There's no cheering in the press box

Quick thoughts as the baseball season wanes...

• There is a good chance that at least four major league teams will record 100 or more losses. Chicago Cubs fans can moan about not winning the World Series in 100 years, but at least their team has been competitive in the 21st century. The fans I really feel sorry for are those who support the Pittsburgh Pirates. This once-proud franchise has not had a winning season since 1992 and is almost a sure bet to exceed 100 losses this year. And things don't look like they are going to get better anytime soon.

Meanwhile, as teams like Pittsburgh, Washington, Kansas City and Cleveland get worse and worse,the ever-alert commissioner, Bud Selig, does nothing to try to correct this imbalance. Instead, despite a decade of players using performance-enhancing drugs, Buddy Boy continues to insist he is presiding over a "Golden Era" for baseball. His definition for "golden" is making sure he and the owners pad their wallets. Selig can call his reign anything he wants, but history will forever refer to it as the "Steroids Era."

Hopefully, the next commissioner, whomever, will also address the widening gap between the American and National leagues. The AL has won 13 straight All-Star games and holds a wide edge in interleague play over the past five years. Sports Illustratedpointed out this week that Kansas City, the worst team in the AL (on their way to losing 100 games for the fifth time this decade) has a 50-40 record against NL teams. Many blame the NL's lack of a designated hitter for the discrepancy. Whether that is the problem or not, it makes no sense that AL has a designated hitter and the NL does not. I'm betting Selig's successor will change that. One problem: Bud Light seems to have a lifetime hold on the job.

• More evidence: Have you noticed that just in the past few weeks four pitchers who were struggling with their American League teams suddenly found great success when they were traded to NL teams? Ex-Clevelander Cliff Lee won his first five games with the Phillies. Mike MacDougal was released by the White Sox and now has 15 saves in 16 attempts for the atrocious Washington Nationals. John Smoltz and Brad Penny were awful when pitching for the Red Sox. Now both are winning with their new NL clubs -- St. Louis and San Francisco, respectively.

• Interesting goings on in Atlanta: As the Braves wind down on their fourth consecutive failure to make the postseason playoffs, fans are looking for someone to blame. General Manager Frank Wren is getting some heat in newspaper blogs for not bolstering the batting order in the off-season, but Manager Bobby Cox is really under fire. Even longtime supporter, Mark Bradley, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist, criticized Cox this week, writing that the team has "under-performed." Bradley pointed out that according to statistics, the Braves have outhit and outpitched Philadelphia and yet lag in the standings by 8 games. "Cox has overworked his bullpen and done strange things with his two nominal closers," Bradley wrote. "He has also failed to be even slightly creative with his lineup."

Even the Braves TV announcers, who are notorious "homers," questioned Cox's decision Friday night to relieve Jair Jurrjens, who was pitching a shutout, when Cox brought in closer Rafael Soriano in the ninth inning. Just two nights before Soriano relieved Tommy Hanson, who also had a shutout going against Houston, in the ninth inning and the closer promptly gave up two runs. Friday night the strategy worked and the Braves won, 1-0. Despite this, some fans are wondering why is it that Cox rarely lets a starting pitcher complete a game? I've been asking that question for a dozen years, back when he was doing the same thing with the best starting rotation in the history of the game -- Greg Maddox, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine.

• Speaking of sportscasters: I caught a Los Angeles Dodgers game that Vin Scully was calling on TV recently and what a contrast between him and most home town announcers. The man still has a melodious voice at age 82 and what's more important is his description of the game never reveals any allegiance to the Dodgers. No "we" or "us" in reporting. No rooting for a double play when the Dodgers are in the field, or home run when they are at bat. Scully learned at the side of the great Red Barber and he has never changed. Braves announcers would do well to tune in Scully and note that real pros don't cheer in the press box.