The Numbers
Manny's actual performance has been very good, even in his post-peak period. It might help us gain some perspective to look at this in a little more detail. In 214 games since the beginning of 2007, he's hit .301/.394/.521, compared to .312/.409/.590 over his career. There actually isn't much change there except the slugging percentage (which is a not a minor thing), but that's skewed by last year's .493 mark, the worst of his career. Ramirez is back up to .529 this season (ISO of .233 compared to .273 for his career), and is first or second in many major categories for AL left fielders. He also owns a 140 OPS+ and ranks 17th in VORP of all hitters. With 19 HR already this season, I'm willing to chalk up last season to a down year plus maybe that oblique injury.

How much power has he actually lost? Ramirez has hit 39 HR over this "down" period, which seems awfully low, right? But here's a list of other hitters who are at that same mark in that period of time: Magglio Ordonez, Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter and Paul Konerko. Justin Morneau has just two more at 41, and the "38 club" includes Jason Bay, Corey Hart and J.J. Hardy. He's got several more dingers than Garrett Atkins and Troy Glaus. That's not bad. This total is a bit obscured by his limited playing time.

It should also be pointed out that Manny has improved significantly on defense. Manny's comment about wanting to win a Gold Glove might seem a bit much, but he has actually improved his fielding significantly since the start of 2007. Even Baseball Prospectus agrees that he has been about a league average left fielder the past two seasons.

The Situation
Manny, a sure-fire Hall of Famer, has two $20M one-year options on his contract that he would like picked up. The Red Sox are not sure they want to commit to that kind of money to a 36-year old, and would like to get a strong season out of him this year. They also want to line up a replacement before letting him walk.

In making this decision, we have to consider the market. Who else makes $20M per season? It's a pretty short list: Alex Rodriguez and Johan Santana. Through free agency, Mark Teixeira could sign a deal near that number this offseason. The next highest salaries belong to Miguel Cabrera, Derek Jeter, and Carlos Zambrano.

The only free agent who can match Manny's production this year is probably Teixeira, and we have an excellent first baseman already. I'm also pretty sure the Yankees will pay whatever they need to pay in order to land him, with Jason Giambi a free agent and so much money coming off the books for them. They're also much closer to his native Baltimore than we are.

The Options
As always, the question is: if you let someone like Ramirez walk, who do you get to replace him? Do you need to get at least equal production in left field in order to be competitive? Despite playing much of this season without the tandem of David Ortiz and Ramirez, the Red Sox are second in the AL in runs scored at 498 runs. That begs the unthinkable question - do we really NEED Manny?

According to Baseball Prospectus, Manny has been worth 35 batting and fielding runs above a replacement player, a nominal big leaguer, and 3.9 wins above a typical replacement player in 384 PA this season. Let's say he stays healthy and gets to 600 PA; with the same level of production, that's worth 54.7 runs or 6.09 WARP1. Using those numbers for 2008, over the past three seasons, he's been worth an average of 46 runs or 5.1 wins. For the Sox to theoretically break even, they need to get someone who can fill that void or rely upon incremental improvement from others in the lineup to make up those runs. Here are some of the options that I see.

From Within
The Sox do have some pretty good outfielders waiting in the wings, but none of them will measure up to Manny's stick. Keep in mind these translations are based on minor league performance and can tend to overestimate power numbers a bit.

• Brandon Moss, 1B/OF. The first name to come to mind. Moss is a plus defender and does have some pop. His stats at Pawtucket translate as possibly .284/.340/.532 at the Major League level.
• Jeff Bailey, 1B/LF. This journeyman is not as good on defense, and is projected to go .255/.344/.512 at the Major League level. He's not ever going to start in Boston.
• Chris Carter, 1B/LF. Carter could hit .268/.328/.492 and be average with the glove.

