Well, three Yankees have been named all-stars: Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez (who was the top vote-getter, obvious, I know) and Mariano Rivera. Jason Giambi could be the fourth, if fans vote for his Final Vote. Head to the Yanks' Official Site to vote for Giambino!

listen, we're fans, they're players. they're not fans...why do they care who they play for? they just want to play and dominate their opponent. and they also make a shit-ton of money to do it. so they're professionals. you're telling me that in your line of work, you're so professional and dedicated to your company, that if another competeting company came along and offered you 3...4...times your salary, you wouldn't jump ship either? and what if the company you work for kinda sucks and isn't so elite-status? but this offering company is...you'd totally do it. same with the yankees...and think of the perks.

piazza used to say how much he loved playing in new york. if i may, i'm totally comfortable saying this (and all you guys saying i lose man-points..you're wrong. that show was so well-written and clever...you know watched it too...) i'm going to reference sex and the city. do you recall the episode when there was a new young player in town playing for the yankees. all the girls loved him and the men wanted to be him. that kind of guy. well, i believe it's like that.

and tonight we introduce joba. joba's pitching against the red sox, in a meaningful midseason game, on national television. we've already heard about him and seen a little bit of him, but now, here's a sunday night game for you. i mean, gimme a break, this guy was made to pitch in new york. certain players in new york sports have always been beloved in the city, even more than some musciains and movie stars. the guy's electric on the mound. that long, low leg kick, striking guys out and pumping his fist. that's exciting and that's the kind of player baseball needs. young and fresh and excited about being the best...we don't see too many players like that, not in baseball. and then the non-playing reasons he'll be a star: he's from nebraska, he's got a tattoo that says "celebrate," on his pitching arm no less, and he wears his hat bill so flat. and the whole backstory about him being in the set-up role (and doing it well) and the talk of him being groomed to be the next closer (he would have been great that way too, and in terms of attitude, he's got closer written all over him) but the steinbrenner family wanted him starting. i believe i heard gammons say that the steinbrenner brothers decided they wanted to focus on pitching and at the same time do it from within and thus they wanted joba starting. (did any of you have that same thought that i just did....the one about how it must be pretty cool to own a team and kind of let it be your own fantasy team. "i'd like to get a big bat...i'm gonna trade a few players"--which in the past is kind of how it's been--yeah, i agree...it would. )

but here's joba, starting, and ready to be a star. new york already knows and loves him. just wait, this summer, it's going to joba-mania.

During the July 4th, 2008 Yankees - Red Sox game at Yankee Stadium, Kevin Youkilis hit a ball that, for a moment, was resting on top of the fence. Seen above is one Red Sox Fans paralyzed reaction. Here is what may have been going through his mind:

- Jagerbombs. Jagerbombs. Jagerbombs.

- I can't believe how fat this woman is behind me. Oh look, a baseball.

- I got my O face. O - O - O.

On the flip side, due to injuries, and no depth, thanks to Brain Trash..err...Cashman, and his inability to figure out how to properly construct a baseball team - (I'd hate to imagine him at home trying to put together a new swing set for his kids.  The slide would be hanging upside down from a swing chain,  and the swing seats would probably be used as drink coasters) - not to mention his ineptitude when it comes to evaluating talent and addressing the holes that have desperately needed to be, *BUT have not been* filled, in 3 years, our offense currently resembles a AA or bad NL lineup. The lack of hitting ability at the lower middle to  bottom of our lineup, has seemingly rubbed off on the few 'real' hitters we have left, at the top and top middle of our lineup, who remain somewhat physically unscathed at this juncture (I PRAY that Johnny Damon isn't out for too long, and by some baseball miracle, Hideki Matsui heals without surgery) *knocking wood until my knuckles chafe*.

This team cannot squeeze out more than 2 to 3 runs a game, and that's being generous.  It doesn't matter WHO the pitcher is.  Throw in a guy with a career 81.00 ERA against us, and he'll shut us down.  OH WAIT, he did, and his name was Scott Feldman, a BP pitcher who was a replacement in the Rangers starting rotation, and who's stuff is mediocre 'at best'.  In fact, throw in my cats, and they'll swat the ball to plate, as if it's a mouse, while our hitters swing and miss incessantly, or 'golf' the ball to the SS, especially with RISP.  This is the Yankee 'specialty' this season- GIDP's, elegantly served with a man on first, OR as an accoutrement to the bases loaded with no or less than 2 outs.  Take your pick, although they both taste like crap. 

