Trade Mark Teixiera to the Anaheim Angels

The Atlanta Braves can't buy a win right now and currently stand 7 1/2 games back of the New York Mets following two come from ahead loses to the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend. Realistically Atlanta fans, this season is over. Keeping with the realistic theme, Big Tex is going elsewhere for big bucks after this year.

Of course you don't want to just give him away, and since Arizona won't give up either of the two pieces of interest to Atlanta (Conor Jackson or Mark Reynolds), it appears the only possible match is with a team that has made a habit of lying dormant at the deadline, refusing to deal prospects, winning the A.L. West, and not much else beyond that.

Yes, Mr. Moreno needs to finally heed the demands of countless Angels fans and Southern California sports broadcasters and bring in a "Big Bat" at the deadline. The cost would be pitching prospect Nick Adenhart and possibly Kendry Morales, but the Angels have the pitching to spare and Teixeira will give the Halos the extra bat they need for a major post season push.

Trade Brett Favre back to the Falcons

Ah, the opportunity to finish back where it all began. The dream of every professional athelete! Well, perhaps it wouldn't be all that nostalgic in this particular case, but it is still a move that would make sense for both Green Bay and Atlanta.

If Favre is committed to returning for another NFL season and Green Bay is committed to avoiding him like the plague, then it would make perfect sense for them to get as many teams as interested in trading for him as possible.

Atlanta seems like a perfect fit. Unlike in Tampa Bay where they have Jeff Garcia, Atlanta has no decent QB to even come close to what Favre can offer.

If the Atlanta Falcons are as committed to the success of Matt Ryan as they have made apparent by the contract they gave him, they should create the most favorable environment for him in which he may succeed. The time for Matt Ryan should be next year, and not this year; for a team still reeling from the loss of Michael Vick to the prison system and the arrival of the NFL's recycled garbage (Joey Harrington and Chris Redman) to try and fill the void.

Seriously Mr. Blank, do you really want Matt Ryan learning from Joey Harrington? If I were G.M. of the team I wouldn't want my prized rookie around either one of those guys out of fear of contamination. Whatever they have, you don't want it Matt!

Bring Favre back to the team that originally drafted him for one year and let the rookie carry a clip board and learn from one of the best that has ever played the game. Then hand him the reigns of the franchise when he is ready.

Heck, in a weak NFC South, Favre might even lead the Dirty Birds to a division title!

The "Perfect Finals" has formed on the horizon, and the 11th chapter in an epic 21 years in the making is about to be realized. In what is perhaps the greatest Championship rivalry in all of professional sports, The Los Angeles Lakers and The Boston Celtics stand poised to battle once more for the right to be crowned champion.

There truly is no comparison in any other sport that this Championship matchup presents. You have the two winningest franchises in the history of the game pitted against one another. A major western market vs. a major eastern one. The best trio from the Western Conference, and the best from the Eastern. But most importantly, you have tradition.

Yankees vs. Dodgers no longer holds the same historical significance it once did. Cowboys vs. Steelers comes close in football, but there would be argument from San Francisco, Foxboro, and Green Bay as to just who the best franchises in the history of the game are, and rightfully so.

Yes, Lakers vs. Celtics gives us a matchup unique to the major American sports world, and one that the great hype machine that is the American media will be unable to resist.

Prior to the opening tip we are sure to see endless footage of Bird vs. Magic. The previous big three of Magic, Worthy, and Kareem and their Boston counterparts, Bird, McHale, and Parrish.

Prime yourself for the current day comparisons of Kobe, Gasol, and Odom vs. Garnett, Pierce, and Allen.

L.A. Gear's, "We will rock you" campaign might even make a comeback, but I'm not one to go predicting miracles. I'll leave that to Boston fans who think this one will be all rapped up in less than 7 for their club.

Seriously though, the only question about the hype is the same as it always is; will the real thing live up to it? 

Put aside the fact that Boston gave L.A. problems earlier this season. The Lakers were without Gasol and still in the midst of finding their identity. Boston meanwhile seemed to have peaked late in the regular season and simply survived two matchups in the post season against the 8th seeded Hawks and the Cleveland LeBrons.

Not until the Detroit series did the Celtics show us much of anything at all, and their post season accomplishments pale in comparison to the Lakers who have lost as many games in the post season as Boston did in the opening round to an 8 seed.

Only the Lakers were able to sweep a team this post season, and still sport an unbeaten record at home, also the only team that can claim that distinction.

The post season opponents of the Lakers have been far more impressive as well. Need anyone be reminded of the superiority of the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference? Not to mention, the Lakers did defeat the NBA's best home team in their own house, and made quick work of the defending champs in just 5 games.

