August 6, 2002 [LINK]
[ Ozzie Smith joins Hall of Fame ]
Hats off to former Cardinal shortstop Ozzie Smith for being inducted into the Hall of Fame last week. The Braves' sweep of the Cardinals (first place in the NL Central) over the weekend established without question that they are the team to beat as we enter the late part of the season. Tonight the Braves begin a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who lead the NL West. This promises to be a pivotal clash of titans! Even though the Giants and Dodgers have slipped behind in the NL West, the AL West remains a fairly tight race. In the east, meanwhile, the Red Sox are playing solidly but seem to slip about a game further behind the Yankees every week, so the AL wild card spot may be the best they can hope for.
[ Few last-minute trades ]
Relatively few trades took place before the July 31 deadline. Both the Yankees and Braves are satisfied with their batting lineup and phenomenal pitching staffs. The Red Sox got Cliff Floyd from Montreal, angering Yankee owner George Steinbrenner who suspected that the rest of the major league owners (who effectively "own" the Expos pending resolution of the contraction/relocation issue) conspired to facilitate Floyd's transfer to his chief rival. That little spat dramatizes that the Expos' current lame-duck status is a travesty that brings shame on the whole sport. Let them be sold and moved to Washington and be done with it! The Cardinals got pitcher Chuck Finley from the Indians and third baseman Scott Rolen from the Phillies.
[ No strike date (yet) ]
There was a rumor that the players association was going to announce a strike date for mid-September (AFTER the 11th), but since then owners' and players' representatives have reported progress in their contract renewal talks. Don't rule out the possibility that greed and stupidity may yet prevail...