Monday Applesauce

Dominican Winter Baseball

Aguilas Cibaenas 15, Leones del Escogido 6

• Argenis Reyes (2B-Escogido) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
• Fernando Martinez (LF-Escogido) went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
• Abraham Nunez (3B-Escogido) went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored.
• Luis Terrero (CF-Aguilas) went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Gigantes del Cibao 7, Estrellas de Oriente 3

• Fernando Tatis (DH-Estrellas) went 0-for-4.
• Victor Mendez (CF-Gigantes) went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Tigres del Licey 11, Azucareros del Este 3

• Salvador Paniagua (1B-Licey) went 0-for-1 with a strikeout as a pinch hitter.

Awesome Manny Acta-O-Lantern by our friend Kristen of We've Got Heart. I'm still waiting for my Milledge-O-Lantern.

Hate the Phillies but think all hope is lost? Five teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series, though it hasn't happened since the 1985 Royals.

C.C. Sabathia is the big name on the free agent pitching market, though the Brewers may be readying a four-year, $100 million contract to retain the hefty lefty's services.

At The Hardball Times, John Brattain sees a future where the MLBPA has even more control over player salaries than it does now, and John is not pleased.

[The MLBPA's] job is to protect the players and their freedom and not the salary bar. The organization has forgotten this, and it’s the players who will pay (and are paying) the price. It’s time for the MLBPA to get back to protecting the players. If the game is enjoying high revenues, the player marketplace is free and open and the union is solidly united, then salaries will continue to enjoy healthy increase.

At Dugout Central, Kerry Whisnant runs some 2008 numbers and generally concludes that players who strikeout more are generally more productive, owing that increased productivity to higher power production. Makes sense.

Alex Belth is taking Bronx Banter to the dark side the SNY network of blogs.