Photo by <<graham>>   some rights reserved
Today’s random player isn’t a player, it’s a manager. John McCloskey headed the Louisville Colonels, “leading” them to a 37-113 record in 1895 and for the first 19 games of 1896. He was replaced by Bill McGunnigle after a 17-5 loss to the Boston Beaneaters dropped the Colonels to 2-17 on the young season.
A decade later, McCloskey would receive a second chance. From 1906 to 1908 he managed the St. Louis Cardinals, who proceeded to lose 98, 101, and 105 games under his command.
McCloskey’s managerial record over parts of five seasons? A remarkable 190-417, good for …read more

The Philadelphia Phillies have signed left-handed reliever J.C. Romero to a 3-year deal worth $12 million. A club option for 2011 could kick the total value up to $16.75 million.
And now for the funny bits. Quoth Romero:
I’m glad I didn’t have to go out and test the free-agent market. I had a great time with the Phillies and really wanted to come back.
Yeah, I’ll bet you’re glad you didn’t have to test the market.

Sucks to be the New York Mets right about now. After Thursday’s 3-0 loss to St. Louis, they’ve slipped into a tie for first in the NL East. Yes, the Phillies are playing well (14-6 over their last 20, 20-10 over their last 30), but this shouldn’t even be close.
The Mets, in case you have forgotten, led by 7 games on September 12. That’s 16 days ago to you and me.
In the troublesome trend department, the Mets have beaten up (28-12) on the NL Central this year, but been decidedly mediocre (51-53) against everyone else. The Phillies also have taken …read more

Why is this a story? Does anyone honestly care that the Philadelphia Phillies have lost 10,000 games as a franchise?
Not starter Adam Eaton, who took the loss: “Most of us didn’t hear about it until we reached it.” Of course, Eaton has a 5.98 ERA this year, so presumably he’s got other things on his mind.
Seriously, though, there are web sites selling all kinds of merchandise “celebrating” this event (give your favorite search engine a spin if you’re so inclined). Meanwhile, the Phillies are smack in the middle of a playoff hunt with about 70 games remaining.
So, why is this …read more