What the Heck?

Fixed. The pick is Tennessee, of course.

On the ticket stuff, I think everything I'm going to say here has been said at least as well by others, but here's my take:

Grumpy Optimist: He never says what MLB should have done, but he seems to be suggesting that holders of tickets to rained-out games should be able to attend any other game in the series.

and

DavidN: If you're gonna criticize the rainout policy you have to propose a different one.

OK, but really I thought it was so obvious it didn't need mentioning. As others have pointed out, a refund would have been possible and sufficient. Tickets have bar codes on them. Go to a Web site, type in the bar code and get a credit on your credit card, or even credit toward future Yankee ticket purchases, or any MLB purchase, whatever. Details. It's possible, with, as Brad Lehman points out, a little forethought.

Of course, this is Bud Selig's MLB. Selig's a guy who admitted that he couldn't foresee that an All-Star Game in which the custom was to use all players and pitchers in nine innings might end up with no pitchers left and the game tied.

Seems like just letting people give the tickets to friends or change their plans is the best of the undesirable options inherrent in a rainout.

That would still be possible, of course. Why should it be the only choice? Oh yeah, because screw the fans.

The Yankees could even keep $5 or $10 as a "service charge." Then they could add another "late sale" surcharge, or something, to the ticket when they resell it the next day. Free money, right there. And who's going to complain. The people who had tickets and can't go at least got most of their money back, which is an improvement on the current situation, and the people who line up to buy those tickets the next day are going to be thinking, "Sweet!" They're not going to fuss about paying an extra few bucks.

Loved the rant about Jeff kent. Is he even in the top ten of offenseive second baseman?

Now that's something that's legitimately "arguable." I'd say without having thought too much about it that the guys you mentioned (Robinson, Carew, Gehringer, Sandberg, Alomar) would be in that conversation, along with Lou Whitaker, Craig Biggio, maybe Frankie Frisch. You wouldn't have to stretch the net too wide to get Willie Randolph in there. Jackie and Carew only played about half their careers at 2B. Like I said, without having put any thought into it, I'd say Kent's pretty likely in the top 10. Not sure how high.

By the way, Kent led the N.L. in sac flies twice. It's the only thing he's ever led the league in other than extra-base hits once.

under a refund scenario, as Brad points out, a lot of seats would be empty, since many fans would just opt for the refund rather than haul their asses to the park a second time and their would be no incentive to unload the tickets to someone who wants to use them.

They'd have to put a deadline on it. Something like 11 a.m. day of game. But there's no reason those seats couldn't be resold, and there's no reason anybody should have to haul their ass to the park a second time. The Interweb. It can do things.

Ace of Grace: Anyone else find it suspicious that Buster's coin picks so many overwhelming favourites?

Buster's coin doesn't pick any overwhelming favorites. Buster takes all teams favored by six points or more. His coin decides the other games.

edwardo: which brings me to this - could somebody help me identify the player-equivalent of this father-and-son mismatch? that is, a hall of fame dad with an extreme lightweight son. i can't come up with it...

It's too perfect! We've just all been watching tape of him: Dale, son of Yogi, Berra, who was one of the two Yanks tagged out on that play in '85. I'm sure there are others but that one leaps to mind.

... most of the time.

I searched around a little more on the father-son question, which intrigued me. I think I found two ultimate examples:

Eddie Collins -- arguably the greatest offensive second baseman in the hissssstory of the game -- and his son Eddie Jr., who played a few years with the immediate pre-war Philadelphia A's.

And Pete Rose and his son Petey, who, I hadn't remembered this, did have a cup of coffee. I thought he'd just been a would-be scab.

A few others:

Maury and Bump Wills

Joe and Lance Niekro, though I suppose Lance could still become something.

Tim Raines and Tim Jr. (maybe should be in Collins-Rose territory)

Connie and Earle Mack (though Connie was nothing special as a player)

Dolph and Doug Camilli

Pedro Borbon and Pedro Jr.

About Jon Miller and all announcers, really, a lot of it is a matter of taste. The things I say about Thom Brennaman's vocal inflections are a matter of taste. I'm sure plenty of good and reasonable people think he's fine in that area. I happen to think Miller is terrific, and Marty Brennaman, who was lauded up-thread, as totally pedestrian. But that's just me. As you can see, others disagree, and it's just about what you like.