The irony here is, we probably lead the league in GIDP's, yet we can't seem to turn one, so our defense is pretty shoddy too.  I won't name names, but someone needs to stop thinking about product endorsements and Hollywood actresses, and work on his range and throwing.  Yes, he's lost a lot due to age, but come on now...set your feet, and aim the ball to the first baseman, not the stands  (cough, Knoblauch).

Sadly, I don't think this team is making the playoffs this year.  With the SUDDEN (and I stress the word SUDDEN), and incredibly surprising play of the SUDDENLY (officially the 'word' of this entry)  unbeatable Tampa Bay Rays, and the Red Sox pretty much playing consistently good baseball, it's not looking good.  Not to mention the AL Central teams have gotten extremely hot, so it would take a miracle and a half to make a comeback like we did last season. At this point, this is all I can muster up - .500, at best.

The thing is, come the trade deadline, will we be buyers or sellers?  Will there be any need for trades that will help this team?  A RH bat that can actually hit something other than a beach ball, would be nice, as would a good pitcher to add to our rotation.  (Holliday?  CC, anyone?).  Let's just hope we're not 12-14 games out of the division by then, and 8-10 back on the WC.

OK, I'm finished 'venting' for now.  However, I have one final shout out, to the rapidly aging 'Material Girl Hag'' who's currently hooked her claws into our best power hitter's jock, partly resulting in the dissolution of his marriage.  Please go away, you're tainting my Yankees.  We have enough problems as it is.

Right now, the Yankees have 3 healthy starters that should be kept in the rotation in Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, and Joba Chamberlain. Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson currently comprise the 4 and 5 spot in the rotation. They are the two that I'd like to focus on first.

Rasner has not been the same pitcher that he was since he threw 8 innings against the Royals back on June 6. Since then, he has been hit hard in his starts and has not gone more than 5 innings, leading to extensive use of the bullpen. This could be attributed to the fact that he was playing a lower tier of ball clubs while he was dominating, and the sudden rise in competition has affected his performance. His command has also been a problem of late. He has been nibbling corners and not getting calls, leading to higher pitch counts, less effectiveness, and more trouble.

Sidney Ponson was plucked up after the Rangers released him due to behaviour concerns. He has been far from brilliant. Though he wriggled out of many jams while facing the Mets in his first start with the Yanks and managed to not give up a run, he displayed his normal self in his last start against his former club, getting tattooed for 7 earned runs in 5 innings. Ouch. Ponson gives up far more than a hit per inning (66.2 IP, 85 H)and has a scary K/BB ratio (30/23). That is not going to help keep the team in the game, regardless of how good you can be at working out of trouble...and Ponson ain't.

So what do the Yankees do? They auditioned Dan Giese, who pitched brilliantly against the Reds, yet unsuccessfully against the Mets. He has since turned to long relief, where he seems to have found his niche. He'll stay there. Of the healthy starters on their 40-man roster, their options lie in Kei Igawa, Ian Kennedy, Jeff Karstens, and Chase Wright.

Joe Girardi has already said that Ian Kennedy will have to earn his way back onto the roster, and his first start in AAA did not go brilliantly, though he only went 2 innings before the game was suspended. He'll have to be stretched out a bit more and prove to be effective before he gets another call.

Kei Igawa? Um...moving on.

Jeff Karstens may be scary since he has a penchant for being a fly ball pitcher, but he has been dealing down in AAA. Karstens was originally going to be on the Yankees 25-man roster for Opening Day, but a groin pull hampered those plans. Lately though, Karstens has been dealing, not allowing more than 3 earned runs in his past 6 starts. Maybe the Yankees will discuss him as a potential replacement for Ponson, though Ponson is scheduled to start against the Rays in their upcoming series.

Then there is Chase Wright, who has pitched well in AA this year. However, he has also been hit by the injury bug. He didn't have much in his last start either, so I don't think he's going to get a call.

