With playoff baseball comes the inevitable debates about who the greatest postseason performer was. This has been especially true in lieu of Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling's recent performances in the World Series.

Many people are familiar with some of the best postseason hurlers, but what about some other, less heralded pitchers? Are there guys out there who may have flown a bit under the radar? In fact, there are a number of them. While none of these guys had the extensive impact of a Bob Gibson or Mariano Rivera, they still delivered clutch performances throughout their postseason careers*.

Ken Dayley, St. Louis Cardinals
If I were to ask you who in postseason history had the best WHIP (0.58), allowed the least number of hits per 9 innings (2.61) and the fourth best ERA (0.44), your first answer might not be Ken Dayley, but that's the correct answer.

Dayley was a lefthanded reliever for the Cardinals who pitched in both the 1985 NLCS and World Series, and the 1987 NLCS and World Series. He never pitched more than 2 2/3 innings, but he was an important part of the bullpen, picking up 5 saves even though Todd Worrell was the main closer. In 20 2/3 postseason innings, Dayley gave up just 1 run.

Dave Dravecky, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants
Just who is Dave Dravecky? Well, he was a hurler who pitched in the 1984 NLCS and World Series for the Padres and the 1987 NLCS for the Giants. Dravecky had entirely different roles for those teams, however.

First, let's look at some numbers. Dravecky possess the third best ERA (0.35) in playoff history, and the second best WHIP (0.66). In Dravecky's postseason career, he found himself relieving for the Padres, and going multiple innings every time. In 10 2/3 innings of relief for San Diego, he didn't give up a single run, walked just one batter, allowed only 5 hits, and struck out 10.

Then, Dravecky went on to starting for the San Fransicso Giants. In the '87 NLCS, he threw a complete game, 2-hit shutout against St. Louis in game 2, and followed that with a 6 inning stint where he struck out 8, allowed 5 hits and the only run of his postseason career in a 1-0 loss.

Sterling Hitchcock, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees
Surprised? Yeah, me too. However, Hitchcock is one of only eight pitchers to have a perfect win-loss record in the postseason, at 4-0. Not to mention the fact that he has the third best K/9 ratio in postseason history. Hitchcock struck out 12.03 batters per 9 innings pitched, which is over 5 strikeouts per 9 more than his regular season average.

Hitchock appeared in 9 games, and he was a starter in 4 of those games. And in those starts, Hitchcock was 3-0. He struck out 32, allowed only 3 extra-base hits, had a 1.23 ERA and held opponents to a .195 batting average and .287 on-base percentage.

Others
Harry Breechen, St. Louis Cardinals: 1943, '44, '46 World Series - 3 complete games, 4 wins, 0.87 ERA, 3 total earned runs allowed.

John Rocker, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians: 1998, '99, 2000, '01 NL/ALDS, NLCS, World Series - 20 games, 0.00 ERA, 4.35 hits/9 allowed, 11.32 K/9.

Blue Moon Odom, Oakland A's: 1972, '73, '74 ALCS, World Series: 1.07 ERA in 42 innings, 5 total earned runs allowed, 4.71 hits/9 allowed.

Obviously, this is but a small sample size of pitchers that have put up very good postseason numbers. There are many more that have performed well, but these are a few that people may not have known about.

(* = Minimum 20 Innings)

Milwaukee Brewers 3B Ryan Braun is an amazing hitter. But to call him a butcher on defense is an insult to knife-wielding swine slicers. In fact, it is not an exaggeration to call Braun the worst defensive player of any starter in the Major Leagues.

The Brewers lost 9-5 to the San Diego Padres on Thursday, blowing a chance to gain a game on the Chicago Cubs, who had lost earlier in the day. One of the main culprits in the loss was Braun, who committed not one, not two, but three errors at third base.

Braun's is fielding is so atrocious, it should be enough for Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to win the National League Rookie of the Year. Will it happen? Probably not. Writers often forget there are two parts to the game and concentrate solely on offensive numbers.

And there is no doubt Braun has had an amazing year at the plate, but Tulowitzki isn't that far off. In 440 at-bats, Braun has hit .325/.370/.639, with 24 doubles, 34 HR and 95 RBI. Meanwhile, in 590 at-bats, Tulowitzki has hit .292/.461/.475 with 31 doubles, 23 HR and 94 RBI.

