When the biggest fish in baseball's free agent pool took his bat and glove to the Los Angeles Angels last winter, the sport's cognoscenti prematurely handed manager Mike Scioscia's team a playoff spot in the American League and made them a pre-season favourite to win the World Series.
That big fish, Josh Hamilton, left the Texas Rangers for the riches of the Angels, who already had a whole school of big fish under contract, including Mike Trout, the breakout star of 2012, and Albert Pujols, arguably the game's best hitter, who joined the team as a free agent the season before.
But little did those baseball experts know what sort of a mess would occur in the Angels' camp in 2013 and now, with the season winding down, Los Angeles is no longer considered an elite team, Scioscia is probably expecting a quick firing at season's end, Pujols is finished for the season with a foot injury, and the experts are red-faced - again. (These are the same experts who predicted the last-place Toronto Blue Jays, with all their fancy pre-season acquisitions, would win the A.L. East.)
Hamilton, after a slow start, held up his end of the bargain by hitting with some authority in mid-season and partially justifying the megamillions paid to him by owner Artie Moreno, who must, by now, be realizing that good scouting and team chemistry - not just a blank chequebook - are the key ingredients needed to form a championship team.
Texas, which lost Hamilton but didn't miss a beat, will be a playoff team and the team they're battling down the stretch in the A.L. West, Oakland A's, will also qualify for the post-season. In the Central Division, Detroit pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, and big boppers Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, are the driving forces behind the Tigers' likely Central Division title and in the A.L. East, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays are set to battle down the stretch for the pennant there. If the Red Sox earn the division title, watch for other MLB teams to making 'trades' for managers, as the Red Sox did last winter to pry John Farrell away from the Blue Jays for a minor leaguer.
So how does October look? This early September prognostication says the Tigers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
Blogger T.C. Chong, on former Heisman Trophy-winning QB Troy Smith of Ohio State signing a two-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes: "People in Montreal are asking 'Who is Troy Smith?' Ohio State fans are asking 'What are the Montreal Alouettes?'"
RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: " Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva openly spoke out against gays, then hours later claimed she was misunderstood. We'll have more from the world back-track and field championships."
Currie again: "Novak Djokovic lost the opening set to Denis Istomin 6-2 at the Canadian Open, then regained form to win in three. I'm thinking the trainer gave him an anti-Istomin."
One more funny one from RJ Currie (sportsdeke.com): "At a London subway excavation, archeologists have uncovered numerous ancient artifacts, including medieval hockey skates. 'So that's where I left them,' said Jaromir Jagr."
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: "Don Shula finished fifth in an ESPN greatest-NFL-coach poll, after the network rejected Miami's idea to reword the question, 'Who is the greatest coach to have a Perfect Season?' "
Another one from Cote: "Former Heat player Michael Beasley was arrested for possession of marijuana. Is that even news? That's like me being found in possession of a donut."
Comedy writer Jim Barach: "San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has been accused by a 17th woman of sexual harassment. Tiger Woods will officially present him with the Golden 9 Iron award for most women coming forward to destroy your career in one year."
Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: "Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a hat trick in his first game after signing with Germany's Borussia Dortmund soccer team, and opponents and headline writers are already in agreement: This spells trouble."
Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic, to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, on why he hasn't added any new tattoos since last season: "No more room."
Brad Dickson of the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald, on the Little League World Series: "It's just nice to see some baseball players enjoying a growth spurt that's not PED-related."
Perry again: "A zoo in Henan, China was caught trying to pass off a dog as a lion. Hey, don't laugh - Matt Millen got away with it for years in Detroit."
Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: "Ryan Braun issued a statement acknowledging that he took PEDs in 2011, the year he won the NL MVP. 'I'm shocked,' said absolutely nobody."
Perry again: "When Braves shortstop Paul Janish trapped a live bat in the infield, they sent the youngest guy in the dugout - Will Kearney - out with a towel to cover it and carry it to safety. Well, he is the bat boy, right?"
