Fine, okay, it's a blog already!

This sucks. Some guy shows up at a Giants game and catches Bonds' 756th ball and now has to auction it off. Matt Murphy wants to keep the ball but since it is a souvenir it gets taxed. And consider it's worth at least a half million to a million and a half, he obviously can't keep it.

So, we've got a president who keeps cutting taxes for the rich, gets rid of inheritance taxes, wants to remove taxes from investment profits, and generally let every company get off the hook tax-free for selling American jobs overseas, but some schmoe catches a historic piece of sports history and the IRS gets ready to feed on him like hungry vampires. Seriously?

Bush has a presidential statement to allow torturing and imprisonment of random brown people. He rules like a dictator, his people can't be questioned, his decisions can't be challenged in court, he kills Americans in a silly war like we're going out of style. You'd think he'd jump in and give this guy a pass this one time.

But that would require a respect for America, Americans, and our best traditions. Which he obviously does not have. His idea of tradition is letting KKK members parade around the desert hunting down Mexicans as "Minutemen" and letting modern day robber barons rip off American citizens.

Oh well.

In related baseball news, Ari Fleischer, Bush's former talking head, is now a talking head for the aluminum baseball bat cabal in the face of bans of bats on some fields. Look, I love my baseball, but I loathe aluminum bats. It is a way of making everyone a home run hitter. Which, if you aren't, you shouldn't be. He says it doesn't make the game as "fun" as it should be.

Just like a Bushite, wanting a cheat to make things look easier than they are.

(Damn Internet Explorer, why do I even use it at all? Didn't notice I was posting in it and, of course, the browser crashed. The previous version of this post was better. Sorry.)

Of course, this is my favorite time of year, the baseball postseason. And this one *could* have actually been weirder but it is strange enough as it is. Seven of the eight teams in are decided, with a one game playoff today. Trust me, the possibilities were frightening to behold.

So, I won my fantasy baseball league yesterday. More to the point, my adversary, who was behind in wins, was trying to beat me in that stat by picking up Tommy Glavine of the Mets, who was trying to get his team into the playoffs and avoid one of the most spectacular team collapses in baseball history. He got hammered for seven runs and only managed to get one out prior to getting yanked. The Mets lost 8-1 and lost the division and a chance at the playoffs to the improbably impressive late run by the Phillies.

In doing so, Glavine put up awful numbers, as did Cordero and Burnett for my opponent, all who shot his ERA into the stratosphere - or at least past me, which won me a tie-breaker. Yay me!

So, today is game 163 of the season. The Padres lost at Milwaukee and the Rockies won at home against the D-Backs. Colorado has won 14 of their last 15 and seem damn near unbeatable. Should they win the day and move on, there is the outside chance that we could actually have snow ball in Denver later this month. Frightening. The Dugout takes a look at this.

All that said, and despite the Red Sox vs. Indians and Angels vs. Yankees (go Angels! and anyone against the Yankees!), the series I'm ready for are the Cubs vs. the Diamondbacks. Here's a preview.

Whew!

And I'm on a big project back in Arizona - again. Wish me luck, but send some good vibes towards Chicago. I'd really, really like to see the Cubbies in the Series before I die and this has been their best chance in my lifetime (and yes, I'm refusing to discuss 2003). To put it in perspective, my dad was two the last time they even were in the Fall Classic. Of course they lost.

A couple human interest stories to end the regular season on related to two new amazing players in the majors. They are both Native Americans and are rising stars on the Red Sox and Yankees rosters. Read more about Jacoby Ellsbury and Joba Chamberlain.

Today the Cubs either strive for greatness or give me another reason to hate the fact I'm a fan of their's. Here is a look at the playoff series against the Diamondbacks.

Jayson Stark says, why NOT the Cubs?

Also, looks at the Rockies and Phillies plus the Angels and Red Sox.

USA Today takes a look at the postseason at large.

Plus, since I'm in D-Backs land, some discussion pops up of the 2001 World Series and I refer to Jim Caple's excellent writeup of Game 7 that he did the next spring.

Plus, there couldn't be a discussion of the Cubs in the postseason without mentioning Steve Bartman. The Sun Times covers the human manifestation of The Curse.

Looking too far ahead, a a glance at the future of the Cubbies. Scary.

Cubs lose, but at least I was there to watch the damned debacle.

Ted Lilly is childish antics did not represent the Cubs in any glowing light.

But it was good to land some tickets and actually watch the Cubs in the postseason. Long odds from here on out that they get to the next round, but why would you want it any other way for the Cubs?

The Cubs blew it. No way around it. Give the D-backs credit for stepping up and the Cubbies the blame for letting it happen unopposed. No goat, no black cat, no Bartman. Just the Cubs choking.

It sucks. Badly. I will watch the rest of the postseason and hope the NL can find a team that will take it. Probably the Rockies, but Arizona made a case for itself this week.

It isn't enough. This article helps a bit though. Just a bit.

But hey, wait 'til next year, right?

"We're not done yet. we're gonna keep it going."

- Todd Helton, Rockies first baseman

You've read all the stories. They're now 21 of 22 games since near the end of the regular season. Beat the Padres in a one-game playoff. Swept the Phillies. And now the Diamondbacks. The Colorado Rockies are going to the World Series.

My true joy though, is watching Eric Byrnes come up in the top of the 9th, 2 outs, and a chance to come back from a 6-4 deficit with a guy on second. After all the trash talking he'd been doing, if anyone who had gone 0-for-3 in his potential last game of the season would try to redeem themselves, it would be him.

Then again, I gave a chuckle when I saw this way-too-late slide.

Put up or shut up Byrnes. You've got all winter to think about that. And to think I had him on my fantasy league. Such classless behavior is usually suited for just the Yankees.

Never mind the on-field sportsmanship and achievements, the pranks are what sets baseball above all other sports.

Check this one out. Brett Myers and Phillies higher-ups conspire to "trade" Kyle Kendrick...and he falls for it!

Check out the video here:

Seriously, why do they even let this a-hole out amongst the public anymore?

I almost feel bad for Jon Miller and Joe Morgan for having to deal with the play-by-play on this mess. I do not feel bad for the shills at MLB.com that say "a good mix of cheers and boos" ensued when the Bushite in Chief took the field. Watch the video again. I don't hear a good mix of anything but derision and loathing for this piece of crap.

Leslie says it pains her to watch the leader of our country get booed, no matter how horrid of a leader he has been. I'd probably agree with her more, but I love my baseball and the freedom to express yourself more. Besides, this son-of-a-bitch (and I *do* so mean that) has been calling those of us who don't agree with him traitors so I obviously am not obligated to listen to him as my leader. He cut me off years ago.

That's alright, next year someone else will be throwing out the first pitch. Either the traitor to his beliefs, lil' miss "sniper fire", or Barack Obama. Gee, I wonder who I want to win?