drafted him anyway.

Brilliant.

Then, the Chinese national team attempted to intervene, saying that Yi wouldn't be playing in the NBA this season. At this point, everyone in the greater Milwaukee area was biting their fingernails, thinking that a lottery pick had gone by the wayside.

But not to worry, Yi has finally come to his senses. Maybe it was watching the FIBA tournament that convinced him, but I bet he couldn't get over the scent of all that money. Either way, Yi inked a multi-year deal with the Bucks today in Hong Kong.

I don't know what strings Milwaukee pulled to get this done, but kudos to them for sticking with it.

Another Black Eye for Fresno State

With another football season nearly underway, the good people riding the Fresno State Red Wave had nearly forgotten about the sexual harassment suit that rocked the university this summer.

The lawsuit was just the latest in a long history of embarrassment to Fresno State, but the storm clouds had almost passed from the heads of the ever-resilient contingent of Bulldog faithful.

Not so fast, Rafer Alston said Tuesday.

Alston, a Fresno State alumnus, was charged with assault for stabbing a man at a Manhattan night club. It seems the two accidentally bumped into each other, and when an argument ensued, Alston stabbed him in the neck. Naturally.

The arrest came just three weeks after Alston was charged with assault and public intoxication in Houston. The first event may have flown under the radar a bit, but when you double up in a month, people are going to notice.

And while you can't exactly blame Fresno State for this -- I don't believe Jerry Tarkanian was a voice in Alston's head saying, "Stab him, stab him!" -- it's another example that the Bulldogs' "reclamation projects" were nothing more than a way to cut corners.

Alston is a great basketball player, but off the court he's the kind of person who can make the school sorry they ever gave him a scholarship. And now he has.

Handicapping the NL Pennant Races

As promised, here's a look at the NL playoff races as we approach the stretch run.

NL EAST

Current Standings: New York leads Philadelphia by 5 games, Atlanta by 6

The Mets are kind of the Red Sox of the National League, with an extremely deep lineup. Their starting pitching isn't as solid, and that could be to their detriment if things get close. The Phillies got a big boost from the return of Chase Utley yesterday, but they have just three away games against the Mets remaining to make up ground. They'll have to win and hope to get help from the Nationals and Marlins, which seems unlikely. Atlanta looked like it could contend to start the season, but its investments in bullpen pitching (Bob Wickman and Mike Gonzalez) just haven't paid off.

New York Schedule / Philadelphia Schedule / Atlanta Schedule
Prediction: New York wins by 7 games


NL CENTRAL

Current Standings: Chicago leads Milwaukee by 1.5, St. Louis by 2, and Cincinnati by 6.5

Ah, the division that nobody wants. Even with the division lead in tow, the Cubs couldn't have been more ready for the return of Alfonso Soriano yesterday, who they will need to provide an offensive spark at the top of their lineup. The Brewers need as much or more of a boost from the return of Ben Sheets, who has been missing since mid-July. The Cardinals' pitching has struggled mightily all season, but they're the Cardinals, and they've been here before. The Reds are a nice story, but I see them as a non-factor at this point.

Chicago Schedule / Milwaukee Schedule / Cincinnati Schedule
Prediction: St. Louis surges to a 2 game victory over Chicago


NL WEST

Current Standings: Arizona leads San Diego by 2, Los Angeles by 5.5, and Colorado by 6.5

Despite the "revival" of David Wells in Los Angeles, I think this division will by won by the Diamondbacks or Padres. Arizona has been a great story all season, and they've kept putting together wins with a very young roster. But as it's been pointed out, they have a negative run differential. I'm not exactly a stathead, but I see them leveling out a bit in this last month of the season. San Diego, meanwhile, has all the makings of a division winner. They have consistent hitting that's heating up at the right time, and a very solid pitching rotation with Jake Peavy, Greg Maddux, and Chris Young. If Trevor Hoffman can regain his form, they'll be tough to beat.

Arizona Schedule / San Diego Schedule / Los Angeles Schedule / Colorado Schedule
Prediction: San Diego beats Arizona by 4 games

NL WILD CARD

Despite some disappointing investments in Bob Wickman and Mike Gonzalez, the Braves have a pretty deep lineup and more than a decent bullpen. Atlanta knows how to reach the playoffs, and Chipper Jones and John Smoltz know they don't have too many more chances. I expect to see them get it done.

