It was a tough weekend to be a baseball fan. We were deprived of a sixth and seventh game of the World Series, with St. Louis having disposed of Detroit in Game Five on Friday night, leaving us non-Cardinals fans with an unsatisfied feeling. It was a World Series lacking in great moments and high drama, a Series that will unfortunately be remembered for a succession of throwing errors by Tigers pitchers.

More importantly, the baseball world lost a good man on Friday. By now you’ve probably heard about the passing of Joe Niekro, who died at the age of 61 after suffering a brain aneurysm on Thursday.

I found this terrible news especially shocking because I had just seen Joe Niekro in Cooperstown three weeks earlier. He had been in town to participate in the Hall of Fame’s annual fantasy camp. He seemed to be in very good health, as evidenced by his heavy workload on a Saturday in Cooperstown. Working as a coach under his brother Phil, Joe threw back-to-back seven-inning games at Doubleday field in the afternoon and then took part in a discussion panel at the Hall of Fame that night. He was one of the best people on that panel—outgoing, funny, and full of pride in his son, Lance making it to the major leagues as a first baseman with the Giants. But the overriding theme of Joe Niekro’s comments involved sincere admiration for his Hall of Fame brother. Like most people in the audience that night, I picked up on the sense that he and Phil were remarkably close, closer than most sets of athletic brothers. There was not even a smidgen of jealousy on the part of Joe toward his more famous brother; there was just lots of respect and love for a big brother who happened to be a Hall of Fame pitcher.

Although Joe’s career did not achieve the same heights as Phil, he was an awfully good pitcher, too—just a notch or two below Hall of Fame stature. Remarkably, Joe achieved most of his pitching glory after turning 30. He struggled in his early years, bouncing from the Cubs to the Padres to the Tigers to the Braves, just trying to establish himself as something more than a journeyman pitcher. Things started to change in 1975, when Joe joined the Houston Astros. Having toiled primarily as a fastball-slider pitcher in the late sixties and early seventies, Joe began to fully implement a third pitch—the knuckleball—into his pitching repertoire. It was the same pitch that had already made his brother a star with the Atlanta Braves. As teammates in 1973 and ’74, Joe learned all he could about the knuckleball from Phil, ranging from the basics of throwing it to the sophistication of making it flutter within the strike zone. Borrowing a page from big brother’s notebook, Joe began using the knuckleball more and more with the Astros, both as a starter and reliever. He didn’t master the new pitch right away—no one does—but he refined it over the next few seasons, until it became the primary weapon in a highly effective pitching arsenal.

By 1978, Joe had developed enough skill in throwing the knuckleball that he moved into the Astros’ rotation on a fulltime basis. The following year, he won 21 games, tying brother Phil for the National League lead in victories. He was named The Sporting News National League Pitcher of the Year; some writers felt he deserved to win the Cy Young Award, too. In 1980, he again reached the 20-win milestone, this time helping the Astros claim the first postseason berth in franchise history. The 20^th win came in a one-game play-off tiebreaker against the Dodgers, launching the Astros into the National League Championship Series. The Astros would lose that series to the Phillies, but through no fault of Niekro. In Game Three, he pitched ten shutout innings and settled for a no-decision before watching the Astros win the game in the 11^th.

Niekro pitched most of his prime seasons for the Astros, usually hurling in the shadows of more famous pitching teammates. His Houston years overlapped those of Nolan Ryan, J.R. Richard, and Mike Scott, who were among the most feared pitchers of the day because of their high-octane fastballs (and in the case of Scott, a devastating splitter) and a convenient streak of wildness that made some batters ponder their own good sense in stepping into the batter’s box. Yet, Niekro won more games in an Astros uniform than any of them, giving him a franchise record that might not be topped anytime soon, unless Roy Oswalt remains an Astro into his late thirties.

While lacking an overpowering level of intimidation, Niekro remained a high-quality starter for the Astros until the middle of the 1985 season, when he was traded to the Yankees and rejoined Phil for a brief spell in a New York style Niekro knuckleballing rotation. From there, he went to finish out his career in Minnesota, where he was suspended after umpires discovered him using an Emory board to alter the flight of his pitches.

