Few things inspire feelings of dread like the crackle of a store's public address system on Christmas Eve, informing us that the store will be closing in five minutes when we've yet to find the gift (or gifts) we need to stick underneath the tree when we get home.
General managers around baseball are beginning to feel that knot in their stomach, for there are only six shopping days left—and it's only going to get tighter with each passing day. The rumor mill is immune to such maladies, but it's noticeably begun to pick up speed as we race toward the season's final month.