Prediction: Atlanta edges Arizona by 2 games

McLaren's Memorable Meltdown

As he approaches the stretch run of his first-ever playoff race, Mariners manager John McLaren is clearly feeling just a little uptight. In the best ever manager-umpire argument I've witnessed in person, McLaren spent a good 2-3 minutes in the personal space of Jerry Meals.

Check out the video here.

Ichiro struck out in the home half of the first, but he thought he may have gotten a piece of the ball before it hit the dirt. McLaren sided with him, and then came unglued. It's hard to tell from the video, but it seems like he kept saying something about a truck.

Unfortunately, it was the best thing that happened all night. John Lackey was solid and the Angels won, 6-0.

Handicapping the AL Pennant Races

With about 30 games left to play, each division is technically up for grabs. Here's a look at how I see things shaking out, with the NL races (hopefully) coming tomorrow.

AL EAST

Current Standings: Boston leads New York by 7.5 games

The Red Sox are best described like a long ball off of David Ortiz's bat: deep. They've got a deep rotation, a deep bullpen, and a deep lineup. The Yankees, meanwhile, are more like a house of cards. Their lineup looks great on paper, but it's been inconsistent at times season. And due to injuries and inexperience, New York's rotation has been downright shaky.

Boston Schedule New York Schedule
Prediction: Boston wins by 10 games.


AL CENTRAL

Current Standings: Cleveland leads Detroit by 2.5 and Minnesota by 5.5

This division, which many thought to be the strongest in baseball at the outset of the season, has actually become one of its weakest. The Indians have ridden the arms of C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, and the bats of Victor Martinez and Grady Sizemore. Travis Hafner hasn't really heated up yet. The Tigers have struggled as of late, but its difficulties have coincided with the absence of Gary Sheffield. If he can get healthy, Detroit is the more experienced team, the one that knows what it takes to win down the stretch. With two teams to pass, life is tough for the Twinkies.

Cleveland Schedule Detroit Schedule Minnesota Schedule
Prediction: Detroit edges Cleveland by 3 games, Minnesota by 5.


AL WEST

Current Standings: Los Angeles leads Seattle by 2 games

Ah, the Wild AL West. It would have been hard to predict a season like this for the Mariners, who entered this season with a lot of question marks and Mike Hargrove as their manager. But Seattle has been steady if unimpressive, and the team chemistry seems to be a strong point. Los Angeles, meanwhile, has stayed just ahead, if only for its 8-4 record against Seattle this season. The two teams square off tonight in what could be a pivotal series.

Los Angeles Schedule Seattle Schedule
Prediction: Los Angeles hangs on for a 3 game lead over Seattle.


AL WILD CARD

Current Standings: Seattle leads New York by 2, Detroit by 4, Minnesota by 7.

Conventional wisdom had the second place finisher of the AL East winning the Wild Card as a consolation prize, but I don't see that happening this year. While I'm doubtful the Mariners will overtake the Angels, I think they'll hold tightly to the Wild Card lead and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

Prediction: Mariners win Wild Card by 1 game over New York.

Rule that Play an Error on the Scorekeeper

A day after Placido Polanco's errorless streak ended, it was given new life thanks to a change in heart by the official scorekeeper.

Polanco had gone 147 games (since July of last year) without a gaffe, but the streak was apparently over when he made a poor throw Friday in a game against the Yankees. The throw pulled first baseman Marcus Thames' foot off the bag, allowing Melky Cabrera to reach safely.

The play was ruled E-4.

Realizing that he may have affected history -- the all-time record for errorless games by an infielder is 193 by Steve Garvey -- official scorekeeper Ron Kleinfelter met with first base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt and later changed the call.

Thames took the error, and the streak remains.

I get that you don't want to tamper with a potential record; nobody wants to be the guy that unfairly ends a streak. But just because you lost a little sleep over it doesn't mean you can go back and fix it. It also doesn't mean his initial decision was wrong.

As it turns out, Polanco's isn't the only streak that's been prolonged by the benevolence of an official scorekeeper.

In 1941, with his hitting streak at 31, Joe DiMaggio hit a routine ground ball to shortstop in his last at-bat of the game. The ball took a bad hop and was misplayed by the shortstop, allowing DiMaggio to reach. The official scorekeeper, who happened to be a friend of DiMaggio, recorded the play as a hit.

The next day, the same shortstop misplayed another ball off of DiMaggio's bat, and the same scorekeeper again gave DiMaggio the nod. The streak lived on.

So if the most unassailable record in the game is covered with the fingerprints of an official scorer, I guess we shouldn't expect Polanco's pursuit of history to continue without a little "help." Tough luck, Marcus.