Random Thoughts

I like the Teixeira-Kotchman trade for both teams. Mark Teixeira gives the Angels get the big bat that they have needed (an AL team with Maicer Izturis hitting 3rd is pathetic). In addition, the Angels are one of the few teams with a bankroll to potentially afford Teixeira.

The Braves get younger (25) and cheaper ($1.45 mil this year - under contract until 2011) with Casey Kotchman. He has a great glove and gives the Braves the good problem of having too many LH bats (McCann, Kotsay, Kelly Johnson).

This trade may be the first insight into the Braves' offseason, as they will have to start rebuilding. Chipper Jones has a few good years left in him, but he is not going to play more than 130 games. Brian McCann might be the best catcher in baseball, but his position is one in which injury could arrive at anytime. Smoltz is done, Glavine should retire, and Tim Hudson is probably going to need Tommy John surgery (cue picture of Billy Beane twirling his mustache and laughing). However, the Braves did not win their division for 14 years in a row by accident. Whatever they will do will probably work.
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I have recently started using Netflix's "Watch Instantly" function, and I am so far impressed. If you have any Netflix account, you get unlimited hours to watch. The selection does not extend to every DVD available, but you do receive a large variety of options, including most NBC shows that are available on DVD (entire seasons of "30 Rock" and "The Office"), plus tons of low brow horror (I am pretty sure that every crappy Troma movie ever made is here). I watched "Phantom of the Paradise" last night, and I am watching "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" (which, honestly, has aged very well) right now . Finally, I am pretty sure that I have ADD.
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I like the move that the Mets are making by sticking with Fernando Tatis in LF. It shows some guts on the part of Mets management, and he has a great backstory (0ut of baseball from 04-05 - returning now to raise money for his church). Tatis has been raking in July (.415/6/18), and, for at least one season, he was awesome (.298/34/107 way back in 1999). Of course, if the Mets pick up Raul Ibanez for cheap, that will be a good move, too.

Speaking of Ibanez, I still think that he would look good in the D'backs line-up. They have too many right-handed hitters that are prone to Ks. I would not want to depend on Chad Tracy for the stretch.
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Taxes. Death. Nomar hurt. I used Nomar on my money team for eight games (as a replacement for Cristian Guzman, who was replacing Rafael Furcal), but they were a great eight games with three HRs and eight RBIs. Still, I don't understand why teams, especially in the NL, give this guy space in their locker rooms. In case you care, I am now on the Marco Scutaro bandwagon.