As you can see, Braun has clearly had a better year at the plate. But on the field, it is not even close.

Tulowitzki may have had the finest defensive year of any shortstop in the Major Leagues. He has made just 11 errors, and has a sparkling .987 fielding percentage, which is tops in all of baseball.

His zone rating is .865, which is third in the majors, behind the Mets' Jose Reyes and the Giants' Omar Vizquel. As for range factor, Tulowitzki blows everyone away, with a 5.43 RF. The next highest in baseball at shortstop is 4.96.

And then we come to Braun. He has committed 26 errors, tied for the most in the Major Leagues with Minnesota shortstop Jason Bartlett. But Bartlett has had 399 more chances than Braun, 640 to 241.

Braun's fielding percentage of .892 is easily the worst in all of baseball, and he is the only regular with a fielding percentage below .900. The next worst is San Diego's Kevin Kouzmanoff, who sports a .932 fielding percentage - which is still 40 points higher than Braun's.

Braun's range factor is also dead last among third basemen in baseball, as is his zone rating, where he is the only third bagger below .700.

Braun will probably win ROY because the voters will glance at his offensive numbers and see that he has been the best rookie in that department. But if the award is supposed to go the the rookie who had the best all-around year, it belongs to Tulowitzki.

When Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer at the U.S. Open last night, it was the continuation of an unfortunate trend for him. Roddick's career record against Federer now stands at 1-14, for a .066 winning percentage.

While this news must be disconcerting for Roddick and his fans, there are some baseball fans who feel a similar despair when their teams play a certain opponent.

In honor of Roddick's wretched record, here is a look at the 10 worst winning percentages in head-to-head match-ups in Major League Baseball history.

(Criteria: Records from 1901 through 2007, with a minimum of 162 head-to-head games, in the regular season only. Data from BaseballReference.com)

1) Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 54-109, .331 vs. New York Yankees

2) Tampa Bay Devil Rays: 56-107, .344 vs. Boston Red Sox

3) Texas Rangers: 226-351, .392 vs. Baltimore Orioles

4) (Tie) Kansas City Royals: 167-244, .406 vs. New York Yankees and Texas Rangers: 236-345, .406 vs. New York Yankees

6) (Tie) Oakland/Philadelphia/Kansas City A's: 755-100, .407 vs. New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners: 174-253, .407 vs. Oakland A's

8) St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles: 825-1193, .409 vs. New York Yankees

9) Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins: 760-1088, .411 vs. New York Yankees

10) Philadelphia Phillies: 762-1087, .412 vs. New York/San Francisco Giants

As you can see, the Yankees have proven to be problematic for some teams to beat. Those teams aren't alone, though. The Yankees have a .567 all-time winning percentage.

In fact, they have a .500 or better record against nearly every Major League franchise. Both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds have a 2-1 record against the Yankees, representing the only two teams with a winning record against them in regular season match-ups.

Another Tuesday has come upon us. Message board douchebaggery time!

ESPN.com - MLB General:
"BONDS HATERS ARE A JOKE. ALL I HAVE TO SAY, IS WHERE ARE THE FAILED DRUG TESTS? UNTIL THEN, ITS ONLY SPECULATION. IF YOU CALL ME A IDIOT, THEN ITS OBVIOUS THAT I'VE ALREADY WON..........." - No_Favorite_Player

ESPN.com - MLB General: "Prince Fielder did staroids!!! no one ways 260 without them! JJ hardie?!?! april?! he did HGH! THEN THEY TESTED HIM! ben shets injurys?! staroids made them! RICKY WEEKS! 5 HR! he does not no how to cheat anymore! HAHA BREW CREW CHEATS" - CubsFanForever4

Dodger Blues: "Fuck your team and fuck your town, Gayville. Got rolled up last Fri. night in Frisco!!! Blue kicked that ass 9-1...I proceeded to earn "assistance" from Frisco's finest after some cocksucker soiled my GIANTS SUCK/BARRY SWALLOWS shirt with beer. It was pure bullshit, I tell ya. It was a motherfucker trying to get back home. Man, fuck SFPD and fuck the Gayants."
- Kirk Gibson's Nutsack

