Baseball trades

This weekend a few teams swung some deals right before the trade deadline. The struggling Indians needed another bat so they picked up 1B Sean Casey from the Pirates. Of course, the Yankees in their lust for another pennant grabbed OF Bobby Abreu and pitcher Corey Lidle. What did the Phillies get? They received two prospects, a rookie catcher, and a right-handed reliever. The Phils got the short end of the stick on this deal.

This doesn't mean Philly isn't guaranteed to not make the playoffs, but it's going to a real mounting challenge for them in East because the Braves and Mets won't be set up for misfortune this season. The Cardinals also wanted to make a change in their infield so they traded Hector Lunar to the Indians for second baseman Ronnie Belliard. I don't think this move will make much difference. Their strength lies within Albert Pujols and their pitching staff.

Teams are going to be making runs in the last 2 months of the season. Rumors still circulate around baseball that Alfonso Soriano, Barry Zito, Miguel Tejada, and Greg Maddux could up next on the trade block. Well, for now that's all just speculation. You have to wait and see what happens. It should be interesting to see what players go or those who will stay.

Life on the road: Traveling without spare underwear

A day in the life of a Major League baseball player can be hectic. Making necessary travel arrangements, meal plans, sufficient wardobe packing, exercising, keeping in touch with family, and other obligations is overwhelming sometimes. Then again they're baseball players who make millions of dollars and get to travel around the country! What more could they possibly want? Players have certain odd ways of planning for road trips.

Take Detroit Tigers' closer, Todd Jones for example, the guy only carries one pair of underwear with him when on the road. This is not a smart decision for several reasons. Taking a bathroom accident for granted only can lead to bad things. Besides you've in quite a pickle if you have an explosion in your pants. Not only is a diarrhea a concern, but also having a rip or hole in your underpants. Fabric and cotton can only be stretched but so much. A pair of undies doesn't last forever either.

That's why it's so bizarre that a Major Leaguer would decide not to pack one of the most important items in his luggage. Being a pitcher and all, forced into a tight, pressure-filled situation during a game can cause anyone to crap their pants. You might just want that extra pair of boxer shorts or briefs available in case of such an emergency. Other players must have specific accommodations like the Mets' Mike Cameron who travels with air fresheners and scented candles, Ichiro Suzuki always carries a foot massager with him, and Shawn Green who is has a phobia if he doesn't carry his own soap, claiming his teammates are filthy. Can you really blame these guys?

These players are used to having luxuries and being pampered (except Todd Jones, buying a set of T-shirts and pants must be what this cheapskate considers slurging). I guess it's normal for players to have preferences and superstitions. Though when it gets to the point where they feel they shouldn't change their jock strap for 2 months then it becomes a serious problem. Life on the road for Major Leaguers is intriguing to say the least.

Seeking pennant in NL west, possible for any team

I've said it in a previous post that the AL West may be wide open this season. The same applies to the NL West. The D-backs, Giants, Rockies, Padres, and Dodgers are all fighting for first place. Usually I'd agree with anyone that Colorado doesn't stand a chance, but with the way things are shaping up it's not out of the question. At current, they're 6.5 games back in the division at 47-53. The club came close to two shutouts at home this week.

San Diego remains in first place. They're not guaranteed to finish at the top. Their pitching must hold up until late September. With Jake Peavy at the helm they're got a good shot even though they need consistency from the rest of the rotation. Mike Piazza and Brian Giles have to stay healthy as well. Their offense accounts for most of the run production. The Padres are up 2.5 on the Diamondbacks.

In third place are the Giants who are rely too much on Barry Bonds' power and the strength in the rotation from Jason Schmidt. If they want to have a competitive they need to strike another trade before the deadline. Otherwise their season could be up in smoke. Personally, I think the Dodgers have the best chance of coming back and claiming the division title. Sure, they're in last place, 7.5 games back, though they have the best lineup and rotation. As far as their bullpen I'm not so sure without a healthy Eric Gagne.

I can't wait to see what unfolds in the NL West. Which ever teams builds the most momentum down the stretch will probably win the division. With the issues surrounding Barry Bonds I'm sure it will be too big of a distraction to the team. It's turning out to be a close race in the West. No team is out of the picture yet.

A-Rod unappreciated in New York

It doesn't come as a shocker that Yankee fans and others within the organization are unsatisfied with Alex Rodriguez's performance as of late. The Bronx crowd has booed him because of errors at third among other meager mishaps. The Yankees have the highest payroll in baseball and will always obtain some of the best players on the market. So why are Yankee fans sour? They're not in first place in the East at 57-40. They're only 2.5 games back of Boston.

