Something is wrong with the U.S. justice system when a man pretending to be a baseball player is looking at four years in a state prison! Sure, he broke the law, but how much tax payer money will it cost to "reform" him? Why not make him do something that will benefit society, such as community service?

Like any good baseball fan, I watched the final game at Yankee Stadium last night and reveled in the great history of NY baseball. I have never been a Yankees fan, but last night I was rooting for the Bronx Bombers.

Carl Pavano on the other hand appeared to have accepted that the Yanks won't be moving on to the post-season this year and arrived at the game sporting Angels threads!

Just what was he thinking?! This man is employed by the Yankees! If you're not going to be classy like Jeter and show up in a suit, at least wear a Yankees T!

What Exactly Is a Five Tool Player?

A player who excels at the following is considered to be in possession of the hallowed five tools:

1. Hitting for average
2. Hitting for power
3. Base running skills and speed
4. Throwing ability
5. Fielding abilities

Examples are a great way to provide further context for the term: Willie Mays, my childhood hero Andre "The Hawk" Dawson, Ken Griffey Jr., and the vilified Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez, have all been called five tool players at one point or another in their careers.

I agree that the term shouldn't be overused, and that it has its limitations as well (not every five tool player winds up becoming a super star), but who are some current players in the majors that have the characteristics of a five tool player?

• Hanley Ramirez
• Ryan Braun
• Evan Longoria
• Dustin Pedroia

Who would you add to the list?

For more about the five tools, check out this article series from the Sporting News.

Both Fox Sports and the CBC reported the story, but neither of the networks described Venditte's unique 6-fingered glove. For more about this, check out CBS' College Sports Network which produced this video profile of Venditte a year ago:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Meanwhile, I quietly cherish my special baseball: an official game ball from the 1992 World Series!

Unfortunately, I have no information about the history of this ball, but I assume it was a foul ball and not a home run. I have no idea which team hit it, let alone which player, and these are questions that will simply never get answered. Part of the power of this baseball is its mystique!

A big thank you to Uncle Rick, my first reader on The Baseball Files, for passing this on to me!

Like Captain Sisko, I keep this ball on my desk, and pick it up and rub the leather and stitches when I'm trying to sort out a programming or design problem.

• Baseball Forums – This presents all my del.icio.us bookmarks tagged with "baseball" and "forums". The idea is to create a launch pad into the world of baseball communities. Want to chat about your favorite team? Maybe you're a web professional who needs to do some social media marketing for a baseball-related website? Baseball-Forums.com is where to start.
• Baseball Bookmarks – This presents all of the baseball-related bookmarks saved to my del.icio.us account. The goal is to create a dynamic directory of quality, human-edited baseball websites.

While these aren't exactly earth-shattering tools, they serve a personal need and hopefully some of you will also find them useful.

Oh, and don't forget baseblogs.net, my directory of baseball blogs!

• Indians at Braves, 1:10 p.m. ET
• Orioles at Nationals, 6 p.m. ET
• Padres at Angels, 9:05 p.m. ET

The freebie is a test-drive of the new MLB.TV NexDef plug-in, which enables users to watch games in 1.2MB clarity.

I think my MLB.TV subscription is set to auto-renew–at least I seem to remember a mention of this when I signed up at the beginning of last season. Alas, there's nothing in my MLB.com account mentioning an auto-renew of the service, and I have yet to receive any emails from MLB.com regarding my MLB.TV account–not even an attempt to upsell the new 1.2MB service. I guess I'll find out on my next Visa bill. I'm looking forward to catching the free games today and will use this as an opportunity to decide about whether or not I upgrade to a MLB.TV Premium account.

1. This could be the Cubs' year! They do look awfully strong this year. I haven't had the Cubs in my pool before, and will likely pass in favor of the Brewers again, but it would be fun to see them make it to the final October showdown.
2. Red Sox win it all… again! Nothing is a given in baseball, but the Sox rock.
3. Detroit goes the distance. I'm not certain that I agree with Molony's suggestion that Renteria or Jacques Jones will be the difference makers, but Cabrera was a great pickup for a team that already boasts some insane power at the plate.
4. New York City's new stadiums and hosting of the All-Star Game will keep the Big Apple in the sports page headlines.
5. Santana and Martinez ice the Mets cake. If the Mets don't prove something their prowess this season, heads will roll.
6. Griffey, Manny, Sheffield and Randy Johnson all eye milestones. Counting down to record book immortalization is always fun for fans to be a part of.
7. The race stays tight in the Wild West. The Rockies, Diamondbacks, Dodgers and Padres should be competitive enough to make it very close right down to the wire.
8. The new Rays will rise. Young talent makes the Rays the best they've ever been, and a .500 season is within reach for the first time.
9. The AL East might get more ink, but the AL West will be strong. The bat-heavy Angels and improved pitching staff of the Mariners could really make some noise.
10. Parity continues to level the playing field. Watch for underdog's to put pressure on the high payroll teams once again this year.

All in all, we've got another great season of MLB coming up… in less than a week!

"The Rockies are blessed," says Anna Vail, sister-in-law of the late Florinda George. "She always said she would have a special request when she got to heaven and this was it."

Another surviving sister-in-law, Liz Olivieri of Philadelphia, says, "The Rockies feel Florinda is their 'angel,' and I believe this to be. Her strength and courage have been inspirations not only to her family, but to this organization."

Will has a new website online for his annual golf charity event that raises funds for cancer research and family support services. The 1st Annual Golf Classic is set for Thursday, November 8, 2007 at the Ocean City Golf Club in Berlin, Maryland. You can find out more at scoutingforacure.com.

As an example, check out the Blue Jays playoff picture. Not very pretty! If you feel like reliving the Mets fall from grace, check this out. Whew, better gear down before taking that steep grade!

As long as their are stats guru's around like Ken and Christopher J. Falvey, I'll feel sane.