(From time to time, we’ll post a short blog entry regarding a current topic or something else that catches our fancy. It might be something trivial or something that really makes us wonder what the hell is going on.)

Stop if you’ve heard this before…

One team is a media darling and a behemoth, having a high payroll and filled with All-Stars at nearly every position.  The other is the David to the other’s Goliath, playing in a smallish media market and a payroll that roughly equals the rotation pricetag of the team they’re playing.

If you guessed the media monoliths as being the Boston Red Sox and the budgetary bravehearts the Cleveland Indians, you might want to keep reading this scintillating analysis.  If not, read it anyway: we can use the traffic.

Before we move on to breaking this thing down, we’d like to point out — again — we did awfully well with our division series predictions, nailing all four of them (the duration of each series doesn’t count!).

With that, a series that features the likely top two finishers in the AL Cy Young voting going in Game 1…

More after the jump »

According to ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney, former Senator George Mitchell’s report on steroids and PEDs in Major League Baseball will released between October 31 and January 1 of this year.

Olney also stated that “many, many names” will be released in this report, but the nature of the specific information will be based from player-to-player.  It will not be a simple regurgitation of names, meaning new names not yet on the public consciousness will be revealed.

More when it becomes available…

***UPDATED at 4:20 PM ET***

ESPN has the full story on its webpages.

Mazzone fired after two years as O’s pitching coach (Baltimore Orioles)

Leo Mazzone, who came to the Orioles with a reputation as one of the best pitching coaches in the modern era, was fired Friday after only two seasons in that role.

From the club’s press release:

“I spoke with Leo today and told him I appreciated his efforts here,” said Manager Dave Trembley. “Moving forward, I felt that we would be better served with someone else working with our young staff and that it was in his best interests and our best interests to give him an opportunity to look elsewhere now.”

NHL suspends Boulerice 25 games (TSN.ca)

The NHL’s Colin Campbell has come down hard on Philadelphia Flyers forward Jesse Boulerice, suspending him 25 games for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler in the head Wednesday.

It’s the longest suspension handed out in NHL history for an on-ice incident.

More after the jump »

Guilford killed in motorcycle wreck (AP/ESPNU)

Walk-on defensive back Michael Guilford for the Florida Gators was killed early Friday when the motorcycle he was driving hit a median at a high rate of speed, police said.

Urban Meyer, the Gators coach, issued a statement on the 19-year old’s sudden death.

More after the jump »

News and notes while Cardinals fans complain about an average ticket price increase of roughly $1.15 per ticket…

Report: Argos, CFL looking into NFL team (TSN.ca) A league buys a franchise in another league and moves it to Toronto, almost assuredly killing a franchise in your own league? Nice concept if we understand it correctly.

House committee wants more info on injured NFL players (USA Today) The House requests that the league and the Player’s Association to turn over information on football injuries, the disability and retirement system and what’s being done to help battered and broken retirees.

Ten NFL truths (FOX Sports) Jason Whitlock picks apart ten things that “truth” in the NFL. A Jeff George mention included. (Tip o’the cap to The Big Lead)
Dickie V should stick to picking hoops brackets (Awful Announcing) He and a lot of other “experts” screwed up unlike us, baby!!!!

Pop culture power rankings (Extra Mustard) How did we miss this idea?

Park and Creamer share Samsung lead; Wie shoots 79 (Golf.com)

How did Michelle Wie celebrate her 18th birthday?

By shooting a 79 and three shots behind some gal named Bettina Hart, Wie sits in 20th-place at the Samsung Open in Palm Desert, Calif.

More after the jump »

Heyman: A 12-year contract for A-Rod? (SI.com)

Jon Heyman of SI.com writes that should Alex Rodriguez opt out of his deal with the New York Yankees, he could earn himself a hefty little payday — over 12 years.
More after the jump »

Cowboys coach denies saying spying scandal taints Pats’ titles (Dallas Morning News)

Wade Phillips, in his first year as coach of the Dallas Cowboys, denied making a comment attributed to him that he alleged the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl titles were tainted due to the spy scandal incident against the New York Jets.

More after the jump »

The morning after Arizona fans act like fans at Wrigley…

Rockies 5, D’Backs 1

The night belonged to Jeff Francis and the Colorado Rockies as the captured their 18th win in their 19 games, downing the hometown Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1.

More after the jump »

News and notes while testing the laws of gravity and bottled water…

Late TD caps Wake’s  win vs. No. 21 FSU (ESPN) Riley Skinner threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Kenneth Moore in the fourth quarter to lead Wake Forest past No. 21 Florida State 24-21.

SC to start Sanchez over Booty (AP/USA Today) Thanks to a broken middle finger on starter Josh Booty’s throwing hand, Mark Sanchez will get his first start against Arizona this weekend.

Kesler: Boulerice deserves 20 game vacation (AP/ESPN) The Vancouver Canucks forward who was on the brutal end of crosscheck wants his attacker, Jesse Boulerice of the Philly Flyers, to serve 20 games in the sin-bin for his actions.

Aces high (Y! Sports) Baseball national writer Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports takes a look at the ALCS Game 1 match-up of C.C. Sabathia and Josh Beckett.

Steinbrenner: The final countdown — Day 58 — the New York Times: ‘Steinbrenner’s on drugs!’ (Bugs & Cranks)