This leads us to who is healthy in AAA but not on the 40-man roster. The only man that fits this description is Dan McCutchen. Since moving up from AA, McCutchen has hit a couple of bumps, but has worked through the growing pains. He has also thrown 2 complete games shutouts since he has moved up. I think that the Yankees want to give him a bit more time before they think of giving him the call, which is a good idea. You don't want a kid to come up, get hit hard, and ruin him mentally. The Yankees are probably going to be extra careful when it comes to kids with brilliant stuff moving up after the lack of greatness that Kennedy and Hughes have shown this year.

What should the Yankees do, then? Well, they should DFA Ponson for a start. His season has been a fluke, and when he faces difficult competition, he is not going to get out of jams, especially with his stats. To replace him, they should play the hot hand and call up Jeff Karstens. Karstens isn't brilliant, but he probably stands a better chance of keeping them in the game and he has MLB experience, an obvious plus.

If Rasner continues to struggle or Karstens flops, the Yankees would probably start to seriously consider bringing McCutchen up. Alan Horne has been battling injuries all season long and is back on the minor league DL, as is Jeff Marquez. Maybe Dan Giese will get another shot. Who knows? The Yankees will need to find another solution; that much is certain. They might make a trade (something I'm not very keen on doing, including for C.C. Sabathia). Phil Hughes won't be back until August at least and Wang might be gone for the season. If they want to taste some action in October in a farewell to Yankee Stadium, they are going to need some better options in the rotation. It is time that they made a move. The competition in the East hasn't been this tough for the Yankees in quite some time, so they are going to need the offense to wake up and good pitching to make it through the remainder of the season.

Yankees: Johnny Damon might be headed to the DL for the first time in his career. With the All-Star Break coming up, Brian Cashman has said that if he does go to the DL, the Yankees would likely bring up pitching to fill in at least until the All-Star Game.

Reds: Pitcher Josh Fogg was activated from the 15-day DL, but OF Norris Hopper found his way to the 15-day DL to take his place.

A's: SS Bobby Crosby was placed on the 15-day DL (retroactive to July 3). IF Gregorio Petit was called up from AAA.

Indians: Old favourite Jeff Weaver signed a minor league contract.

US WNT: Pia Sundhage made a triumphant return to Sweden as the US beat the Swedes 1-0 on a goal by Carli Lloyd. Also returning to Sweden was keeper Hope Solo, who played in Sweden back in 2004 and served as their starting goalkeeper. Solo started in goal, but came out at the half to give Nicole Barnhart some minutes. The US was kept on their toes by some excellent defense put up by the Swedish side as they continue to tune up for the Olympics.

Last weekend was the final weekend for interleague play, the merits of which (or lack thereof) I'll save for another entry.  It was "proximity rival" weekend, so the Cubs were playing the White Sox, the Yankees played the Mets, the Angels played the Dodgers, etc.  Fox was broadcasting the Cubs/Sox game, and I thought everything was fine and dandy (except for the fact that the Sox were winning the series).  All of a sudden, Fox decides to switch the coverage to the Mets/Yankees game.  I sat there on my couch in disbelief at what just transpired.  First of all, they didn't even wait 'til the inning was over; they just went to the Joe Buck (whom I like) and Tim McCarver (whom I can't stand...more about him later) pre-game hoopla over the overrated "Subway Series."  Secondly, the Mets were a second place team and the Yankees a third place team, while the Cubs and Sox both held the top spots in their respective divisions.  I was appalled that Fox would switch to the New York game just because it's The Big Apple, in order to broadcast the game between two middle-of-the-pack teams when they were in the middle of covering a drama-filled contest between two first-place teams in The Windy City.

Then, today at 4PM, the second game of the Cubs/Cardinals series started, a battle between the top two teams in the NL Central.  It just so happened that the Yankees/Red Sox game started at the that time, too.  I was hoping Fox wouldn't do it to me again, but they did.  They chose to showcase the fourth-place Yankees and second-place Red Sox, while there was a nail-biter going on in St. Louis.  WHAT?!?  The Cubs/Cards game today actually affects the standings in a meaningful way, with only 2.5 games now separating the first-place Cubs from the second-place Cardinals.  The Yankees won day, cutting their deficit in the division to a scant NINE games.  Again: WHAT?!?  Thanks Fox Sports, for perpetuating the no longer so-called "East Coast" bias.  No one cares about Yankees/Red Sox any more: it's overdone.  Plus, the Yankees stink right now.  The way I see it, had it been a game between top two teams in the AL East, then it would have been more understandable.  But that was not the case.  Wake up, Fox.  The Cubs and Cardinals have just as intense a rivalry as New York and Boston, and the rest of the country just might be able to appreciate that if your choice of game coverage wasn't so poor.

