​I was going to say something about the Ryan Braun mess, but Murray Chass already said it for me. Chass, as you should know, was with the New York Times for 39 years before taking a buyout in 2008. He has now been blogging for over three years, though I would not call it that. Chass has simply continued to write his old column, which is so far above the level of what is generally called blogging as to be a higher category altogether. In fact, it's generally higher caliber than Chass wrote at the Times, if only because he no longer seems to be held back by the paper's corporate policy.

In his column, Chass has provided a superb summation of the press's near hysterical reaction over an arbitrator's decision to throw out Matt Braun's 50-game suspension for a positive drug test. Chass takes the Daily News, the Post and the Times to task, writing:

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commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Olsin.se

​Why was there so little support for Jorge Posada as a Hall of Fame player in this week's sports press? The most common phrase was "borderline HOFer," which, as I recall, I've even used in this space over the years. But let's say it: Posada is a Hall of Famer, though perhaps he won't make it on the first ballot. But he'll make it.

Because he deserves it. Georgie was the second best catcher in baseball for most of his career, only behind Pudge Rodriguez -- if you factor in overall value, probably behind both Pudge and Mike Piazza for several years. But what's wrong with being the third best player at your position, especially when your position is the hardest to play and the hardest to find a good player for?

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Watch the video above. That, friends, is the consequence of living near the Richmond County Bank Ballpark: fireworks all the time, after every home game, according to this account by a Staten Island resident named Steve in Brick Underground.

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​The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 last night to win their 11th World Series. After letting up 2 runs in the first, the Cardinals scored 6 unanswered to take the series. They were down 2-3 in the Fall Classic after losing game 5 to the Rangers. David Freese was the World Series MVP and hit the tying RBI in Game 7 with a double in the bottom of the first. Freese had hit the game-tying and walk-off RBIs in Game 6, which the Cardinals won in 11 innings. [ESPN]

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​EU leaders are in Brussels today for a crisis meeting on how to resolve the Euro's financial woes. Germany is resisting calls to increase the bailout fund and cut Greece's debt. Bloomberg reports "measures on the table include writedowns of as much as 50 percent on Greek debt, 100 billion euros ($139 billion) in fresh capital for banks and the pooling of two rescue funds to deliver as much as 940 billion euros to contain the crisis." Germany, the EU's strongest economy, is hesitant to agree to any of these terms. [Bloomberg]

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Strawberry!

Did I miss it, or has someone written tributes to the 1986 Mets that I didn't see? October 18 marks the 25th anniversary of the first game of the great 1986 World Series, and we just passed the 25th anniversary of perhaps the greatest division series ever, the one with the Houston Astros — you know, the one Tim McCarver famously called "an epic of our time … like Beowulf."

Don't people think silver anniversaries are important any more? Have the Mets' miseries this past season — for the past few seasons, for that matter — drowned out memories of the one of the greatest teams and greatest seasons in baseball history?

I have a theory: The Mets' fans get a pang when they remember the '86 team because it was a dynasty that never happened.

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Sabathia: Big drama

C.C. or C.J.? Does it come down to that for the Yankees? We still don't know who's going to the World Series, but the internet is abuzz with speculation about whether the Yankees are going to try to re-sign C.C. Sabathia or Texas Rangers left-handed ace C.J. Wilson — or both.

C.C. is getting $23 million a year for the next four years, and the Rangers had a $91 million payroll last year. Does anyone seriously think they're going to take on a grossly overweight 31-year old for, what, $27 or $28 million a year for three or four seasons?

It's not my money, so I don't care how the Yankees spend it, but I do care how it affects the team. And not only can't Texas afford to pay that kind of money, I don't think anyone else can, either. Well, the Yankees could, but why should they?

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If you're sick of Moneyball clichés, try the cure: Too Much Moneyball, a video from Jest.com that's making the rounds.

Our favorite scene is when the actor playing the Brad Pitt role — or, rather, in this scenario the Brian Cashman role — is thinking of new ways to spend money: "Overpay for hometown heroes," he says and the camera cuts to footage of Derek Jeter jumping up and down.

The video is more than a picture-perfect turnaround of the movie. It's a virtual compendium of all the reasons that big-market teams don't win every year, despite their obvious advantages.

As the postseason hits full swing, it's amusing watching the three richest teams in baseball scramble frantically to figure out why they lost despite their enormous resources. Well, it's amusing if you're not a fan of those teams.

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The parade's gone by: A-Rod in 2009

​Let's look on the bright side ... no, scratch that. There is no bright side. Let's try to take in the big picture ... no, skip it. That's crap, too.

The Yankees' 3-2 elimination loss to Detroit on Thursday night was as ugly as a one-run defeat can be. They were a better team than the Tigers, not by much, but a little. They had a lower team ERA and scored more runs, they were playing at home with their relief corps rested, and Justin Verlander didn't pitch. The Yankees should have won.

Why didn't they? Well, apparently it is all Alex Rodriguez's fault. But isn't it possible that some of the other Yankees didn't get the job done, either? And what does this tell us about this Yankee team?

Alex Rodriguez didn't not do the job all by himself. Not by a long shot.

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Verlander: Use him or lose it?

If you were about to play what could be your last game of the season, would you use every weapon you had? If we are to believe Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland, he wouldn't.

Leyland has repeatedly said he "probably wouldn't use Justin Verlander in relief" in tonight's Game Five against the Yanks, that it was "unlikely." The press took this as "absolutely will not." Earlier this afternoon, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that Leyland was "emphatic" about not using the best pitcher in baseball this season in relief.

Does anyone believe this?

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