Much like the case of Roberto Alomar Jr. who was alleged to have HIV, the blog world is now abuzz about the recent pictures of Sammy Sosa that have emerged. Midwest Sports Fan via Sports by Brooks has recent photos of Sosa at an appearance during the week. Let me just say the guy does not look healthy. Check out some of the before and after pics below to judge for yourself.

Also credit Big League Stew for some of the pictures. Obviously I’m not a medical expert, but let me just inject my humble opinion here and say that Sammy Sosa probably put a lot of sketchy performance-enhancing substances into his body and I’m not in the least bit surprised to see him having health issues this quickly. This is going to be a trend, not an exception, for players that played in the ’90s and ’00s. Believe me. As for what’s going on, many people are theorizing that he has vitiligo — the same condition that caused the skin color issues with Michael Jackson. That could very well be the case.

This Frank and Jamie McCourt divorce junk not only gets uglier by the day, but it also gets more humorous too. As if asking for half a million a month in alimony isn’t bad enough (not to say she doesn’t deserve half of everything but just that it’s an absurd amount of money to live off of), Jamie’s written some funny stuff in her legal declaration. According to the LA Times,

Jamie McCourt claims she was actively involved in the ownership and management of the team from day one, detailing her involvement in executive meetings, hiring and planning decisions, and marketing and community relations initiatives.

“I was the face of the Dodgers,” she claims.

Vin Scully, Manny Ramirez, Tommy Lasorda, Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, Jonathan Broxton, Andre Ethier. All of them take a back seat to Jamie McCourt. And in seven words, Jamie encapsulated most of what I had against the McCourts while they owned the Dodgers. The owners not only felt they were, but also aimed to be more important than everyone else in the organization, including the ones fans care about most — the players.

As if that sentiment isn’t bad enough, Bill Shaikin outlined my biggest gripe with the McCourts in a thorough article this week, and it’s something that should really tick fans off. Frank and Jamie took home between $7-$8 million a year for themselves instead of spending some of that money on payroll. Cliff Lee’s salary was $5.75 million this past season. The Dodgers have also spent the least amount of money on signing bonuses in the draft the past two years of any team in baseball. As we’ve said many times before, the McCheap’s strike again. I just hope the courts force them to sell the team rather than recognize Frank’s sole ownership of the Dodgers.

I’m not so sure Hideki Matsui got the kind of love he deserved for his incredible Game 6 performance and otherwise outstanding World Series against the Phillies. Most of the focus on the FOX postgame show seemed to be about the Yankees quartet of Jeter, Pettitte, Posada, and Rivera winning their fifth rings with the Bronx Bombers, but to me there’s no doubt that Matsui was the star of the show. Matsui single-handedly destroyed Pedro Martinez and catapulted the Yankees to victory. Honestly, 6 RBIs in a World Series clinching game? He was Pedro’s worst nightmare and the game-changer. And it wasn’t even limited to Game 6 either; Matsui did the exact same thing by hitting the tie-breaking home run in Game 2.

Even in Philadelphia where he couldn’t play the field for three straight games, Matsui took advantage of his opportunities going 2-for-3 in pinch hit spots, with a home run in Game 3. I had the feeling entering Game 6 that if the Yankees closed out the series on Wednesday night, the MVP would go to the player who had the biggest game. Without a doubt, that was Matsui, and now he’s cemented in history for a clutch performance that rivals Reggie Jackson. You get the feeling that maybe if he didn’t require a translator his face would have been more omnipresent but either way Matsui let his bat do the talking.

By the way, it was about time the Yankees won a World Series. Those dedicated fans shouldn’t have to wait so long between titles — they deserve to win more frequently.

Two LBS favorite characters, Cole Hamels and Brett Myers, managed to create the ultimate story when their paths crossed after Game 5 in the Phillies locker room. According to Yahoo! Sports, the two had a heated moment in the clubhouse after the Phillies beat the Yankees 8-6 to extend the series. Tim Brown explains:

As Myers walked past Hamels near Hamels’ locker he said, mocking, “What are you doing here? I thought you quit.”

Hamels, the witness said, responded with an expletive.

