Baseball notes

Three quickies:

Straussburg and Kerry Wood
The irony was not lost on the Clarion Content this week when Steven Straussburg was removed from a Washington Nationals game suffering from pains in his forearm on the same day that the last great fireballing phenom Kerry Wood broke Pedro's record for the fastest pitcher to 1,500 strikeouts. Wood, of course, was a huge splash for the Chicago Cubs. He was overused and overthrew very early in his career. Fourteen trips to the disabled list later, he is the test case G.M.'s refer to when they place innings limits on young pitchers. Here is hoping that Straussburg does not travel the same road.

Joe Votto going for the Triple Crown
The Clarion Content has heard much noise about Detroit's Miguel Cabrerra shooting for the first A.L. Triple Crown since 1967. Where is the love for the Cincinnati Reds Joey Votto going for the first N.L. Triple Crown since Joe "Ducky" Medwick in 1937? He is leading the N.L. in hitting by .005 over Placido Polanco and Martin Prado. In homers, he is three behind Albert Pujols and two behind the slumping Adam Dunn. He is also three RBI's behind Pujols. Can he do it? It is a long shot, especially with Scott Rolen and Johnny Gomes hitting behind him.

Finances outed
Finally someone who was sick and tired of the lying and posturing by Major League Baseball has outed several franchises, by leaking to Deadspin their audited financial statements. These financial statements show that, among other teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates have deliberate pursued a strategy of losing. They make more money by spending less on player salaries and accepting revenue sharing from competitive clubs than they would by attempting to win and increase ticket sales. The Pirates have put their fans through eighteen straight losing seasons. They play in PNC Park built with more than $180 million in public funds and a $40 million team contribution. Are they giving any of that money back? Are they providing the city of Pittsburgh with a quality product? No and no. But ownership has made a tidy $29.4 million in the last two audited years available. Their primary concern? Tracking down who leaked the financials that showed their skulduggery. Read more here in the NY Times.