It’s a shame that he is often remembered first and foremost for that incident. In a way, it’s similar to how so many fans recall Bill Buckner for his 1986 World Series faux pas, and not for his overall fine level of play throughout most of the seventies and eighties. I’ll prefer to remember Joe Niekro for his other accomplishments, for being a very good starting pitcher who was often overshadowed by more glamorous names on his own team. I’ll remember him for mastering a pitch that only his brother and a few other pitchers in history have ever thrown with such a contradictory combination of precision and deception. And I’ll remember him most for that recent visit to Cooperstown, when he showed himself to be a hard worker—and more to the point—a loving brother and a proud father.

In the context of winning and losing, the first three times that Tigers pitchers committed errors in the World Series didn’t really matter. Justin Verlander’s ill-advised pickoff attempt in Game One only added to a lopsided score. Todd Jones’ botched attempt of a comebacker became an afterthought to a Game Two Tigers’ victory. In Game Three, Joel Zumaya’s overthrow of third base turned a 2-0 shutout loss into a 4-0 shutout loss. But last night’s misplay by Fernando Rodney was different. It not only allowed the Cardinals to score the tying run in the seventh inning, but also put the go-ahead run into scoring position with no one out. That run would prove crucial in the Tigers’ nail-biting one-run loss to the Cardinals.

Rodney made two mistakes on what should have been a routine sacrifice bunt by the Cardinals’ So Taguchi. First, Rodney attempted to field the ball barehanded, when he had plenty of time to use his glove hand. Second—and this was the crucial mistake—Rodney rushed his throw to first base, throwing off his back foot instead of setting himself and making an easy toss to first base. With that error, Tigers pitchers have now set a dubious World Series record—four errors in one Series. And that’s through only four games, with potentially three more games to be played…

The Cardinals won the game despite some dubious strategy in the top of the eighth inning. With just a one-run lead, Tony LaRussa brought in Braden Looper, who has pitched primarily in one-sided games of late. After the Tigers placed the tying run at third base with one out, LaRussa brought in his closer Adam Wainwright, who probably should have started the inning. After all, if you’re going to ask Wainwright to get you five outs, with a runner already at third, why not ask him to get six outs, with no one on base at the start of the inning?…

David Eckstein was deservedly named Player of the Game after racking up four hits, including the game-winning RBI double that eluded Craig Monroe in the bottom of the eighth. Eckstein joins Robin Yount (who did it twice) and Kiko Garcia as the most recent shortstops who have had four hits in a single Series game. Garcia is the name that just doesn’t seem to fit here, but an examination of the boxscores shows that the journeyman infielder did do the trick during the 1979 World Series. He picked up four hits as the Orioles’ leadoff man in Game Three, after not starting either of the first two games of the Series. Of course, you’re probably wondering how the ’79 Orioles reached the World Series with someone like Garcia as their primary shortstop—an aging Mark Belanger was the other shortstop, by the way—but that’s another story entirely…

Let’s give FOX some credit for last night’s coverage in the seventh inning. As soon as Curtis Granderson fell down in center field to set up a two-run rally for the Cardinals, I thought of Curt Flood’s momentary stumble in Game Seven of the 1968 World Series. Within a few seconds of Granderson’s fall, FOX presented film footage of the Flood play, which spearheaded the Tigers’ decisive rally against Bob Gibson in the seventh inning…

In non-World Series developments, it looks like we can add least two more names to the list of teams that figure to have interest in Gary Sheffield. The Dodgers, who are looking for a power hitter, are interested in bringing Shef back to southern California in spite of problems he had the last time around. With a new front office in place, the old set of hard feelings has become moot. The Dodgers might be willing to offer Wilson Betemit, whom the Yankees almost acquired prior to the July 31^st trading deadline. The Yankees foresee Betemit as their first baseman, and as a backup plan at third base in case they pursue a trade involving Alex Rodriguez. The other team that could be a match for Sheffield and the Yankees? The Tigers, who despite their achievements this October, would like to add a power hitter who can fill the DH role while filling in at first base and the outfield. The Tigers will dangle Chris Shelton as part of a package for Sheffield…

On another Yankee front, George Steinbrenner has decided to punish Joe Torre by firing his good friend and right-hand man, Lee Mazzilli, which could clear the way for Don Mattingly to become the new bench coach. The Yankees might then pursue Chili Davis as their new hitting coach–Davis would be an excellent choice–or they could keep Mattingly as the batting instructor and make way for Joe Girardi as the new bench coach… Girardi, by the way, says he hasn’t been contacted by the Yankees just yet. Give it time, Joe, just give it time.