Amazinz.com - New York Mets: "You guys need to get over Lastings Milledge, there is nothing wrong with his attitude."
- BeltranFan15

Royals Corner: "What do the Royals really need? 1. #2-#3 Starter 2. Power Hitting OF or 1B 3. 2B of the Future. Get these 3 good players and we could compete for the division title in 08 and 09"
- RoyalTurnaround

ESPN.com - MLB General: "Ripken: Most overrated player ever. Period." - BillSelfHasNoFinalFours

SFHardball - San Francisco Giants: "I want to see an asterisk next to Ruth, who did not have to hit against the best in the world (or his own country for that matter)...AND had a ballpark built to suit his hitting.

I want an asterisk next to Aaron, who hit in a bandbox...so unfair.

I want Bonds in BOLD b/c he hit in the windy caverns of the Stick AND then the deepest park in the country...with a RF wall 20ft high. If Bonds/Mays had the advantages of Aaron/Ruth, they'd both have over 1,000 HRs." - sdstonesguy

Pinstripes Plus - New York Yankees: "Ultimately, this reply boils down to what my instincts are screaming at me: Torre still needs to be fired. I'm sick of him, and I know that many of you are as well. He was the right guy at the right time to take the club out from Showalter to a championship; but that time is done, folks. Girardi or Bowa. Now. Please." - PlayinWheel

Another Tuesday has come, which means it's time to look at the latest round of internet message board douchebaggery!

- ESPN.com (MLB General): "Their is no way that the Dodgers would give up Laroche and Loney for Texeira. Loney might be better than him already." - nickvanexcellent

- ESPN.com (MLB General): "Bonds haters ... Just shut up, you're riduclus rhetoric act and posts are re tarded. I mean, if you can not realize that barry is a VERY special player, and you might not ever see they type of hitter he is again, then i dont consider you real fans...So do everyone a favor who loves the game of baseball and respects and realizes how hard it is to hit a 95 mph fastball..SHUT UP." - ProBaseballAnalyst1

- Orioles Hangout: "Lets just say it now...Erik Bedard is the best Lefty in the game. You can talk about Santana, or Hamels or any other lefty in the game right now...and perhaps they have better stats...but they dont have better stuff." - Roy Firestone

- Sox Talk (Chicago White Sox): "Shouldn't Kenny Williams be able to talk Pitt. out of Jason Bay ? Isn't he getting too expensive for them ? Anybody knkow anything about what's going on with the Pirates ? I'd like the Sox to take advantage of some of these cash poor teams and get a couple of good players.

I think Bay would be great in LF for the Sox." - WHITESOXRANDY

- Dodger Blues: "Why not trade D.J. Houlton, Eric Stults, and Joe Beimel for Johan Santana? Twins will likely lose Santana to free agency. So they trade him to us and get three great young pitchers in return for him.

We are not losing anything." - Westwood Blues

- Phila Phans: "The Mets are the luckiest team in history. just unreal. Teams literally give them games." - GMAN

- Reds Zone: "Would you trade Adam Dunn and Homer Bailey to the Twins for their top 5 prospects???? Perferrably 3 pitchers and 2 position players." - Redmachine2003

- Marlins Baseball: "The Marlins should trade Dontrelle Willis to Boston, it would be an awesome deal:

Deal Option 1:
Redsox: Dontrelle Willis
Marlins: Hansack and Jon Lester

Deal Option 2:
Redsox: Dontrelle Willis, Andino, Scott Olsen
Marlins: Jon Lester, Jacob Ellsbury, and Mike Lowell" - marlins2219

It is Tuesday, which means that it is time for the weekly look around the world of message boards, and the douchebaggery that exists within.

NYYFans.com (New York Yankees): "Why is the media so in love with this years Tigers? Because they were overated last year too. what am i supposed to think when a team plays over its head and then we kill them all season and they go into the playoffs limping and didnt even win their division after leading the whole year ?? am i supposed to think thats a great team ??

