The Bronx is Burning! Trade deadline! and More!

The Bronx Bombers have been coming up short the last two weeks and it is not good.  Yes, they still hold a 6.5 game lead over Baltimore but that can quickly vanish if they continue to play as they are.  Going into today's game they are 3-8 in their last 11 games. 6 of those 8 loses have been by 1 run.  1 run...for the Yankees should not be that hard of a feat considering they are leading the MLB in Slugging Pct, 5th in Runs, and 10th in Batting Average.

Don't worry about the Yankees, every team goes on a cold streak throughout the season.  If you put the injuries into perspective (Mo, Andy, Brett, A-Rod, and now Tex) they are holding their own and their bench/bullpen deserves a lot of the credit.

                                                                            Image source: New York DailyNews


Today is the MLB trade deadline and I spoke with some guys around the water cooler and these are my views on the questions asked.

Will the Phillies be sellers?
Yes, but not with Cliff Lee.  They won't get a return on investment and will explore trading him in the off season.  Look for Shane Victorino or Hunter Pence be trade bait.
Will the Pirates be buyers?
Yes, but will not trade away studs for rentals.  They have a great young team and Pirates GM Neal Huntington is taking baby steps to success: start with .500+ record first 

What will the Yankees do with their aging lineup that has been plagued with injuries?  
They will find value you players and not big arms/bats of past years. They are committed to trimming payroll for 2014. You never know what Cashman will do.
Will the new management in LA work 'magic' and make a Hollywood-esque Trade?
No, They need to get their financial books in order before they go out spending like drunk sailors.  Expect them to be crafty to make one last push for NL West title.  Do NOT be surprised if they own this off season.

What will the Mets do?
Honestly,  I would not be surprised if they trade for Reyes....they have done plenty worst in past seasons. (this is a joke)

London 2012

 Missy Franklin: America's daughter This girl is awesome.  Not only did she win Gold, she did it as an amateur! She is only 17 and has one more year of high school followed by 4 years of college.  She would like to continue to compete against her peers and win for her school so that is why she chose not to take any sponsorship money.   Takes guts to leave that money on the table but no matter how much money she makes in her career...she won't be able to buy back her youth and experiences from college.  Well done and best of luck!

                                                                                 Image credit: NBC

Medal Counter:  We are tied with the Chinese with 17 overall medals.  They have 4 more Golds than us.  I live my life like Ricky Bobby, "If you're not first, you're last!"  Let's get it going USA!

"In your dreams" team plays Tunisia at 5:45pm today:  Vegas sports has the USA as 55pt favorites.  I am sure the USA won't win by that much.  Watch for my boy Kevin Love to get some serious Playing time.


Tuesday is always better than Monday because it's closer to Friday.

Olympics Day 3

We are entering Day 3 of the London Olympics.It has been well underway (London is +5hours ahead of NYC) so I will do my best to report on the major stories, USA stories.

USA swimming has lost a stroke since 2008 games: One of the premier events at the summer Olympics is always the swimming.  This past weekend was not one of our better days.  While Ryan Lochte won gold in the 400  Individual Medley and "Medal Mike" Michael Phelps came in 4th. The biggest let down in the news is that the USA  lost to France in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay. Hopefully its a wake up call for everyone.

Ryan Lochte is my guy. How can't you root for him?  You may think this is a bit tacky but deep down you know it is awesome and you wish you had the coin to purchase one.

                                                                                       Image Credit: Adam Pretty/Getty Images

"In Your Dreams" Team beats France 98-71: I'm sure you have read and seen highlights of the game by now.  Not going to beat a dead horse with information.  Michelle Obama was there cheering them on and hugged each and every player, for those keeping score at home.



Medal Count :  China has 12 (6G:4S:2B)  USA has 11 (3G:5S:3B) Italy has 8 (2G:4S:1B).  The Stars and Stripes need to up the efforts are start winning some G's.  I am sure George Steinbrenner, the famous Yankee owner and Team USA supporter, is firing Billy Martin rolling in his grave with every contest result that does not bring home a Gold medal. Let's win it for the Boss


That is all for now...time to do some work and watch some Olympics in between Jim Cramer ranting on CNBC.

WeekENDing

Ryan is on a boat for a few days and I will not be surprised if he is feverishly checking to see if his pride and joy hobby has burnt to the ground.  Rest assure it is alive and well...so far.