Everyone was convinced that Los Angeles vs. San Antonio would go the distance, yet San Antonio looked just as helpless as everyone else against what is the NBA's most poweful offense and a defense capable of playing to the level of their opponents, no matter who they are.

However, Lakers fans are deluding themselves if they think that Boston is just going to sucumb to the offensive might of the Western Conference champs and roll over in 5 games or less.

So what stands to happen this Finals aside from the well greased hype machine firing on all cylinders?

Easy, Boston will come to play and will defend their home court well. They may even be successful in becoming the only team to take a game from L.A. at Staples this post-season, but at the end of the day, the best player in the game will have led the best team to victory.

The Lakers have the better starting 5 and a far superior bench than Boston's. They have also more convincingly demonstrated their ability to overcome adversity at both home and on the road.

Boston's big three will make it interesting, but the West will rule the day once again and the Lakers will seperate themselves from San Antonio and Detroit as the true team of the decade.

Prediction: Lakers in 7.

A little over 26 minutes of play, 15 pts, and 9 boards is what the newest member of the Phoenix Suns, Shaquille O'Neal, contributed according to the statline this Wednesday night in Phoenix.

However, what he brought to the floor was much greater than his individual numbers indicate.

Upon returning to the Western Conference to join the Pacific Division leading Suns, Shaq vowed he would elevate the game of those around him, most specifically, Amare Stoudamire. That promise was evident on the floor as the Suns met their Pacific Division rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night at the U.S. Airways Arena.

Early double teams against the Suns new Center freed up Stoudamire on possession after possession, and when the Lakers resorted to regular coverage, Shaquille made his presence felt in the paint.

Unfortuately for Phoenix, the Lakers turned out to have more offensive firepower on hand and played Phoenix's style game much better than it could itself on its own home court.

All-World guard, Kobe Bryant contributed 41 pts, his 90th such performance of his career, and both Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom each scored over 20 pts, making the high scoring affair an all-around team effort.

As a result, the Lakers took a share of the Pacific Division lead, and own the tie-breaker against Phoenix since they now lead the season series 3-1.

The Lakers have proven thus far to have the Suns number.  All of the remaining skeptics better come to their senses soon and realize that this Lakers team is for real.

The pending return of Andrew Bynum will only make matters harder for opposing defenses, not to mention the opposing offenses.

As a sports fan who doubted the merit of the Shaquille O'Neal for Shawn Marion trade when it was first reported, I can now honestly state that I should recant my previous position, for the deal may in fact make sense for Phoenix.

Even though you can not tell from the final score of tonight's game, O'Neal's presence on the floor helps Phoenix defensively and does in fact elevate the game of Amare Stoudamire, making for a better team game than perhaps would have otherwise existed with the malcontent Shawn Marion having to share the spotlight (and touches) with Stoudamire and Suns point guard Steve Nash.

Shaquille realizes he is a role player on this team, is secure with that role, and played that role well Wednesday night.

In the end however, It just may still prove itself to be not quite enough for Phoenix to get the better of the Lakers this season.

It certainly wasn't enough this Wednesday night.

Sheer "euphoria"! No other word could ever hope to come even remotely close to capturing the emotion one is sure to experience upon ushering in an unprecedented milestone into the realm of crowning achievements inside the world of Major League Baseball. 

Fitting enough, that is precisely the word that Atlanta Braves starting pitcher, John Smoltz, used to describe it.  In the deciding game of a three game series this past Thursday against Atlanta's bitter N.L. East rivals, the New York Mets, the 20 year veteran (who remarkably just celebrated his 40th birthday earlier this month), exhibited a brilliant display of pitching prowess as he shut out the potent Mets lineup through seven innings of work in route to claiming the 200th Major League victory of his career. 

It is an achievement that when coupled with his 154 career saves, puts him into previously uncharted territory inside baseball's record books, as Smoltz became the only player in the history of professional baseball to register at least 200 wins and 150 saves during their career.

According to Smoltz, it is just the second time he has experienced a similar thrill in a regular season game. "The first time I came out of the bullpen and the crowd went nuts," he said. "Euphoria-It felt like that again."

At first mention, it may sound foolish to compare the later to the aforementioned milestone. To the casual baseball fan, coming out of the bullpen for the first time after being one of the game's premier starters for 13 years seems more like a career set back, than as an experience on the same emotional level as breaking new ground in the record books. However, once one understands the history surrounding the later, the comments by the gritty right-hander are far more justifiable, and the former becomes all the more impressive.

Smoltz debuted for the Atlanta Braves on July 23, 1998 after being traded by the Detroit Tigers organization the year prior in what ended up becoming one of the most lop-sided trades in MLB history. While chasing the Toronto Blue Jays for the division lead in 1987, the Tigers were in dire need of an established veteran and sent Smoltz packing in exchange for seasoned starter, Doyle Alexander. Alexander responded with his best year as a professional, going 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA for the Tigers down the stretch, and Detroit did in fact end up catching and surpassing Toronto to earn a post-season berth. Though it was a short-lived post-season for Detroit, as Minnesota easily beat them in the playoffs, it seemed like a great move at the time. However, two years later Alexander was out of MLB, and Smoltz was on his way to becoming one of the game's all time greats.