Before the situation escalated, Myers was guided away by a team official.

Normally Myers’ big mouth and inability to restrain himself results in stupid remarks, but here he did indeed call out the right person. Hollywood Hamels went too Hollywood over the offseason and it’s cost him. After being so dominant in the postseason last year, Hamels took off the offseason to enjoy himself and capitalize on his new found fame. He admitted he came into the season unprepared and that it caused him elbow problems in spring training. The problem is that Cole got selfish, forgetting he’s still a baseball player with an obligation to be the ace of an awesome team. Everyone else came into the season prepared but he didn’t, and he let them down with his lack of preparation. Right now he’s costing them big time in the playoffs. Hamels needs to make it up to everyone with a gem in Game 7, that way it will “finally be over” for him. I think the dude’s ultimately learned his lesson.

By the way, I was on Charlie Manuel’s side for holding Cliff Lee until Game 5. Even if the Yankees won with Sabathia in Game 4, the Phils had the advantage in Games 5 and 6 with Lee and Pedro on full rest while Burnett and Pettitte are on short rest. Then it could wind up coming down to a Game 7 with CC and Hamels. Maybe the Yankees need to buy another starting pitcher in the offseason. Or maybe they’ll just win in six.

Outside of the brilliant pitching of Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia (add Rivera to the list?), the biggest topic of the MLB postseason has been the horrendous umpiring. Things started with Phil Cuzzi’s blown call on a Joe Mauer leadoff double against the Yankees in the ALDS. Then C.B. Bucknor blew a few calls in favor of the Angels against the Red Sox at first base in the ALDS. After that, the umps blew about three calls in Game 4 of the ALCS between the Yankees and Angels. Considering the egregious nature of these calls and the indisputable evidence from the instant replay we saw on TV, you figure the logical step would be to allow the umpires the opportunity to review their call when they make such a bad **** up. But not under Chief Selig’s watch:

“I’ve talked to a lot baseball people about this recently — that includes on the field and executives,” said Selig, explaining his position at length. “Believe me, they have a lot of trepidation about expanding it. [Angels manager] Mike Scioscia put it very well: The umpires get it right 99 percent of the time.

“Times change, but I’m still in favor of keeping the human element as a part of it, and I’m also very concerned about pace. I think there are other ways we can make corrections. During the offseason we’ll review everything. I’ve made my position clear, and by the way, I think it’s the position of most people in baseball. You have to be very careful when you tamper with a sport.”

Dude, we’re not saying get rid of the human element and have pitch tracker call balls and strikes, we’re just saying take the freaking five minutes to let the umpires see how badly they effed up with the Joe Mauer call or when Mike Napoli tagged out both Yankees at third base. That would go a long way towards preserving the purity of the game. Wait a sec, did I say purity? This is Selig we’re talking about. Why would I expect anything different? Still, MLB has to do something to correct this issue.

The moment the news broke that there was a shakeup with the Dodgers power couple owners, Frank and Jamie McCourt, the Boys in Blue became that much more likable. I always could tell that the two were putting on an act with their marriage and now it’s been confirmed. What’s also been confirmed is what a cold blooded jerk Frank can be. Not only did he fire his wife last week from her position as CEO, but he did so with a pretty ruthless termination letter. Check out the text of the letter via TMZ and Deadspin:

Dear Jamie — This is to inform you that your employment with and positions as Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairperson of Los Angeles Dodgers LLC, as well as any and all of the positions that you hold … are hereby terminated effective immediately.

“Because your employment is held at-will, the Organization is not required to have cause to terminate your employment and may do so for any reason or no reason at all.

However, your actions, including, but not limited to, your insubordination, non-responsiveness, failure to follow procedures, and inappropriate behavior with regard to a direct subordinate, have made this decision necessary.”

How jacked up is the whole “at-will” reasoning? We can just fire you whenever we want? What’s up with that? I also love the underlying reason for the termination — insubordination. The same way they say “there aren’t enough basketballs” for two ballhogs on the same team, the organization wasn’t big enough for these two power hungry people. This is great news for anyone who’s sick of ticket and parking prices skyrocketing while the payroll gets slashed. Count me as one.