Short Hops: Different kind of storm threatening Windy City World Series
Carlos Zambrano is hurt. His Cubs are skidding, heading into a nine-game trip. The White Sox might have to decide the AL Central title at the Metrodome. Is the all-Chicago World Series still on track? Not if Zambrano is unavailable for the stretch run, Scott Miller says. 

September road map: Motoring through the pennant races
Mad Dog can pass the Rocket, Damion Easley's misery might end and Yankee Stadium will host its last game. Scott Miller maps out September's key dates, with plenty of attention given to the Rays and Brewers. 

Weekend Buzz: Boston's Pedroia playing like league MVP
So Ozzie Guillen jokingly called 5-9 Dustin Pedroia a jockey. But it's the ChiSox manager's way of complimenting the pesky BoSox second baseman, who deserves to be mentioned as an AL MVP candidate, Scott Miller says in Weekend Buzz.  

Short Hops: Let's save time, put Cubs in World Series right now
Are you rooting for an NL team? If so, it better be the Cubs. With the Mets' mess of a bullpen and the fact that someone will back into the NL West title, Scott Miller dreads the stretch run on the Senior Circuit. 

MLB's retro rewind brings us forward to era of replay
New retro ballparks make instant replay necessary, and now that it's here, we should celebrate. In a game that is slow to change, this adaptation should be commended, Scott Miller says. Even the purists will relent someday.  

Snakes on a different plane since Dunn's arrival
The Dodgers' trade for Manny Ramirez generated headlines, but rival Arizona's deal for Adam Dunn is generating runs. The D-Backs rave about having a slugger who also draws walks, Scott Miller says. 

Weekend Buzz: Tale of two AL Central rivals
One team -- the White Sox -- try to win with the big home run. The rival team -- the Twins -- try to beat you with speed and patience. As Minnesota embarks on a 14-game road trip, the AL Central race heats up, Scott Miller says in Weekend Buzz.  

Short Hops: New stadium can't save Nats from embarrassment
Their team stinks, they fail to sign their No. 1 draft pick, no one watches them in their hometown and they're squabbling over rent. ... Scott Miller says these are just a few reasons the Nationals are so darn awful.  

Summer lovin': Diamond dandies and doozies
Ice cream, hamburgers and baseball ... that pretty much sums up summer. From bad owners to great ballparks, essential songs and must-see restaurants, Scott Miller lists the pleasures and bummers of summer on the diamond. 

Weekend Buzz: Rollins far from MVP form this year
It seems odd to say but Jimmy Rollins was NL MVP last year. With the season he's having now, you could easily think he won the award years ago. Scott Miller says Rollins just hasn't put it together this year. 

Short Hops: Owner's marital squabble adds to Padres' woes
Their owner is in the middle of a messy divorce. The team is in the middle of a messy season. Is there a bright spot for the San Diego Padres? Scott Miller says their future looks bleak in his Short Hops. 

Sports Appreciation Day: Catch stole a homer and grabbed my attention
Sports have always been there for Scott Miller, but when did he get hooked for life? His mind keeps racing back to a July afternoon at Tiger Stadium, when Paul Blair robbed Al Kaline of a potential game-tying homer. Nearly 40 years later, Miller hasn't stopped talking about the play. 

Future team uncertain, but CC gives Brewers big boost now
Sure, CC Sabathia may not be in Milwaukee in 2008, but the Brew Crew is ecstatic with his performances since a July trade. The soon-to-be free agent has the team thinking about its first playoff berth since '82, Scott Miller says.  

Weekend Buzz: Tough times for depleted, desperate Yankees
Things are looking bleak for the Yankees. Numerous injuries, including phenoms Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes, are putting New York in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since '93, Scott Miller says in Weekend Buzz. 

Short Hops: Twins bracing for two-week road trip
The Twins are in the hunt in the AL Central largely due to their success at home. So how will they deal with a 14-game road trip during the heat of the race? If Minnesota stumbles, John McCain might struggle for votes in the Twin Cities, Scott Miller says. 

One year after No. 756, Bonds still conspicuous -- by his absence
Barry Bonds' presence is still felt in San Francisco, yet it seems as if he vanished into the fog. It's a jarring dichotomy, Scott Miller says one year after Bonds dethroned Hank Aaron as the home run king. 

Baseball takes another hit with loss of Skip
We're touched by greatness, then it's gone. With the recent death of legendary writer Jerome Holtzman still fresh in his mind, Scott Miller mourns the death of Braves broadcasting icon Skip Caray. 