In the aftermath of last night’s rainout in St. Louis, I’ve heard at least one national sportscaster cry out for the need to play the World Series in a neutral, warm-weather site, or one that is fully equipped with a dome. What an overreaction! This is the first time since 1996—a full ten years—that a World Series game has had to be postponed because of poor weather. Prior to that, you’d need to go back seven more years to find the next previous cancellation; that was in 1989, and that had nothing to do with rain, and everything to do with circumstances that were caused by a devastating earthquake in the Bay Area. Moving beyond 1989, the next postponement can be found in 1986, when rain in New York delayed Game Seven between the Red Sox and the Mets. So in the last 20 years of World Series history, we’ve had exactly three postponements because of rain. That is somehow a recipe for changing one of baseball’s long-standing institutions—the right for pennant-winning fans to watch their team play in the World Series—so that we can watch the most important games of the season take place in Hawaii, Arizona, or the Metrodome?…

Now if you want to talk about the cold, that’s another story. The remedy for that would be to chop down the regular season schedule from 162 to 154 games, lop off the final week of the regular season, and start the postseason in late September. If anybody thinks that will happen—with a corresponding reduction in pay for each of the players—then feel free to stand on your heads!…

Let’s give some credit to Jim Leyland. Recognizing his team’s most inopportune offensive slump, the Tigers skipper has executed several changes for Game Four, including a move up in the order for hot hitters Carlos Guillen and Sean Casey, and a move down for Placido Polanco. That’s about as much as any manager can do with a team featuring a set lineup and one that doesn’t do much, if any, platooning. It’s now up to the Tigers’ players to halt the kind of offensive slide that ended the seasons of the Yankees, A’s, and Mets, among other October losers…

As Bill Madden reported in yesterday’s Daily News, the Yankees plan to pick up Gary Sheffield’s option with the intention of trading him to the highest bidder. Interested teams include the Angels, Orioles, Rangers, Cubs, Astros, and Giants. Ideally, the Yankees would probably like to land a young starting pitcher for Sheffield, but will likely settle for a package that includes relief pitching and possibly a young first baseman.

Along those lines, here’s a look at what each of the six rumored teams might be in position to offer for Sheffield:

*Angels—first baseman Casey Kotchman and/or reliever Scot Shields could be featured

*Orioles—left-hander Adam Loewen could be an appealing chip

*Rangers—lefty C.J. Wilson, who pitched creditably in a bullpen role

*Cub—could include veteran reliever Bobby Howry in a multi-player deal

*Astros—backup first baseman Mike Lamb, who was once Yankee property

*Giants—could feature young right-hander Brad Hennessey as part of a larger package.

By now it should be abundantly clear that this Cardinals team has no intention of lying down against a superior opponent. First, the Cards laid waste to the Padres in four games. Then they disposed of the heavily favored Mets in a seven-game epic. And now, after warnings of another four-game World Series sweep at the hands of an American League foe, the Cardinals have taken a lead of two games to one against the previously torrid Tigers, putting St. Louis halfway toward its goal of a World Championship.

Last night, the Redbirds rode the right arm of Chris Carpenter, who used his trademark sinking fastball to limit the Tigers to three hits over eight innings. With a low pitch count, Carpenter could have easily pitched the ninth, but Tony LaRussa wisely chose to give him the inning off after a lengthy Cardinal rally in the bottom of the eighth. The Cardinals’ offense didn’t exactly shine, but did score two decisive runs in the fourth inning after loading the bases with none out. Jim Edmonds, who is trying to build a case that he deserves a big free agent contract despite the effects of aging, delivered the big blow; his double down the right-field line came against lefty Nate Robertson, justifying Edmonds’ presence as the lone left-handed batter in LaRussa’s starting lineup…

