Another busy day

Once again, it's off-field happenings that dominated the news today. With 24-hour news cycles, talk radio and instant reporting, there are few surprises in sports news because every conceivable - and some not so conceivable - scenario is already hashed over ad nauseam for days until something happens. Today's headline - Phils demote Myers to Triple A - qualifies as a shocker. I'm stunned, although I wonder if the Tigers set a precedent for struggling pitchers with Dontrelle Willis.

Before that move, I thought the Phillies' talk of the day would be this nugget from Jimmy Rollins - the catalyst of a team that has averaged 2.8 runs per game since June 16 and an MVP whose personal OPS has dropped more than 100 points over the past month:

We do need to get some pitching help, there's no doubt about that. If we could get some pitching help that would be great. Or if the pitching just pitched better. We have pitchers who because of our offense keep us in the games, but sometimes you want that shut-down pitcher. And Cole [Hamels] has been that. And Moyer has been that at times, also.

I've always said just keep us in the game, and for the most part they've done that. Especially now when we haven't been hitting the ball, and we've been in pretty much every game. Going down the stretch, pitching is key.

Yup, just pitch better guys. No reason to be losing when you've got 2.8 runs on your side.

At least J-Roll walked the walk a bit tonight, going 2-4 with a walk and a sacrifice, helping the Phils solidly beat the Braves, 8-3.

Red Sox: The good news is that the embarrassing off-field incidents seemed to have lulled today. The bad news is they dropped another one to the Rays and now trail by 2.5.