Free Agency
Among left fielders who could be in Manny's class offensively this season and could potentially be available this offseason or next (free agency year in parentheses):

• Matt Holliday, COL (2009). A lot of teams have their eye on Holliday, but he plays in Colorado (lifetime .363/.426/.658 at home and .277/.341/.449 away) and in the NL (.336/.406/.510 inter-league), so we're not sure how that will translate to the AL East. I'm not convinced he'll reach free agent status; he'll likely sign an extension or be traded.
• Pat Burrell, PHI (2008). Pat the Bat is a consistent 30 HR threat, but also a career .259 hitter. Righty also plays in the NL (.199/.327/.384 lifetime in inter-league play).
• Jason Bay, PIT (2009). A balanced bat and a good defender, I like this late bloomer, but some questions remain about his dismal 2007. Is right-handed, like Manny. Has hit .250/.312/.450 in inter-league play.
• Adam Dunn, CIN (2008). Can't argue with his .381 OBP and 4 straight years of 40 HR, but his .247 average and huge number of strikeouts makes him a frustrating player. Has hit about the same (.246/.362/.530) against the AL.

The Trade Market
We have the prospects to engineer a trade for a good young outfielder. Younger left fielders who we could potentially target:

• Adam Lind, TOR. A good 24-year old prospect who never capitalized on playing time and seems to have fallen out of favor in Toronto. Good enough defender, and a contact bat with decent power. His translation looks really good at .301/.382/.554. A lefty hitter.
• Luke Scott, BAL. The 30-year old Scott has been a platoon player, but he is a pretty good defender. He's worth about 4.2 wins above replacement each of the past three seasons, and he's just starting to get regular playing time this year. Bats lefty, however.

This list is pretty tough to generate, because there are few teams who have an excess of outfielders at this time.

Summary
Would the Sox like to be rid of Manny's attitude and sometimes strange behavior? Probably. But there's no easy answer to this problem, as far as I can tell. There's just no obtainable bat that makes 100% sense. If Manny's performance slides in the second half, look for the front office to hand him a pink slip. They'll take the two draft picks and try to land someone to play in left to compete with Moss for the job. If that looks too hard, look for them to pick up one option year and keep shopping next season.

Or Ramirez could pick it up again and produce well, forcing the management's hand on at least one option or an extension. Manny has said that he wants to keep playing here in Boston; if the Sox could get him extended for 2-3 years at about $15M per year, I might be willing to support that. He ends up with guaranteed money and gets to finish out his career here. But I'm not sure Manny would like that paycut. We'll see what happens.

Vince DeMentri wasn't where he should have been - at the anchor desk - on NBC10's 4 p.m. newscast. And Dan Gross says he still hasn't returned any phone calls.

NBC10 should be releasing something about this. Being in Philadelphia - and reporting the news in Philadelphia - they should know they're not going to stop getting hassled until he's fired, if that's the route NBC10 chooses. Again, I won't comment.

In other breaking news, Pat Burrell ate a cheeseburger at Rouge at 205 S. 18th St. yesterday. I would've opted for the Caesar salad, but I guess that's not Pat's style.

     Yesterday the Philadelphia Phillies were able to solidify their dominance in the N.L. East by clinching the #1 position prior to the All Star break.  Cole Hamels the Phillies' ace was able to deal it to Brandon Webb and the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Hamels administered 8 strikeouts, 1 walk while allowing 11 hits and 2 runs over 7 innings.  Ryan Madson received the win while Brad Lidge chopped off the snake's head with 2 strikeouts in the 9th inning.

     Pat Burrell once again displayed his clutch hitting prowess by smashing an 8th inning 3 run homerun into left center field.  Even though Pat did not mention it I'm sure it was meant to get Clint Hurdle's attention since he was not selected for the All Star team.  Pedro "soft hands" Feliz followed up Burrell's at bat with a longball of his own screaming underneath the radar into the left field seats.  Feliz also went 3 for 4 while at the plate and accrued  runs for the Phightins.  Some other notables are Jimmy Rollins going 2 for 3 with 1 RBI and Cole Hamels hitting as double into right center allowing Feliz to score from 1st base.

