Having checked with their lawyers and been assured it’s OK to talk about players and teams during the lockout as long as no money changes hands, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, wade into the morass that is Major League Baseball and try to figure out if the owners’ proposal for a seven-team-per-league-one-guy-gets-a-bye-others-pick-their-opponents-and-the-winner-is-whoever’s-mascot-can-jump-more-rows-into-the-crowd playoff system was merely meant as a bit of levity, or if they really are just tired of the whole thing and want the sport to fold.

Then it’s on to the White Sox and the rather interesting strategy of letting any free agents or trade possibilities of any importance wander on by until after (and if) a new CBA is achieved and the big players know the new luxury tax rules and re-enter the fray so the competition for the few remaining stars is much tougher, because, well, why not?

Of course, there are congratulations for Leury García and Kendall Graveman for getting way, way more money than anyone would have thought possible, and there are hearty laughs over the idea that the White Sox will come up with anything useful out of picking up the option on Craig Kimball except maybe the occasional eighth inning with only one home run allowed.

None of which is important, of course, because while the Tigers should be slightly improved, the AAAL Central will still be the AAAL Central, so why bother trying to get better?

But still, how the hell did they miss out on Joey Wendle?

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