Madden: After the Boston Red Sox & L.A. Dodgers, where have all the good teams gone?

Much like Lucky Oceans’ great-grandfather…Madden is asleep at the round object that turns things.

So what are we to make of all this creeping mediocrity in baseball? Bud Selig, I’m sure, will say it’s just fine; that what it is, is delicious parity - the product of revenue sharing. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, another baseball exec pooh-poohed that notion.

“I don’t think anyone looking reasonably at all the teams today as compared to a few years ago wouldn’t conclude that we’ve sacrificed quality for quantity. There are too many teams and that’s made for the talent to be spread thinner, with too many players, especially pitchers, who don’t belong in the major leagues. Then you add in the steroids and amphetamines issue. Just look around at all these hitters who’ve had enormous drop-offs in their home run and power numbers. And I have no doubt the absence of amphetamines is responsible for relievers not being able to pitch every day. There’s just too much evidence to the contrary.”

...Speaking of Cooperstown, Frank Thomas said Friday he’s getting close to announcing his retirement. You mean he hadn’t retired already? With 521 homers and a .310 career average, it would seem The Big Hurt’s place in the Hall is secure.

Uhh…that’s .301. WAKE UP!