And we come to the final seven days of the major-league season. I've yet to see a single pitch of the World Series, though was amused to note that Game 2 this year was the first time a team has come from behind after eight innings to win a World Series game since... Well, I think we all know when. Though really, doing it in the second contest shows a remarkable lack of dramatic timing. Who's writing the story-lines here?

Diamondbacks

• [dbacks.com] D-backs make adjustments to their 40-man roster - David Winfree on; Burroughs, Hammock and Castillo off; immediate purpose...anybody know?
• [AZ Central] The newest D-Backs prospects; roster moves; & other stuff - Ah: thanks, Nick! Also detailed reports on our eight top Latin American signees, a lot of good info there.
• [Through The Fence Baseball] With Skaggs, Parker and Bauer, D-backs future rotation should be scary - "With Justin Upton, Miguel Montero and Goldschmidt taking care of the offense, and the stockpile of young pitching, the future looks very bright for Diamondback fans."
• [RantSports] Diamondbacks Must Learn From Mistakes Made in 2007 Offseason - "The 2011 Diamondbacks are similar to the 2007 Diamondbacks. No one expected that team to do anything either, but hopefully this time around, the organization will do a better job on improving the club in order to keep them winning in the long run."

• [AZCentral] Domino effect; Dipoto update; Hall’s surgery scheduled - November 8th for Hall to go under the knife. All the best to him for that, obviously.
• [SB Nation Los Angeles] Angels GM Search: Jerry DiPoto Wanted In Baltimore, Too - Well, it's nice he's popular, I suppose...
• [dbacks.com] Ian Kennedy and Justin Upton are up for Players Choice honors - "Kennedy is one of three finalists for National League Outstanding Pitcher, while Upton is up for the NL Outstanding Player."
• [FanGraphs] Determining the "Value" of "Valuable" - "With Upton, Arizona makes the playoffs 92% of the time. Without him, the figure drops to 30%. The success gap is impressive, and is the largest for any player in the National League." And that’s why he’s the MVP.

UnDiamondbacks

• [mlb.com] Bob Costas interviews Selig on potential upcoming changes - "As for creating two 15-team leagues by moving the Astros to the American League West, Selig said... aside from a few details that need to be worked out, it appears that will be the solution. "
• [AZCentral] Major League Baseball needs to reel in young fans - "Baseball needs some help. It needs a pitch clock and a shorter season. It needs less nostalgia and more generational tweaking. It needs to acknowledge that today's youth are hardwired for action and instant gratification"
• [East Valley Tribune] With Cubs upgrading, other MLB teams eye Mesa's Hohokam Stadium - "At least two Major League Baseball teams are interested enough in Mesa’s Hohokam Stadium that they’ve hired engineers to study revamping the facility for their own use." But... But... We were told, loudly and repeatedly, that it sucked irredeemably?
• [Businessweek] The Smartest Spenders in Sports - "Which teams spent the least on wins, and/or won the most? We crunch the numbers and come up with some surprises" This is going by the past five seasons. I'll spoil it for you: the D-backs rank fifth in baseball, behind the two Florida teams, Pittsburgh and San Diego.
• [AP] SD to promote Byrnes if Hoyer leaves - "The San Diego Padres are ready to promote Josh Byrnes to general manager if Jed Hoyer leaves for the Chicago Cubs" That'll make the rivalry interesting next year.
• [New York Post] Khadafy Killed By Yankees Fan - Dammit. Who are Giants fans going to be able to compare me to now?