...big frickin deal.

In other news...

• 9 teams watched FA Starting "Pitcher" Kris Benson throw in Phoenix on Monday. In other news, I threw a bullpen session in the Nashville-area last Tuesday, and scouts from zero teams showed up to watch. I am not married to Anna Benson. I'm convinced this is the only difference between Kris and I in terms of our pitching abilities.
• Oh yeah. That Benson news can't hurt us in shopping Tavarez around the NL as a starter.
• From Ken Rosenthal, via MLBTR: Mariners may be the "winners" (4/$44-48) in the Carlos Silva sweepstakes. Tim at MLBTR wisely notes that, y'know, many teams could do a lot worse than Silva. And whichever team (ed: Philadelphia, Houston) reacts to this by signing Kyle Lohse for 4/$36 or 4/$40 is going to wish they'd just ponied up the extra dollars for Silva.
• Anyone still wondering why the Rays wanted to unload Elijah Dukes?
• Pot meets kettle wherein Pete Rose = pot and Bonds, Clemens, etc. = kettle. This is just hilarious. Cal Ripken, Jr. should've made this statement. Tony Gwynn. Nolan Ryan. Pete Rose? Yikes. Oh wait. It's an interview with Dennis Miller on the VS. network, so no one will see it anyway. Bullet dodged.
• I've done a poor job keeping up with the TYIB awards, which is a shame because the Sox have done well. To this point: Starter, Closer, Setup man, Performance (Buch's no-no), and DP was the runner-up to Tulowitzki for Rookie. Guesses on the rest:

  Defensive player: Ichiro or Tulo, Blooper: Should be Aramis Ramirez. Scores despite running into his own 3B coach, who was standing in the way. Kind of a metaphor for their entire season, Play: DP or Tulo's triple-killing (ed: Watch Jeter's play. Say what you will about Lugo's D, but he gets to that ball, stops, plants his feet, and throws. As you're supposed to.), Moment: I'd like Biggio, but for some reason I'd be okay with Bonds as well. Couldn't tell you why that is at the moment, Postseason Moment: It'll be Manny, Drew (one of the most fluid swings I saw from anyone all year), or Yankee fans flooding the ballots to bring more attention to those f'in bugs in Cleveland.

• The statement has been picked apart pretty well elsewhere. Here and Here in particular.
• I'll get this out of the way: I don't believe him, though I know I should wait until he states his case (if he ever does).

  That being said, the ludicrosity of some of his statement is just mind-boggling. Roger: What % of people with 25 years of public life always get the benefit of the doubt? Seriously. This isn't even about whether you're a dick or not. (ed: You are.) It's about assuming such a thing to be some kind of universal truth.

• And, having to write about this has reminded me of how slow a news day/week it has been. Might have to start the Daily Dos(e) up again...