Jeff Bower names the pitchers on the Ken Phelps All-Star Team. (Baseball Prospectus)

Keith Law argues that baseball ought to be thinking expansion, not contraction: "There are plenty of population bases available to support more major-league teams, from the underserved areas of greater New York (Brooklyn or New Jersey) and San Jose (or Santa Clara) to expansion bridesmaid Washington, D.C., to fast-growing markets like Las Vegas and Austin." (Baseball Prospectus)

Jim Furtado: "I usually try to look on the bright side of things. Considering all the Red Sox problems this year, things could be worse--I could be a Royals fan." (Clutch Hits)

Green hits 48th in Dodgers' rout of Giants. Whenever it looks like the Dodgers are going to fade away, they come right back. Arizona lost, too, so the Dodgers are just 3 1/2 games out of first. (ESPN)

A's erupt for eight runs in seventh inning...and beat the Angels to improve their record to 93-58. To win 100 games, they just need to finish 7-4. Amazing. (ESPN)

Next scheduled post: October 1.

Rob Neyer: "I love the Padres' future ... but not because of [Kotsay, Klesko, Nevin, Trammell and Sean Burroughs]. I'm thinking of guys like Dennis Tankersley and Jason Middlebrook, hot pitching prospects who should both be in the rotation next season. If Kevin Towers sticks to his plan, the Padres are going to be extremely competitive by 2003." (Chat wrap, ESPN)

Astros turn focus to surging Cardinals. Houston vs. St. Louis would be a great NLCS matchup. (Houston Chronicle)

A's relish a a wild feeling. Oakland vs. Seattle would be a great ALCS matchup. The A's are on fire. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Not so fast: Mets give one away to Braves. They were just one out away from a 3-game sweep. (ESPN)

Phils stun Marlins with homers in 9th, 10th. Another dramatic reversal. The Phillies are still a half game behind the Braves. The Mets are 4 1/2 behind. (ESPN)

Mark Asher on the continuing efforts to bring baseball back to DC. (Washington Post)

Marc Topkin looks at the candidates for Devil Rays team MVP. Not much to choose from. Fred McGriff played well, but they traded him in July. Tanyon Sturtze, maybe? (St. Petersburg Times)

Braves regain composure, prevent Phillies sweep. But it's still a race. Braves lead by 1 1/2. (ESPN)

Rob Neyer writes about the Mets' pennant chances. (ESPN)

Joe Sheehan stands by his assertion that Scott Rolen is the second-best 3B in the NL. Albert Pujols hasn't played enough 3B this year, and Phil Nevin - a better hitter than Rolen – is not in Rolen's class defensively. (Baseball Prospectus)

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for September 5-18. "While I'm doubtful that a team that boasts El Guapo and Rod Beck is the organization that's going to get [Cal] Pickering into shape, it's a worthwhile risk, giving the [Red] Sox an alternative to a really bad idea like re-signing Dante Bichette." (Baseball Prospectus)

Keep on Rolen: Phillies within half-game of Braves. They go for a 4-game sweep tonight. (ESPN)

Joe Sheehan: "Within a season, player performance can take all kinds of strange directions. Hot starts, cold finishes, hitting well in alternate months... Voros McCracken rightly points out that much of what we see as 'streaks' is actually just a function of picking our endpoints selectively. That Rolen has performed well since the midsummer controversy isn't evidence that the tirade by [Dallas] Green caused that performance. That's an important distinction. Give Rolen credit for his hitting, not anyone else."

Morris wins 20th as Cardinals rout Brewers. Albert Pujols now has 120 RBI, breaking the NL rookie record. (ESPN)

Alou cranks three-run homer as Astros clip Giants. Doesn't anybody want to win the NL West?

A mile-high mess: Error-prone D-Backs whipped by Rockies. Anybody?

Padres stun Dodgers in 10 with Trammell's 3-run boost. Anybody? Do the Padres still have a shot?

Joy returns to Fenway, where Red Sox trip Rays. It was the Red Sox' 73rd win, which guarantees they won't lose 90 games this year. They haven't lost 90 since 1966, which gives them the longest active non-90-loss streak in baseball. Only once since 1966 have they lost as many as 85 games. They may not be World Champions, but they're the world champions of not being completely terrible. (ESPN)

Pujols drives in five runs in St. Louis rout. Wait a minute - wasn't Placido Polanco supposed to be playing third for them this year? A perfect day for the Cardinals, as the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Giants and Dodgers all lost. St. Louis now leads the wild-card race. (ESPN)

Rolen's winning hit caps Phillies' rally. Is Dallas Green still unhappy with him? (ESPN)

Rany Jazayerli: "In a society that uses 'Ruthian' to denote a gargantuan amount of, well, anything, few notice that a player is having a season that Babe Ruth himself would envy. While Barry Bonds may be having the most valuable season in the history of baseball, there are those who can't decide if he's even the Most Valuable Player in the National League this year." (Baseball Prospectus)

Jeff Bower names the outfielders and DHs on the Ken Phelps All-Star Team. (Baseball Prospectus)

Smith goes seven strong to beat Brewers. Looks like the no-hitter was no fluke. He's for real. (ESPN)

Rolen helps Phils tighten NL East race. Don't give up, Phillies fans. It's far from over. (ESPN)

Ripken's final game set to avoid NFL conflict. "Cal Ripken will close out his 21-year career with the Baltimore Orioles at home on Oct. 6 in a game rescheduled to avoid a conflict with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens." (ESPN)

