The Major League baseball season is winding down, and this year seems quite quiet as the leaves turn to orange and red in New England. The pennant races are just a myth, but there is money to be found in the late season swoon of some of the teams that apparently have found the grass greener on the golf course, as the road is paved with gold. That road has been highly profitable, if you dig into what becomes apparent quite frequently late in the season. Some teams trade away the one or two stars they have, for reduced payroll, and hopeful prospects, that offer hope next season, while this one is discarded like an old gray mare, that has seen its day. Let's take a look at fading these teams to black, that is black ink, and in this case, jet black! Let's start with the NY Mets, a team put together to win the NL and represent the Big Apple in the fall classic, but injuries, and poor chemistry, have left them once again, on the outside looking in. What happens to a team that was supposed to contend, that finds themselves out of it by the All-Star break? They proceed to go on the road, hit the golf courses, and on the field, a no-show, as the amazin's are just 6-17 in their last 23 on the road. Not to be outdone, the annual 100 loss Nationals are right on their prescribed course, and have compiled the road numbers to ensure that destiny, is indeed their fate, as they are 3-12 in their last 15 on the road. Cecil Cooper of the Astros, lost his team, and his job with another fading road sequence, as the Stros are 6-25 in their last 31 on the road. Looking over to the American League, the Cleveland Indians, no longer wanted to pay Cliff Lee, or Victor Martinez, and the Indians, who were seen taking down the Bronx Bombers in '07 to move to the AL Championship round, have become an invisible factor, like a stealth bomber, not even a blip on the radar screen. The Tribe is now 0-11 in their last 11 tries on the road. The award for the most inept of all, the total Hudini act on the road, goes to none other than the Pittsburgh Pirates. This team that hasn't sniffed even .500, has done a free-fall, and has drifted out of site, but not to investors that seek royalties from this group of misfits. The Pirates have generated a 3-26 road mark in their last 29. So to be politically correct, if you want to go green as the Major League season winds down, plop a few sheckles on your favorite loser, as the NFL recievers begin to run fade patterns, MLB has subjected us to some late season fade patterns of its own. Collectively these minor, I mean major league teams have produced an 18-91 mark on the road, or losing at a wallet fattening 83.5%. That calculates to 5 of every 6 games, or would require a -500 moneyline to tilt the scale to even, and since I have never seen one of those in baseball, the green light is glowing. There are 30 opportunities left to cash in, with the Mets, Astros, and Pirates having 7 each left on the road, the Indians 5, and the Nats 4. Just remember, if you happen to run into any of these so-called major leaguers on the golf course, when they come to a city near you, just remember to say thank you, and if you want to get your account out of red ink, just remember the above teams, and FADE TO BLACK