Rant One: Cry Me A River
First off, I would like to share my immense pity for all of the downtrodden, oppressed Yankees fans out there. Despite their best efforts to waste more money than the United States government (i.e. Jaret Wright, Kevin Brown, Tony Womack, etc.), the poor Yanks have been unable to run away with yet another AL East title. Instead, they have been relegated to Wild Card contenders -- talk about slumming. You'd think with 26 World Series titles and a postseason streak that dates back to Bill Clinton's first term, fans of the Bronx Bombers would be a little content and even happy. But no. Instead, many of them have decided to play up the victim role and wallow in self-pity. That’s just sad. Just think if they had grown up following the Brewers.

Rant Two: And The Winner Is?
Not that you’ve heard much about it, but the race for Rookie of the Year in both leagues remains wide open. In the AL a trio of A’s -- Huston Street, Nick Swisher and Dan Johnson -- are making a bid, along with the White Sox's Tadahito Iguchi, a 30-year-old Japanese import, and Tampa's Johnny Gomes. In the NL, Houston speedster Tony Taveras looks to be the favorite at the moment, but SI coverboy Jeff Francoeur (must have been a slow news week) is making a late charge. Also keep your eye on Philly's Ryan Howard. Unfortunately for him, an arm injury took Pittsburgh's Zach Duke out of the running.

Rant Three: Barry And The Peach
The always controversial Barry Bonds made news this week when he took batting practice for the first time in months at UCLA's practice facility. Of course, nobody from the Giants organization was present and the details concerning a possible return date were as vague as ever. Coincidentally, this week also marked the 100th anniversary of Ty Cobb's' major league debut. Cobb, of course, was even more reviled by fans and players of his era than Bonds is today. So, if Hank Aaron's home run record proves to be out of reach, Barry still has something to shoot for.