While in Atlanta, Smoltz would eventually go on to enjoy 14 straight division titles while under the tutelage of pitching Jedi Master, Leo Mazzone. The fact that Atlanta's impressive streak began and ended with the arrival and departure of the heralded pitching coach, speaks volumes to the invaluable instruction he received under Mazzone. He also had the privilege of helping form perhaps the greatest pitching trio in the history of the game, as he started third in the impressive rotation alongside future hall of fame pitchers, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine.

He was MVP of the National League Championship Series in 1992 in route to the Braves second consecutive World Series appearance (the second of five such appearances for the team during the 1990's), and would win his first and only championship to date with the team in 1995.  It was then that Smoltz truly began to establish himself as one of the games best. In 1996 he posted a 24-8 record with an ERA of 2.94 while striking out an outstanding 276 batters (a Braves record) to win the National League Cy Young Award, the sixth straight year one of the Braves trio took home the award. He would continue to pitch at such a quality level for the remainder of the decade, though his win total was never nearly as impressive as he regularly suffered from poor run support.

Then something perhaps even more impressive than anything Smoltz had done to date would come to pass as the new century dawned. Following repeated stints on the DL in 1998 and 1999, Smoltz was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery during Spring Training in 2000 and missed the entire season. It was in working through and past that adversity by which Smoltz's greatness fully became known, and which causes one to truly respect and admire the feat that Smoltz achieved this past Thursday at Turner Field.

Many doubted Smoltz's ability to return to form following the serious procedure by which so many pitchers had failed to come back from and pitch at the same level as before, if ever again (See Mike Hampton). In the beginning of the 2001 season, it appeared as though the skeptics were right, as the Braves pitcher was largely ineffective as a starter and was demoted to relief duty.  Even more began to question whether or not the great pitcher that was once John Smoltz was now gone for ever. However, towards the end of that 2001 season an opportunity presented itself to John as he stepped into the team's closer role and would go on to revive his career. He successfully closed out 10 games that season, but would set the National League record for saves in a single season the very next year in his first season as a full-time closer with an astounding 55 saves. Though it would be a mark matched by former Dodger closer, Eric Gagne, the very next season, it put him in exclusive company. For only he and Dennis Eckersley are the only two pitchers to notch a 20 win season and a 50 save season in their career.

Smoltz would remain the Braves closer for two more seasons, and struggle with injury from time to time, before going on to tempt fate and silence the critics once again, as he returned to the starting rotation for the first time in four years in 2005. This time there was no way he could successfully come back! "How can he start for a full season if he can't stay healthy as a closer?", was the mentality of many a sports commentator. Again it looked like they were right as Smoltz lasted only 1 and two-thirds of an inning while allowing 6 runs to the Florida Marlins in his first game back as a starter (matching the shortest start of his career). Smoltz would also lose his next two starts, but managed to turn things around by mid-season and was selected by St. Louis Cardinals manager, Tony La Russa to pitch in the All-Star game that year.  He ended up finishing with a respectable 14-7 record and an ERA of 3.06.

 According to Smoltz, starting and getting four days rest is far easier on his arm than closing, where it could be required to pitch an inning or more several games a week, though the number of innings pitched per week are usually far greater as a starter. He says his arm feels better than it has in years, and it was by returning to the starting rotation that has allowed him to continue his Major League career. He doesn't think he could have pitched much longer as a closer and survived.

Smoltz has backed up that claim on the field ever since. In 2006 he tied the National League leader and eventual Cy Young Award winner, Brandon Webb, in wins with 16. Smoltz would finish 7th in Cy Young voting, but could have arguably won the award and would have been baseball's only 20 game winner if not for the league worst 6 blown saves he had to endure before closer Bob WIckman arrived from Cleveland shortly before the trade deadline. He also managed to top 200 strikeouts for the first time since 1997, and finished a close third for the league lead.

The 40 year old is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon either. For Smoltz currently leads the N.L. in wins with 7 and is near the top of rankings in both ERA and K's once again. The seven shut out innings he pitched against the Mets on Thursday extended his streak of shut out innings to 14. It is a streak which began against the Boston Red Sox the weekend before in his first start since dislocating his right pinky finger against the Nationals five days earlier. Shutting out the two most potent offenses in the game in consecutive starts is no easy undertaking for any starter, let alone one who was overcoming an injury to his pitching hand. 