     The homerun derby will be televised at 8pm atlantic time on ESPN with the All Star game being viewed at 8pm of the Fox network.  Be sure to root for Chase Utley at Yankee Stadium's short right field porch.

Image from phillies.com

I know, I sound like a weird Pat Burrell fanboy, even though I'm really not. I'm not a Phillies fan, I swear. But the guy is having the best season of his career by far (he has a 155 OPS+ plus so far, only rivalling his 2002 season where he had a 146 OPS+), and much better than Corey Hart, and although I like Hart, although the fans were wrong. David Wright, a final vote guy, and replacing Alfonso Soriano, is having a down year by his standards, and also not as good as Burrell this year, and he gets put in by the clueless Clint Hurdle, who has been bad in making an All-Star roster (Aaron Cook? Brian Wilson? Cole Hamels should have gotten in)

One could argue that the roster could use a second defensive 3B, due to the roster only having 2 third basemen, including Aramis Ramirez, who can't play defense at all, and I think that might be why Hurdle made the move. The players deserve some of that blame due to electing Miguel Tejada, who is nowhere near an all-star. Nevertheless, this year's NL team is certainly a weak roster, due to Clint Hurdle, the fan vote, and the player vote and it makes me care for the All-Star Game a little bit less, like every year.

I voted for Pat Burrell like 50 times for the final vote for the all-star game and he still lost.  Oh well.  I should have know that it never matters if you vote or not, but it was fun anyway.

Adam Eaton was back to his lowly ways allowing 6 earned runs on 8 hits in a whooping 2.2 innings pitched.  A Fantasy STUD if you will.  Mmm, can you smell the sarcasm?

And to think we still had a chance to win thanks to the homeruns by Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard and Geoff Jenkins.

God I love this team.

Cole Hamels takes the hill tonight at CBP versus the St Louis Cardinals and Joel Pineiro

It’s been nice not having Brett Myers around, hasn’t it?

The Phils’ latent starter, who was sent to the IronPigs after his last horrendous start, has done fairly well in his last two outings in Allentown. Is that enough to bring him back to the Phils? He thinks so.

Inquirer sports writer Kate Fagan covered Myers’ second start in Allentown last night. Her final quote – the kicker – is what I’m focusing on here.

When asked if he hoped to be back with the Phillies when the all-star break ended, Myers said, "Hoping? I'm planning on it. No hope about it."

That’s true Myers arrogance. Do we really want that back?

By watching the team as it is, there’s a great sense of camaraderie. You can tell the guys enjoy being on a team together, something that seems to be lacking with Myers on the mound.

They (the Phillies higher-ups) stuck by him during his domestic violence incident. They stuck by him for a while as he performed inconsistently. And now, they’re sticking by him after this arrogant, you’re-nothing-without-me comment?

The Mets like pitchers with vendettas against the Phillies. See if there’s an opening there.

Photo courtesy Philly.com/The Philadelphia Inquirer

P.S. Vote for Pat Burrell for the final spot in the All-Star Game. C'mon...he's almost out of the Majors and he's never been there before. You can vote multiple times until 5 p.m. Thursday!

     Last night Adam Eaton who was 5-0 and a 3.29 ERA against the Mets was pulled after 2-2/3 innings.  Eaton gave away 8 runs off of 10 hits in his short outing yesterday in the Phillies' 3rd loss to the Mets.  There were some heroics in the game with Chase Utley (25), Pat Burrell (22), Ryan Howard (24) and Geoff Jenkins (7) all belting homeruns.  R.J. Swindle celebrated his 25th birthday last night by pitching 3 innings in relief for Clay Condrey and the fallen Adam Eaton.  Swindle administered 3 strikeouts, 1 walk, 2 runs on 4 hits with one of those hits being a solo wake-up call by David Wright.

