I still think that Roger Clemens is one of the top five pitchers in baseball.  It does not mean he is a top pitcher I want.  I think he should only pitch in Houston so he can spend more time with his family, which is what caused him to go there in the first place.  Roger has lost a little respect in my eyes though on the way he plays each year now.  Just make up your mind already.  How about showing a little dedication to the sport like you used to when you were only making $2 million a year.  All or nothing.  It isn't fair to the Astros, Yankees, and Red Sox to leave everyone hanging for nothing.  Maybe the Astros would not have lost a few more games earlier in the season when he was sitting out and made a run at the playoffs.  This year they brought in Carlos Lee to get some offense which is what really cost the Astros a playoff run.  But come on Roger, go all out, show dedication and some desire.  Your team will feed off it.  Give all you can to a game you took so much from monetarily.  You made enough money for the next five generations of Clemens' to live off.

  Attention Brian Cashman, the player you need to bring in is not the Rocket, it is Ichiro.  Not that I want the Yankees to trade for him, it is just that they never spend all those millions on the right guys.  If the Yankees are such a great team to play for why do they always have to overpay for EVERYONE they sign?Anyway, Ichiro is in the last year of his contract.  He has said that he will become a free-agent next year if the Mariners are not a winning team.  He is in that part of his career that he sees the end of the road coming and wants to win a championship.  He is an elite baseball player and is a franchise player as he is called Mr. Mariner in Seattle. He will get traded by the Mariners if they can not put together a playoff run before the trade deadline.  Ichiro could be a great fir on many teams.  His name will be rumored to be traded to Boston, New York(s), Detroit, Minnesota, and Los Angeles.

Gary Sheffield will be just fine in Detroit.  He will be out of the media spotlight.  Detroit is not a small market team but the media is not nearly as over bearing.  Sheffield leaves a locker room of individuals and soap opera type reporting to a team that has as good of team chemistry and attitude as any team in MLB.  He also doesn't have to be the best hitter either.  So he doesn't have a lot of pressure and he is comfortable with Jim Leyland as a manager.

The main reason I said Sheffield and Ichiro are worth it, to have on your team is because you know that they are going to be there for the whole season and are dedicated to the team.  I question Rogers desire at this point beyond money, and that used to be Sheffield's game.

 

Both the Red Sox and the Yankees have both been a staple of the playoffs the last few years. One team will win the American League East and the other gets in via the Wild Card. This year it looks as if only one of them have a shot. But to be that team they are going to have to win their division because right now the White Sox have a seven game lead on New York in the Wild Card standings. The two teams (Yankees and White Sox) play each other right out of the box following the All-Star Break in a three game series at Yankee Stadium. This has the potential to either move closer and almost put out in July. If the Yankees were swept they would be possibly ten or more out in July depending on how both teams finish going into the All-Star break. They would then need to solely focus on catching Boston.

 
 As for Boston coming out of the break and the rest of July. They get a steady diet of west coast teams in a eight game home stand that includes Oakland, Seattle, Kansas City, and Texas before going out west for six games back in Oakland and Seattle.

  The White Sox also have a huge July. After playing in New York for three games, they then head to Detroit, the best team in baseball right now, the team they are also only one game back of currently for a three game home stand.  They play a three game series with Boston this weekend as well.  So July is going to be a big month this season and the trade deadline is getting closer as well.

  Detroit will be playing the divisional teams all month with the exception of a three game home stand with the Athlectics, a team that just took 2 of 3 from the Tigers. With Detroit playing divisional teams they may just separate the teams a little more or bring it a little closer. They need to take advantage of Chicago in by winning the series with them. Chicago has already taken 5 of 6 on the season.  Detroit really needs to win that series, they aren't must wins, but they need to prove they can beat the White Sox in a series.  They may have to steal Bobby Abreu from Philadelphia to do it though.

  This seasons trade deadline in Major League Baseball will have yet again, several big names trading uniforms.  One move I always hate to see is when any player gets traded during the All-Star break from his team.  The Royals Mark Redman may be that guy this season, a player who has seen more locker rooms than Lisa Guerrero has given her phone number out in.

The Yankees and Mariners are just two teams of many looking to make a change for the better before the trade deadline.  The fact that the Yankees make more moves than anyone is the reason why any team that trades with them should make sure they aren't giving the Yankees anyone.  If the Yanks had stood pat on many occasions they would't be looking to add $12 - $15 million in payroll again this season just to finish second to the Red Sox.   The Yankees have been rumored to be trying to acquire Washington's Alfonso Soriano and José Guillen, Milwaukee's Carlos Lee, and Philadelphia's Bobby Abreu.  The move the Yankees need to make is getting healthy.  Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui are on the 15 day DL along with second baseman Robinson Cano and pitcher Carl Pavano.  That is four players they will have back but may not be able to contribute in time to make the playoffs.  It may be time for the Yankees to actually keep some of their prospects and see them come to fruition in the big leagues.   If they kept players longer it may them not the White Sox enjoying a 17 game winning streak by Jose Contreras.  They traded Contreras for Estoban Loaiza WITH CASH to the White Sox and it was also right after his family got here from Cuba.

The Seattle Mariners are trying to recoup a pitcher this season in a deadline trade.  They have been rumored to be looking for a starting pitcher.  It is kind of funny since just two seasons ago it was them who traded Freddy Garcia with Ben Davis to the White Sox for Jeremy Reed, Miguel Olivo, and Michael Morse.  It may be Karma but it is just aother case of a team making a move when they had zero patience and zero thought of actually being a contender in another year or two.  They should only be so lucky to get a pitcher like him back in the fold after botching that trade so badly.