Going to have to be very quick with this because I have to hop the team plane in a couple of minutes so forgive misspellings and what nots. I have to go into travel party mode and not so much reporter but I can tell you that things are very solemn here right now.

The players are rolling in with their bags for the trip. A 11:00 meeting is scheduled for the team in the clubhouse. The 2 I talked to before they got here had not heard the news and were shocked. Mac is not here, and that is understandable. He is a very emotional person and this would be too much too soon for a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve every minute of the day. I feel for him. This was his dream and it went horribly wrong.

Two big moves in four days. Lee Pelekoudas in a statement summed up the thinking behind the move as he said "With 90 games left on our schedule, we owe it to ourselves and our fans to do everything we can to win as many games as possible. At the same time, as we move towards the trade deadline and decisions have to be made on the futures of the players on our ballclub, I wanted to see if a different voice could make a difference in their performance.''

I don’t think this precludes them from making other moves soon. They are not going to sit around and wait for anything. It will be a big challenge for Jim Riggleman to keep the players focused in an environment of wondering when the next shoe is going to drop and if it is going to drop on them, but this is what happens when you are on pace to lose over 100 games.

I have been through some tough times with this ballclub but I do not think anything is going to rival what has happened the past few days and what is bound to happen in the coming weeks. Necessary perhaps, but still hard. I have had very few if any truly uncomfortable plane rides with the team, but this no doubt will be that way.