The StatMan  

Topic 1: Baseball
Red Sox
If the Red Sox are thinking about the division, they have no margin for error.  The Sox play the Yankees next weekend at Fenway for three games and the Sox need all of them.  There are only two series left against the Yankees and next weekend is one of them.  Youkilis will come back at Toronto before the series against the Yankees, which will kick off a 10-game homestand.  It is more realistic to think about the Wild Card.
About charging the mound, it is not looking at baseball as a bloodsport or being thirsty for violence in baseball, it is about getting your team behind you and sparking them.  For those reasons, charging the mound can be a pretty good tactic.  It gives your team a sense of invincibility and tells the other team “if you mess with our team, we are going to mess with you”.

Phillies
Cliff Lee has been fantastic, drawing comparisons to CC Sabathia after his trade to Milwaukee last season.  Jamie Moyer was booted from the rotation when the Phillies activated Pedro Martinez.  Demoting Moyer to the bullpen was the path of least resistance because J.A. Happ is a part of your future and you did not sign Pedro (and Pedro did not sign with the Phillies) to be in the bullpen.  Moyer is not a good candidate for a situational left-hander and he is not going to reinvent himself to prolong his career.  He’s already 46.
Pedro is off to a great start, as the offense gave him all kinds of support to work with.  But, his start was anything but great, allowing three runs and seven hits in a five-and-dive.  He threw 99 pitches in five innings and though he almost had a 2-to-1 strike-to-ball ratio, in a tighter game, we may not be singing his praises.  Pedro will face Arizona at home on Tuesday for his home debut and at Citi Field on Sunday for a homecoming of sorts against the Mets.
Brad Lidge has struggled mightily this season, but the Phillies have no other options.  Ryan Madson tried when Lidge was on the DL and he was terrible.  This could be the Phillies’ Achilles heel.  The Phillies have shown they can come back with their offense, but their pitching staff might be giving up some games and they could be an issue down the stretch.

Yankees
The Yankees are unstoppable right now.  They finished a 5-2 week, winning 2 of 3 in Toronto and 3 of 4 in Seattle.  They are winning late with homers and clutch hits.  Against Toronto, they had two homers to go ahead in the 8th on Tuesday and Robinson Cano got the big hit on Wednesday in the ninth to give the Yankees the win – their 11th walk-off win of the season. 
With the Yankees, as with most championship-caliber teams, it is a different hero every day.  They have built a team that is perfect for Yankee Stadium.  Most of the homers Damon hits at home would not be home runs in most other parks.
The Yankees can not only stick the dagger into the Red Sox next weekend, but they can twist it around a little bit on their rivals.

Mets
David Wright getting hit in the head by a pitch and going on the DL on Sunday.  That makes 10 players currently on the DL and it is beyond ridiculous.  A couple of players are coming back in Carlos Beltran and Billy Wagner, but it is definitely too little, too late.
When Wright was buzzed with a pitch last week, it looked for a second that Wright would charge the mound and he didn’t.  Comparing that with the Youkilis situation against Rick Porcello of the Tigers, the contrast is a big one.  But, what does that say about Wright and the Mets?  Is he a guy who does not do those things?  Is this an organizational mantra?  If this was 30 years ago, the situation would have been different.
The temperament of this Mets team is not the same as it was in the 1980s.  The Mets of 1986 started fights sometimes and always finished them.  The Mets of the recent past have a more harmonious clubhouse, but it has been signified by pacifism.  Even when they have been successful, the thoughts that stick in my mind was the Clemens-Piazza aggression in 2000 and Carlos Beltran looking at a called third strike in end the NLCS in 2006.  The “bad boy image” of the 1980s might be in the rear view mirror of the fans and the media, but it probably still sticks in the mind of ownership.

Around the League
NL Wild Card race: Colorado and Florida are top two in the Wild Card standings and are playing each other this weekend.  Florida trying to hang in there in the NL East and the Wild Card.
AL Wild Card race: Texas is 7-3 in their last 10 and started their weekend series against Boston behind the Red Sox for the Wild Card by a half-game.  The Rangers took 2 of 3 from Boston and stand a half-game up for the Wild Card.  Texas is in a fight with the Angels for the top spot in the AL West.  The Angels do not have a lead-pipe lock, but they have owned the AL West and it is amazing how they still get it done.  They have lost Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter for times this season and there was the tragic death in April of young pitcher Nick Adenhart.  Mike Scioscia is one of the most consistent managers in baseball.  But, Texas is actually pitching this year, which is something the Rangers have never, ever been known for because of the hot summers in Texas.
In the AL Central, no one is close in the Wild Card, so the fight is for the division.  The Tigers lead the White Sox, but the Tigers had a tough time with an emotional Red Sox team during the week.  Detroit salvaged the series by winning the last game of the four-game series.

Topic 2: 2009 AFC South and NFC South Previews
AFC South
Houston
·        Big Question: Can Matt Schaub stay healthy? 
·        Notable Comings and Goings: 
    o       Coming: DE Antonio Smith, OLB Brian Cushing (R) 
    o       Going: No notables 
·        2008 record/2009 prediction (change): 8-8/7-9 (-1) 
·        Analysis: If Schaub stays healthy, maybe they can finish at or above .500, but they need more depth to make the playoffs. 

Indianapolis
·        Big Questions: Will the loss of Harrison be felt?  What effect will new coach Caldwell have on the Colts?
·        Notable Comings and Goings: 
            o       Coming: RB Donald Brown (R), HC Jim Caldwell, DC Larry Coyer 
    o       Going: RB Dominic Rhodes, WR Marvin Harrison, HC Tony Dungy 
·        2008 record/2009 prediction (change): 12-4/13-3 (+1) 
·        Analysis: Remember Tampa after Dungy left?  Indy will be just fine because Dungy left them in great position. 

Jacksonville
·        Big Question: How long will Jack Del Rio last?
·        Notable Comings and Goings: 
    o       Coming: WR Torry Holt, OT Tra Thomas, OT Eugene Monroe (R) 
    o       Going: RB Fred Taylor, WR Matt Jones, WR Reggie Williams, DE Paul Spicer, LB Mike Peterson
·        2008 record/2009 prediction (change): 5-11/4-12 (-1)
·        Analysis: The Jags created addition by subtraction by not re-signing Jones or Williams, but not even Holt can save this team. 

Tennessee
·        Big Questions: When is Vince Young going to take control of the team?  Who is the #1 RB? 
·        Notable Comings and Goings: 
    o       Coming: WR Nate Washington, WR Kenny Britt (R), TE Alge Crumpler, DE Jason Jones 
    o       Going: DE Albert Haynesworth, WR Brandon Moore
·        2008 record/2009 prediction (change): 13-3/12-4 (-1)
·        Analysis: The torch is not ready to be passed to Young as long as Collins keeps winning.  With another year under Johnson and White’s belt, this team will be just as good, maybe better. 

Projected AFC South 2009 Standings

1. Indianapolis (13-3)
2. Tennessee (12-4)
3. Houston (7-9)
4. Jacksonville (4-12)