The Braves have multiple options on his recent contract extension which run through the 2010 season. Therefore, considering the fact that he could play for another three seasons after this one, it is extremely feasible he could reach 250 wins before the end of his career. Or if he so chooses, finish out with one strong year as a closer to be the only player with 200 wins and 200 saves. But will that be enough to get him into Cooperstown?

The pitcher to whom Smoltz is most commonly compared to is the same one whom he shares membership with in the exclusive 20/50 club, Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley. "Eck" , as he was so regularly referred to, never managed to breach the 200 win mark (he fell just 3 shy), but he did manage to come close to 400 saves in his career (390), far more than Smoltz. Eckersley made it into Cooperstown during his first year of eligibility in 2004, but does a similar fate await John Smoltz? Though he lacks the save totals that "Eck" accrued, he will have far more victories, and already has a better career ERA and over 400 more strikeouts. It is quite possible that Smoltz will have close to 1,000 more strikeouts than Eckersley if he continues on his current pace this season and is healthy enough to pitch three more seasons at a somewhat decent level.

Something else that is yet to be mentioned is the fact that Smoltz is currently baseball's all-time leader in post-season wins (15), as he has gone 15-4 with an ERA of 2.65. A feat noteworthy in itself and has led to the "Big Game Pitcher" reputation that Smoltz has held for so long, not to mention that performance in the post-season always wears greatly on the minds of voters. Yankee Pitcher Andy Pettitte is close behind and has 14 to his credit, as does Smoltz's former teammate Tom Glavine. However Smoltz has demonstrated superior pitching skill to either of those two current runner-ups. Pettitte, with his 14-9 post-season record and an ERA over 4.00, doesn't look anywhere near as impressive. Glavine actually looks worse than Pettitte, and actually has a losing record at 14-16, and appears to have only benefited from a sheer number of opportunities as opposed to consistent quality performances.

So when it all adds up, does it equal a bust in Cooperstown for Smoltz?

The question was perhaps answered best by Braves teammate and catcher, Brian McCann. "He's beyond a Hall of Famer." "He's amazing."

This writer simply couldn't agree more.

1st - Red Sox        Not so sure I'm buying the whole "We're better without Roger" blurb from Schilling this past week, but he along with Dice-K, Wakefield, and especially Beckett are doing pretty darn well all on their own. Eventful week for Curt as he then went on to draw even more attention to himself for blasting Bonds by stating allegations as self-admitted facts by Bonds. Way to go Curt! You actually helped Barry get just a tad bit of sympathy for the first time in ages, however short lived it may have been.  Red Sox nation could care less as long as the Bean-town belly aching doesn't interfere with winning. Showing no signs of it yet as they currently enjoy an 8 game lead in the division over New York and Baltimore and remain atop the Power Rankings yet again. Next week's top spot could be up for grabs this weekend however, as the Red Sox host another serious contender in the form of the Atlanta Braves at Fenway for a three game inter-league series.

 2nd - Braves        Second best record in the National League, as they trail Milwaukee by 1 game for top honors, but claim just that in the toughest division in the National League. Sorry N.L. West advocates, but the Braves and Mets just dominated your division, going 10-4 against the top 4 teams from it this past week (Los Angeles, San Diego, Arizona, and San Francisco), so that honor must go to the East for the time being. Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez have filled in beautifully as closers in Wickman's absence and the Braves just keep getting clutch hitting night in and night out. Jeff Francoeur leads MLB in two-out RBI by a mile, and already has as many walks on the season as he had up through August a year ago. Braves have a fluffy schedule in the near future with Pittsburgh and the Nationals in line for their next 7 games, but it gets real hard in a hurry, as the Red Sox, Mets and Brewers loom immediately after.

 3rd - Mets             Buzz cuts, shaved heads, all makes for a fun time, but no difference in terms of level of play. This Mets team continues their stellar display and have matched Atlanta win for win every step of the way. No team has had more than a game and a half lead over the other, and the rivalry between the two teams is shaping into becoming one of the best in all of baseball. Traditionally speaking it is still miles away from the appeal of Boston vs. New York, but the series is not much lower on the excitement meter, and definitely not any lower on the impact factor in terms of the power structure of not only the division, but the league. Jose Reyes just simply continues his electric play as he makes a strong case for N.L. MVP right now, and David Wright has finally begun to tally a few homeruns after a lengthy early season drought. One must know it is only a matter of time before this offense really begins to live up to its potential and becomes even more dangerous than it already is. With the pitching staff performing admirably and Pedro's eventual return down the stretch, it is scary to think how great this team can be.

