Shotgun Sam Resurrected

I'm Back ... 2005, Fool!

Don't look now, but it may be a long offseason for the Molson Baseball League.

Rules changes? A tighter salary cap, you ask? No. The San Francisco Gereatrics, err Giants, are poised to win the World Series.

You know the Giants office for propaganda is already drafting press releases at a faster rate than liberals can blame Dubya for Hurricane Katrina, or that neocons can find ambiguous metrics to measure success in Iraq.

Surely, Pistol Pete has a column lurking somewhere in his busy entertainment calendar which will defend his recent draft history, including first rounders Quinton McCracken and, better yet, Jeremi Gonzalez. At least in the former case, McCracken won a ring. Still, the Giants have yet to meet an undraftable one-year wonder. Were it not for Montreal releasing Eric Munson, then drafting him in the first round only to release him again--talk about a destructive relationship--an award would exist in Gonzalez's name today.

Here's hoping the improving Diamondbacks or overachieving Red Sox can discover some magic in the playoffs, although I am not optimistic. Has anyone noticed that there is a reasonable chance that a team with a losing record will win a wildcard in the Wagner League? Pathetic.

While we are discussing personnel moves, does anyone think the Giants' southern neighbors would like to have Andruw Jones and John Lackey back? Scott Podsednik is a decent baseball player, but only if he runs. At the time of this column, he has eleven steals for the year and cannot even establish himself as a full-time player with the Padres. I have to think AJ would be an improvement over the likes of Charles Thomas at Petco Park.

Mariners Set Sights on Postseason

Seattle Looks to October

Seattle, WA- The Seattle Mariners, a Molson Baseball League doormat since relocating from Oakland in 2000, appear poised to reach the MBL playoffs for the first time since the late 1990s despite last week's debacle in San Francisco. With a lineup bolstered by midseason trades for two new starting outfielders and a new starting shortstop, many Mariners fans are believing the team could do the unthinkable--go to the World Series. The Mariners themselves have been considerably less forthright, instead focusing on the remaining four regular season series--three of which are at Safeco Field.

"In a playoff series, anything can happen," staff ace Ben Sheets said. "Our pitching has been the best in the league, and with our new additions, the offense is a lot better than it was the first half of the season. We aren't the same team now that we were most of the year."

Unfortunately, MBL schedulemakers did not anticipate Seattle being in the race. The Harris Division pennant will not be decided head-to-head as the Houston Astros and Mariners have completed their season series.