The Closer: It Hasn't Been A Barry Good Year

Notes from a day in baseball:

• 1. Bye, Bye Barry. Dark days in the City by the Bay. The Giants' one-time ace, Jason Schmidt, lost again, as the Brewers took a 10-1 win on Monday. Schmidt (6-6) hasn't won in six weeks, but that's nothing compared to the fresh hell that Barry Bonds may soon be facing. A grand jury indictment on perjury and/or tax evasion seems to be imminent, and if it comes down, commissioner Bud Selig may attempt to suspend Bonds (0-for-1 with two walks a day after hitting his 721st career homer). The Players Union, of course, will likely fight a suspension. Get ready for a showdown, pardners. Because, as we all know, nothing's more fun than Barry Bonds news.

• 2. Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow. Mariano Rivera got his 401st career save, Jason Giambi homered and Alex Rodriguez made three errors and fouled a pitch off of his big toe in the fifth (he's getting x-rays this morning). New York won its fourth straight and eighth in nine games, 4-2 over Seattle.

• 3. Do Not Take The Royals Lightly! Meanwhile, the Crimson Foot Underwear came back from a four-run deficit to beat Kansas City 5-4, staying in first in the A.L. East, one-half game ahead of New York. The winning run scored for Boston on Manny Ramirez's sacrifice fly in the eighth.

• 4. Fantasy Players, Start Your Engines. Time to introduce Ricky Nolasco, the Marlins' 23-year-old right-hander. He allowed one earned run over seven innings and drove in two runs, as Florida stopped Washington 4-2.

• 5. Don't Bother To Unpack. No sooner had Dustin Moseley arrived in LA and won his major league debut for the Angels, he was sent packing back to the minors. Los Angeles beat Cleveland 10-5 as Moseley gave up four runs on 10 hits over five innings in a spot start for the ailing Jered Weaver. Moseley's back in Triple-A Salt Lake now.