Shorten the Season; Pardon Pete

If I were baseball commissioner, I would ...

• Reduce the regular season to 120 games (if interleague play suffers, so be it)
• Grant a pardon to Pete Rose, provisionally lifting his lifetime ban and letting the Hall of Fame members committee decide whether he should be enshrined
• Make it a uniform rule that pants and shoes must never be touching (first offense, $10,000 fine; second offense, 15-game suspension; third offense, lifetime ban)
• Henceforth, the Home Run Derby has no more than two contestants -- the HR leader from each league -- and consists of one round (when two or more players from the same league are tied, the one with fewer at-bats gets the nod)
• Bring the kids back to the ballpark without making their parents pay. Make it a leaguewide rule (no exceptions) that all children 12 and under are admitted free to the bleachers on Saturdays and Sundays.

Tip of the Cup. Trailing by a run in the bottom of the ninth, Marlins Dan Uggla and Cody Ross belted back-to-back homers on consecutive pitches from the Cubs' Kevin Gregg to give Florida the win. A slight tip to the Yankees' Melky Cabrera for his cycle in a victory over the White Sox and a reluctant doff to the Red Sox for their 18-run, 23-hit display in keeping pace with New York.

Typical BS. Thanks to the Cubs' bullpen meltdown, it turned out to be a decent BS day. Four of 10 save situations were blown: Joe Beimel, Rockies (5); Claudio Vargas, Brewers (1); Aaron Heilman, Cubs (6); Kevin Gregg, Cubs (5).