Weekend Buzz: City of L.A. shakes baseball world with Manny, Tex
Both L.A. based teams -- Angels and Dodgers -- are already feeling the effects after trading for Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez. Count on both clubs to create quite an impact down the final stretch, Scott Miller says in his Weekend Buzz. 

L.A. comes down with big case of Manny fever
For a city full of stars, Manny Ramirez was the biggest in his whacky introduction to L.A. Oh, he was OK on the field, too. What will the Manny era be like? We can't say for sure, but it'll be fun either way, Scott Miller says.  

Don't fool yourself: Red Sox are worse off without Manny
Yes, he has his own way of playing baseball. But even with his eccentricities, Scott Miller says Manny Ramirez would have made the Red Sox more of a World Series threat than Jason Bay will.  

Manny trade winds pick up with no deal on table
Barely more than an hour before the trade deadline, Boston continued to work feverishly Thursday in hopes of completing a Manny Ramirez trade, but the three-way discussions between the Red Sox , Florida and Pittsburgh still haven't yielded a deal -- and they might not. 

Trade-deadline Short Hops: Mania over Manny situation misguided
It will be tough for a contending team like the Red Sox to trade a player like Manny Ramirez. So tough, in fact, it might be impossible, Scott Miller says as he takes a look around at the latest action in his Trade-deadline Short Hops. 

D-Backs stand pat after whiffing on Teixeira
CC Sabathia and Rich Harden? Gone. Mark Teixeira? Ditto. With no big move for the Diamondbacks to make, it appears the pillow fight in the NL West will go on. Good thing Arizona believes it can win standing pat, Scott Miller says. 

Weekend Buzz: Living again in Yankees' material world
The Yanks are off to one of their best starts after the break and succeeded in making slick moves to fill their needs. New York has quickly become major players in the AL playoff race, Scott Miller says in his Weekend Buzz. 

Plenty of storylines to fuel intriguing second half
Do the Rays have enough maturity to compete down the stretch? Is Mets manager Jerry Manuel a miracle worker? Which players are likely moving to contenders? There's lots of things to watch for, Scott Miller says in his Second Half Look.  

Extra-inning loss just another example of NL's failures
This is starting to get downright ugly for the NL. The Senior Circuit fails to snap a 12-game winless streak to the AL, but a 4-3, 15-inning loss just leaves the National Leaguers looking uphill, Scott Miller says.  

Ruth's House going out as American monument
Twenty six titles. The pine tar controversy. The 2-2 pitch to Tino. The Jeffery Maier game. Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle. Yes, Yankee Stadium has seen it all as its historic career winds down, Scott Miller says.  

Weekend Buzz: Wood top story of first half; Hamilton, Berkman MVPs
A blister will keep Kerry Wood from pitching in the All-Star Game, but no matter. In his Weekend Buzz, Scott Miller says Wood's ascension from the abyss to a new role to rare company is one of the major highlights in the first half. 

Anti All-Stars: The antidote to all that's right with the world
Egomaniacs. Onetime studs stinking it up (one so bad, he just got released). Sulkers and posers. The latest edition of the Scott Miller Anti All-Star team has it all. Even an announcer still in love with the image of himself in uniform. 

Healthy (?) Harden gives Cubs hammer in escalated NL Central race
Feel those NL Central aftershocks? The first-place Cubs acquire righty Rich Harden in a six-player deal with the A's. It should make for a great pennant race, Scott Miller says, if Harden can stay off the DL. 

Sabathia trade proves Brewers serious about contending
When thinking about the Brewers' blockbuster trade for CC Sabathia, three words come to mind: Go for it. That's exactly what Milwaukee is doing. Say goodbye to the basement, it's time to move up in the world, Scott Miller says. 

Weekend Buzz: Time to see who really deserves All-Star spots
The All-Star Game rosters are official. While many selected players deserve their spot in the Midsummer Classic, there are more than a few head-scratchers, especially coming out of the AL, Scott Miller says in Weekend Buzz. 

Gillick's name popping up in Mariners' rumored future
It appears that Microsoft executive and current Mariners minority owner Chris Larson wants a bigger piece of the pie in Seattle. But a more interesting rumor involves the return of Pat Gillick to the struggling franchise, Scott Miller says. 

Mishandled Mariners stumbling through nightmare season
This is not what the Mariners expected heading into this season. Just ask the GM, manager and hitting coach, who all lost their jobs in a 10-day span. Poor personnel decisions have caught up to this once-proud ball club, Scott Miller says. 

Moving Ichiro would be smart, but Mariners likely won't ship him
Trading Ichiro Suzuki might be the best way for the Mariners to begin a rebuilding process, but don't expect the Japanese icon to be going anywhere. He's just too valuable to the franchise, Scott Miller says.