To complain that A-Rod is not performing well enough is absured. His number thus far is as follows: 21 homeruns, 72 RBIs, .500 .SLG, .279 AVG. I don't know why people expect him to outdo himself every season. Let's face it, A-Rod isn't going to hit 50 homers every year plus win a batting title and gold glove. Just forget about it Yankee fans. They should be happy with A-Rod's performance. He will be the key guy down to stretch if the Yankees are going to make a run at the playoffs. Any team would won't his bat in the lineup and will benefit from his veteran experience.

Sure he will make errors ocassionally, but that's not for lack of trying. The Yankees could very well catch the Red Sox by August and go neck and neck in the last 2 or 3 weeks of the season. Joe Torre has been in this situation before and has an idea of what to expect. Personally, I'm not a Yanks fan though I know they won't succeed without A-Rod. Without him in the middle of the lineup the team doesn't have that extra weapon. Power and hitting makes a big difference in crucial games.

With trade deadline approaching will Soriano be on the move?

Many rumors are buzzing in MLB as the trade deadline rolls around. Many teams are looking for that extra component that will put them in contention. Right now there is no doubt in anyone's mind that Alfonso Soriano is a hot commodity. He's on a tear, establishing another sensational year. Though could he be with the Washington Nationals for long? Inside sources have linked the star infielder/outfielder to Angels, Mariners, and Rangers. In the National League the Dodgers and Giants could very well go after him.

Soriano's talent is being wasted in Washington. His numbers speak for themselves, 24 homeruns, 61 RBIs, and 113 hits. He's also a good defensive player. Having a player who can hit for power with speed (25 SB) while possessing a reliable glove in the field is a rarity these days. He can play multiple positions as well. Soriano has bounced around a bit, playing for the Yankees, Rangers, and now Nationals. At age 30 he should around for a long time, bringing a productive bat and veteran leadership to any team. For those in the buyers market they better try to grab Soriano while they can.

Sosa says his career isn't over yet

Back in the off-season it seemed to be a sure sign that Sammy Sosa was set on retirement. He refused an offer from the Washington Nationals to sign as a l-year minor league contract. This didn't suit the former Cubs slugger, as he held out for more money. Why does money always have to the main criteria for signing with a new team? Sosa should be just wanting to play for the love of the game. Besides the numbers he put up in 2005 (14 homeruns, .221 avg. 45 RBI) with the Orioles have made his market value drop.

The point is Sammy isn't young and explosive anymore. He still can finish out the rest of his career with prestige and class if he can stay healthy and play clean (yeah, steroids or any substance or cream may be an issue). Sosa has been resting the past couple months with his family and visiting his old home in the Dominican Republic. You've got to believe those within the baseball community (MLB) have lost faith in Slammin' Sammy. Critics may feel he's washed up, no longer the prolific homerun hitter of old.

Sure Sosa will not crank out 40-50 a season anymore, but he can still be a valued asset on any club. It's up to him to get back into shape and be a hitter again by putting in the necessary time in the batting cages, practicing with veteran hitting coaches, and working out in the gym. For now, Sammy doesn't plan to quit at age 37. However he can't be picky either waiting for the right offer to come along. He may have to be humbled again and accept the best deal available. Otherwise there is no reason for him to return. Come on Sammy, forget about the stinking money!

Zo committs to Miami for another year

After basking in the glory of winning his first NBA Championship with the Heat, Alonzo Mourning has decided to stay with the team for at least another season. Opting out of retirement was influenced by the Miami fans. Their support over the years was too tremendous for Alonzo to just walk away from basketball now. I'm glad he wants to return for another season, especially as a member of the Miami Heat. Other teams did try to lure him away by offering lucrative deals, but the veteran center wasn't biting.

At 36, Zo still has a few years left in him to play in the NBA. Sure he's took a lot bumps, bruises, and endured his share of hardship along the way, though it's his will to never quit and strength that make him a surviver and champion. His story with the kidney ailment is truly inspiring. I can't think of a more admirable player in the NBA that deserved a second chance than Mourning. He earned an Championship title, no matter what anyone says.

With the big fella returning to the league next year and having teammates Shaq and Wade together again on the team, I like the Heat's chances of winning consecutive titles. Obviously, the Spurs and Mavericks will be right there in contention too. If Alonzo can put similar numbers (7.8 PPG 5.5 RPG 2.7 BPG) from last season coming off the bench the Heat will be okay. It doesn't matter what he does because I know the Miami fans will welcome him back with open arms, showing their appreciation for his years of committment and stellar play.

Travis Hafner continues to sizzle in second half

The Cleveland Indians may be 41-48 coming into Saturday, but with the power surging from Travis Hafner they have quite a potent lineup. If it wasn't for the breakout season of the Tigers or the White Sox this club would've had a good chance of clinching a spot in the postseason within consecutive years. Hafner is having an unbelievable season. He's already set a Major League record by hitting 4 grand slams in the first half of the season.