     Tonight the Phillies try to shake-off their failed home campaign against the Mets.  The Phightins face-off against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 3 game homestand.  The Phillies ace, Cole Hamels (3.22 ERA) takes the mound tonight against Joel Pineiro (4.52 ERA) in search of his 10th win of 2008 season.

Image from phillies.com

     Brett Myers pitched last night against the Louisville Bats accruing his first win since his reassignment with the Iron Pigs.  Myers allowed 3 runs (2 ER) with 7 hits,  3 walks and 7 strikeouts over 7-1/3 innings.

The most egregious selection has to be the Cubs Kosuke Fukudome.  Fukudome has to be the most overrated player going right now.  I can remember back to the beginning of the year when announcers were trying to make the inevitable comparison to Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki.  But, for the life of me, I cannot figure out how a guy who is hitting .287 with 7 homers and 35 RBIs is slated to be in the Bronx next Tuesday.  We are talking about a guy who is on pace to hit 13 dingers and drive in 65 runs for the year, someone who is not even in the top ten amongs outfielders in hitting, home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, slugging, or OPS.  The only compelling argument is he ranks 4th in runs, 10th in hits and 4th in On-Base Percentage.  It is an utter joke that this guy is starting when you have a player like Philadelphia's Pat Burrell who ranks in the top ten amongst all hitters in the National League in home runs, OBP, and slugging.  Then there is Matt Holliday who is 4th in the league in hitting and OBP and 8th in slugging.

Next on the list is another Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano.  My biggest beef with his selection is that he has missed upwards of 40 games this year.  Had he not gotten hurt he would probably have 20 homers and upwards of 60 RBIs, I just feel like the nod should go to someone who has been getting it done all season long like a Pat Burrell or Carlos Lee who has been amongst the league leaders in extra base hits and RBIs all year long.

The only major transgression on the American League team is the inclusion of Suzuki.  Ichiro has been in a funk all season long and just got his average to the .300 mark over the weekend.  Since he hits for little to no power and does not drive in runs Ichiro really needs to be hitting .350 to warrant inclusion on the All Star Team.  As it is he is only amongst league leaders in runs and stolen bases which hardly is a compelling enough argument for selecting him over the likes of J. D. Drew, who is one of the few reasons Boston is still in the hunt sans Big Papi, and Jermaine Dye, who has been the only consistent bat in the White Sox lineup all year long.  Drew has driven in 30 more runs and has an OPS some .240 points higher than Suzuki while Dye has 3 more homers, one more RBI, and his hitting nine points higher in comparison to Drew.

Me - Partially Torn Ligament in the elbow,

Kelvim Escobar tear in shoulder hurt and hasn't pitched in the big leagues this season,

Jeremy Bonderman - Out for season with surgery (blood clots)

Hideki Okajima - Not hurt but has struggled a lot according to media

Roy Halladay - Hit in the temple on a line drive - Made the All-Star team

Roy Oswalt - Currently Hurt with a bad hip

Tom Gorzelanny - Sent to AAA after struggling with Pirates

Chris Young - Hit in face by a line drive and has been out for awhile

Carlos Zambrano - Just came off the DL with shoulder problems

Brandon Webb - The only guy that goes against this curse...MLB All Star - Great season

That is pretty crazy indeed. I wonder if the guy's on this years list have started worrying yet. The current contenders Jermaine Dye, Pat Burrell, Jason Giambi, Corey Hart, Jose Guillen, Carlos Lee, Evan Longoria, Aaron Rowand, Brian Roberts, and David Wright. Curse or not it would not surprise me at all to see Dye, Burrell, Giambi, Lee and/or Rowand hurt next year (arbitrary thing to say, I know). Or maybe Lee will just stick with hurting other people instead of himself.

In 2006 the candidates were Nomar Garciaparra, Chris Capuano, Bobby Abreu, Billy Wagner, Chris Young, Travis Hafner, Justin Verlander, Ramon Hernandez, Francisco Liriano, and A.J. Pierzynski.

