Miscellaneous Baseball Thoughts

• I've given up on the notion that the Mariners are due for a collapse. A look at their roster suggests that they have .500 talent and barring an overhaul that is what they will be next year. But more than 3/4th of the way through the season, there is no reason to think it's going to catch up to them this year. They have as good a shot at making the playoffs in the AL as anybody but the Red Sox.
• P. S. Check out their bullpen and tell me that is not an argument against spending money on relief pitchers.
• It's odd to say this about a west coast team, but the Angels have one of the best crowds in baseball. Angels' fans have been absolutely flying for the first two games of this Yankees series. The Angels have quietly become one of the first-rate organizations in sports. They have money, spend it pretty wisely, and have a nice farm system. The Angels should dominate the AL Wast for years to come.
• Brandon Webb's streak of 42 consecutive scoreless innings is one of the most remarkable achievements I've ever seen. Why doesn't Orel Hershiser's scoreless innings record get as much play as Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak? If you think about it, all DiMaggio had to do was get a bloop or a seeing-eye dribbler through the hole once a game to keep his streak alive. Hershiser and Webb had to not only avoid extra-base hits, but even sequences involving a walk, an error, and a Texas leaguer for like 7 straight games. Bananas!