I think A-Rod is a little too excited over winning his first pennant, don’t you?  What happened to the old pat on the butt – A-Rod looks like he’s about to manhandle Jeter’s rear end.  But if you are a Yankees fan, you have to like the intensity and focus in A-Rod’s eyes.  It looks like he is ready to play this postseason.

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Are you serious?  Blowers calls the at bat, the count, and the spot where its going to land.  Its like he went to the future in a DeLorean, grabbed a sports almanac and came back claiming to be able to predict sports outcomes.  But just in case he didn’t time travel – maybe I should see if he can predict the lottery numbers

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The look on his face when she threw the ball over is priceless.

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The Brewers have been out of playoff contention for a while, but that can’t stop them from having fun when someone hits a walk-off homerun (Click here for video).  Either the Brewers have been planning on this for a while, or Prince is so big that when he jumps, the Earth shakes.

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David Wright’s new protective helmet is a bit on the ridiculous side – it looks like he should be playing the in the  LLWS.  He totally looks like Dark Helmet from Space Balls.

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The Dodgers acquired slugger Jim Thome from the White Sox and right-hander Jon Garland from the Diamondbacks on Monday after both players cleared waivers.

“I think it’s made us stronger,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said after a 5-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. “We have a threat off the bench now, and in Garland we certainly have someone who knows how to pitch.”

For players to be eligible for the postseason with a new team, transactions had to be completed before midnight ET on Monday. – via ESPN

I understand the Garland aquisition to shore up the back end of the rotation, but acquiring Thome doesn’t make any sense.  He’s been a full time DH for the past 4 years, and the only other position he plays is first base, where they already have James Loney.  Its not like they can do a righty-lefty platoon since Loney is also bats left handed.  Looks like Thome is going to be an expensive pinch hitter.

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ATLANTA (AP) — Braves pitcher Tim Hudson will make his first big league appearance in more than a year on Monday, replacing Kenshin Kawakami for a start against the Florida Marlins.

Hudson was the ace of the Atlanta staff before his season-ending elbow ligament-replacement surgery on Aug. 8, 2008. Now, nearly 13 months later and after more than a month of rehab starts in the minors, the right-hander is set to rejoin a rotation that is already one of the strongest in the big leagues.

Hudson was 11-7 with a 3.17 ERA when he blew out his elbow. He could become a free agent after this season.

Hopefully having Hudson back will bring some life into the lineup and jump start playoff run.  The pitching for the most part has been great this year, but the offense has been inconsistent at best.  And if they quit pitching to Ryan Howard – they might actually beat the Phillies and gain some ground in the NL East.  Hopefully Frank Wren is smart enough to exercise Hudson’s option for next year – because that is going to be a nasty pitching rotation – Lowe, Hudson, Vazquez, Jurrjens, Hanson.  Each of these guys can be the number 1 starter on a lot of staffs.   Throw in Kawakami in the mix - this pitching rotation is going to be lights out next year just like the Braves of the 90’s.

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The team said their 30-year-old ace is expected to be OK for spring training next year. He was examined Tuesday by Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek in New York.

“It’s not the worst,” Santana said on a conference call. “Believe me, I’m going to be ready.”

The Mets also announced Tuesday that reliever J.J. Putz had a setback in his recovery from elbow surgery and will miss the rest of the season after an MRI revealed “some new fraying and a slight tear” in his right forearm. He will not need surgery and it is merely a preventative measure, the team said.

Well, at least the Mets don’t have to worry about another late season meltdown like the last two seasons.  Call it the  curse of the new Citi Field, how else do you explain all the inuiries and luck that they’ve gone through?

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Go ahead and mark it down – the Cardinals are the front runner for the World Series.  The Cardinals have all the pieces for the championship – 2 dominant pitchers (Carpenter and Wainwright), one of the best closers this year (Franklin), the best hitter in the game (Pujols) and some great complimentary hitters.  Now you throw in the best post season pitcher of all time -  just go ahead and hand them the trophy.

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