Rant One: No. 1, Sort Of
Depending on which day you check, the American League only has eight to 11 players hitting .300 or better. The National League, meanwhile, has just nine to 13 players over the milestone mark. Last year, 17 ALers and 19 NLers topped the .300 plateau. Another oddity of this season is that the man who could finish with the best overall average in the major leagues won't win a batting title. As ESPN.com's Jayson Stark pointed out, Detroit's Placido Polanco, who was acquired from the Phillies in June, doesn't have enough plate appearances in either league to qualify, but currently ranks second behind Derek Lee in overall batting average. As strange as this scenario is, it is not unprecedented.

In 1990 Willie McGee held a .335 average with St. Louis when he was dealt to Oakland in August. He hit .274 the rest of the way and finished at .324 overall. That same year, the Dodgers' Eddie Murray hit .330, which bested AL leader George Brett's .329, but lost the NL title to McGee who had enough NL plate appearances to qualify. This is baseball version of the Electoral College, which means Polanco could become its Al Gore.

Rant 2: Ready For The Show
Tampa Bay prized prospect Delmon Young hit a combined .315 (176 for 558) with 26 homers and 99 RBI at stops in Double A and Triple A this season en route to earning Baseball America's prestigious minor league player of the year award. Despite the accolades, the top overall pick in 2003 did not receive the obligatory September call-up. Why, you ask? Simply put, the organization is too cheap. As soon as Young sets foot on a major league diamond, the countdown toward arbitration and free agency eligibility begins. The D-Rays would like that to be later rather than sooner. Who, other than Young, loses out in this? The fans, of course. The 20-year-old's major league baptism could have generated some excitement in what is just another meaningless month of Devil Rays baseball.

Rant 3: Wrong Place At The Wrong Time
Will Albert Pujols ever be the NL MVP? Despite hitting .331 with 46 homers and 123 RBI for the NL Champs, Pujols finished third in 2004. In 2003, he finished second, with a .359, 43 homer and 124 RBI line. That came after another second place finish in 2002, when the Cardinals slugger hit .314 with 34 homers and 127 RBI. All of those seasons, of course, Barry Bonds stood in his way. With Bonds out of the picture this year, the door seemed wide open for Pujols, who is again putting up outstanding numbers. But then Atlanta's Andruw Jones came out of nowhere and is threatening to slam it shut. Jones, who hit his 50th homer this week, has carried a young Braves team to their customary spot at the top of the NL East. Sorry Albert, there's always next year.