Red Flag Fridays!

While the playoffs heat up for some lucky fans and the covetous eyes of the also-rans dart across the free agent lists, I figured it attempt to throw some cold water on some of the scarier whispers I've heard.

Jeff Blair took time away from glaring at babies and building a shrine to Saint Joe Strummer to announce his presidency of the Orlando Cabrera fan club. Frighteningly enough, Blair points to new Jays GM A.A. Milne as the driving force behind the rumored "sign and trade" that may have been in the works this past winter. While getting around the Type A draft pick sacrifice would be a deft bit of business, I'll reiterate what I said in March: fuck no to O Cab. As much as I enjoy aging me-first malcontents that don't get on base, I think I'll pass. You can talk about winners all you want, but showing up the umpire in a one-game playoff because you don't like a strike one call is horseshit. Doubly so when you KNOW he won't throw you out because of the situation.

Remember when I said "fuck no" to Jason Bay last month? Well the much-smarter people at U.S.S. Mariner chimed in and offered their own "fuck no" to the local boy that is Canadian lives in the area and hits for power.

Some of the reasons he doesn't work in Seattle don't apply here (his bad defense won't be made to look worse as in gigantic Safeco Field) but the rest applies. Age. Decline Phase. Old Player Skills. Too much money for too many years. Enough.

Image courtesy of Flikr user /sizemore/. Topical!

Canadian content

What do the networks want in the way of a World Series match up? I can tell you it isn't a Brewers - Rays final. I'm quite positive it isn't an Angels vs. Phillies clash either. Sure, a White Sox and Cubs series would be interesting and create an unimaginable buzz in the Windy city. If I was a betting man (which I most certainly am not), I'd put the smart money on the suits praying for a Dodgers - Red Sox World Series. Manny Ramirez returning to face his ex-mates on the grandest of all stages will sell a lot of ad time. The media circus that would ensue would be impossible to explain even with the use of every superlative you can fathom.

Speaking of superlatives: Jason Bay is amazing. Lighting up the Angels and making them wish they'd never won the West to begin with. After hitting a two-run bomb Wednesday, Bay connected again tonight launching a two-out, three-run Angel heartbreaker over the center field fence. Santana has to know you can't come with that weak shit to a Canuck. You'll be sorry every fucking time. You gotta locate son. Looking good so far in the eyes of network executives.