As for this season well nobody couldve predicted their offense being this good. they simply werent this good last year. but again we will see what happens. i remember the 04 marlins and the 06 white sox starting off like gangbusters too and then both missing the playoffs." - donniesrecordholdsup

Blue Jay Way: "Cito Gaston was all business, as were the players. They expected to win. They had T-shirts saying 3 for 3 in '92. They knew from day 1 what they wanted to do, and when that happens, by all means, let them be. This is different, and that's why the manager needs to go. He can't change this now - someone else has to. Mike Hargrove??" - patientlywaiting

Ranger Fans: "Any thoughts on a trade with detroit for texeira and gagne centered on a prospects package centering around andrew miller....hes pitched well in 4 starts this year." - Teixeira Fan

Oakball (Oakland A's): "The offical bobby crosby sucks ass thread
If you hate bobby crosby and think he is horrible this is the thread for you!
Post your hate here!
I'll start......
Bobby crosby is a pussy bitch who cant hit above .235 to save his life." - linusalf

BallParkGuys.com (Washington Nationals): "I feel our future is bright and predict w/in 5 years the Nats will be competing for 1st in the NL East every year and (judging by our avid fan base) will be considered one of the top BB towns in the league." - Bay Nats

North Side Baseball (Chicago Cubs): "It would be just like the Cards to continue playing better for the rest of the season in spite of the obvious problems they have. St. Louis, the city of magic pixie dust." - Soul

(DOTD Editor's Note: As an StL resident and Cards fan, I would like to address this rumor - we do not have pixie dust in the air. Thank you for your attention. Now back to the douchebags.)

Giants Talk: "It seems to me that to have success, Zito needs to do two things:
(a) Not walk batters.
(b) Not throw hanging curveballs." - LondonStatto

Sox Talk (Chicago White Sox): "My first trade would be Dye and Garland to the Dodgers for Billingsley, Broxton and Kemp. My next trade would be Contreras and Iguchi to the Mets for Pelfrey, Heilman, and Milledge. My last trade is Brian Anderson to Arizona for Orlando Hudson." - Lemon 44

ESPN.com (Kansas City Royals): "No way I trade Zack Greinke at this point. There is too much upside and this kid is still young enough to unload him for someone like Lastings Milledge. I don't think I'd even do it for Teixeira." - desertfan

While the San Francisco Giants were in St. Louis this weekend, Barry Bonds got the typical boos and jeers he experiences on every road trip. However, one particular heckler got his attention on Sunday. This is how the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold writes it:

"During San Francisco's batting practice Barry Bonds and teammate Dave Roberts shared a chuckle at the oversized Giants hat worn by Marty Prather, who is known as 'Sign Man' around Busch Stadium. Prather had a Giants hat approximately 20 sizes too big balanced on his head, and he carried a sign that told Bonds that Prather had found his hat. Bonds took the jab with a grin, pointing from the batting cage and asked: 'How much for the hat?' Bonds, who has been showered with boos this year and was thrown a syringe last year, later yelled: 'That's the best one I've seen.'"

This incident let to the thought - which signs and antics aimed at Bonds have been the best? We'll take a look:

The Syringe



Last year in San Diego, a fan threw an empty syringe at Bonds. While throwing stuff on the field is usually pretty stupid, this was an exception and a harmless way to make a point. It certainly did, as it was all over the news that same night. However, Bonds was none too pleased, saying, "If that's what they want to do, embarrass themselves, then that's on them."
(Photo: MSNBC)

Ruth / Aaron



This sign is one of the best out there. It was not particularly clever or witty but it really speaks to how the fans feel about Bonds. The sign is huge, going maybe 30-40 seats across, and everybody is involved in holding it up. Usually, people at a game don't want to do any work, and would prefer to hold a beer in one hand a hot dog in the other. This sign is clear in it's purpose and is unique because of it's required group participation.
(Photo: CNN)

Juicy Juice



Cleverly, this fan decided to show everybody his disdain for Bonds by wearing his sign. I think we've all had Juicy Juice when we were kids. Though, I somehow don't recall drinking that particular flavor.