 4th - Indians          The tribe has been struggling as of late, losing 5 of their past 8 and are currently riding a 3 game losing streak after allowing 8 runs to the opposing team in back to back games against Anaheim and Oakland. Team ace C.C. Sabathia has not been too impressive in his last five starts, allowing three runs or more in each, and 5 runs or more in two of those appearances.  Grady Sizemore's HR drought has continued, and Travis Hafner has slowed down as well. After an incredible hot power streak, shortstop Jhonny Peralta has gone ice cold, and is just 2 hits in his last 15 at bats.  Cleveland hosts a line-up that can hurt any opponent in a hurry, but just has failed to really show its teeth this past week. However, I think it is safe to say that Fausto Carmona will keep his spot in the rotation if he continues to be this impressive.

 5th - Brewers         Still have the best record in the majors, but the fact that they play in the weakest division in all of baseball hurts their "strength of schedule" though they still have earned plenty of "style points" thus far on the season. Francisco Cordero has been just plain filthy and former closer turned set-up man, Derrick Turnbow,  has looked impressive as well.  Starting pitching, led by Jeff Suppan and Chris Capuano has been close to spectacular, and if Ben Sheets and Dave Bush can come around, the Brew Crew could challenge for the right to be considered the best staff in all of MLB. The team seems to have it all, except fielding of course. Injuries have always been a big problem with this ball club in the past, and players like Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, and Prince Fielder must remain healthy, but Milwaukee is easily the cream of the N.L. Central, and  should also be considered exactly what they  are; a serious contender in the National League.

 6th - Tigers       Now this is what Detroit was expecting from Gary Sheffield when they signed him this off-season!  The former Yankee, Brave, Marlin, Dodger, Padre, and Brewer has finally broken out the heavy lumber for yet another ball club and now teamed with the power of Curtis Granderson and Magglio Orodonez, as well as the consistent hitting of Placido Polanco and Carlos Guillen, to give the Tigers one of the most dangerous and explosive top of the lineups in all of baseball. It is no surprise they are winners of eleven of their last twelve ball games, and are thus currently the hottest team in all of baseball. Justin Verlander has looked ever bit the part of team ace, and could easily be 6-1 at this point, as he only allowed a total of four runs in his three no decisions on the year.

 7th - Angels         Salvaged what was quickly turning into a disasterous homestand by taking the last two games against Cleveland to take the series, capped off by a dominant pitching performance by starter Kelvim Escober who tossed a complete game shutout againt the Tribe while striking out 9. The team continued its strong play on the road by nearly taking three straight from the Rangers for the second time this year, but a late inning solo shot broke up the tie in the bottom of the ninth and robbed the Halos of their chance. Still Angel fans have to be pleased with the play of this past off-season's big free agent signing, Gary Matthews Jr. The former Ranger has been swinging a mean stick as of late and currently sports a .303 AVG with 6 HR and 21 RBI. Could Matthews be the missing big stick that the Angels have coveted for so long to compliment Vladamir Guerrero? Not likely, but the Angels will take it for as long as it lasts. Still discouraging to see Chone Figgins struggle so greatly since returning from his injury, but the stellar play of rookie outfielder, Reggie Willits, has more than helped to offset it.

 8th - Dodgers       Short-stop Rafael Furcal isn't swiping too many bags this year, isn't getting on base nearly as often as you would expect for a lead-off man, and still has not hit a single homerun, but homeruns aren't how the Dodgers roll. Veteran outfielder Luis Gonzalez leads the team with four, but L.A.'s success is based on outstanding pitching (best team ERA in the N.L.) Just goes to show you how valuable it is, as the Dodgers as a team do not rank in the top 5 in any of the major team offensive categories with the exception of steals. Though catcher Russel Martin deserves credit as the team's best hitter, and easily the best offensive producer at the position in the league behind Altanta's Brian McCann.

   9th - Twins            Torii Hunter's hit steak ended this past Thursday at 23 games, but after a couple of forgettable performances the next two games following, the Twins outfielder erupted for a huge game this past Sunday with two homeruns and 7 RBI and seems to be on his way to a career year.  Last year's A.L. MVP, Justin Morneau has finally begun to display his power, with 5 HR in his past 13 games, and second baseman, Luis Castillo has been on hitting spree thus far on the month, raising his batting average 40 points in the process. Offense is definitely looking forward to the return of catcher, Joe Mauer. Good news is that Johan Santana is should almost be ready to enter that long stretch of season that is chock full of dazzling pitching performances as he follows up his traditional slow to mediocre Spring with a scorching hot summer, and this Spring hasn't been all too bad to say the least.

