I Want You To Hurt Like I Do

I love it when a team says that they have released a player "by mutual agreement." That usually means that the team says: "We're not going to start you anytime in the near future, and if you don't like it, then $#%! you." And the player responds: "&%$! me? No, &%$! you!" Various doors are then slammed.

Anyway, Frank Thomas is no longer a Blue Jay. And he must have really been a pain in the ass, because Toronto is eating $7,081,967 of his $8 million salary this season. Mmmm, bitter regret. And hey, with Frank on the market, good luck finding a job now, Barry Bonds!

The file on the Big Hurt: Last season he led the Jays with 26 homers and 95 RBI. But this year he's off to a .167 start, is hitless in his past 13 at-bats and has 11 RBI. Your Toronto Blue Jays are 10-9, 2 1/2 games behind first-place Boston in the East, and can't really afford a .167 black hole in the lineup at this point. But, is Thomas not an historically slow starter? Well, San Francisco Giants, here he comes. Toronto beat Detroit 5-3 on Sunday behind David Eckstein's three-run homer, the Tigers falling to 6-13.

• Eric The Half-A-Bee. Jimmy Rollins was banished to the 15-day DL, but Chase Utley was 3-for-3 and had two homers and Pedro Feliz had one homer to lead the Phillies past the Mets 5-4. Eric Bruntlett likely saved the game for Philadelphia with a diving stop on Carlos Beltran's hard grounder up the middle with two outs in the ninth and runners on first and second. Bruntlett threw out Beltran at first. Sweep avoided!

• More Injury Intrigue. Alex Rodriguez blew a tire in the sixth inning — prognosis not certain at this point — but not before he doubled and scored a run in the Yankees' 7-1 win over the Orioles. Andy Pettitte threw seven scoreless innings, Johnny Damon homered and Derek Jeter had a three-run double for the Death Star. That brings the Yankees to .500 (10-10).

• Strange Days. John Bowker has three career home runs — all against the Cardinals this month — and that's how weird this series has been. The Giants won it 4-3, with all seven games being played in the past 11 days. SF prevailed 8-2 on Sunday, behind Bengie Molina's three doubles and three RBI. Anyway it was all likely pretty annoying to this guy.

• Game Fish. And now a little Marlins love, as they retained first in the NL East (a half-game ahead of the Mets) with a 6-1 win over the Nationals. Time for Washington to break out that bucket of balls that the Pope blessed!