Barroid



None too original, this "Barroid" sign is seen at every game. And how about taking care of your heckling sign? It was clearly folded in half, the edges are bent, and the lettering is not even, as the bottom letters are larger than the top letters. This fan obviously does not take his heckling seriously enough.
(Photo: MSNBC)

Where's Greg Anderson



Taken in Pittsburgh, this photo shows two fans who are obviously knowledgable about Bonds' steroids case, as the "Where's Greg Anderson" sign points out. Anderson is, of course, Bonds' former trainer who would rather sit in prison than tell what he knows about Bonds' steroid use. Bonus points to these two for color-coordinating their signs to match the colors of the Pirates.
(Photo: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Those aren't fingers



An outstanding idea here. We've all seem the lame foam fingers that they sell at games everywhere, proclaiming your favorite team is number one. Well, this young man took that to a different level, showing us that foam hands can still be cool.
(Photo: NY Daily News)


Release us



These signs seem a bit too serious. These people are obviously angry, and maybe a bit too much so. Having the signs done professionally takes away from them. Isn't making a sign part of the fun? And the sign on the bottom makes little sense. Is somebody pitching Barry Bonds?


Barry's rookie card



Technically, this isn't heckling if Bonds can't see it. But it's too good not to share. This is Bonds' rookie year, when he was a bit skinnier.

Is there anything funnier or, depending on your perspective, more annoying than an internet message board know-it-all who always has the answers to what ails your team (I mean besides bloggers who know it all)?

You know the type. They continually bring up asinine trade scenarios they think are realistic, like Anthony Reyes and John Rodriguez for Dontrelle Willis or Doug Mientkiewicz and Melky Cabrera for Mark Teixeira. If not discussing trade possibilities, they overreact to every possible misstep that goes along with a 162 game season, screaming to get rid of guys who have endured a slump or bad game.

There are many other offenses that can lead to someone being an internet message board jackoff. In what will hopefully become a weekly feature, we scoured team and fan message boards to bring you the very finest in douchebaggery.

Cards Talk (St. Louis Cardinals): "Tony LaRussa has lost the support of his players and (G.M.) Walt Jocketty has lost the support of the ownership contrary to published reports. It is time for the Jose Oquendo era in the dugout and Ted Simmons return as a GM." - Wtxcardsfan

MLB.com - N.Y. Yankees: "Trade Bobby Abreu for Torii Hunter. This is a good line-up with out Abreu." - Yanks1996

Orioles Hangout: "What about a Daniel Cabrera for A.J. Burnett and Alex Rios deal? Cabrera for Rios is something the BJ's probably wouldn't do, but if we throw in taking all of Burnett's contract, maybe its a possibility.

Burnett would be overpaid, but treat him as essentially the 5th starter, skipping his starts and pushing them back often to help avoid injury and he could put up some pretty good numbers."
- Mackus

Sox Talk (Chicago White Sox): "If I were Kenny Williams, I would trade Konerko, Thome, Mackowiack, Uribe, Pods, Erstad, A.J., Iguchi, Dye, Crede, Buehrle, Contreras, Garland, Vazquez, Jenks, Thornton and MacDougal between now and next season for as many top prospects as I could possibly get.

What could they bring? Maybe 3 top prospects each for Konerko, Garland and Vazquez. 2 each for Mark, Jenks, Thome, Contreras and A.J. One each for the rest. That's 25-30 top prospects."
- WhiteSoxRandy

ESPN.com - Texas Rangers: "If the Rangers continue to win and some of the other teams we need to lose do, then we could be within striking distance in the wild card. We are 13.5 games out as of right now however." - Texasfanatic 10

AOL.com - San Francisco Giants: "Bonds has yet to fail a single roids exam. If you have proof that he has been using the past few seasons, please share it." - ZDoodlsBack

InsideTheIvy.com (Chicago Cubs): "Griffey to Chicago. How about Jacque Jones and either Bob Howry or Scott Eyre."
- Broncosoldier

Dodger Blues: "This fucking San Deigo team has run 20 out of 29 against our sorry asses over the past 15 months. No, this isn't the '27 Yankees. I'm talking Jose Cruz Jr, kevin Kouzmanoff, and Mike Cameron. This Dodger team pretty much urinates on themselves everytime they set sights on those fucking beaners from down south." - JuanPierreIsGay