Barry Zito could be left off San Francisco's NLDS roster entirely

It turns out that A.J. Burnett(notes) might not be the only high-priced pitcher passed over in the first round of the playoffs.

Out west, the San Francisco Giants are in a position to tell Barry Zito(notes) that his "Magic Unicorn Hour" services won't be needed against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.

When discussing his upcoming rotation, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said he was considering either Tim Lincecum(notes) on short rest or rookie Madison Bumgarner(notes) when (and if) Monday's Game 4 rolls around.

Here's what Bochy said on Tuesday morning when asked if Zito and his $126 million contract would even be on the 25-man playoff roster (via @dandibley):

"Hard for me to say that right now. Gotta get with Sabes [GM Brian Sabean] and the staff first"

Zito being left off the roster wouldn't come as a huge surprise. He was 1-8 with a 6.80 ERA over his final 10 starts and only lasted three innings in a clinching opportunity against the San Diego Padres on Saturday. And as Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News notes, he wouldn't have much value to the Giants coming out of the bullpen. Bumgarner could do either, which is why he'll end up with a spot.

Unlike the Yankees with Burnett's struggles, the Giants have the starting depth to not worry about Zito's possible absence. Their stockpile of arms is part of what's making this possible.

But you have to figure that it comes as major disappointment to Zito. After going an encouraging 7-3 with a 2.94 in April and May, this probably wasn't the type of finish he was envisioning.

Follow Big League Stew all through the postseason on Twitter and on Facebook. 

Related: Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, A.J. Burnett, Barry Zito, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, 2010 Postseason

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Video: Cammalleri's slash, Boogaard's spear could bring suspensions

Time to dust off the "Wheel of Justice" and spray it with some WD-40 after a summer of hibernation, we've got a potential suspension on our hands thanks to Mike Cammalleri of the Montreal Canadiens.

During tonight's exhibition in Quebec City between the Canadiens and New York Islanders, Cammalleri took offense to some jostling from rookie Nino Niederreiter(notes) by first jabbing him in the upper body with his stick, then a few moments later slashing him in the lower leg:

Cammalleri, who scored the opening goal of the game in Montreal's 7-2 victory over the Islanders' "B" team, was assessed a five-minute major for slashing and given a game misconduct. The ejection will now put Cammalleri in line to take a spin on the "Wheel of Justice".

(UPDATE: As has been mentioned in the comments, video of the hit by Niederreiter on Cammalleri has now surfaced and now we see what set things in motion.)

Niederreiter would leave the game with a bruised calf according to the Islanders.

During the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, Cammalleri escaped suspension after he smacked then-Chicago Blackhawk Martin Havlat(notes) in the head after a face-off because, according to the NHL, he was not a repeat offender. Now with no "Get Out of Jail" free cards to use, it's likely Cammalleri will face a ban of a game or two to begin the season.

In other potential suspension news, Derek Boogaard(notes) of the New York Rangers got five minutes and a game misconduct for this spear to the man region of the Ottawa Senators' Chris Neil(notes):

For as much talk there is about "The Code" amongst fighters, shouldn't something like "not spearing a dude in the hockey pucks" be a part of a code for every player?

Stick-to Kukla for the Cammalleri video

Related: Derek Boogaard, Chris Neil, Martin Havlat, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Goons and Pugilism, Puck Videos

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Carlos Boozer breaks right hand, could be out for two months

If the Chicago Bulls wanted to act as a miniaturized version of the star-heavy Miami Heat this season, then they're off to a fantastic start.

All-Star forward Carlos Boozer(notes), Chicago's top free agent pick up from last summer, broke his hand in an apparent fall on Saturday, and preliminary reports suggest he'll out for two months. Chicago Tribune reporter K.C. Johnson postulates that Boozer will likely return after Chicago's infamous circus trip, a difficult west coast jaunt made necessary by the Barnum and Bailey Circus taking over Chicago's United Center for two weeks, which means Carlos will miss a minimum of 15 games to start the season.

The long term diagnosis could be much nastier. Boozer is right handed, and while he's also known for being one of the best left-handed finishers in basketball, his remarkable mid-range shooting prowess is done exclusively right-handed. Though there's every reason to assume that Boozer makes a full recovery, Chicago already has one player on their roster (Ronnie Brewer(notes)) whose shooting stroke never developed due to an injury to his shooting arm.

Despite thinning out its roster to make a free agent run at LeBron James(notes) and Dwyane Wade(notes), Chicago does have options in Boozer's absence. Taj Gibson(notes) was last year's starter at big forward, and he's a starting-quality defender and shooter. Small forward Luol Deng(notes) played some of his best basketball at power forward last season, and the team can go huge by moving Joakim Noah(notes) down to power forward and playing rookie big man Omer Asik(notes) in the pivot.

This is still a major setback for Chicago, and it could cost them the home court advantage they were hoping to earn in next spring's first round.

And for Boozer, if the 15-games estimate is correct, this will mean a whopping 153 games missed to injury over the last seven seasons, and counting.

Related: Taj Gibson, Joakim Noah, Ronnie Brewer, Luol Deng, Dwyane Wade, Carlos Boozer, LeBron James, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat

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