Yankees � The whole forfeit issue with Tampa Bay was overblown, in my opinion. That was just a case of the players and King George venting about being at the ballpark for six hours when it turned out they didn�t need to be. The Yankees swept the D-Rays in the three games that were played, and have stabilized to a 3 � game lead in the division and 8 � over Anaheim for the Wild Card. The good news ends there however, as Kevin Brown decided to punch a wall in anger and is now out with a fracture in his pitching hand bad enough that it necessitated surgery.

Boston � Talk about sending a message!!! The Red Sox flew west to Oakland and manhandled the A�s by scores of 8-3, 7-1, and 8-3, winning the season series eight games to one. Pedro Martinez (two hits in six IP) was strong in his game while Barry Zito and Tim Hudson were cuffed around. It shouldn�t be any secret who should be the favorite in a probable first round series, even if Oakland does have home field advantage. More on that in my final issue of 2004 next week.

Minnesota � Johan Santana won his 10th consecutive decision, and is 15-2 with a 1.49 ERA in the last three months. If he had started this tear from Opening day and this were July, there would be serious talk about Johan winning 30. Again, I don�t see how there can be any debate on the Cy Young, I don't care if the man pitches in Siberia.

Kansas City/Detroit � OK, two teams not in contention, but a perfect illustration on how one game only means one game. In the first game of a doubleheader KC wins 26-5, with Joe Montana Randa leading the way going 6-7 with six runs scored. A half-hour later the teams went back out and Detroit rolled to an easy 8-0 win, with Jeremy Bonderman pitching eight shutout innings with nine K�s. The most encouraging sign from a Royals perspective was SS Angel Berroa going 4-5 with five RBI, which makes him 13 for his last 24 � which could point to a rebound in 2005.

Atlanta � Wondering how the Braves have ran away with the East?? Check out these August batting averages. Rafael Furcal .341, Johnny Estrada .338, Chipper Jones .337, and J.D. Drew .309. Part-timers Julio Franco, Eli Merrero, Mark DeRosa, and Eddie Perez all hit over .300 as well. Even Andruw Jones hit .292 in July and .283 in August. Besides being tied for third in BA, the Braves lead the entire majors in team ERA at 3.69.

St. Louis � OK, this ought to be fun. Who gets moved to the bullpen for post-season?? Your choices are Chris Carpenter (14-5, 3.37), Jason Marquis (14-4, 3.44), Jeff Suppan (15-6, 3.97), Woody Williams (10-7, 4.00), or Matt Morris (15-9, 4.69). Morris is actually still considered the staff ace and a few horrific outings (ask me about it) have inflated his ERA. My guess is Williams is odd man out, but that�s a tough cut.

Los Angeles � Much like the Yankees in the AL, many are writing about the Dodgers impending doom. The starting staff is the shakiest of the contenders and the Brad Penny trade blew up in their faces. But the chemistry is still there, evidenced this week by pinch Grand Slams by Robin Ventura and Olmedo Saenz. LA still has a five game lead, but per usual showdowns with the Giants await in the season�s final two weekends. And if LA does fall out of the division title, they will find themselves with plenty of company fighting for the Wild Card.

Florida - The Marlins situations with the Hurricanes have been well chronicled, and doubleheaders with the Cubs on 9/10 and 9/20 will be difficult to say the least considering the Cubs are a little deeper pitching wise. In one game in Chicago the Marlins will be sending Logan Kensing, a second-round pick from 2003 to go against Mark Prior. Kensing has been pitching in low-A ball most of this year where he was 6-7 with a 2.96 ERA. The good news is that the Hurricanes, I mean the Marlins - will get their games in somewhere this week. Discussions have been held about the Marlins staying in Chicago early next week, facing the Expos in Commiskey Park.

Houston - By far the hottest team in the Wild Card race, the Astros won 12 in a row before being stymied by Pittsburgh's Oliver Perez, but came right back to win the nightcap of the doubleheader to move ahead of the Cubs (but tied with the Giants) for the final playoff spot. Sore ribs have been slowing SP Roy Oswalt lately, but by all means start him against Cincinnati - he is 10-0 lifetime in 14 starts.