I am not going to be one of those guys who says "The weekend is too short" but it really is.  

Spent the  evening in Montauk with some buddies from High School. We went out just like every other 20somethings and had a great time.  I'll spare you all the details but just know that MTK is a great time and well worth the drive out there.

We have the Olympics on but i'll handle that tomorrow morning. Phelps lost.  "In Your Dreams" Team (moniker for Men's 2012 Basketball team thinking they'd beat the Dream Team of 1992) won, and water polo is still the most impressive sport out there.

More to come tomorrow.  

Flag Bearer Bingo

After struggling to keep my eyes open through the entire Opening Ceremony last night, something, somehow, caught my eye - the flags.  There are so many different and great flags - from countries not named America - and I just wanted to make it clear that I am all for this international awesomeness.

There are also some pretty cool names in these Olympics, as is to be expected, so without further ado, here's my list of some of the more gnarly names that had the distinguished honor of carrying a flag for their country last night.

• Max Mirnyi - Berlarus - Max is just a great name
• Sherab Zam - Bhutan - ZAM!!
• Marko Blaževski - Macedonia - I just liked the little marking over the "z"
• Ruddy Zang Milama - Gabon - ZANG!!
• Winston George - Guyana - It just sounds so distinguished
• I Gede Siman Sudartawa - Indonesia - Referring to yourself as "I" rules
• Kilakone Siphonexay - Lao People's Democratic Republic - Do I need to say anything?
• Hortense Diédhiou - Senegal - Hortense is such an intense name
• Zamzam Mohamed Farah - Somalia - Zam-Zam!!
• Ismail Ahmed Ismail - Sudan - The old Ismail sandwich
• Chinyere Pigot - Suriname - It's one of my wife's athletes at UConn - Go Chin!
• Nuttapong Ketin - Thailand - Say it and you're bound to smile
• Mariel Zagunis - United States of America - USA!! USA!! USA!!
• Nguyễn Tiến Nhật - Vietnam - Certainly not a shortage of accent marks?
• Prince Mumba - Zambia - The royalest of names

I am headed to Bermuda tomorrow, where flag bearer Zander Kirkland hails - and sails.

The People's Republic of China leads the medal count with 6 total - 4 gold and 2 bronze followed by Italy with 5 (2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) and the good old U.S. of A, also with five (1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze).

Kazakhstan has a medal - a GOLD medal - courtesy of "Vino" Alexandr Vinokurov in the cycling road race.  Borat was not in attendance - or maybe he was.

Brew Crew Trade Greinke to the Angels

After a terrible first month of the season, the Angels are right where everyone thought they'd be: in the thick of a pennant race.  On Friday, July 27 the Angels worked out a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers  to trade their Ace in exchange for some minor league talent (top position player prospect + 2 AA pitchers).  Greinke, 2009 AL Cy Young winner,  is scheduled to pitch for the Angels on Sunday against the Rays.

Let me break this deal down.  Greinke goes to the Angels to add to an already stellar pitching staff. The Angels finally have their Ace to lessen the burden of Weaver, their most consistent starter.  However the  Angels are only renting him because Greinke is headed into Free Agency after this season and do not have a guarantee that he will sign with the Halos after this season.  Zach is making $13.5M this season and turned down an offer for over $100M from the Brew Crew earlier this month. With this trade the Angels have continued to deplete their farm system in search of a World Series.  

The Angels turned Brewers:  All three were at AA Arkansas but they may be shifted in the Brewers DEEP farm system.

Jean Segura, SS (b.3/17/90 ht: 5'11, Dominican Republic) signed with the Angels in 2008 and he is currently holding his own down in AA Arkansas, his batting stats .294/.346/.404 (via. MLB.com) with 33 steals in 46 attempts. He is the crown jewel of the trade because the Brewers really wanted a Shortstop.

Ariel Pena is a 22 year old 6'3 right handed pitcher from Dominican Republic that signed with the Halos in 2009.  He is  nothing much to write home about but he does have potential. The one standout statistic is that he has 180 strikeouts in 151.2 innings at Single-A last year (Via Baseball cube).