Hafner definitely got shafted by not being selected to the All-Star game. What a shame, this guy deserved to be at least a reserve off the bench. Today he hit a homer against the Twins to raise his total to 27. Few players in the game now can launch dingers as high and far as the Indians' first baseman. Hafner is having a career year, batting .324 with 75 RBIs and 69 runs scored. No one can deny his value to the Indians or any team for that matter.

Even though Hafner won't be able to lead his team to the playoffs he will have his share of season highlights while trying to help the 'Tribe finish above .500. Before the trade deadline if he was put on the market he'd be a hot commodity to grab, but Cleveland would be nuts to let him go. I think Hafner will have a secure home there for at least the rest of the season and next year if not longer. Hafner is one of today's top baseball stars to watch through September .

Bonds may no longer be a Giant, big deal!

Since a series of operations and a plagued injury last season, Barry Bonds looks to play in his last year with the Giants. He played 14 total games in 2005 unable to help his team reach the postseason. Bonds becomes a free agent in the fall and possibly could want to retire, leaving a legacy behind in San Fran. He would become a baseball legend and blah, blah, blah, so what? If you ask me it's more like he'll be leaving behind a dirty strain and a ugly mess filled with controversy, federal investigation, and perjury charges.

I don't see why anyone wants Bonds to break Hank Aaron historic homerun record. At 720 coming into the second half he still has a shot, but I don't see where doing so brings intregity to baseball. Whether he's guilty or not (yeah, probably so) the guy has never appeared honest and open with the media or the fans. He wants to hide the facts or try to cover up any illegal activity that's gone on behind closed doors. That's just not what makes a great Major League Baseball Player. Sure, players have lied in the past and will continue to do so in the future, but this involved cheating over a long period of time. The whole BALCO case originated back in 2003. That was plenty of time to take advantage of a quick, performance upper.

Barry didn't make an appearance at the All-Star game stating, "I don't want Pittsburgh to send me a farewell. Barry Bonds will say goodbye when he's ready."
Why does he still think fans care (Not talking about San Francisco fans). He needs to stop referring to himself in the first person as well, it just sounds ridiculous. Anyway, he should want to leave a lasting, positive mark on the game. Otherwise go ahead and retire Barry. We can all do without you.

Homerun Derby recap, replacements for All-Star game

All-Star festivies kicked off with the Old Timers game and the classic Homerun Derby contest. Sponsored by Century 21, participants had a chance to make some lucky fan go home happy by winning them a quarter of a million dollars towards a new home. It was a bash at PNC Park, the site of the 2006 All-Star game. After all the long balls left the yard it was the Phillies' Ryan Howard who walked away as champion. He even hit a sign (on his last homerun)winning a fan 500 plane tickets or rides on Southwest Airlines.

Of the slew of dingers hit, many crashed and bounced into the Allegheny River beyond the outfield in right-center. David Ortiz hit the longest bomb of all, estimated at 488 ft. The Red Sox slugger was hitting line drives like bullets. On the National league side Miguel Cabrera, David Wright, and Ryan Howard battled it out. Cabrera advanced to the second round after cranking 8 homeruns. David Wright launched 18 through the second round, but it Howard coming out the victor with 23 total homeruns. He hit 4 golden baseballs in the final round.

I thought that Ortiz was going to prevail in the end though he came up short. Jermaine Dye and Lance Berkman didn't get past the first round. The All-Star festivies will continue today. Due to a cut pinky Jose Reyes will sit out the All-Star game and Edgar Renteria will start. In the AL, the Twins rookie Francisco Liriano will replace Jose Conteras on the roster. This is a big break for Liriano who's 10-1 on the season with a 1.83 ERA. The kid deserves this opportunity, he's earned it.

Starting for the American league will be Kenny Rogers and for the National League, Brad Penny gets the nod. Some newcomers will also make an apperance in the starting lineup: NL- Carlos Beltran CF, Chase Utley 2B, and Jason Bay LF AL- Vernon Wells CF, Mark Loretta 2B. From the diverse crop of MLB talent it looks to be another thrilling All-Star game. Today marks the 77th game in baseball history.

AL West: Wide open at this point in the season

A few years ago the AL West was dominated by the Athletics and Angels. In 2006 it's been a different story so far. Each team is only within 4 games of each other. This could be the breakout year for the Mariners or Rangers. One thing is for sure, no team in the West is unbeatable. It could be a tight race coming down to the final month. Two players who I think will have the biggest influence on whether their team will climb to the postseason are Mark Teixeira and Ichiro Suzuki.

Ichiro is batting over .340 with 128 hits and 66 runs scored. He is the heart and soul of the M's. With an injury to Jeremy Reed after a diving catch attempt on Sunday the star outfielder must deliver more in the clutch and give his team a boost. Seattle is currently in 3rd place with a 42-45 record. The Texas first basemen is having another good season too. He's a valuable asset to the Rangers. They'd be crazy to trade him or get rid of him. Teixeira has helped Texas reach a 44-42 mark while hitting 8 homers with 47 RBIs.