Oh, and speaking of poor, please let Tim McCarver go.  He's a terrible broadcaster whose glaring lack of analytical talent only brings down Joe Buck.  McCarver's analyses are wrong more times than they're right, especially when it comes to replays, commentating as if he's blind.  I'm reminded of Joe Morgan of ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball."  They're both know-it-alls who really don't know much, or at least can't express what they know on TV.  They talk way too much and often either say the wrong thing or dwell on the obvious.  Steve Stone's a know-it-all, but I can tolerate him because he, indeed, does know it all.  McCarver and Morgan may have been great players, but they're awful announcers.  They should take notes from the "Smartest Man in Baseball."

I have been keeping up with the Yankees even though I haven't been posting. Since I'm sure all of you have been too, I won't bore you with old headlines, just a few recent ones.

As I said just a few sentences earlier, I've been to a few games since my last post. The most current game I attended was Tuesday July 1st, 2008 against the Rangers. I was present for Alex Rodriguez tying Jimmie Foxx on the all-time home run list. That was pretty amazing. (Note: Alex didn't waste much time passing Foxx on the all-time list either). It was also the game that Jeter got off. That was pretty sucky in my opinion. I was also pretty ticked that Girardi (who - if you read this blog once in a blue moon - is not my favorite person) didn't put Jeter in to pinch hit for Bettimette until the bottom of the 9th inning with 2 outs and Johnny at bat. But I digress...

I also found this article on the no hits, no problem for Dodgers pretty interesting. This game never ceases to amaze me. It's probably why I love it so much. And lastly, here is a quick article about Johnny Damon, who got hurt in the loss to Boston on July 4th. He left the game after crashing into the fence trying to stop Youkilis' triple.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July weekend!

This week was a pretty quiet week at the Bizzle Bros.  We had acouple posts, but we are working on new and exciting features on the website.  We are sadly announcing the death of Tom the Tastemaker feature.  After 5 glorious posts and one awesome picture we decided it was time to put her down.  Tom just lost his passion for talking about bands that most of us already knew about, but were kind to pretend like it was the first time we heard about them.  Amoung our additions though is a new Sports Talk Feature by Dave, a Better Best feature by Alli and Tom's Gear Pr0n.  All of those with more extensive descriptions later.

New this Week

• The first 2 posts on Dave's Sports Zone, the first feature regarding Gilbert Arena's "generous" contract offer, the second on the New York Yankee's.
• Dave was on a roll this week because he also wrote a description of one of 2009's big games, inFamous.  A game that all PS3 owner's should be excited for.
• I wrote about a new place I'd like to visit, the Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival (any takers, we got a truck apparently to sleep in), My thoughts on why Chris Rock's 'No Sex' is one of the greatest songs eva (Rock Lobster coming soon), and why I'm not pissed at Darcy Reiger for not giving stupid UFA's crazy money.

Non Bizzle Bros News:

• Buffalo Sabres traded for defensemen Craig Rivet.  Bad news he'll be 34 next year, Good news he's pretty physical and we'll have him for another 3 years at least and number 52 will fill that essential (low 50's number that were now missing).
• Steve Bernier was lost in all the shuffle, rumors say he was traded because the Canucks were about to make an offer sheet to him, but being a gentleman called the Sabres and expressed their intentions.
• Keeping up with rumors, Rock Band 2's apparent setlist was announced and posted on wikipedia.  Click here for a full list.
• I'm at 73 points on my Pepsi Stuff account, please all people give me your Caps/Codes.
• I downloaded all 500 songs from Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, surprisingly its a pretty crappy shuffle.

What a debacle by Boston. They had a huge chance to blow the game open or at least tie the game, but neither Crisp, Varitek or Lugo could even muster a sacrifice fly. For a team with such a good record and good talent, Boston sure knows how to let a chance get away. The final three hitters didn't take a fundamental approach to the situation. They didn't make Rivera pitch, nor did they take good swings when they swung. Crisp's strikeout came on just three pitches, including a "what kind of swing was that" on the 3rd pitch of the at-bat. Crisp should have at least had the presence of mind to make Rivera work. If the pitches are thrown in the strike-zone either foul them off or doing something productive with the pitch. Coco shouldn't have just bowed down to a struggling pitcher. Put the ball in play! If it's a double play, the run still scores from third.