 10th - Padres          Just in case you live on the East Coast and haven't yet had the privilege of watching him pitch, Jake Peavy is easily the best pitcher in the National League, and is currently the front-runner to take home the Cy Young this season. The guy has had at least ten strikeouts each of his past four trips to the mound, which easily has given him the major league lead in K's, has a microscopic ERA of 1.52, and is tied for most wins in the N.L. with 5. He should have a few more to his credit, but run production has been an issue and you have to feel bad for a guy who sets the club record for K's in a game with 16 last year, ties it again this year, but gets a 0-1 record to show for the two outings. Alex Gonzalez has been an absolute stud with the bat, and with Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, and Lance Berkman all struggling to begin the year, it should really only be a two-way race between him and Derek Lee for starting honors at the All-Star game at this point. Note that I said, "should."

 11th - Diamondbacks          Well now, this looks a little bit more like the Big Unit we were accustomed to seeing in a Diamondbacks uniform. Randy Johnson did not start out all too impressive is first few games back this season. He had a fairly decent walks to strikeouts ration, and his K per 9 inn has been solid as well, but was giving up a ton of hits and runs.  That all changed on Tuesday night when he tossed a 1 hit shutout through 6 innings and struck out 9 to earn his first victory this season. Brandon Webb didn't start this season off quite as spectacular as he did last year, but to his credit has only had one poor start in his past five, and looked pretty close to unhittable in his last start against Houston last Friday.  Livian Hernandez and Doug Davis have also been pretty solid thus far, so the rotation is more than adequate. The Diamondbacks' lineup possesses several good hitters, but no real superstar power to speak of. Second baseman Orlando Hudson has been the closest thing and is having a very good year, and Chris Young may be making an early case for N.L. Rookie of the Year consideration, but Arizona is just a good solid National League team at this point, not a spectacular one. Not yet anyhow.

 12th - White Sox       Thank goodness for some solid pitching from Jon Garland, Mark Buehrle, and Javier Vazquez, otherwise the White Sox would be keeping the Royals company in the basement of this division. Shortstop Juan Uribe is only batting .255 and leads the team in hitting.  Everyone is still waiting for Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, and Joe Crede to wake up and start hitting, which they need to do soon if the Sox are ever going to really start making some noise in the A.L. Central, baseball's most competitive division bar none. At least closer Bobby Jenks has shed his early season jitters and successfully converted his last eleven save opportunities. As the weather continues to warm, hopefully so will the White Sox bats.

  13th - Yankees         The Rocket has landed! Well, not quite yet...but he's on his way soon.  He won't single-handedly solve the Yankees' pitching woes, but he sure can help them out some.  Roger will not be an innings eater at this late point in his career, so the middle relief problems still remain just that. Good news is that closer Mariano Rivera finally remembered how one is supposed to close out a ball game, and followed up his two blown saves with three perfect conversions. Sadly for Mr. April, Alex Rodriguez, has found himself stuck in the middle of mediocre May, as the Yankees slugger has only 1 HR and 5 RBI since turning the calander month.

  14th - Athletics          Oakland has sure broken out the big sticks in quite a hurry. A day after they dropped a couple of touchdowns and a field goal on Kansas City while only allowing a FG, they scored a TD and a 2-pt conversion on Cleveland while only surrendering a safety. With point differential like this, the Raiders must really be envious. First baseman, Dan Johnson, has been on an absolute tear the past four games; going 10 for 15 with 3 HR and 6 RBI to raise his average to .412 on the season. Nick Swisher has played well since returning from his injury and was just rewarded with a new 5-year deal worth 26.75 million. And what more can you say about Jack Cust's first week in the bigs out of the minors other than wow!? The guy has been on a homerun tear since his first game, hitting six in his first full week of play. Joe Blanton continues to pitch well and it looks as though once Rich Harden returns from the DL that it will be probably once again be a two-way race between the A's and the Angels for the division crown.

  15th - Giants           Tim Lincecum's debut didn't go quite as spectacular as planned, but the rookie looked much better his second start to earn his first Major League victory.  San Francisco could really have itself a tremendous duo with him and Matt Cain for years to come if everything continues according to plan.  On the surface it appears that former Cardinal pitcher, Matt Morris is having his best season in years based off of ERA and win-loss record, but has been living dangerously as his WHIP and opponents batting AVG are far higher than any total he has ever allowed previously in his career.  The Bonds countdown has been stuck at 10 for a few games now, but the controversial slugger is patiently chasing down history as he continues to draw more walks than any other batter, and leads the league yet again at this present moment.  Armando Benetiz's recent struggles are a cause for concern. After starting a perfect 7 for 7 in save opportunities in June, the veteran closer has taken a loss and blew his first save of the season on Tuesday night. He hasn't successfully closed a game since April 26th.

