Making it Rain Nighty Cap
• The Tar Heels will play defending champion Oregon State in only the second finals rematch in the CWS' 61-year history. It is the first since Arizona State and Southern California met in 1972 and 1973. The best-of-three series starts Saturday.
• Attorneys for Floyd Landis have acknowledged the upcoming release of the Tour de France winner's tell-all book violates the gag order in his arbitration case against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
• The Cubs keep inventing new ways to lose. Lou Pinella must have been a real bastard in a former life to deserve this.
Kenny Lofton was stuck between second and third base, seemingly a sure out for the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the ninth inning.
''I was just trying to figure out what I can do in that position,'' Lofton said. ''You just have to react.''
And wait for the Chicago Cubs to make another mistake.
• A Padres fan in San Diego did his Pacman Jones impersonation by making it rain during the game. He only used singles though. Kinda like the Padres.
Padres spokesman George Stieren said the bills were thrown by a fan in a suite on the third-base side of the downtown ballpark. The fan was ejected.
"I was ready to call time out and put some in my pocket, although I didn't see any 20s or 50s or 100s," Wells said. "It was kind of cool. It was fun for the fans. It wasn't fun for me."
• From the Hardball Times:
Alex Rodriguez will exercise the opt-out clause in his contract.
How can we be sure?
Simple, A-Rod's agent, Scott Boras, is laying the seeds for his next contract the same way he did back in 2000. Back then, Boras was stating that Rodriguez could well command a contract of 10 years and $200 million.
• Today the Oakland A's designated Milton Bradley for assignment. I guess he doesn't have game anymore.
• Adios Anibel. Florida Marlins right-hander Anibal Sanchez will miss the rest of the season after undergoing an operation Thursday that repaired a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder.
• I know there are some Philly Phans around here. I do not mention this to rub it in, it's actually newsworthy.
No franchise in any sport has lost more games than the futile Phillies. Now, they're nearing an ignominious mark: 10,000 losses. Going into Friday night's game at St. Louis, the Phillies were 10 shy of that unimaginable number.
It would take one loss every day for more than 27 years to reach 10,000. To make it worse, the Phillies have just one World Series championship (1980) in 125 years.
• Dr Z is a red wine swilling, red head loving, football writer for SI. He actually writes about football. Here is his latest latte free mailbag.
