Where have you gone, Andy Van Slyke?

So normally I try not to waste space here talking about FanHouse stuff because I figure that the people that want to read the site will read it and everything I do there pops up in the RSS over in the corner there, so if you only want to read what I write, you'll do it that way. The thing is, today a bunch of us over there did something that I think is so cool and awesome that I would be a negligent baseball blogger if I didn't post a link. Working with the vision of PostmanE , I bring you "Choose Your Own Rodventure: The Saga of Alex Rodriguez." If you couldn't guess, it's a take-off on all the old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. I've read the whole thing, and it's awesome. I hope you've got some time this afternoon, because you're going to need it.

Shawn Chacon is filing for free agency . Apparently he'd like to come back to Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, I would like the Pirates to be good. I don't think either of us will get what we want, but if he does, I almost certainly will not. Fun aside for everyone that misses Josh Fogg: aside from win/loss record (which is terribly arbitrary), Chacon's career numbers are pretty similar to Fogg's. And he's younger! Tony Armas is gone . Our nightmare is over. Someone named Luis Munoz just got put on the 40-man . According to WTM's profile , he used to go by an alias. That's pretty cool, if you ask me. Ugh, all of that reading at the dot-com gave me a headache. I wish the PG weren't in "we're not budging until Neal's budging" mode. There's a good interview with Charlie, author of the Bucs Dugout , here . Via BBTF , ex-Pirates' GM Ted Simmons (the man who preceded Cam Bonifay but retired due to heart trouble after a year, thanks a million, ...

I am going to get through these things come hell or highwater. I swear. 2006: 2.34 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 94 K, 27 BB in 100 innings at AAA Indy, 3.79 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 40 K, 31 BB in 61 and 2/3 innings in Pittsburgh 2006 rate stats: 8.46 K/9, 2.43 BB/9, 0.36 HR/9 in AAA, 5.83 K/9, 4.52 BB/9, 0.44 HR/9 in Pittsburgh 2007: 3.88 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 135 K, 68 BB, 18 HR in 201 and 2/3 innings 2007 rate stats: 6.02 K/9, 3.03 BB/9, 0.80 HR/9 It's pretty obvious that we can't use Gorzelanny's numbers from AAA last year for analytical purposes because he was just waaay too good for AAA in 2006. That being said, I think it's pretty clear that his numbers were pretty good with the Pirates in 2007. His basic line (ERA and WHIP) were pretty good from his short 2006 stint with the Pirates, but his periphals (walks and strikeouts especially) weren't great. That kind of thing is what's pretty much doomed Zach Duke to this point in his career, but Gorzelanny overcame it nicely this year. H...

Well, apparently a lot of us wasted a lot of internet space with all of the "Jack Wilson to the Tigers" talk because the Tigers went out and got a much better shortstop in Edgar Renteria . I don't know how much truth there really could've been to the whole "Jurrgens for Wilson" rumors because that was basically what the Braves got for Renteria. That leaves the Neal with another choice to make. Wilson's not a terrible shortstop and he's certainly better than any other option we have in the organization, which means that trading him will leave a pretty big hole in the infield. Off-hand I can't think of any team that desperately needs a shortstop this winter (Toronto, maybe?), so this might be the end of the rumors. Probably not, though, if the roster turnover that I think is coming is actually coming.

After last night's A-Rod fiasco, the Yankees have offered their manager's job to Joe Girardi . I imagine that the dictatorial, strong headed Girardi working with the dictatorial, strong headed Steinbrenners while managing a clubhouse full of overpaid prima donnas, some of whom he played with, will go very poorly, but I could be wrong. Meanwhile, Neal Huntington is almost ready to talk about thinking about talking to people he's thinking about interviewing.

Is tonight the end of the magical road for the Rockies? I would guess, "yes." Sorry for the lack of posting again today. We'll get back to the season review and probably manager talk tomorrow, especially if the World Series ends tonight.

The Colorado Rockies' World Series life is most certainly on the line tonight and the Rockies are turning to the one, the only, JOSH FOGG. Sweet merciful crap, they're in trouble.