Mets 4, Pirates 1. The Pirates collected about $100,000 in fan contributions for the New York police and fire rescue fund, which works out to about $10 per fan. The Mets are now just one game below .500, having won 18 of their last 23. (ESPN)

Rockies propose shifting series from Montreal. "The Colorado Rockies have proposed that their four-game series in Montreal this week be moved to Denver and used as a fund-raiser for the victims of last week's terrorist attacks. 'We'd have an opportunity to draw between 30,000 and 40,000 here compared to 3,000 there,' Rockies owner Jerry McMorris said Sunday. Commissioner Bud Selig was considering the idea." (ESPN)

MLB announces new security measures. No coolers, backpacks or large bags. Bags will be inspected. (ESPN)

Bernie Miklasz: "Baseball people are telling us that it is important to have perspective during our national crisis. We'll discover if they've maintained that perspective when it's time to convene at a negotiating table this winter." My suggestion: Postpone the negotiations and extend the existing Basic Agreement for one year. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Tracy Ringolsby: "Baseball commissioner Bud Selig handled a tough situation with a touch of class...But there was one statement by Selig that jumped out. 'I believe,' he said, 'in the sanctity of the 162-game schedule.' Since when? Where was the concern for the sanctity of the schedule in 1994?" And 1995, 1972, 1981 and 1985? (Rocky Mountain News)

Rob Neyer says that MLB should have resumed play sooner. "This weekend…we cannot…watch a baseball game. And somewhere, a terrorist who knows something about America is chortling." (ESPN)

Jay Jaffe, who writes the excellent Futility Infielder weblog, lives in Manhattan and witnessed the tragic events of Tuesday. Here is his account.

Jay Jaffe on Andy Pettitte, "a classic example of what Bill James called (in his 1984 Baseball Abstract) the 'Tommy John family of pitchers.'" (Futility Infielder)

Friday return looms as possibility. MLB tentatively plans to make up the games that have been postponed, so we may see World Series games in November. (ESPN)

Gary Huckabay moderates a discussion between two long-suffering Red Sox fans. Dan Duquette is "wicked stupid." (Baseball Prospectus)

Clay Davenport on the Braves' new first baseman, 40-year-old Julio Franco, who tore up the Mexican League this year (.437/.497/.678.) "Just don't expect any miracles: he's the same Julio Franco he was before, and his expected performance is still well below the major-league first-base average EqA of .290. In fact, his expected value is, fittingly enough, almost exactly equal to the .257 EqA of a replacement-level first baseman." (Baseball Prospectus)

Joe Sheehan: "Rich Aurilia is putting up numbers that would fit right into [Alex] Rodriguez's career line, and in fact, is having one of the 10 best seasons for a shortstop in history." (ESPN)

Boom! Boom! Boom! Bonds hits three more - Giants win. Maybe he will get enough at-bats to break 70, after all. He needs 7 more. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Stuart Shea: "The Brewers' pitching isn't their problem. The problem is their lousy offense." (Baseball Prospectus)

Joe Sheehan thinks that Barry Bonds is unlikely to break Mark McGwire's HR record, because he won't get enough at-bats; that Randy Johnson has a shot at Nolan Ryan's single-season strikeout mark; and that the Mariners probably won't pass the 1998 Yankees' win total. (Baseball Prospectus)

Allen Barra argues that Danny Almonte ought to get more of the blame for the Danny Almonte scandal. "Poor little Danny, didn't know he was 14, apparently didn't even know he wasn't in school in Pennsylvania this past June, Pennsylvania looking so much like the Dominican Republic and all (same music, same food)." (Salon)

Bill Simmons: "The only people who keep mentioning 'The Curse' are media people and uneducated non-Boston fans." (ESPN Page 2)

Reds say Boone returning next year as manager. There are two ways for a manager to gain job security: Win consistently (cf. Torre, Cox), or lose consistently (cf. Kelly, Garner, Muser, and now Boone). Whatever you do, don't finish second (cf. Williams). (ESPN)

Paul Lukas on Wayne Gomes (2) and Rob Bell (6), who are only the 10th and 11th pitchers since 1960 to wear single-digit uniform numbers. "An irritable Giants spokesman insisted to us that Gomes chose his number 'just because, and that's all he has to say about it,' although this overly defensive posture invites speculation to the contrary (Our hunch: unresolved fantasies of playing shortstop)." (Village Voice)

Keith Law: "[F]ans of small-market teams who didn't listen to the bleating of Bud Selig and his mirthless minions about the complete lack of hope for their teams this year were probably rewarded for their faith. Nearly half of the sub-median-payroll teams have winning records right now; two are likely going to the playoffs and two more have excellent chances of joining them." (Baseball Prospectus)

Keith Law on draft caps. (Baseball Prospectus)

Jeff Bower names the infielders on the Ken Phelps All-Star Team. (Baseball Prospectus)

Chris Kahrl's Transaction Analysis for August 22-30. "For all of the good things that Charles Nagy did for the Indians over the years--and he did many good and some great things--nobody should feel for him. His failure to fess up to his bad wing last September was selfishness masquerading as competitive desire, and it was one of several factors that kept the Tribe out of last year's playoffs." (Baseball Prospectus)

Joe Sheehan on Bud Smith's no-hitter. (Baseball Prospectus)