In the meantime, the Tigers find themselves in the kind of dreadful offensive slump that their first two postseason opponents (the Yankees and A’s) were mired in earlier this month. Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, and Ivan Rodriguez—who bat leadoff, third, and sixth for the Tigers, respectively—have combined to produce no hits in 34 at-bats. So what is Jim Leyland to do? Granderson, Polanco, and Pudge are all part of his inner core, both offensively and defensively, so he’s not likely to bench any of them. Besides, exactly whom would he replace them with? Neifi Perez? Vance Wilson? The best that Leyland can do is switch them around in the order, perhaps by moving Rodriguez up to second, shifting Craig Monroe to third, and batting Polanco down in the order. There really are no other realistic candidates to bat leadoff in place of Granderson, unless Leyland chooses to use the hot-hitting Monroe there…

Slowly but surely, the Washington Nationals are whittling down their list of managerial candidates—or shall we say the candidates are doing the whittling for them. One day after Joe Girardi withdrew his name from consideration, Atlanta batting coach Terry Pendleton bowed out of the Capital sweepstakes, citing loyalty to the Braves. With Girardi and Pendleton out of the equation, the successor to Frank Robinson could come down to a two-man race of Yankees first base coach Tony Pena and Mets third base coach Manny Acta…

This is really one of the best times of the year. Not only do we have a compelling World Series between two surprising teams, but one of my favorite days, Halloween, is fast approaching. At least three different channels are offering horror film festivals in the days leading up till Halloween. American Movie Classics (AMC) is in the midst of its 10^th annual MonsterFest, ABC Family is hosting its usual 13 Nights of Halloween, and now SciFi is featuring its own 13 Days of Halloween. And I wonder why my wife is ready to throw me—and all of the Halloween decorations hanging in our house—out the front door.

Tony LaRussa says he would get very "upset and confrontational" with anyone who accused him of letting Kenny Rogers off easy because of his own friendship with Tigers manager Jim Leyland. Well, the Cardinals’ skipper better prepare to "confront" his own players; some of them were not exactly thrilled that their manager did not make a greater issue out of the grease spot seen near Rogers’ left thumb in Game Two of the World Series.

Now Cardinals batting coach Hal McRae has entered the fray, saying that Rogers both scuffed and doctored balls on Sunday and that the actions were "blatant." If they were in fact so blatant, one has to wonder why LaRussa did not demand a "dressdown" of Rogers or play the game under protest, or both. LaRussa says that he did not want any part of the "BS" associated with making such a complaint to the umpire, but that doesn’t sound consistent with the way that LaRussa has managed in the past. Isn’t this the same LaRussa who so belligerently bench-jockeyed former Yankee catcher Matt Nokes that it prompted an angry rebuttal from Buck Showalter, leading to a bench-clearing brawl between Oakland and New York in the early 1990s?

No one is saying that LaRussa and Leyland can’t be friends. Let’s just hope that their friendship isn’t causing this World Series to be played in anything less than the truest of competitive spirits…

Staying with LaRussa, I’d like to see him make some lineup changes for Game Three. Juan Encarnacion has looked lost in both right field and at the plate, while Preston Wilson has gone hitless in four at-bats. Even though the Tigers will throw left-hander Nate Robertson in Game Three, I think it would make sense to sit both Encarnacion and Wilson, instead playing Scott Spiezio in left field and So Taguchi in right field. Taguchi would give the Cards a stronger defensive presence in right field, while Spiezio has been a postseason RBI machine since his days with the Angels in 2002…

I won’t be shocked if Joe Girardi decides to take himself out of the running for all of the remaining managerial posts and instead returns to the Yankees as one of Joe Torre’s coaches. The Yankees may have an opening, especially if first base coach Tony Pena beats out Terry Pendleton for the Nationals’ managerial job. By returning to the Yankees as either a first base or bench coach, Girardi would put himself in line to be Torre’s successor in New York. And that’s the job that Girardi really wants, which may explain why he’s already taken himself out of the running for the Washington job…

The careers of two intriguing major league players may have come to an end on Monday. The A’s released veteran second baseman and Sabermetric favorite D’Angelo Jimenez, who was a disaster both defensively and offensively in the Championship Series against the Tigers. In the meantime, the Angels parted ways with Curtis Pride, one of a handful of deaf players to overcome the long odds in making the major leagues.

