Sept. 14

Don't think twice, it's all right
Did all the responsibility player reps had to shoulder distract them in the month leading up to the settlement? Here are most of the position player reps and their August numbers:

Player            AVG  HR  RBI
Hocking, Minn.   .200   0    1
Clark, Bos       .200   0    1
Aurilia, SF      .208   4   12
Damon, Bos       .273   4   12
Lo Duca, LA      .180   1    8
Flaherty, TB     .273   0    4
C. Johnson, Fla  .190   0    6
Zaun, Hous       .160   0    1
Young, Pit       .278   1   10
Zeile, Colo      .292   3   16
Easley, Det      .210   1    6
Girardi, Cubs    .208   1    8
Nevin, SD        .290   1   12

(Damon's season low was .248 in July, while Zeile batted .145 without a homer in July.)

(You betta) think
The Detroit Tigers finished a seven-game road trip in which they drew one walk.

Curt Schilling faced 77 Padres batters this season, and didn't walk one.

Trans-Neptunian object
Ken Hirdt of Elias Sports Bureau notes that with Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito winning 20 games in consecutive years, the A's became the first team since 1900 to have three different 20-game winners in consecutive seasons, all under the age of 25.

New World coming
Cleveland's 13 left fielders have combined for a .210 average with 15 homers and 56 RBI.

As for their catchers before the arrival of Josh Bard and Vuctor Martinez, Einar Diaz has 15 RBI, five less than the franchise worst record set by Felix Fermin in 1989, and after hitting a three-run double on April 5, Eddie Perez has not knocked in a run.

Do you remember me?
The Dodgers currently have 37 players dressed; the only two players on their 40-man roster who aren't in the big leagues are Double-A LHP Steve Colyer and Class A RHP Luis Diaz. The Diamondbacks actually used 37 players last September.

Here are the way some contenders use their rosters (using players per game):

            April-August    September
Arizona         14.2          16.9
San Francisco   14.0          17.2
Los Angeles     13.7          15.9
Atlanta         13.7          16.3
St. Louis       14.3          15.1
Houston         13.7          14.6

Strange condition
The Twins drew 37,198 for a three-game homestand preceding their weekend trip to Cleveland, where they were expected to clinch the AL Central. The crowds were so disappointing that Doug Mienkiewicz said, "Going to clinch in Cleveland is better than doing it at home in front of 9,000 fans. Everyone says win and they will show, but they couldn't even come to see us in our last home games before we clinch."

In other depressing attendance news: