Tonight, Tonight

Fogg v. Peavy.
Bengals v. Pats.
Rally time around the MLB.

Top three things going on tonight. The weekends have been great the last month with baseball, college football, and NFL, and it continues into Monday.

All I know is that Pats RB Laurence Maroney better play (listed as questionable) and get me seven fantasy points to lead me to victory.

Tomorrow is baseball follow up to the one-game playoff, NFL picks week 4 results (lousy), and other stories to follow.

I am off to the Angels rally at the stadium to see if I can 'graph Chuck Finley.

MLB Races (Mostly NL)

Most of the divisions have been clinched in the American League (Boston's magic number is two going into today, with them holding a lead over Oakland as I type this), along with the Yankees looking like the team that will take the AL wild card.

The important part for Boston, Cleveland, and Los Angeles is to end the season with the league's best record to ensure home-field advantage. As it looks right now, the race is between Cleveland and Boston after the Angels got swept following the clinch of the AL West.

In the National League the races are tight in all of the divisions. Each of the division leaders lead by two games going into today's games. San Diego still leads the wild card race by a game over Philadelphia and Colorado (who are incredibly hot right now).

Speaking of San Diego... the Padres and the rest of MLB gots news today that the umpire in the Milton Bradley incident will be suspended for the rest of the season .

Mike Winters deserved to be suspended and I hope that there is a stipulation in the suspension that holds him out of the game until Bradley fully recovers from his torn ACL and returns to MLB action.

It is justice for Bradley and the Padres, but that it will all be for naught if they do not make the playoffs. It is sad that Bradley lost his season and his chance to play in the postseason because an umpire baited a player.

In the future I hope MLB investigates incidents like this more often. When power is in the wrong hands it can be dangerous, and this was just an example. Had Winters handled this like a professional this would have been avoided entirely, and Bradley and the Padres could only blame themselves if they miss the playoffs.

Mr. Bradley, What Did He Say?

Milton Bradley had been rescued by the San Diego Padres and had the opportunity to thank them by helping them reach the playoffs. That dream took a weird turn yesterday when he tore his ACL in his right knee after a freak accident in the eighth inning of yesterday's game.

The Padres will have to somehow muster up some offense without Bradley in their lineup; they are also without Mike Cameron as well.

There are reports that the umpire Bradley confronted, Mike Winter, used profanity that triggered his tirade. This is the worst possible scenario that could have happened to Bradley, who has a history of losing his cool at the wrong times.

I have read various articles in which his Padres teammates praise him for his attitude and demeanor in the clubhouse. I want to believe them and I think I truly do. But why did it have to happen at such an inopportune time? No matter what, Bradley is going to look like the bad guy because it happened with a week to play and his team fighting for a playoff spot.

Despite the Padres' poor offense I thought they would wrap up the wild card. I was talking with a friend of mine who is a Padres fan about their chances on Saturday. One of his points involved Bradley being back in the lineup and would provide the offense they needed to get them over the hump.

A day later my friend is no doubt scared about their chances. The Padres lost today and are now in a tie with the Phillies for the NL wild card (the Phillie Phanatic is practicing his dance moves as I am writing this).

Bradley noted that Winters should get reprimanded like Joey Crawford did following a game in which he targeted Tim Duncan. If Winters did in fact use profanity towards Bradley he should definitely get suspended. Whatever was said, Winters knew it would set off Bradley. Umpires are there to help the game work, not interrupt it.

Winters pushed Bradley's button on Sunday, and now the Padres may be pushing the eject button from the playoffs.