While most of the media gravitates toward Kenny Rogers and that awful greasy spot seen on his pitching hand, I’ll focus first on his Tigers teammate, Carlos Guillen. (I’ll get to Rogers later, but Guillen deserves top billing.) For years we’ve heard about the great American League shortstops, from Rodriguez to Garciaparra to Jeter to Tejada. Guillen has almost never been mentioned in the same whispers with any of those players. Sometimes it takes a postseason to develop a full appreciation for a truly terrific player. Well, count me among those who now realize what many Tiger fans recognized much earlier this season: Guillen is an elite player, a legitimate star, and a shortstop who has an outside chance to make the Hall of Fame.

In Game Two of the World Series, Guillen banged out three hits and reached base four times, tormenting Cardinal pitchers from both sides of the plate. As vital as Rogers’ pitching was, the Tigers likely don’t win the game without Guillen’s RBI double in the second or his tablesetting triple in the fifth. On the latter play, Guillen made a great baserunning decision after smacking the ball into the right-field corner. Realizing that Juan Encarnacion had taken a bad route to the ball after anticipating a more radical carom off the wall, Guillen took advantage by advancing all the way to third, when most players would have stopped at second, satisfied with a double. And Guillen’s been doing all of this on offense while having to deal with the distraction of playing out of position. Jim Leyland, seemingly obsessed with playing Ramon Santiago at shortstop, has had Guillen play first base during the first two games of the Series. It hasn’t mattered, as Guillen has had no Gary Sheffield moments at a position he’s never played prior to this season.

Very quietly, Guillen has hit .318, .320, and .320 over the last three seasons. He spreads the ball from foul line to foul line, making him also impossible to defend with any kind of scouting report fielding shifts. From the left side, he’s particular lethal on pitches down and in, which he simply doesn’t miss. He’s hit 39 home runs in his last two full, healthy seasons, making him a threat even at spacious Comerica Park. He’s also shown an increased willingness to be patient at the plate; he drew a career-high 71 walks and struck out only 87 times. Plus he’s an excellent overall baserunner who added the stolen base to his arsenal this year, stealing 20 bases during the regular season. If there’s one thing to criticize, it’s his fielding, which resulted in a career-high 28 errors this season, but even that lofty number is tempered by his above-average range in the field.

Guillen’s greatness has come later than it does for most players. He really didn’t make the transition from useful player to star until 2005, when he was 29 years of age. Prior to this year, he had missed a ton of games with injury; the 153 games he played in this year represented a career high. All of this will make it very difficult for Guillen to put up a case for the Hall of Fame, but at least he now has a chance. If he can sustain the excellence he’s shown over the last two seasons for a period of four or five more years and can then pad his offensive numbers with some decent seasons in his late thirties, he has a chance to impress the Cooperstown voters.

More importantly, if he continues to hit and run the bases like a Midwest version of Derek Jeter, he could lead the Tigers to their first World Championship in 22 seasons…

While Kenny Rogers continues to do his postseason imitation of Whitey Ford, some first-inning camerawork by FOX last night showed that he might have been working with an illegal advantage on his pitching hand. Rogers’ explanation that he wasn’t initially aware of the "clump of dirt" on his hand is complete balderdash on both counts. First, any pitcher knows exactly what is on his pitching hand at all times. Second, that wasn’t a clump of dirt, it was a thin layer of a greasy substance that somehow made its way onto his hand. With 23 consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason, it wouldn’t shock me if Rogers were cheating; his curveball is breaking with more snap than it has in years. I just don’t know how to explain the increase in Rogers’ velocity, which is something than can’t be helped by a foreign substance. This former postseason pariah is somehow throwing a fastball in the 91-93 mile-per-hour range, and that’s hard to figure from a guy who has been a soft-tosser in the later stages of his career…

Although the Tigers emerged with a split in the first two games, their offense mustered only five runs in two nights. I don’t understand why Leyland insists on using Guillen out of position and making Sean Casey his DH, just so that he can accommodate the noodle bat of Santiago at shortstop. (Why not use Marcus Thames or Alexis Gomez at DH, where they will be far more productive at the plate than Santiago?) With the Series headed back to St. Louis to be played under National League rules, Leyland will be forced to put Guillen back at short and Casey at first, making the Tigers a better overall team. This might be the first Series in history when an American League team is actually at an advantage playing without the DH…

In the meantime, Tony LaRussa has faced some second-guessing for his decision to let Yadier Molina bat in the ninth inning, foregoing an opportunity to use a left-handed pinch-hitter like Chris Duncan. Under normal circumstances, I would agree with the criticism, but not here. The hero of the National League Championship Series, Molina has been one of LaRussa’s hottest hitters. It’s the old Billy Martin philosophy of "riding the hot hand" and it’s the right thing to do during these short postseason series…

On a more somber note, Cooperstown lost one of its nicest people last week. Evelyn Kachline, the wife of former Hall of Fame historian and Sporting News writer Cliff Kachline, died at the age of 84. She was the first paid employee in the history of the Society for American Baseball Research. Evelyn often attended programs at the Hall of Fame, including film presentations and SABR-related functions. Always kind and polite, Evelyn’s presence will be sorely missed in the Cooperstown community.