Nomar won the NL spot that year with Pierzynski taking the spot for the AL. In the following year Nomar managed to play 121 games and hit .283. His case doesn't entirely support the curse, but it doesn't hurt the theory much either.

A.J. Pierzynski didn't have an amazing year, but he didn't have a cursed year either.

Chris Capuano went 5-12 in 2007 and went on the 15-day DL in June. He is missing the 2008 season due to Tommy John surgery... Interesting.

Justin Verlander had an All-Star season with 18 wins in 2007. Kinda like Brandon Webb this year.

Travis Hafner flat out sucks this year, but he had a fine year in 2007 and played in 152 games. That's his most for any one season.

Bobby Abreu had relatively outstanding season after getting traded to the Yankees in July 0f 2006. He finished 17th in the MVP voting and he only missed 4 games.

Billy Wagner had a perfectly respectful 2007 season and was put on the All-Star team while recording 34 saves.

Chris Young only had a 9-8 record in 2007 but he also made the All-Star team. He did have a bit of bad luck though during the season when he placed on the DL while leading the major leagues in ERA. But I'd say he had a good season.

Ramon Hernandez was on the DL twice in 2007, but his season really wasn't that bad. The second injury sounds pretty painful "Catcher Ramon Hernandez is back on the 15-day disabled list, this time with a bruised groin. Hernandez was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Seattle's Ben Broussard in the ninth inning on Wednesday." And that makes me think... You should go buy Ben Broussard's music off of iTunes. It's pretty good.

Pat's teammate, Francisco Liriano, did miss the entirety of 2007 due to Tommy John surgery so score one for the curse there. But all in all I'd say if there's a curse it's probably 2007 specific... Anyone else want to look at the year before 2006? Not me, but I'll try to keep an eye on the 2008 guys.

What would happen if the Yankees let go of Bobby Abreu after the 2008 season? Who would the team get to play RF? Of course, that answer is dependent upon the direction the Yankees go with CF, as Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera will continue to battle it out and state their respective cases over the next few months. If Melky can actually produce and I mean, he'd have to go on a legitimate tear in order to put up the necessary numbers, then, he could possibly be our future RF with Gardner in CF. However, judging Melky's play, thus far, I think he'll be hard pressed to hit over .275 with a substantial OPS. In fact, I think Melky will end up being traded either before the AS break or at season's end.

With that said, that would open the CF door for Gardner. Our 2009 OF would consist of Johnny Damon in LF, Brett Gardner in CF and ___________ in RF. I honestly don't think the Yankees will bring Abreu's bat back to the Bronx unless he too can seriously put together an amazing second half (he's done it before). His OBP is declining and Abreu as a player is declining, in general (power, eye, defense), and I don't think he'd be willing to take a one-year deal since he could probably get a multiyear contract elsewhere.

So, what to do? Here are some viable FA options:

1. Pat Burrell (PHIL) - power hitter; has never played RF; will be 32 at the end of the year
2. Juan Rivera (LAA) - an old friend; had a great 2006 before a broken leg derailed his 2007 campaign
3. Moises Alou (NYM) - too old, period
4. Milton Bradley (TXS) - too brittle (and crazy)
5. Raul Ibanez (SEA) - consistent hitter; likely too old and is a LF (with poor defense)
6. Adam Dunn (CIN) - he won't play RF; inconsistent hitter, OBP machine with power; K's galore
7. Casey Blake (CLE) - aging player with position flexibility at 3B and 1B

This list of unimpressive FA's makes you wonder about RF for the Yankees in 2009. Could Bobby Abreu be the best option? His tenure will also depend on the market for his services, as I'm sure the Yankees don't want to get locked into a long-term deal with a declining player. The Yankees can always move Johnny Damon to RF and go with a left fielder, or they can always ask a left fielder to play RF, but it'll be a tough situation for the team and the incoming player (and most of these guys wouldn't be good RF's).

