From Livan to T.O.

Bye, Livo:

The Washington Nationals consummated a trade yesterday that helps rebuild their perilously weak minor league pitching corps but deals a blow to the major league staff, sending workhorse right-hander Livan Hernandez to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two minor league prospects who, club officials said, likely won't pitch in the majors until at least 2008.

So sad, but not surprising. I liked Livan and would have loved to see him stay, especially since he wanted to stay. How ironic that the National who threw the first pitch at 7:06 p.m. on April 14, 2005 is now playing for the opposing team from that historic game.

Gotta love the Reds:

On the day the Cincinnati Reds placed relief pitcher Gary Majewski on the 15-day disabled list with a sore shoulder, Majewski revealed he had been treated for shoulder tendinitis while pitching for the Washington Nationals this season. That briefly caused Reds officials to question whether they received damaged goods in the eight-player trade between the teams on July 13 until an MRI exam found no structural damage.

While I think Bowden is capable of shipping "damaged goods" around, I doubt he would do it for a number of reasons. First and foremost, he has to maintain what shreds of credibility he has left. He looks bad enough already and doesn't want to look any worse. But the Reds are a bunch of whiners. Guess all the talk about how the Nats got the better end of the deal was really getting to the Reds, and this was the only way they could find to get back at the Nats. Can't they do any better? A bunch of 10-year-olds in a pickup game could come up with a more convincing argument.

On the NFL tip:

Offensive lineman Barrett Brooks apologized to the team for his weekend arrest on charges he fled from police on his motorcycle, but said the chase resulted from miscommunication and not any wrongdoing.

"Miscommunication?" The dude ran from the cops! Where's the miscommunication in that? If you see flashing lights, don't you stop?

Terrell Owens said yesterday his nagging hamstring injury likely will keep him out of the Dallas Cowboys' preseason opener Saturday night in Seattle.

Oh, boo hoo. But fine; I can understand taking it easy if you're hurting a little, right? Resting up?

Although an MRI exam taken Saturday showed no damage, Owens isn't taking any chances. He's having his healing-inducing hyperbaric chamber shipped to his training camp hotel room in Oxnard, Calif. Two trainers and a doctor from Atlanta are on their way, too.

I'd call that overreaction, but that's an understatement. Anyone else not surprised by this typical T.O. behavior? I almost pity the Cowboys fans. Yeah, you think you want him now, but give it time. T.O. will be back to his old tricks in no time: blaming the QB and the rest of the team for everything, poisoning team morale, spouting off about stupid crap, etc. Sure, he'll make some great catches. But are those plays worth the damage he could do to the team?