It's about time that MLB retired Babe Ruth's number 3 for all time throughout baseball.

Some of you may know that two weeks ago today was the 60^th anniversary of Babe Ruth’s death. There wasn’t much mention of it around the various sports media outlets, but the Sporting News did have an article in their daily digital newspaper. Unfortunately, I don’t have the link to share with you, but I can tell you about the story a bit.

It was an interview piece with Babe Ruth’s granddaughter, Linda Ruth Tosetti, in which she spoke of her campaign to have the Babe’s number 3 retired around baseball. She has a website where you can see some pictures of the Babe and read a little bit of information you may not already know about. And she tells the story of her crusade to have a Congressional Medal bestowed upon Ruth posthumously, as well as her new quest to have MLB retire Ruth’s number on all of the teams in the same manner as Jackie Robinson’s 24.

Naturally, since there would be little or no monetary benefit for the baseball owners to do so, they are not interested in retiring number 3 or honoring Babe Ruth any further. Ruth-Tosetti has been rebuffed in her efforts to persuade Bud Selig to consider the matter with any degree of serious debate, and she has been not so politely told to “go away.”

I think this is the perfect reason to tweak Selig a bit, and join forces with Ruth-Tosetti in campaigning for the retirement of Ruth’s number around the league. There is a petition already circulating to accomplish just that, and all you have to do to help this cause is go the website and sign the electronic petition. Here is a link: Petition to Retire Babe Ruth’s number 3 throughout MLB. Let’s tell Bud Selig that it’s high time that baseball honored the one man who is legend throughout baseball. The only player whose name invokes completely pleasant memories of greatness and whose legendary hitting prowess is unmatched in the game.

Jackie Robinson is recognized for breaking the color barrier in baseball, and Ruth should be recognized for his considerable contributions to the game as well. Had he never played the game, it may not have survived some of the earlier scandals that nearly tore it apart back in early part of last century. After the Black Sox scandal, it was the Babe who carried baseball on his back for several years, and brought its popularity to new heights with his accomplishments and larger than life presence. It’s time that baseball honored him in similar fashion. Now go and do your part. It’s so easy, and takes only a minute or two. Isn’t it worth it, if nothing else, just to tweak Bud Selig’s nose a bit?

Speaking of tweaking…the folks over at Desipio.com have been thumbing their noses at ESPN. Specifically, they are complaining about ESPN the Magazine, and recently sent an email to the World Wide Leader with a litany of gripes. They received a reply, which they also posted on the site. Both of these are absolutely hilarious, with the comments from their readers afterward just as funny as the emails. If you have a moment and could use a few laughs, you should follow the links here and check it out.

A few fantasy and random thoughts.

I’m not a big believer in Carl Pavano at this point. He’s done almost nothing since 2005. Some touts are calling him a Sept sleeper, as though he were going to step in and save the Yankees (or some fantasy team’s) season. I’m thinkin’ he won’t make it to the end of the season. Something else is almost certain to go wrong.

The idea of Mark Reynolds playing second base makes me think the Diamondbacks aren’t going to make the playoffs. He leads all third basemen in errors and has the lowest fielding percentage. Reynolds isn’t going to make anyone forget Orlando Hudson, but the eligibility at another position will make him a much more valuable fantasy commodity next season.

If you haven’t checked out our Team Power Rankings yet, keep in mind that drawing players from the top ranked teams for your fantasy team is a legitimate strategy that could really help you win. Give it a try.

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The news that Josh Beckett is visiting Dr. James Andrews for the numbness in his pitching hand tells me that they must have found something wrong and are concerned about long term damage if he continues to pitch. The liklihood that Andrews examines Beckett and his MRI images, then tells him it's OK to go out and pitch, seems fairly unlikely to me. I think it's entirely possible that Beckett will be shut down for the season. No matter what though, his fantasy owners should use him with caution, as his next outing will either be a masterpiece or an absolute disaster. 

I've been wondering about what's going to happen to Brian Cashman after such a disappointing year for the Yankees. Remember that Cashman was the proponent of keeping Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes and using them in the rotation this season instead of trading them for Johan Santana. Kennedy and Hughes have given the Yanks exactly zero, zilch, nothing, nil, wins and both have spent more time injured or in the minors than on the mound with the Yankees. Methinks Cashman is going to be looking for a new job. 

I get the feeling that Francisco Rodriguez, K-Rod that is, will shatter the saves season record. Many of you already know the record is 57, set by Bobby Thigpen back in 1990. K-Rod is poised to shatter that total by a sigificant amount. I like Rodriguez to top 60 saves and maybe end up with as many as 62 saves. 

That's it for me today folks. Shake it easy!!