If I had to choose someone from that list, I'd be interested in letting Burrell get a shot and then figuring out a solid defensive configuration, or I'd be open to signing Juan Rivera and seeing what he can do given a full season (he can play both corners). It'll be interesting to see how the Yankees play this one and maybe they'll go the trade route if a FA signing (or Bobby Abreu) won't fill their needs.

There are 2 clear reasons why Pat the Bat should be the winner of this vote.

First...the players in front of him. The leading vote getter is Corey Hart of the Brewers. Are you serious? I don't usually get too opinionated on here, but really...Corey Hart? Let's look at some numbers:

Hart: .296 avg / 14 HR / 55 RBI / 16 BB / .335 OBP / .515 SLG

Burrell: .279 avg / 21 HR / 53 RBI / 66 BB / .412 OBP / .582 SLG

Hart has the average by just over 10 points and the two share similar numbers in RBIs, but look at everything else. Burrell has blasted 7 more home runs (and with the Mets again tonight maybe another long ball). Burrell has drawn 50 more walks. Yes, 50. No longer are these the days of Burrell going to one knee to swing at garbage in the dirt; the man knows how to watch a pitch go by now. This translates to the OBP. Burrell's percentage is almost 75 points higher than Hart's. The advantage in batting average isn't all the matters, it's about getting on base whatever way necessary: Pat does it well, Hart doesn't. Also, Burrell's slugging percentage is well above Hart's.

The other player ahead of Pat? David Wright. Phillies fans...I shouldn't have to say anything more than that to make you vote.

The second reason why Pat deserves this is his extraordinary dedication to the game and the Phillies. His lackluster seasons a few years back are distant memories. Why? He played through it with great determination. He worked on his swing and his patience at the plate. He endured game after game with fans (myself included) boo'ing him constantly. Even if he hit a home run, fans would boo his next at bat if he popped up. Hell, this guy has said publicly that he wants to stay a Phillie. This guy is a model of hard work and determination. GET HIM PAST WRIGHT AND HART!

VOTE FOR PAT BURRELL

Pat Burrell. Man or Machine? Machine.

But in all seriousness, Burrell is a power in this league. He has 239 home runs and 794 RBIs in a Phillies uni. He has piled up 1,112 hits and has 749 walks in his career.

Pat has 0 All-Star appearances, so lets change that now Phils fans...voting ends Thursday at 5pm ET.

VOTE FOR PAT BURRELL

photo from phillies.com

I think there were two additional Phillies who should have made the roster.  Cole Hamels (9-5; 3.22 ERA) should be there -- though he may be named as an injury replacement -- as should Pat Burrell.  Burrell is quietly having a career year (.278/.411/.585; 21 HR; 53 RBI) and really has earned a spot on the team.  Fans can still vote Burrell into the game, however, as he's been added to a short list of players for the "2008 Final Vote".  Of the players on the list, Burrell is -- at least in my opinion -- the most deserving.  So vote now!

C: Brian McCann, ATL

1B: Lance Berkman, HOU Berkman has numbers virtually identical to Albert (1.106 OPS to 1.103) and (190 to 191 in OPS+).  I give a slight edge to the Big Puma because he has played more, so all of his compiled stats are better and he has a slight edge in batting wins.

2B: Chase Utley, PHI It’s hard to pick between him and Uggla.  He’s got a .983 OPS and a 151 OPS+ at second base.  I give him the edge because he’s a bit better of a fielder than the man from Florida.

SS: Hanley Ramirez, FLA Even though the Sox got Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett, his success still makes Red Sox fans slightly sick.  He’s got a .938 OPS and a 149 OPS+.  He’s on pace to hit 40 home runs.  

