Rant One: It’s About Time
It came as a surprise to no one this week when Pittsburgh fired manager Lloyd McClendon, but I am left wondering what took them so long. While nobody could have expected the Pirates to win the World Series in his five year tenure, shouldn't they at least have shown some signs of improvement? From 2001-04, McClendon’s Pirates won 62, 72, 75, and 72 games and were 55-81 at the time of his firing.

Rant Two: Reality Bites In Minnesota
Back in April, many in the Twin Cities media were touting Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau as this generation's "M&M Boys." In their first complete big league seasons, they were being counted on to carry the Twins offense to a fourth straight Central Division title. Now it’s September and the Twins find themselves hanging by a thread in the Wild Card race. Mauer has played well, hitting near .300 and showing patience at the plate, but is not a consistent run producer -- at least not yet. Morneau has shown glimpses of his awesome power, but is prone to long slumps and mental lapses. The future still looks bright for these two, but right now Maris and Mantle have nothing to worry about.

Rant Three: Three Decades Of Rickey Because we should always respect our elders, I feel obligated to point out that Rickey Henderson recently completed his 30th season of professional baseball. Henderson, who began his pro career in 1976 with the Boise A's, suited up for the San Diego Surf Dawgs of the independent Golden Baseball League this season. The 46-year-old hit .270, reached base at a .456 clip, stole 16 bases in 18 attempts and hit five homers for the league champs.