Odd and Ends Friday

Its end of the "work"(like any of us actually work thanks to Al Gore's Internet) week so I'd figure I post some random stuff I've been chatting about and some current stories

The Pirates canned Jim Tracy after going 135-189 in 2 years....Joe Maddon goes 127-197 in those same 2 years and has his option picked up thru 09. Go Figure

Did anybody believe Marion Jones didn't take steroids?

How many players will the Buffalo Bills put on IR before the end of the season. They just added their 9th In Peerless Price...I hear Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed & Bruce Smith have started training.

Now on to random chats...Ask the Stat Pack version of Tim Cowlishaw (except Im much younger and better looking) It is my duty to throw some NASCAR on The Stat Pack page. As a Tony Stewart fan I decided to ask ESPN.com's David Newton some questions...I guess he really liked me cause he answered a bunch.

Tommy(TheStatPack): How many races into next season before Tony punches Kyle Busch

David Newton : (3:16 PM ET ) The over-under line is 7.

Tommy(TheStatPack): Im taking the under...you?

David Newton : (3:19 PM ET ) I set the line, so I'll go with over.

Tommy(TheStatPack): Will JGR lose any steam by switching to Toyota? Or is that team strong enough to take Toyota to the next level?

David Newton : (3:23 PM ET ) I don't think they'd make the move to take a step backwards? How about you?

Tommy(TheStatPack): I hope not but have you see Gibbs coaching the past few years? More that a few questionable decisions...

David Newton : (3:24 PM ET ) Good point. Maybe J.D. Gibbs should give the Redskins a try and let dad run the race team for a while.

Tommy(TheStatPack): Would Skins Owner Dan Snyder notice?..Back to the track..Do you think Amirola has a shot to take over the 8 car after 08 or will they bring in somebody from another team?

David Newton : (3:35 PM ET ) The deal Mark Martin signed for the 8 was for two years. So I'd say anything that happens will be after '09.

Tommy(TheStatPack): Number of Championships for Tony Stewart...Im setting the under/over at 7 sound good?

David Newton: (3:57 PM ET ) Number is good. I'll go for under.

Since Me and David have become such good Homies I think I will try and make his chats more often.

Now on to the lighting round...or just random questions I asked some people in chats

From Scouts Inc.'s Craig Haubert about USF's recruiting status now that they are the shit

Tommy(TheStatPack): With their new rise to fame does USF grab some highly touted players this year?

Craig Haubert: (3:27 PM ET ) It is possible -- they are grabbing major headlines and nothing seems to suggest this is a fluke. The gap between the big 3 in Florida and USF has greatly closed. I think USF is still doing a great job getting those really good players some of the bigger programs have overlooked or passed over. Prospects like Demetris Murray out of Buford, GA and DT Jamarcus Allen are very good players.

This one comes from Baseball Prospectus's Steve Goldman

Tommy (TheStatPack): Clint Hurdle NL Manager of the Year?

Steven Goldman: It aint Willie Randolph. Maybe that's what we should call the sequel to "It Ain't Over" - "It Ain't Willie Randolph."

The way the voters usually go on these things, I imagine that Hurdle won it, but you can also make a solid case for Bob Melvin, Bud Black (even with the last game loss), and maybe Lou Piniella - not necessarily because of anything he did, but because of his propinquity to a Cubs team that did something positive and the way it puts Dusty Baker in the rear view.

Excellent...I am definitely going to use It Aint Willie Randolph as a response more often to questions.

And Finally to bring it all full circle a Rays related question to end the day.

From Baseball Prospectus's Clay Davenport

Tommy (TheStatPack): Hey Clay, Do you think Carlos Pena will put up similar number next season?

Clay Davenport: No, but speaking as someone who picked him up in the draft portion of a roto league, I can say that I'll certainly resign him at 5 for next year and hope he comes anywhere close to this.

However I may well have said the same thing of David Ortiz in the past, although he ramped up much more steadily. Pena's is a sudden and explosive surg, and may prove to be more along the lines of, oh, Brady Anderson for repeatability

Ouch Brady Anderson?