I didn't see any of the games this weekend (Saturday: band practice, Sunday: migraine) but it looks we came this close to actually winning a series on the road. Oh well, we'll get them next time. On Saturday Brian Fuentes notched his tenth save on his way to the All-Star Game. Congratulations, Brian. J.D. Closser, Dustan Mohr, Luis Gonzalez, and Preston Wilson had homers over the two games. Todd Helton looked great on Saturday and terrible on Sunday, which is becoming a nasty pattern with him this year. Jamey Wright must have pitched some game in the win. The bullpen, despite Jay Witasick's allowing a ninth-inning run on Sunday, was its usual stalwart self.

AL and NL All-Star rosters are out. Cliff Floyd is probably the biggest snub; he has only his teammates Carlos Beltran and Mike Piazza, who don't deserve to go, to blame. Oakland's Justin Duchscherer, a rubber-armed middle relief menace, made the AL squad. Derrek Lee will start for the NL, meaning Albert Pujols will more than likely be the DH. That's the way it should be. Awful lot of Cardinals and Red Sox, but hey, those teams are good. The White Sox have two deserving pitchers and Paul Konerko to represent them. The NL's darling Nationals have starter Livan Hernandez and closer Chad Cordero on the list. That's what caught my eye, go check them out for yourself.

Maybe it's just me, but I think the Post should stop running these stories where the Colorado management promises more of the same. Winning teams don't give their GMs 5-year mulligans. I can understand if the team simply doesn't have the money to sign overpriced veterans. Given past results in that arena, I really can't blame them. But why then don't we have a manager and coaching staff who are noted for their soft touch with young players, instead of Clint Hurdle and his bizarre obsession with resurrecting the "careers" of Dustan Mohr, Matt Anderson, and Byung-Hyun Kim? "I think Dan's a brilliant guy," says Dick Monfort. "I think he's got a great mind...he did a brilliant job of getting rid of some payroll." It's not just about getting rid of payroll, it's about what you turn around and do with the money you save. Ask the post-A-Rod Rangers, or the Delgado-less Blue Jays, or the Brewers after dealing Richie Sexson. It's not a two-step process. You don't gut the team and start over completely. You build as you go.