Is there a way to be better than perfect? No.

Fat Man Walking

Four nights a week, I take classes at the University of Vermont in the hopes of someday finishing my degree. Having a little bit of time to kill before the bus home, I went to the library and found this nice corner on the third floor with some nice, comfy chairs and not a soul anywhere near me. The silence was deafening – not even the hum of a heater (it did drop into the 50s here last night) or the occasional person walking by to disturb that quiet.

Why do I bring this up? That quiet equals the interest in Bob Wickman right about now.

Since the Braves cast him off, there has been no one at all looking to bring the fat man in to close, nor will there be anyone.

Wickman blew six of his 26 save opportunities with the Braves this year with a horrific K/9 and K/BB ratio for a closer and an ERA pushing 4.00. Further, his attitude is abysmal and his conditioning nonexistent – you are likely to see better-conditioned athletes in your local softball leagues.

 Where now for Big Bob then? Retirement sounds good, but he will probably hook on somewhere, just not as a closer.

Joba-rific

The only thing Joba Chamberlain needs to work on now is how to hit someone, but Roger Clemens can work with him on that. Through nine appearances so far, Chamberlain has pitched 11 1/3 innings, struck out 17, walked just four, allowed five hits, and has yet to be scored upon. The Yankees insist that he is going to be a starter someday, rather than stick in the pen, but he looks like a dominating closer if the Yankees choose to go that way.

The Change Is Here To Stay

Brian Fuentes has been back now since August 14. Brian Fuentes has yet to get a save appearance since his return. It is not for a lack of quality out of Fuentes, as he is 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA, nine strikeouts, and four walks in six innings over seven appearances. However, Manny Corpas has shown that he is more than capable of doing the job, converting all 11 save opportunities since assuming the role, and the Rockies see absolutely no reason to change. Who can blame them? Heading in to next year, this will be Corpas’ job, and Fuentes will either be elsewhere or getting used to being a setup man.

Moving Up, Moving Down

Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees – Rivera was able to close against the Red Sox, his mortal enemies. That should be enough to prove that he is over any early- to mid-season issues.

Manny Corpas, Colorado Rockies – As I said previously, he has been perfect in save opportunities since assuming the role. It is hard to do better than perfect. Scratch that – it is impossible.

Billy Wagner, New York Mets – Not only is he looking mortal, he is looking downright broken. The injury concerns have always been there with Wagner, and the complaints of dead arm are certainly alarming. Bump him way down, and you might need to look for better options down the stretch – the Mets probably are.

Bob Wickman, Essex Town Major League Softball League – Okay, he is not really pitching for them, but he is not really pitching for anyone else either. Too bad, so sad, see you later.

Alan Embree, Oakland Athletics – Huston Street is back, as he should have been a while ago. It was nice getting saves out of Embree while it lasted, but that is done for good now.

Tier One: the Crème de la Crème
J.J. Putz, Seattle Mariners
Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox
Jose Valverde, Arizona Diamondbacks
Bobby Jenks, Chicago White Sox
Takashi Saito, Los Angeles Dodgers
Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins

Tier Two: the Elite
Francisco Cordero, Milwaukee Brewers
Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels
Jason Isringhausen, St. Louis Cardinals
Trevor Hoffman, San Diego Padres
Manny Corpas, Colorado Rockies
Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees

Tier Three: Solid, But Unspectacular
David Weathers, Cincinnati Reds
Chad Cordero, Washington Nationals
Kevin Gregg, Florida Marlins
Jeremy Accardo, Toronto Blue Jays
Brad Lidge, Houston Astros
Huston Street, Oakland Athletics
Brett Myers, Philadelphia Phillies
Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
C.J. Wilson, Texas Rangers
Todd Jones, Detroit Tigers

Tier Four: At Least They Get Saves…
Joe Borowski, Cleveland Indians
Ryan Dempster, Chicago Cubs
Al Reyes, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Brad Hennessey, San Francisco Giants

Tier Five: On Shaky Ground
Billy Wagner, New York Mets
Rafael Soriano, Atlanta Braves
Danys Baez, Baltimore Orioles

Questions and comments may be sent to markhaverty@sportsgrumblings.com