John Hellweg is a 23 year old 6'7 right handed pitcher drafted in the 16th round of 2008 draft out of Florida State.  This tall glass of water was born and raised in Michigan which is close to Milwaukee, which means the Brew Crew is taking a gamble on his talent to get the hometown fans  to switch allegiance to Brewers from the Tigers.

The Angels want to win and they want to win NOW.  They made this move not to keep up with the Yankees and Rangers, but rather to keep ahead of the scorching Oakland Athletics.  How mad would Arte Moreno be if he misses the playoffs this season because of a bunch of no-named Moneyball 2.0 stars beat his team out for the playoff spot all for  a fraction of the payroll cost.

Tune in on Sunday to watch Greinke in an Angels uniform against the Rays.

-Dan

Off the Grid

Be back Sunday, August 5th. I'm on a boat, like these guys.

New Contributor

Dan Salogub is a kid/guy I've known from my days as a coach at Manhattan.  As operations manager, I've come across many different types of people and Dan was one that took a little time getting used to.  He worked for me and was also an intramurals assistant director.  He helped me out a lot when I was away for baseball as far as setting up the gym for events, contests, and a concert or two.

He's got an almost-too-goofy side but knows when to reign it in.  He's pretty knowledgeable in all things sports, humor, and entertainment and assured me he would not "burn it down" - referring to WRT - while I am away.  I trust you'll enjoy his musings and rants as much as I think I will.

Slow Waitress? TabApp Time!

Dan Salogub gives you some insight into the future of ordering drinks at the bar along with one thing it'll help you never forget.

Image via thetabapp.com

  Coming into the weekend and the most exciting thing I have found this week comes from two 20-something entrepreneurs based in the Windy City - Chicago!  Adam Cowie and Justin Cerone are the two gentlemen behind this start up.  These two high school classmates came together and developed something we all wished existed - last weekend.

  Have you ever been seated at a table in a bar and the waitress has the speed of Cecil Fielder or the bar is as packed as a can of sardines.  During these instances, have you ever wished you could order your drinks, know exactly what you ordered and not worry about the waitress messing up the order?   Now you actually can!  TabApp is a new app for the iPhone/Android that allows you to order drinks and other menu items while sitting at your table all while you pay via credit card on your smartphone.  No more going back to the bar to track down that elusive lost credit card.  And most importantly, the waiting is limited.

  Right now, the interface and design of the app is very basic but that is to be expected given its first generation design and limited funding.  Remember Rome Facebook was not built in a day either.  At the moment, it is only being implemented in a few bars in Chicago but I’ve got a hunch it’ll catch on very quickly.  It is only a matter of time before TabApp is the premier app for the city that never sleeps.  Look for it in the App store for both Android and Apple - http://www.thetabapp.com/.

  If you're interested in learning more, the founders would be happy to talk to you!

The Wednesday Whip

Seeing how it's the middle of the week, I'm going to go through and highlight some tweets that may or may not have to do with sports. Regardless of topic, they're all pretty good. Following the Marlins dump of Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers, Chris Jones brings up a point that makes nothing but sense and is, in his words, "a fucking disgrace":

Miami could have had 50 new schools; it'll have an empty ballpark instead. And it was easy to see. A fucking disgrace.

— Chris Jones (@MySecondEmpire) July 25, 2012

I guess the Olympics are underway, not quite sure, but I know the US Women just beat France, 4-2:

FINAL from Glasgow: USA 4, FRANCE 2. Alex Morgan led the way with 2 goals for the #USWNT. #USAvsFRA

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 25, 2012

Absolutely the classy thing to do:

Ichiro hitting leadoff in perhaps his final game at Safeco.Classy move by Girardi.

— David Cameron (@DCameronFG) July 25, 2012

Finishing it off with some humor:

A friend of mine has a trophy wife... apparently it wasn't first place.

— Men's Humor (@MensHumor) July 25, 2012

Enjoy the day. Tomorrow is calling for some nasty weather here in Connecticut. Tornadoes possible? Really?

Tuesday Tweets

New THIS IS HELL video for "Acid Rain":

This Is Hell Release "Acid Rain" Music Video dlvr.it/1vNgDd

— Alter The Press! (@AlterThePress) July 24, 2012

I'm guessing Jimmy Fallon is being sarcastic:

Traffic is awesome in NYC today.

— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) July 24, 2012

That's a bold statement, but it just might be true:

Valdespin might have the worst OF arm since Johnny Damon #Mets

— Earl (@ttlsportsblog) July 24, 2012

They are on fire as of late:

Hard to compare 5- and 4-team divisions, but one could argue AL West is tougher than AL East right now, given emergence of A’s.

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 24, 2012

Artie Lange is priceless:

How do you sum up why the Kardashians are famous?Simple:Robert got O.J. Off & Kim got Ray J off.The End.

— Artie Lange (@ArtieQuitter) July 24, 2012

Anyone else have playoff fever?:

Said one GM this morning: "Yesterday felt like the trading deadline. There were so many calls."

— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) July 24, 2012

I was guilty of this once (the sign, not the ramming):

*Baby on board* Oh really? Thanks for letting me know, I was about to ram into your car, but now I won't.

— Men's Humor (@MensHumor) July 24, 2012

100% right:

Ichiro overrated if you need him to lead off and star. He's underrated if you need him situationally. That is all Yanks need from him.

— Colin Cowherd (@ESPN_Colin) July 24, 2012

When a reeling team gets desperate:

Shocker: Snooki got booed at the Mets game last night dlvr.it/1vLmZr #mlb #hbt

— Hardball Talk (@HardballTalk) July 24, 2012

Have a great Tuesday.

Osi = Truth

"I think it's kind of lame to wear your (Super Bowl) rings...Olympic gold medalists don't wear their medals around." Osi Umenyiora.

— Paulie Pabst (@PaulPabst) July 24, 2012

The Mendoza Line - Fantastic Four

Image via VintageSeattle

Take a look at that guy?

Mario Mendoza was a player back in the late 70's, early 80's.  Defensively, he was serviceable at shortstop.  Offensively, not so much.  His career average was .215 with zero pop (only 4 HR).  All too often today, the "Mendoza Line" is a barometer for the ineptitude of a hitter. Although he only had more than 100 at-bats in 4 of his 9 seasons, Mendoza managed to hit over his own line in three of those four years.  The only other time batting over .200 was when he his .218 in 1978 with the Pirates, in just 55 at-bats.  He peaked with the Mariners in 1980 and 1981, putting together back-to-back seasons where he batted .245 and .231, respectively.

With those numbers in mind, there are currently four players in the majors (who are qualified to be among the league leaders in batting average) hitting below the Mendoza Line.

Carlos Pena, TB - .194 average - 330 AB - 11 2B - 14 HR - 39 RBI - 121 K
Pena is a career .236 hitter with 272 career HR in 12 seasons.  Tolerable.

Rickie Weeks, MIL - .197 average - 319 AB - 17 2B - 9 HR - 33 RBI - 108 K
Weeks is a career .250 hitter with 118 career HR and 106 career SB in 9 seasons.  Not too bad.

Justin Smoak, SEA - .198 average - 324 AB - 6 2B - 13 HR - 38 RBI - 76 K
Smoak is a career .218 hitter with 41 HR and 272 K, in just his 3rd year in the league.  Ehh.

Cliff Pennington, OAK - .199 average - 281 AB - 13 2B - 3 HR - 16 RBI - 59 K
Pennington is a career .249 hitter in 5 seasons with a .968 fielding percentage.  So what?

Who'd you rather have on your team?  Smoak has the smallest sample size while Pennington might pick it a little on defense, he's a bottom of the order bat, at best.  That leaves Weeks and Pena, two guys with an inordinate amount of strikeouts but both with a little pop.  Pena draws a lot of walks, makes the plays in the field, and stays healthy.  I think Weeks can bring a little more to the table as far as being a dynamic player.  He gets on base, scores runs, creates a little something on the basepaths.  His issue has always been his healthy, however.  But when he's right, the dude's a freak.

Image via Zimbio

The motliest of crews, indeed.  But if you had to twist my arm into taking one, I'm going with Southern University's finest, Rickie Darnell Weeks.

Kevin Youkilis

YOLLLLK!!

Inspired by my egg sandwich for lunch.

BREAKING NEWS!! Adam Dunn Steals a Base

Adam Dunn just registered the 60th stolen base of his career.  Not since 2008 have we seen the likes of this. 

He'll also probably strikeout 220 times, but that's not breaking news.

Pre-ESPY Tweet Comic Relief

Some of the tweets that are making me chuckle before the ESPY Awards.