Varitek took just three pitches as well. In his case though, he had Rivera on the ropes. The Yankee closer missed on the first two pitches, but Jason decided against the patient approach and popped up. Varitek should have had the presence of mind to take the 2-0 offering, making Rivera throw a strike. Instead two were out and the pressure was on Lugo. He, like the rest, couldn't deliver the clutch that the team would need.

This type of win will surely help the Yankees confidence, but the loss might also prove helpful for the Red Sox. They know they need to produce in these situations, and they haven't been able to, which should instill a fire inside each player to play better. In spurts they have everything else, pitching, hitting and defense, but they need to work on their situational hitting. In crucial situations, it takes a mentality that atleast Crisp, Varitek and Lugo don't posess.

In some respects Rivera was helped out by hitting Ramirez and Youkilis. At the time that they were both hit, a runner, or runners were in scoring position. Hitting them both with high fastballs made other players produce. It took the bats out of their hands and put an enormous amount of pressure on lessser hitters. Rivera can't be happy with his performance, but in baseball a win is a win and a loss is a loss. To put it in simple terms: He, and the Yankees, got lucky.

The left-hander threw 13 pitches to Rodriguez over the course of 4 at-bats. The blue box is A-Rod's approximate strike zone, and the arrow represents the batter (the axis are in feet). 9 of the 13 pitches were classified by PitchFX as fastballs, and they have been circled in blue.

The only pattern that seems clear here is that Lester was avoiding putting the ball down and away from A-Rod. Other than that, he was mixing his spots, which is probably as good an idea as any against an elite batter like Rodriguez. The first at-bat, which lasted five pitches, was the most interesting. He took the first two pitches, both fastballs right at the knee, and fell behind 0-2 (the only two called strikes against A-Rod in the game). Lester then tried to climb the ladder with the high fastball you see there. Rodriguez then fouled off a nasty cutter on the inside corner of the strike zone before whiffing on a fastball directly on the upper-right cordner of the strike zone. Varitek set the at-bat up beautifully, Lester executed, and Rodriguez went down swinging.

A-Rod, possibly anticipating fastball, swung at the first pitch of his second at-bat. He got a change-up on the right side of the plate - again, excellent execution by Lester - and pulled it on the ground to Lugo. He went up swinging in his third at-bat, and this time got a first pitch right on the inside corner, a fastball right on his hands that he fouled off. He went up and away with a curveball that just barely missed being called a strike. He went back inside for the third pitch, placing it almost exactly where the first fastball was. This pitch was a cut fastball, though, coming in at about 3mph slower than the first. Rodriguez managed to lay off of it. He fouled off another fastball in on the hands, took another fastball in at the knees that could've gone either way, and then flied out to Coco Crisp on a fastball back on the outside corner.

In A-Rod's final at-bat, he appeared to guess right on the first pitch, a fastball right on the inner edge of the plate that Rodriguez finally managed to get his hands inside of and put in play. He didn't get all of it, though, and the result was a routine fly ball to Ellsbury in left to end the game.

The Lester/Rodriguez matchup was a great example of what happens when a pitcher is really "on" during a performance: hitters get set up, the pitcher executes, and batters are retired. For most of the game, Rodriguez was unable to handle pitches on the inner half of the plate and couldn't do anything with pitches on the outer half, and when he finally got around on an inside fastball, the pitch was good enough to result in a harmless fly out. A-Rod is arguably the best hitter alive and one of the best of all time, but no matter how good you are with the bat, when you run into a pitcher that's having an exceptional night, you're probably not going to do very well. #13 has certainly already reviewed what Lester and the Sox did against him that night (he got two hits yesterday against the Sox). Yankees and Red Sox fans alike eagerly await how the next Lester-Rodriguez matchups turn out.

In the recent past the New York Yankees defeated the Texas Ranges 18 – 7. Ok ok, good job, you can win games. Some Yankee players stated this could be the break they needed to improve there 45 and 40 record. Ok, so now you play Boston, your rival, your enemy…lets put that confidence to the test.