  16th - Mariners         The fact that Seattle is just two games out of first in the A.L. West is pretty amazing. They have only played slightly better than .500 ball during the monty of May, but still managed to continue their climb out of their large early season hole and right back into contention for the division league. I guess that speaks volumes about the A.L. West. The good news is that King Felix returns to the mound this week after a month long hiatus on the D.L., a welcomed return no doubt for a rotation that outside of Jarod Washburn, has been pretty dreadful.  Richie Sexson needs to rediscover his power stroke soon, and it would be nice to see a little more consistency from Adrian Beltre, and who knows what is going on with Ichiro, but sooner or later the offense is sure to click, and playing in the seemingly always topsy-turvy A.L. West, they will get their chances, the first of which begins Tuesday with a series against the division leading Angels.

  17th - Orioles        Inconsistency has dogged Baltimore's every step as of late. After winning four in a row the team responded by losing four in a row. Starting pitcher Daniel Cabrera has great stuff, but just can't seem to tap into his potential. Erik Bedard has been cursed with inconsistency as well, with the exception of his high strikeout totals. Reliever turned starter, turned back into reliever, turned back into starting pitcher, Jeremy Gutherie, has looked very good his last two trips to the mound. Perhaps it will be the start of something positive for Baltimore's embattled starting rotation. Closer Chris Ray has been having his problems as well lately. Miguel Tejada may not be hitting homeruns, but he has still been swinging the bat well. After going 17 games without a homerun, outfielder Nick Markakis has delivered two in his past 8 games.

  18th - Phillies         More a victim of playing in the same divsion as the two top teams in the National League, the Phillies are definitely a better ball club than their sup-par record suggests.  Not close to being as good as short-stop Jimmy Rollins predicted last winter, but better. To his credit, the Phillies short-stop has been having a monster year, and only Jose Reyes Jr. of the Mets has looked better at the position. Shane Victorino has really begun to live up to those "Bobby Abreu Jr." references we heard so much about in the preseason, and has been an absolute speed demon on the base paths.  Second baseman Chase Utley is having another solid year, but as team G.M. Pat Gillick recently said, "Where have N.L. MVP, Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell, and Wes Helms been?" Well Burrell heard his name called, and answered last night with two big homeruns. You have to expect that at least Ryan Howard will soon follow. He is simply too good not to. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels has demonstrated some nasty stuff and leads the ball club with wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched. Now if only Adam Eaton could sport an ERA that is at least under a touchdown, the Phils may actually have the makings of a good rotation.

 19th - Marlins          Plenty of offense, absolutely no pitching. The Marlins are one of three National League clubs, New York and Milwaukee are the others, that rank inside the top 5 in hits, runs, HR, and RBI. There is no arguing the fact that the team's young stars such as Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, Josh Willingham, and Dan Uggla combine to form a formidable lineup for any opponent, but team ace Dontrelle Willis is grossly over-rated, and usually dominates in the first half of the season and then folds in the second half. If that is the case then the Marlins are in serious trouble for the starter currently sports an ERA over 5.00. Scott Olsen has not been much better and you have to wonder if the Marlins will finally let someone over pay for Willis at the trade deadline to get some young and unproven pitching talent in exchange and build a rotation for the future that can protect the leads generated by Florida's young potent offense.

  20th - Cubs            Carlos Zambrano earned his fourth victory of the year on Tuesday, but it really was only his third solid outing on the season thus far. Fellow starters Jason Marquis, Rich Hill, and Ted Lilly have all posted more quality starts then the supposed ace and cornerstone of Chicago's rotation. If and when Zambrano can get back to pitching at the level he is well capable of on a more consistent basis, the Cubs rotation will rival some of the best in baseball.  Alfonso Soriano is still searching for his power stroke, but to his credit he has been a solid hitter and somewhat of a threat on the base paths. Aramis Ramirez seems to have found his stroke just fine, and has 4 HR in his last 10 games, including Tuesday's Grand Salami against the Mets.  First baseman Derek Lee has missed consecutive games with neck spasms, and may not attempt a return to the lineup until the weekend. The sooner that .390 batting average of his gets back in the lineup, the better.

  21st - Astros           Roy Oswalt continues to impress just as he has for the past several seasons, but receiving word that the Rocket has chosen to land elsewhere most likely means that the Astros will have no real shot at post-season contention. The starting rotation behind Oswalt simply is not strong enough. Lance Berkman has finally begun to better resemble the great hitter that he is, and Carlos Lee has been especially strong and has himself the team triple crown at this point, but aside from long time great Craig Biggio reaching 3,000 hits in the not so distant future, there probably won't be much to remember from Houston's 2007 season.

  22nd- Blue Jays       Boy, has it ever gone down hill in a hurry for Toronto!Thursday it is announced that closer B.J. Ryan will require Tommy John surgery and is done for the year. Friday it is announced that team ace, Roy Halladay is headed to the DL for at least 4-6 weeks, and then Troy Glaus has to limp off the field in Friday's game with yet another injury.  The team still has enough talent beyond those three to at least remain mediocre and not fall all the way to the cellar of the rankings just yet, but what a series of blows! If only they played in the N.L. Central they could stand a shot at avoiding yet another third place finish or lower in their division for just the second time this century.  New closer, Jeremy Accardo has been spectacular thus far however, so perhaps all is not lost quite yet.

