Hello Gabbers! It has been quite a while, too long perhaps. I’ve been a relatively busy man for the past two months, having started a new job which seemingly came along at just the right time, as well as juggling the normally hectic summer months chalked full of family activities and household projects. Needless to say, I’ve been sometimes lacking time, energy, or both.

Alas, here I am today, stepping into the exclusive shoes of the Beezer as he enjoys an earned vacation with the family. I had to try on the slip on ones though, as the laces on the sneakers were coated in what I can only hope was hand lotion and needless to say, I didn’t want to go much further with those. Still, I’m going to try my best to hold his spot in line for the next couple of weeks and my great brainstorm would be to cover for Monday Moanings with a post I call, “Just The Tip.”

-         When we talk about just the tip, its usually the start of something, and it wouldn’t be fair to start off talks of this weekend without paying homage to Andre Dawson and Whitey Herzog, who walked the magic carpet into Cooperstown this weekend. Dawson was a class act as a player and a consummate team guy whose body failed him before his skills did. Herzog meanwhile was a tremendous manager, a no-nonsense type of guy you just don’t see in today’s game because the players need to be coddled. Congratulations to the both of them on an achievement well earned.

-         Just the tip of the iceberg started to show today when the Angels picked up Diamondbacks pitcher Dan Haren in a four-player trade. Haren has struggled like a hooker without legs trying to win games and pitch well for the awful D-Backs this season, but being under club control for two more years after this made it a lot easier to part with Joe Saunders and two other prospects as well. And while this trade shores up their rotation, the Angels badly need a power bat in the middle of the line-up to take the place of Kendry Morales or they have no hope to pass the Rangers in the West.

-         Just the tip goes over about as well as Alex Rodriguez’s recent quest to crest the 600 home-run plateau. Even before A-Rod got plunked on the wrist and left today’s game stuck on 599, people just weren’t paying attention. Maybe that’s because A-Rod is an admitted steroid user. Maybe it is because the 600 home-run club meant a whole lot more when it only included Mays, Ruth, and Aaron, back before Bonds, Griffey, and Sosa crossed that line. Or maybe again, the fans have gotten over the long-ball and moved on to the game mattering again instead of the statistics.

-         Just the tip can tend to be uncomfortable for one of the partners involved, just ask Dan Gilbert. But at least Gilbert has company now, as LeBron James’s grand idea of forming a super team in Miami has worked against another small-market club, as Chris Paul is now telling the New Orleans Hornets that he wants out and word is he wants to jump ship to New York. Sure, James didn’t want to rescue the Knicks ship, but CP3 sees the big picture, as well as the alley-oop, pick-and-roll possibilities of playing with Amare Stoudamire in New York. In reality though, David Stern needs to step in here and do something before the players make all the decisions and the league consists of five teams vying for the title. Hey David, see Baseball, Major League for an example of how that works out for the little guys.

Alright gents. That’s where Just The Tip ends for this week, because let’s face it, if you push too much, you’ve already gone too far.