Dave Bush has found his stuff again, and is pitching like an ace of late.

The rumor mill is alive and well as the end of August draws near and MLB’s waiver trade deadline is just around the corner. Several players have been placed on waivers, some for the purpose of facilitating a move, and others that are part of the annual business of baseball where teams show players that no market exists for their services. By the latter I’m specifically referring to the Blue Jays and Vernon Wells. Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi placed Wells on waivers simply to prove that nobody wants him or his contract. This is something that teams do every year on the off chance they can unload a “less than desirable” contract. In years past, the Red Sox went through this exercise with Manny Ramirez, who demanded a trade thinking that some team, any team, would want his services for the stretch run and beyond. The Sox were more than willing to accommodate his request to go elsewhere, and placed the slugger on waivers to see if there were any interest, only to see him go unclaimed. The same will likely happen with Wells, who has developed a reputation as a malcontent and oft-injured prima donna.

The Mariners placed Raul Ibanez and Jarrod Washburn on waivers for the purpose of putting together a trade, only to see them both get claimed by teams hoping to “block” the movement of both players to a contender. Teams will often place claims to keep a strong team from getting stronger. Such was the case with Ibanez, whom the M’s were trying to move to the Red Sox. The Tigers and Twins both placed claims that will keep Ibanez from going anywhere. The same thing happened with Washburn, whom the Mariners hoped to send to either the Yankees or the Twins, but who was claimed by a team with a worse record. The Cardinals were rumored to be interested in Washburn, a claim that has been denied by Cards representatives.

It appears that Tom Glavine will call it a career. There hasn’t been any official announcement just yet, but a torn tendon in his elbow has landed the lefty back on the DL after just one outing after his lengthy DL stay. In all likelihood he will need a Tommy John replacement procedure on his 42-year-old elbow. Such a procedure would require a year of rehab, meaning Glavine would be returning to the mound at age 44. I wouldn’t bet the rent on his coming back, or even going through the procedure.

The FBI investigation into certain teams’ practices with players in Latin-American countries has led to more dismissals by teams. The latest firings were made by the Yankees, one of the teams mentioned at the center of the probe. They dismissed two of their higher-ranking South and Central American scouts. The FBI probe is rumored to be centered on the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, and Dodgers among others. I get the distinct feeling this story is going to get uglier as time goes on. If the abuse is wide spread enough to include the highest revenue clubs in the game, one can only imagine that most, if not all teams are probably involved in one way or another. It’s just another example of the many ways that the filthy rich baseball team owners are out to screw everyone else for their own gain.

Speaking of which – I was in Washington D.C. this past week, and took in a Nationals game against the NY Mets. The game was kind of boring, with the Mets easily taking the game 12-0 after scoring a boatload of runs early in the game. It did afford me the opportunity to check out the beautiful stadium that the city built for the Nats. It really is quite the building, which makes it all the more surprising that the team is suing the city of Washington for something like $15M. The Nats claim the city did not finish the building within the contract-mandated time frame, so they have filed suit to recover the penalty money that the city has thus far refused to pay. The bottom line of this is that the Nationals got their stadium in time for opening day, and nothing that was incomplete at that point impeded their ability to begin raking in the revenue that they will not be sharing with the city as part of the deal. This suit is about pure greed. The Nationals got a free stadium from one of the poorest, needy cities. On top of that, their deal allows them to keep all of the revenue the stadium generates, without having to pay anything to the city that built it. The Nationals are using something that was placed in the contract to protect them in the event that the stadium was not ready for Opening Day against the city for no reason other than to try to squeeze more money out of the deal. With any luck, the court will see through this ridiculous claim and throw the lawsuit out.

Now that I’ve ranted and raved about MLB greed, lets talk about some players.

If you dropped Jeff Clement thinking that the Mariners made a mistake bringing the youngster to the majors, you should rethink your decision. I really can’t fault you for thinking he was overmatched. In his first 38 games he batted a dreadful .165, and generally looked bad at the plate. However, during the 13 games he has played in August he is batting .325, making him worth another look if he is sitting on your waiver wire.

If you are looking for a spot starter, you could do a lot worse than Milwaukee’s Dave Bush, who has really turned things around lately after nearly pitching his way out of the rotation. Over his last six starts he is 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA, and opponents batted just .190 against him. Better yet, he’s struck out 41 batters in his last 41 innings.

Looking for a hot September call up? I’ll put you on to one that won’t be on anybody’s radar screen - Nelson Cruz of the Rangers. When you’ve stopped laughing, consider this; in 366 Triple A at bats, Cruz has 37 home runs, 99 RBI, 93 runs scored, 24 stolen bases, and is batting a robust .344 with a .434 OBP. Can you use that kind of hitter for a month? I thought so.

Want another guy not on anyone’s radar? How about Kila Kaaihue of the Royals? Considering the difficulty the Royals have had finding a first baseman they can live with, this guy could get a long look this September. He spent most of the season in Double A, where he batted .314 with 26 home runs, and 79 RBI in 287 at bats. Since being promoted to Triple A, he’s continued to hit at a torrid pace, batting .339 with 7 home runs and 12 RBI in 17 games (59 at bats).

OK folks, that’s all I have for today. Shake it easy.