Colin Cowherd is a natural on the #ESPY red carpet. Mostly bc he looks like Joan Rivers.

— Andrew Goldstein (@AngeGold) July 12, 2012

Tim Tebow & Steve Nash talking at the same desk is like watching the Battle of Who Can Give the Most Compliments. #ESPYS

— Rich MacLeod (@richmacleod) July 12, 2012

The #espys used to be my favorite thing ever as a kid. Kids are stupid.

— Slicktrip (@Slicktrip) July 12, 2012

To sit at the #pti desk at the #espys you have to wear a purple tie

— Coy Clendenin (@CoyMachine13) July 12, 2012

Catching Up with Nick Derba, Catcher for AAA Memphis Redbirds

You think climbing the ladder to the Majors is a breeze?  Think again.

I had a chance to interview a former player I coached in college, catcher Nick Derba, who’s in his sixth year with the St. Louis Cardinals organization.  He’s always had tremendous work ethic, been a natural leader, and is admittedly stubborn – but it’s all paid off.  From short-season rookie ball on up to Triple-A, he’s had his ups and down, but the one thing that remains constant for Nick is his family and faith.  He’s living every young boy’s dream of playing baseball for a living (as meager as it may be).

RD:  When you heard your name called in the 30^th round by the St. Louis Cardinals, was there any hesitation to sign and play pro ball or did you ever think just to pursue a career in medicine? (Nick was pre-med at Manhattan)

ND:  Being a late round draft pick I didn’t expect much more than a chance but I decided that it was an opportunity that I needed to take advantage of.  At least give it a shot.  I had no expectations, so going into my first season, I was ready to return to school and pursue a higher degree in the medical field.  I had nothing to lose by trying.

Image via pbase.com

RD:  What would you say is your biggest baseball accomplishment?  Something you’ll tell your kids and grandkids about?

ND:  I would have to say that just getting to the Triple-A level alone is my single greatest achievement.  I have been here for parts of 3 years while getting a few Big League camp invites.  I have been among the Minor League leaders in throwing runners out runners a few times as well, so those are some accomplishments I certainly pride myself on.

RD:  Following a very successful college career, what was the biggest adjustment you had to make in pro ball, besides not being in Queens or the Bronx anymore?

ND:  The biggest adjustment has been the lifestyle in and of itself.  Even though the season is only 6 months, the remainder of the year is still dedicated to baseball.  The travel can be very hard and you are almost always away from family.  Living in hotel rooms and different apartments throughout the year can be taxing on the mind at first.  You never get totally used to it, but it does get easier.  The competition is also a big adjustment. Getting acclimated to the speed of the game and the high performance of every day is tough, no matter how long you’ve been playing.  This is the hardest game in the world and it proves it to you every day.  Making the adjustment to different geographic parts of the world wasn’t that difficult.

RD:  What player do you model yourself after?  Who’s helped you the most throughout your minor league career?

ND:  Craig Biggio (a native Long Islander) has always been my favorite player that I have seen while Yogi Berra is my favorite legend.  I would say that they both embody what I find to be my greatest asset as a player, grit.  Neither one of those guys has been lauded for having an overwhelming amount of tools, but they both got the job done in Hall of Fame fashion.

RD:  Who do you call for peace of mind, when shit really starts hitting the fan?

ND:  My family and my girlfriend have helped me through this journey.  I have endured my fair share of struggles and heartbreaks, and without those people in my life I may have caved in.  Their support may not have been in the conventional sense of ” I know you can do it, so keep on,” but their words have helped me make the decisions that I feel is right.  For me this is the best support I can get.  My girlfriend Megan, as cliché as it may sound, has been my crutch for the last four seasons.  She gets to hear the worst of the worst, but she manages to put a positive spin on many things. When things get bad I go to her, luckily, things haven’t been that bad and I don’t plan on them being so.

RD:  What is the main difference you’ve noticed between rookie ball, A, AA, AAA?

ND:  The levels don’t differ that much as far as talent, but savvy.  At the higher levels you see guys that have both talent and a baseball mind.  They know how to play the game, period.  The pitchers command better off-speed more often, hitters miss less pitches and make you pay for the mistakes you made with an extra base hit.  The 8-hole hitter in a AAA lineup isn’t an automatic out like in A ball. Everyone can play in minor league baseball.  It is actually pretty absurd how many good ballplayers there are that never make it to the big leagues.