As I sat in the BSG (Buffalo Sports Garden) with my family and some people I don’t know, I watched this supposed “breakthrough game” for the Yankees. Well, well, well…It seems as though this breakthrough game was…“not so much”. The Yankees failed to cross the plate once, disappointing.

Now, as I sat there watching this game and eating my cheese fries, which were delicious by the way, I pondered something, and that something was “Wait, who cares, the Tampa Bay Rays are in first place now”. And good for them, it’s a good feeling knowing that for at least a short amount of time, the American league has a new leader. The American league, which has been dominated by the Red Sox or Yankees, has changed. And to top it off, they are leading the league. I think that as bloggers, we should embrace this moment in time, and accept its greatness as a little shake-up in baseball.

Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell sent Joe Girardi, the Yankees manager, looking for more answers for his teams recent poor play as they both fueled a 6-4 Red Sox win against the discombobulated Yankees. Kevin Youkilis's two run triple was done in the most unorthodox fashion, but it allowed Boston to tie the Yankees at three early in the 4th of July contest between the two rivals. Youkilis hit a laser to left field that Johnny Damon be inclined in catching. Running back to the warning track Damon seemed to have a beat on the ball of Youkilis's bat. The ball fell into his glove for long enough for Michael Kay, the YES network announcer, to scream jubilantly "what a catch!". Just as he was in the middle of declaring the presumptive miraculous grab by Damon, the Baseball Gods decided to prolong the season long agony of the Yankees. The ball plopped out of Damon's glove as the hit the ground. It jumped up onto the top of the wall and rested for a prompt three seconds and rolled back into the field of play. Damon, by this time, was utterly confused with what had transpired. Johnny surprisingly found the ball, with the aide of a fan, and threw it, albeit weakly, into the infield to hold Youkilis at third. The damage was done, as Youkilis not only made Damon look foolish (as well as send him to the doctors office with a shoulder strain), but helped give Boston momentum they wouldn't relinquish.

As if Youkilis's triple wasn't enough, Mike Lowell delivered another blow, a three run homer, giving Boston a commanding 6-3 lead. Meanwhile Josh Beckett, their starting pitcher, was cruising after allowing three first inning runs. He finished his outing with 6 solid innings pitched, giving up just four hits and two walks while striking out four. Not his best performance, but he was effective. Seeing as how the Red Sox bullpen has played the past few weeks, uncertainty struck once Beckett left the game. Interestingly enough, after struggling considerably previously, the bullpen was very good in this game. Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen and Javier Lopez combined to give up only one hit in two scoreless innings of work, setting up the ninth inning for Jonathan Papelbon. His inning didn't go as smoothly as the rest of his bullpen mates, though, but he got the job done. He got out the first two hitters easily but gave up a two out walk to Brett Gardner to keep the Yankees alive. Derek Jeter then followed with a sinking liner that was caught by Coco Crisp. The third base umpire inexplicably called that the ball was trapped by Crisp, to the dismay of the center fielder and the rest of the team, allowing Gardner to score. The score was now 6-4 with the tying run at the plate in Bobby Abreu. Abreu sent a deep drive to the warning track in center field that Crisp caught to end the game.

This loss could have only disgruntled Girardi even more, as just the night before he laid into his team about their poor offensive attack. The lack of offense continued for New York in this game as they couldn't muster anything but a two run double by Alex Rodriguez, a sacrifice fly by Jason Giambi, and a rbi double that shouldn't have been. The Yankees lineup is full of names that should produce great numbers, but none have been able to produce game in game out. The lack of production should worry New York because they not only look up to the Red Sox, but the Rays as well.

It hasn't been just the hitting that has made the Yankees front office displeased, as the pitching has, as well, been borderline at best. With the aggression of the Yankees in past years, I wonder if they will try and go after a big name pitcher, such as C.C. Sabathia, a prized pitcher who has been dangled by the Cleveland Indians, with the trade deadline approaching. As ace Chein Ming Wang is out til September, the Yankees will have to make some noise for either Sabathia or someone else. The team, scuffling as they are, can't rely on pitchers like Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner to carry them to October baseball. The question is will the team be willing to part with their prized prospects. They weren't in the Johan Santana sweepstakes during this past off-season, but in their current position will they go all the way to make a trade happen? As Rasner's perfomance in this particular loss showed, they need some help, and quick.