It's going to be interesting to watch and see what happens in the second half. The Angels and Athletics have their share of history together and will probably duke it out down the stretch. With a healthy pitching staff and always dangerous Vladimir Guerrero the Angels will be a threat. Still I wouldn't count out the Rangers or the Mariners. They both have the offensive firepower to compete against any team in the league.

Bonds' trainer heads to jail...what an idiot!

Wednesday Barry Bonds' former trainer was arrested and ordered to serve jail time after refusing to testify to a federal grand jury investigating perjury against his client. Greg Anderson was already arrested in connection the BALCO case, pleading guilty last year to supplying illegal drugs to Bonds. He served 3 months in prison. I don't why he's protecting Bonds right now. He might as well just have cooperated.

First of all, this guy is obviously an idiot. He'd rather serve time in prison (though it may be short) than further rat out Bonds. Everyone knows he's a drug supplier and from his appearance a user too. Anderson is a San Francisco native who meet Bonds through a friend back in 2000 or 2001. That's why these two books stemming from the BALCO case and the secret dealings of steroid distribution sprung up.

I don't care what these baseball players today think, but the steroid issue isn't ever going away. People, especially the hardcore fans aren't going to ignore it. Congress is still conducting an investigation against Barry Bonds. Already this year reliever Jason Grimsley has been caught and suspended for 50 games. What a bone head move that was on his part. To me it seems like players are getting dumber and dumber. Why are the willing to risk their health (which should be utmost important), career, and fame. Ole' Bud Selig needs to take charge and hammer those who breaks the rules instead of putting cases on hold while MLB continues to reap billions.

Jose Canseco blasts MLB, tries to make comeback

When will the day end involving the on-going steroids conflict? I don't think ball players will completely stop using the drugs unless studies show an sharp increase in deaths from steroid users. For a while now, former Oakland Athletic, ex-Ranger, ex-Devil Ray, ex-White Sox, (who really knows or cares how many teams he's played for in his career) Jose Canseco has spouted off about MLB and how they are trying to cover up all these cases about players using illegal performance-enhancing drugs. He claims MLB is destroying players' careers, blackballing them as if they were so kind of criminal.

Well, well, I hate to tell Canseco, but all these players in recent years and in the past have hurt themselves. They are responsible for committing career suicide. It's not like they were forced into taking substances they were unfamiliar with or tied up and drugged. I realize Jose is mad because of what happened with the latter part of his career(which was mainly his own fault), consequently trying to avenge other Major League star players isn't the answer. He claims he wants to be the one to end this steroids debacle since he started it. What is he thinking, that all athletes are going to stop cheating or doing drugs because he's taking a stand?

Now at the age of 42, Canseco is attempting a comeback, playing for a fairly unknown minor league team in San Diego. For some idiotic reason the bulky Cuban is pitching as a reliever. Pictures from the minor league baseball practice site show him working on a knuckleball. What the hell! Old Cans better learn how to hit a freaking breaking ball again or off-speed junk. Otherwise he may get stuck in the minors. Apparently, Jose has got some slick business up his sleeve because he says he's in the process of producing a film and writing another book, claiming that this will stir up some fuss and create waves in baseball.

It's going to be a tough road back for Canseco into the Bigs if he continues to get heckled by unruly fans and gets injuried playing the outfield by either breaking a shin or getting banged on top of head while trying to catch a fly ball (hey, it happened years ago when he was younger). Oh, by the way, Jose watch out for those flying syringes onto the field!

One of many high-flying dunks yet to come.

Lebron given contract extension

The Cleveland Cavailers made a wise move this week by signing Lebron James to a five-year contract extension at $80 million. The franchise knew they had to keep the superstar interested to stay in Cleveland so a hefty investment was well worth it. This is good for the Cavs. This whole franchise will only reap success because of him. James has already pushed his team to the second round in the Eastern conference of the playoffs in only his third year.

The team finished at least 10 games above .500 this past season for the first time in nearly a decade. What's on the horizon with Lebron on board for the next five years? I know the 21-year-old has his mind set on winning on a championship. If there is anyone who could bring glory to the city of Cleveland it's James. His stellar play has positioned him near the top of the NBA league leaders in points per game, rebounds, and triple-doubles this year.

I think Lebron will give Cleveland more than they bargained for when it's all said and done. He's shown so much likeness to Michael Jordan that it's extraordinary. On the other hand, he's out to prove that he is one of the best in the NBA and wants to be known as a great all-around player and simply as Lebron "King" James, the one and only. I have feeling his name will be etched into the record books over and over in the coming years.