RD:  You’re in your sixth year of minor league ball – what’s life like in the minor leagues?  It’s got to be pretty cool seeing different cities every week.  Any favorite park or city you’ve played in?

ND:  My favorite place to play is probably Springfield or Oklahoma City. Nice parks, good fans, nice town. Can’t beat it.

RD:  Not to be inconsiderate, but you’ve had your share of struggles at the plate, like plenty do.  What do you do to keep a positive mental attitude?  Also, I know you pride yourself on your defense.  What’s your mindset defensively?

ND:  Struggles and success mirror each other so closely in this game that it sometimes can be tough to decipher what you are experiencing.  My offensive game historically has been my weakness, but over the last year I have closed the gap.

My mindset defensively and offensively is very similar.  I simply believe I am the best.  I believe it, and whether or not I succeed in the exact moment, I will always believe it.  If the day comes that I don’t believe that I am the best at what I do, I will know that it’s time to retire.  When I was in Chatham for the Cape Cod League, my coach John Schiffner (HS coach in Plainfield, CT) always spoke about “even keel”.  I was never the calmest person, I wore it on my sleeve, was prone to outbursts and tirades, so naturally it was difficult for me to buy in.  Not until two years ago after miserable offensive campaigns did I start to let it go and I saw immediate results.  I wound up hitting in the mid .300’s for the last month of the season in AAA.  Baseball is as much of a game as you make it. I always try to play the game like I am in school yard with my buddies, or having a Green/White scrimmage at Van Cortlandt Park (home field of the Jaspers).  Have fun, play hard and success will define itself.

RD:  Toughest pitcher you’ve faced?

ND:  Best pitcher was Clayton Kershaw although I saw Tim Lincecum throw once in the Cape, but Kershaw was really nasty.

RD:  Any idea if you’ll ever get that late-season call-up?

ND:  I sure hope so but what will be will be.

RD:  Thanks Nick.  Good luck the rest of the way.


Work ethic and believing in your abilities.  Two things that will help get you through life regardless of what your profession is.  Will Nick ever get to the big leagues?  Stay tuned.

Nick is currently hitting .200 with 3 doubles and 3 RBI in 55 at-bats with the Memphis Redbirds, the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

NL All-Star Roster - Right or Wrong?

On to the National League roster, which has already made one move - Chipper Jones replacing Matt Kemp.  It's the absolute right thing to do, regardless of stats.

Here we go:

National League
Catcher - Buster Posey, SF
Reserves - Yadier Molina, STL; Carlos Ruiz, PHI
Snub - Carlos Ruiz not starting is complete bullshit, he leads the NL in batting average.  As a catcher!

First Base - Joey Votto, CIN
Reserve - Bryan LaHair, CHC
Snubs - Paul Goldschmidt, ARI

Second Base - Dan Uggla, ATL
Reserve - Jose Altuve, HOU
Snub - Aaron Hill, ARI

Third Base - Pablo Sandoval, SF
Reserves - Chipper Jones, ATL; David Wright, NYM
Snub - David Wright not starting is once again, utter bullshit.

Shortstop - Rafael Furcal, STL
Reserves - Starlin Castro, CHC; Ian Desmond, WAS
Snub - no one because NL shortstop is very down this season

Outfield - Melky Cabrera, SF; Matt Kemp, LAD; Carlos Beltran, STL
Reserves - Ryan Braun, MIL; Jay Bruce, CIN; Carlos Gonzalez, COL; Andrew McCutchen, PIT; Giancarlo Stanton, MIA
Snub - Michael Bourn, ATL; Andre Ethier, LAD; Martin Prado, ATL