By now we all know that Oliver Perez is statistically the worst pitcher to start a Game Seven of a League Championship Series or World Series. That’s all fine and well, but will it really matter? With the deepest bullpen in the game, and with every one of his relievers healthy and available to go, Willie Randolph will put Perez on the shortest leash that he can find. If Perez falls into trouble in the first inning, giving up a run or two in the process, expect Randolph to pull the plug immediately and call on Darren Oliver for another multiple-inning stint. Whether Oliver pitches as well as he did in Game Three remains to be seen. If some combination of Perez, Oliver, Chad Bradford, and Roberto Hernandez can get Randolph through six innings with a lead, he’ll be happy. He can then use his trifecta of Mota-Heilman-Wagner over the final three innings, but will have to hope that Wagner pitches better than he has in his first two Championship Series appearances…

The Cardinals’ Jeff Suppan is not generally regarded as a big-game pitcher, but the statistics tell us otherwise. Coming off a strong performance in Game Three, Suppan has a career ERA of under 3.00 in the postseason. It wouldn’t shock me to see him pitch well against the Mets tonight, but the New Yorkers, with their terrific front five and a boisterous Shea Stadium providing support, seem due for a breakout. Of the first six games in this series, the Mets’ offensive has had only two productive nights. Hitting or missing, the Mets would be well advised to keep up the aggressiveness they displayed on the bases in Game Six, when they stole three bases against the touted Yadier Molina…

It’s easy to forget about the Tigers while the matchup between the Mets and Cardinals lingers into a seventh game. With a full week of rest between the LCS and the World Series, Jim Leyland can set up his pitching any way he wants. The only thing that seems certain is that Kenny Rogers will pitch one of the first two games, because of his success at Comerica Park. It will probably come down to either Nate Robertson or Justin Verlander in the other early game, with the decision depending on the matchup. If the Mets win the NLCS, Leyland might want to use his two left-handers early, but against the righty-swinging Cardinals he could go with his best right-hander and power pitcher, Verlander…

The long layoff has also helped Sean Casey recover from the pulled muscle in his leg. It now looks like he will be available to play first base in the Series. Still, the Tigers would be well advised to carry Chris Shelton as a backup at first base. The Tigers simply do not need three utility infielders against either the Cardinals or the Mets.

In 47 at-bats against left-handed pitchers this year, Cardinals rookie Chris Duncan compiled a meager .170 batting average, a .220 on-base percentage, and a total of two home runs. So when Tony LaRussa inserted Duncan into last night’s playoff game as a pinch-hitter against lefty specialist Pedro Feliciano, every member of press row, including the TV broadcasters, threw their hands up and questioned why.

So if you predicted that Duncan would blast a 3-2 pitch into the right field stands, extending the Cardinals’ lead to two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, you should immediately send your resume and tape to the FOX broadcast studios. Although the run created by Duncan proved to be extraneous, it was huge at the time. It essentially took the Mets out of using the bunt or the stolen base, forced them to take pitches from a Cardinal bullpen that was throwing strikes, and put added pressure on what has been a disappointing Mets offense in this Championship Series.