San Francisco - Barry Bonds will most likely go over the 700 HR mark in the next week, with the Giants having games at Arizona and Milwaukee. Anything less that a 5-1 mark during that stretch would be unacceptable.

Cubs - The pitching staff already figured to be taxed with just one off day scheduled for the rest of the year, now that will be spent in Miami for a doubleheader. The staff is not at full strength right now with Matt Clement out with a shoulder. MRI's/X-Ray's came out negative - but there is no timetable on Clement's return.

It has been tradition on the Blue Sheet over the past four years to anticipate the possible best salary cap plays for the following year. The waning weeks can always be a good indicator on who may be ready to break out come next April...

Catchers - Johnny Estrada and Vic Martinez were the undisputed salary cap kings this year. If his knee allows, Minnesota's Josh Mauer could be that guy in '05. Even if he were to become a full-time DH he would still be eligible behind the plate next year.

First Base - Count them, 17 first basemen have hit 20+ home runs so far, with five over the 30 HR plateau. My secret weapon right now is Minnesota's Justin Morneau, who hit 10 HR/26 RBI in August - you may hear a little from him in this year's playoffs as well. Cleveland's Travis Hafner (.310/26/103) and Mark Teixiera (.276/30/88) also play in favorable hitter parks and appear poised to become the next big thing.

Second Base - As expected, the Astros called up Chris Burke in the last week - but has been yet to have an official AB. It would be nice to see Burke get in enough work that he's included on most lists next year at a rock-bottom price. Burke figures to pick up plenty of SB's along with occasion power, provided the team doesn't pick up the option on veteran Jeff Kent. Being out two months should keep Marcus Giles price range reasonable, while Michael Young will no longer be eligible at second. One player who will not be good from a salary cap perspective is Mark Loretta - there will be nothing but downside.

Third Base - Troy Glaus was a must-have in April this year, which could make him an even better bargain in '05. Hank Blalock will continue to get more expensive, but should have a much higher BA. Adrian Beltre has provided triple-crown numbers, and you will pay for them next year, where he will be hard pressed to repeat his MVP season. Also if you want Arod from now on this is where you will have to go.

Shortstop - This is where the most dramatic changes have been this year. Arod has slipped a little, and Nomar, Jeter, and Edgar Renteria are nowhere near the top. Carlos Guillen, Miguel Tejada, and Michael Young should be the most expensive. The best buys should be Khahil Greene and Bobby Crosby, along with Tampa Bay rookie B.J. Upton who has gained valuable experience in the last month - but needs vast improvement defensively or face potentially moving to the outfield.

Outfield - The White Sox's Aaron Rowand (.352/9/24 in August) appears primed to be on plenty of salary cap teams next year. Jason Bay's power in the last couple of months could translate into 35-40 HR's, but there is a reason why a couple of organizations gave up on him. Adam Dunn has climbed into the .270 range, more than acceptable if he moves into 50-60 HR range, which is very possible. Miguel Cabrera should continue his ascent into stardom, and it is anyone's guess who will be in the Colorado Rockies outfield. You will have to pay dearly for Carl Crawford's speed, I wouldn't buy into Scott Podsednik - the steals have nowhere to go but down and he's not a good average guy. Best bet for cheap steals could be San Diego prospect Freddy Guzman.

Starting Pitchers - In all likelihood, we will probably finally remove ourselves from the Pedro/Unit/Schilling era in '05. Randy Johnson has had perhaps his best season yet (249 K's, 2.80/.89), but he will be among the most expensive pitchers at age 41. Johan Santana and Pittsburgh's Oliver Perez (what were the Padres thinking getting rid of him and Bay???). Lack of wins should keep Ben Sheets and Mark Prior relatively inexpensive, and I recommend San Diego's Jake Peavy. If you really want to go off the board keep an eye on Rick Ankiel in the spring - he has his control back and still throws very hard, but toned down a bit and much more mature. He will have a tough time breaking into that rotation however.