Pitchers
Matt Cain, SF - perfect game, no qualms here.  3rd in K, 7th i n ERA
Aroldis Chapman, CIN - 100mph from the left side?  I hope he doesn't do somersaults.
RA Dickey, NYM - back-to-back one-hit shutouts, "power knuckler".  1st in W, 3rd in ERA
Gio Gonzalez, WAS - stud.  2nd in W, 4th in K
Cole Hamels, PHI - 10 wins, 6th in K, 3.08 ERA
Joel Hanrahan, PIT - McCutchen was the only Pirate who should have made it.  20/22 in saves.
Clayton Kershaw, LAD - 1st in IP, 4th in K, 8th in ERA and only 6 wins to show for it
Craig Kimbrel, ATL - 1st in saves, only 13 hits in 30 IP
Lance Lynn, STL - 10 wins, but he started off hot (6-0, 1.80 ERA)
Wade Miley, ARI - two hitters listed above are more deserving.  9 wins, sub-3.00 ERA, ehhh.
Jonathan Papelbon, PHI - 18 saves, ERA just over 1.00, getting it done for the lowly Phillies
Stephen Strasburg, WAS - 1st in K, 13th in ERA.  Electric arm, but he struggles going deep in games
Huston Street, SD - a Padre made it?  12/12 in save chances, only 8 hits in 21 IP

Snub - AJ Burnett, PIT - 9-2, 3.31 ERA; Johnny Cueto, CIN - 9 wins, 4th in ERA; Zack Greinke, MIL - 9-2, 106 K

You can't really argue for Brandon Beachy or Ryan Dempster because they are both hurt, but I think the National League did a good job with the pitchers.

Ruiz should be starting, it's an absolute joke that he's not and Uggla is hitting .234 with almost 100 strikeouts.  Aaron Hill, he's at .300 with better numbers across the board.

Grade - C

AL All-Star Roster - Right or Wrong?

Every year there is controversy over who is on the All-Star roster and who got snubbed.  This seems to be almost as certain as death, taxes, and Nolan's awesomeness.  Time to take a look at what all this bitching is about.

Personally, I think it's kind of ridiculous how players from teams that aren't even in a pennant race have to be represented, but on the other side of the coin, I kind of like giving everyone a chance.

I'm sure the roster will change because guys might be hurt or might not want to be there, it happens every year.

Without further ado, here is the American League roster. (Starters in BOLD, Reserves in italics, Snubs in plain font)

American League
Catcher - Mike Napoli, TEX
Reserves - Joe Mauer, MIN; Matt Wieters, BAL
Snub - AJ Pierzynski, CWS

First Base - Prince Fielder, DET
Reserve - Paul Konerko, CWS
Snub - no one

Second Base - Robinson Cano, NYY
Reserves - Ian Kinsler, TEX
Snub - Jason Kipnis, CLE (maybe?)

Third Base - Adrian Beltre, TEX
Reserve - Miguel Cabrera, DET
Snub - no one

Shortstop - Derek Jeter, NYY
Reserves - Elvis Andrus, TEX; Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE
Snub - no one

Outfield - Josh Hamilton, TEX; Curtis Granderson, NYY; Jose Bautista, TOR
Reserves - Adam Jones, BAL; Mike Trout, LAA; Mark Trumbo, LAA
Snub - Josh Reddick, OAK; Colby Rasmus, TOR

Designated Hitter - David Ortiz, BOS
Reserves - Billy Butler, KC; Adam Dunn, CWS
Snub - no one

Pitchers
Ryan Cook, OAK - only 12 hits allowed in 35 innings
Matt Harrison, TEX - tied for league lead with 11 wins
Felix Hernandez, SEA - only Mariner worth a shit, 3rd in K, 7th in ERA
Jim Johnson, BAL - tied for league lead with 23 saves
Joe Nathan, TEX - 18 saves and only 4 BB
Chris Perez, CLE - tied for league lead with 23 saves and he's got a great beard
David Price, TB - tied for league lead with 11 wins, 5th in ERA
Fernando Rodney, TB - tied for league lead with 23 saves
CC Sabathia, NYY - 5th in K, 4th in W even though he's not having a great year ERA-wise
Chris Sale, CWS - electric stuff, 4th in W, 2nd in ERA
Justin Verlander, DET - machine, 1st in IP, 1st in K, 4th in ERA
Jered Weaver, LAA - no-hitter, 1st in ERA, 9-1 record
CJ Wilson, LAA - 9-4, 3rd in ERA

Snub - Yu Darvish, TEX - 10 wins, 117 strikeouts; Jake Peavy, CWS - 6th in ERA, 6th in K; Scott Downs, LAA - 14 holds, 0.43 ERA in 28 IP, lefty-lefty match up guy

The Rangers lead everyone with 7 players on the roster while the Angels have four.

They did a pretty decent job besides Pierzynski and Royals' closer Jonathan Broxton not being on the team.

Grade: A-