  23rd - Rangers        Hank Blalock's bat is finally beginning to heat up, as the Rangers third baseman has homered in three straight games. The Texas offense has still been pretty tame though. Mark Texiera still isn't hitting anywhere near as well as he is capable of, ditto that for shortstop Michael Young.  Kenny Lofton is showing he still has some serious speed on the bases, but the pitching is still a big issue for this ball club and its obvious they are the weakest team in the A.L. West right now.

  24th - Reds           Ken Griffey Jr. is having a fine May after the future hall of famer slumped the first month of the season. With fellow outfielder Adam Dunn off to a great start, and both Josh Hamilton and Alex Gonzalez showing their power stroke, the Reds have four hitters in their lineup with 7 HR or more. In fact this ball club just has a ton of power, and leads the league in HR. But that just goes to show you that the homerun could be the most over-rated statistic in all of professional sports. Then again, the two teams with the fewest, St. Louis and Washington, aren't doing all that great either, so maybe there is just a little something to them.

  25th - Devil Rays         This team actually finally looks to be up and coming. Usually everyone is talking about how outfielder Carl Crawford is trapped on such a bad team with no help around him, and what a waste it is and how much better his numbers might be with some decent talent around him. The same has usually been said about starting pitcher, Scott Kazmir. However those two at least have one supporting team member this year who has actually looked better than they have.  Second baseman, B.J. Upton, has been absolutely insane this year, batting .345 with 7 HR, 23 RBI, and 6 SB. As for pitching, Al Reyes has done very well as the teams closer, and Kazmir has been solid once again, but the huge surprise as been starter, James Shields. Currently at 4-0, Shields should easily be 6-0. In his second to last start he pitched 9 innings of shutout ball, and only allowed three hits and 1 walk, yet did not get the win because his team was shut out as well and the game went into extra innings. Talk about brutal.

  26th - Pirates            Starting pitchers Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny have been one of the better pitching duos in the National League, but usually suffer from a major lack of run support. Jason Bay continues to be one of the better hitters in the league, but is yet to find some of the offensive help and protection he needs for Pittsburgh to get any consistency going. Off-season acquisition, Adam LaRoche continues to struggle greatly in the early going of the season. Still, there are definitely a few bright spots on this team and Pirates fans have to believe that the team may finally be walking down the right path, even if they are just baby steps right now.

 27th - Rockies            Todd Helton is looking like the hitter of old and outfielder Matt Holliday has been sensational as he leads the team in homeruns, RBI, and runs scored. Willy Taveras has displayed some decent base stealing ability, but what on Earth has happened to third baseman Garret Atkins? He has been a shadow of the hitter he was a year ago, and contiues to struggle greatly, registering just two hits in his past 21 at bats. Not that it matters all that much in terms of the team's success, for its problem is and always has been pitching. Jason Hirsh currently leads all starters with an ERA of 4.10.

  28th - Cardinals         It would be pretty hard for the defending World Champs to fall much further than they already have at this point. Team ace, Chris Carpenter will be out for at least two more months and Mark Mulder is still on the DL recovering from left shoulder surgery. Only Chris Duncan was the lone Cardinal hitting above .300, but after the weekend series with San Diego, not even one Cardinal is above .300. Albert Pujols isn't having a horrible season by regular standards, but by his he has been pretty lousy. Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds have been far worse, and it seems that most of this team is batting just a little above .200.  Branden Looper has been a pleasant surprise for the team's starting rotation, but the Cardinals need a lot more than that to get out of their bleak situation.

  29th - Royals         When will Alex Gordon finally start producing? Everyone keeps saying that the rookie simply has too much talent to stay this poor long, but at what point does that line of thinking wear itself out? Losing Reggie Sanders to a hamstring injury hurts, but David DeJesus, Mark Teahen, and Esteban German have been relatively solid this season, but none of them are especially dangerous hitters. Kansas City pitchers actually rank pretty high in the A.L. in strikouts tallied, they just happen to rank in the bottom five in terms of homeruns allowed and team ERA.

  30th - Nationals      Jason Bergmann has been one of the lone bright spots on this team. The Nationals starter has five starts this year where he has only allowed 1 earned run or less, including Monday's masterpiece against Atlanta where he took a no-hitter into the 8th inning before allowing a solo-shot by Braves catcher Brian McCann, while also striking out 10 Atlanta batters. However the victory was the first of his career as a starter. Needless to say run support has been a big problem for him this year. Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman blasted his second grandslam of the season over the weekend, but they have been his only homeruns to date and have accounted for 8 of his 15 RBI on the season.