It was Wise. He had respiratory issues after having dental work done, which kept him out of a game against the Red Sox.

Well, that was a pretty silly omission on my part. With Houston, Oswalt went 6-12 with a 3.42 ERA and a 3.39 FIP. With Philadelphia, Oswalt went 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA and a 3.15 FIP. I'd say that's a pretty good example of turning a season around after getting thrown into the middle of a pennant race.

Indeed, his last four starts were all on three days, including Game 2 of the NLDS.

Hey Doc, According to the Rays' media guide, 111 balls have hit the catwalks in fair territory over the course of 13 seasons. And thanks for your defense of the Trop. I agree, it's nice to know it's going to be 72 degrees and there will be a game, no matter what. And the ownership group does deserve a ton of credit for trying to make it a better experience.

It's funny you mention that. Just talking to a few locals down there, they say the drive feels longer because you have cross water. A few of them insisted that there have been studies done that seem to hint that we perceive time a little differently when we must cross water. I grew up in the Bay Area and I can say there might be some truth to the theory. Of course, it could all be nonsense.

Indeed, that is one of the issues. St. Pete is across the bay from Tampa, but a good chunk of that market's population lives.

Actually, he's been using numbers on the air. It's kind of funny watching Twitter blow up when he drops in a reference to FIP. As we chatted, it was clear Cone did his homework, with a sabermetric emphasis. I'm not sure if he ever used it, but he mentioned Ichiro's BABIP during our chat, and what Pitch F/X had to say about CC Sabathia.