--I've got an article up at ESPN.com's Page 2 on the unlikely best team in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays. The article looks at the hot start of the Rays and five other surprise teams, then tries to draw lessons from other unlikely fast starters of the past 20 years.

--Also up is a shorter piece I wrote for Page 2, covering Wednesday night's thrilling 7-6 win over the Red Sox (scroll down to the bottom left of the page to read it). The game was a blast to watch, right down to the Rays playing "Sweet Caroline" at the end of the game as a big middle finger to Red Sox Nation. I also evoke memories of the '94 Expos.

And if you haven't been able to tell by now, the Rays have now become my de facto new favorite team. Too much to like on the roster, too many good guys in the front office and too downtrodden a fan base not to support. Heck, they even make hilarious promos featuring their star players. Go Rays!

--For you Yankees fans (and Yankees haters), here's my latest Yankees Preview article for YESNetwork.com. The piece profiles the Yanks' upcoming (now current) games with the Red Sox and Rays. Pretty weird to see the Bronx Bombers playing third banana in the AL East. Maybe if they slashed their payroll by 75% and started acting more like the Rays they'd have a better chance.

--After a fantastic trip that went from New Hampshire to the Berkshires to Buffalo to Toronto to Montreal and back home, we're back out on the road again...this time in Eastern Europe. I'm currently writing from the southwestern edge of Prague. We're exhausted from the usual lack of plane sleep and jet lag, so didn't get to do much sightseeing in our first day here. But I'm liking it a lot so far, and the weekend should be a blast. Also, Angele fully supports my plan to attempt to re-enact as many scenes as possible from INXS' classic "Never Tear Us Apart" video.

(The video was shot entirely in Prague, which is even cooler when you consider this was when the Berlin Wall was still around. Also interesting: Tim Farriss was said to be so drunk during the shooting of this video that they basically kept him out of the shoot.)

Articles not written by me that I recommend:

--A long but terrific Vanity Fair piece by Bryan Burrough on the fall of investment bank Bear Stearns. This is a great read even if you have little knowledge of how Wall Street works. No wonder: Burrough was also co-author of "Barbarians At The Gate", the story of the demise of Nabisco/RJ Reynolds and the leveraged bond industry of the 1980s that ranks as one of my five favorite books of all time, business or otherwise. (Hat tip to Ron Wexler for the link)

--A super-awesome piece by SI.com's Tom Verducci on one of my favorite athletes on the planet, San Francisco Giants pitching phenom Tim Lincecum. Again, even if you're not that familiar with Lincecum's work, or an avid follower of pitching mechanics per se, this article provides really cool insight into how a 172-pound string bean can generate a blazing 98-mph fastball. And if you are a fan of Lincecum like me, you'll want to read it twice.

--Poltical blogger extraordinaire Glenn Greenwald recaps the past two weeks of Barack Obama's campaign. The Big O has caused me some significant grief during that time, his out-of-the-blue reversal on te government's rights to wiretap Americans without warrants the most egregious offense. My buddy Chris Liss (a fellow sports and politics junkie who's as sharp as they come) has argued that Obama is scoring points with Independents and even some traditionally Republican voters by bucking left-wing factions such as MoveOn.org and others in buckling on FISA and other issues, in the process moving one step closer to becoming the next president of the United States.

Chris is often right, and he might be right here too. But from where I stand, the Fourth Amendment and the government staying out of my business in general is one of the most vital issues there is. I don't think Obama needed to cave on FISA (or a couple of the other moves Greenwald cites) to put himself in better position to get elected. Greenwald sums up that mindset nicely:

If anyone has any evidence at all that: (a) Obama would be less likely to win if he continued to oppose telecom amnesty and warrantless eavesdropping; (b) his chances to win increase by being perceived as someone who flagrantly changes positions for political gain; and/or (c) he is more likely to win by embracing Bush/Cheney policies, please alert me to such evidence. I would really like to see it, because I don't believe any such evidence exists.

--One of the other Obama decisions that also irked me was his mad dash to distance himself from Gen. Wesley Clark's recent comments about John McCain. Clark argued that while McCain deserves all the respect and admiration in the world for his service to his country and his courage under unimaginable stress during the Vietnam War, those experiences from 40 years ago don't tell us anything about his ability to be President.