Duncan has emerged as one of the best stories of this postseason. Buried in the minor leagues since 1999, Duncan faced criticism for alleged nepotism; his father is longtime Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan. Some skeptics didn’t feel the younger Duncan deserved to be in the Redbirds’ camp this spring, but he’s fast becoming this year’s version of Bernie Carbo…

Another questionable LaRussa strategy also worked out in the bottom of the eighth, when the Redbirds manager summoned closer Adam Wainwright, allowing Jose Valentin to bat from the left side of the plate, where he’s far more comfortable and competent. Wainwright proceeded to strike out Valentin on a dandy curveball that nicked the outside corner. That ended a potential Mets rally, which had seemed so promising with runners on second and third and only one man out…

In the meantime, the Mets’ lack of a strong bench is hurting their cause. Cliff Floyd doesn’t have his legs or his swing, Michael Tucker was basically a minor league player this year, and there’s little right-handed thump available. The eighth inning of last night’s game, with Shawn Green facing lefty Randy Flores and two runners in scoring position, cried out for a right-handed pinch-hitter. Willie Randolph could have called on either Julio Franco or Chris Woodward, but neither has hit well enough to instill any real confidence in late-inning situations.

Even if the Mets reach the World Series, Steve Trachsel has almost certainly pitched his final game in a New York uniform. His decision to leave Game Three in the third inning with a "thigh contusion" has so infuriated the Mets’ brass that they have no intention of including him on the active World Series roster or re-signing him once he files for free agency. The Mets might not have brought back Trachsel anyway because of his age—he’ll turn 36 on Halloween—and recurring injury problems, but the Saturday night bailout sealed it for the organization. Win, lose, or draw vs. the Cardinals, the Mets will be doing some serious re-tooling to their aging rotation this winter. They’ll look to incorporate John Maine and Mike Pelfrey on a fulltime basis, while adding at least one starter via trade or the free agent route…

The Cubs made a good choice in bringing in Lou Piniella to manage their team in 2007 and beyond. "Sweet Lou" has a history of extracting the most of his hitters, which could translate into a bounceback season for Derrek Lee and coming-out parties for left fielder Matt Murton, new second baseman Ryan Theriot, and minor league outfield prospect Felix Pie. Some question whether Piniella preaches enough patience at the plate, but he’ll certainly be an improvement over Dusty "Thou Shalt Not Walk" Baker and his outdated philosophies. Piniella’s teams in New York, Cincinnati, and Seattle usually posted respectable to good on-base percentages, and there’s no reason to think that the Cubs can’t do the same with the right modifications. Piniella will also hold his players accountable for fundamental errors on the bases and in the field, something that Baker was unwilling to do during his four-year term at Wrigley Field…

As always, the key with Piniella will be his ability to handle a pitching staff, which has been questioned during every one of his managerial stops. Hopefully, Piniella will allow Larry Rothschild to make most of the pitching decisions, allowing himself to concentrate on the hitters and his lineups… Speaking of Baker, it seems odd that he was chosen by ESPN to serve as a guest analyst on Baseball Tonight after leading the Cubs to the worst record in the National League. Several other managers who have been fired, including Frank Robinson or Buck Showalter, would have seemed like better choices.

When a general manager cites "communications problems" as the reason for firing a manager, it’s usually a euphemism for some other, more legitimate problem. In the case of Billy Beane and the A’s, however, it appears that now departed manager Ken Macha had some serious problems with his players, and vice-versa. Macha had stopped talking to some players altogether (Adam Melhuse) and had argued with others (Jay Payton and Mark Kotsay). The growing discord led some A’s players to reach out to Beane toward the end of the regular season, telling them they didn’t want to return in 2007 if Macha did. That was enough to convince Beane, who isn’t a big believer in the worth of a manager to begin with, to make a change. Of course, if the A’s had reached the World Series under Macha, Beane would have faced a more difficult predicament in trying to fire the franchise’s first pennant-winning manager since the days of Tony LaRussa…

Not surprisingly, Beane would like a low-profile, relatively inexperienced manager to succeed Macha. The frontrunner is the very capable Ron Washington, who has more than paid his dues as a minor league manager and longtime A’s coach. Another Oakland coach, Bob Geren, is right behind Washington on the Beane list. As for Joe Girardi and Tony Pena, they need not apply…

Much like the A’s, the Rangers are considering several candidates who have never managed in the major leagues, including Washington. The favorite appears to be Don Wakamatsu, the team’s bench coach under Buck Showalter. That would be a strange choice since Wakamatsu was close to Showalter, whom Rangers GM Jon Daniels eagerly fired after another disappointing season. Daniels will also consider other potential rookie managers like Trey Hillman, who has been managing in Japan; former Rangers catcher John Russell, who was recently named the International League Manager of the Year; and Manny Acta, the third base coach of the Mets.