Interesting social experiment coming out of Atlanta this week. Jeff Francoeur has boatloads of talent, but he has been truly terrible at the plate this year. He is in a slump that has been underway since late May. The team needs to snap him out of it, and they figured out a bold way to do so – they sent him down to Double-A without discussing it with him first. They said they may keep him down there for a couple of weeks to let him get his mind right and find his stroke again. In the end, though, he was only down for three games. There’s no doubt it worked in one regard – he went 7 for 13 in the three games, and had four hits on Sunday. Where it gets interesting, though, is that Francoeur is pissed. He says that he feels betrayed, and he is openly questioning management. The Braves’ management deserves some credit for making a bold move, but it is one that could backfire dramatically. It will be interesting t watch how it plays out.

I think that Todd Bertuzzi is a truly reprehensible athlete. Scum. The Calgary Flames are my beloved hometown team. Bertuzzi joined the Flames today. Sometimes being a fan is tough.

Word is out that Darius Miles is attempting a comeback. He had a reportedly great workout with Boston. Miles has been out of action thanks to a knee injury that was thought to be career ending. Portland still owns his rights, and they have been paying his contract, but it doesn’t count against the cap because he is out for his career. If he comes back, though, then the salary hits the cap for Portland. That would be disastrous. This is another thing that will be very interesting to watch play out.

The Red Sox have seven all-stars. The Rays are five games better, and they just swept the Sox, yet they only have two. That either tells us just how incredible Tampa’s run is, or how ridiculous and meaningless all-star selection is. I vote for the latter.