The usual media dunderheads have since tried to strawman Clark to death, arguing that Clark is trying to "Swiftboat" McCain (a reference to 527 ads run in 2004 that successfully cast doubt on John Kerry's impressive military service).

The problem of course is that this is a big, fat lie. Clark went out of his way to praise McCain's courage at every turn. At the same time, asking aloud if McCain's service makes him more likely to make intelligent decisions on matters such as Iraq and Iran, let alone the economy and other domestic issues, is absoutely a valid and important question.

Clark could've made a solid high-ranking member of Obama's cabinet, given his old impressive war record, his overall intelligence and his experience in the political spotlight. Instead, Obama (and/or his campaign) have decided that what Chris Matthews and Fox and Fools and the rest say takes precedence, so better to back away and by extension reinforce the strawman attacks.

In light of all that, I found this post at DailyKos.com by another veteran, Brandon Friedman, particularly insightful. Read to the end and you'll fund many examples of brave men and women who also served their country, but like Clark aren't willing to genuflect before McCain just because he did, and instead are willing to ask if he's the right man for the world's most powerful job.

Good night from Prague for now. I'll try to send more updates from the trip as we go along. I'm excited to see Vienna after this and especially to retrace my family's Hungarian roots next week, when we hit up Budapest.

What do ya'll think? Personally I think this is REAL hot and I am looking to purchase this ASAP!!

Thanks to http://slidingintohome.blogspot.com/2008/06/yanks-new-4th-of-july-hats.html

Dustin Pedroia continued to be a hitting machine, starting a quick offensive attack with a single. J.D. Drew followed with a line drive single of his own, leaving Manny Ramirez a chance to drive in the game's first run. He hit a slow grounder right to Robinson Cano, who started a attempt at a double play by flipping to Derek Jeter for the second out of the inning. Manny Ramirez was hustling down the first base line, which made Jeter's throw that much difficult. He threw wide of the bag, allowing Pedroia to score and Manny to reach second on the error. Mike Lowell then made Jeter suffer even more for the error, as he laced a rni single to drive in Manny. It gave Jon Lester a cushion even before he went on the mound, and a lead that the Red Sox would actually be able to hold onto.

Lester got into trouble in the bottom of the first by walking the first two batters, but got out of the inning unscathed, striking out both Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi to end the threat. Boston's offense quickly went back to work against a ineffective Pettitte, scoring two more times in the second frame on a Jacoby Ellsbury two-run double.

That support was more than enough for Lester, who continued his very solid year with this extraordinary performance. His control was very sharp, as he didn't walk anyone after allowing two straight to start his outing. The Yankees offense mustered only five hits off the left-hander, leading to Joe Girardi, New York's manager, holding a closed door meeting with his players following the game.

Not only was this a must win for the team to get back on track, it gave the struggling bullpen a night off (it didn't allow relievers like Delcarmen, Hansen, Aardsma or Okajima to find a way to give up the lead). The night went so well for Boston that Jason Varitek, who has been awful at the plate so far this season (9 for his last 83 and is batting .217 overall), broke out his much maligned slump with a rbi single in the 8th to end the game's scoring.

Though the offense woke up for the Red Sox, the night belonged to Lester, who was coming off one of his worst outings with the team (he allowed 9 hits and 6 earned runs in 5 innings in the teams' 11-10 loss to the Astros). His fastball was lively, and his off-speed pitches were used to perfection, contributing to his 8 strikeouts. Not bad for his first trip to Yankees Stadium.

At least that’s what Ben Fry’s salary vs performance graph shows as of July 2. This fun little tool measures Major League Baseball teams’ win-loss records against their payroll.

Its pretty refreshing to see the Rays with the best record in baseball — and the second lowest total payroll at $43,820,56. The cheapest talent can be found with the Florida Marlins who, as a team, make less than half of what the Rays make. That’s taking it too far though, an this graph is neat because it shows the extremes on both ends of the spectrum — the New York Yankees spend $209,081,584 on payroll compared to the next-closest team, the Mets at $137,793,376.

It’s worth pointing out that the Marlins are within half a game of the Yankees. If you’re going to err, it sure is nice to save money while you’re doing it.

The Royals are the only team with a payroll figure that corresponds exactly with its win-loss record, and the Boston Red Sox are the only big spenders getting their money’s worth.