3B: Chipper Jones, ATL At some point, he will be recognized for the first ballot hall-of-famer that he is.  He has a career 145 OPS+ (A-Rod has a 148).  He has video game numbers with a 1.100 OPS and a 193 OPS+.  He’s been absolutely sick, even with his batting average “falling” to .385.

LF: Pat Burrell, PHI Pat the Bat is the most inexplicably maligned player in the game.  Apparently, no one wants a guy who gives you around a .900 OPS every season.  He’s got a .996 OPS and  155 OPS+.  He’s on pace for about 40 home runs.

CF: Nate McLouth, PIT He’s from my home state of Michigan, and he’s the brother of a friend of a friend of mine.  He’s got an .875 OPS and a 131 OPS+, best of NL Center Fielders.  He’s on pace for 30 home runs.  I give him the edge over Rick “Mitchell Report” Ankiel.

RF: Ryan Ludwick, STL Ludwick’s probably having a career year, but that doesn’t count against you in All-Star voting.  He has the highest OPS (.939) and OPS+ (146) of any right fielder.  

DH: Albert Pujols, STL Pujols is so good his last name doesn’t get punned.  As I mentioned before, 191 OPS+.  Easy pick here.

SP: Edinson Volquez, CIN I had to toy with this one for a while.  Webb, Harden, Lincecum, Hamels and Ben Sheets all have decent cases.  Volquez has been a bit wild with a 1.242 WHIP, but his ERA+ of 200 destroys the next closest, Lincecum, at 171.  He’s first in ERA, first in hits allowed per 9, and first in strikeouts per 9.

Ken Griffey Jr.

I know, he's not been great this year, hitting only .242/.350/.406 but what happened? I think he should have been a pick out of respect for all of baseball, especially with him being "clean" (although we do not know for sure) and joining the 600 home run club. Cal Ripken was pretty bad in his last few seasons, and there is also the case of Barry Larkin in 2004, so why not put Griffey in there? Is this a making of Bud Selig and his minions helping the NL team, and his very good friends, the Milwaukee Brewers, as Griffey was leading by 200,000 votes over Ryan Braun last night? How would Braun get 200,000 votes in 24 hours? I know, Braun is having a great season, and he's an exciting player to watch, but what the hell Selig? And also, Jason Varitek is on the AL team, and he's hitting .219/.301/.360, and he was voted by the players. Yeah, starting and being on the bench are two different things, but putting Griffey in, or even in the bench would not be half retarded. UUIB demands an explanation, and Rory Fitzpatrick says hi.

Johan Santana

He's had a good season, 2.96 ERA and a 7-7 record with the inconsistent Mets, but I still think he should have made it, rather than Brian Wilson, who leads the league in saves, but has not really been good, and the Giants already having a representitive in Lincecum. Cole Hamels would also be someone I would rather have, or Kyle freaking Lohse. Or Chad Billingsley. Or Adam Wainwright.

Pat Burrell

He gets all the opportunities in the world by batting behing Utley, Howard, and Rollins (who should also be on the team) and he's having a great year with an OPS+ of 155 which is 5th in the NL, 21 homers, 4th in the NL in OPS, 5th in OBP, etc etc. It's probably because Nate McLouth is a Pirate, and Matt Holliday and Ryan Ludwick were also very deserving. But Burrell's never been to an All-Star Game, and that's just ridiculous, especially with someone like Miguel Tejada going in, who has an OPS+ of 99 this year. Ridiculous, stupid selection with Miguel Tejada. Burrell would be the next guy I put in if one of the pitchers, or one of the other players gets injured. He also deserves to be voted last player in, since David Wright might get in anyways, because there is the possibility that Jones could opt out of the game due to injury, having been sidelined the past few days. I don't think it's Burrell's fault (or for that matter Jason Bay's fault, as he also got snubbed), that the "fad" Cubs fans voted in a weak player like Alfonso Soriano, who is having a good but not spectacular season. Vote Pat Burrell in, that's a sack of crap that he isn't in.

Those are my choices for All-Star snubs.

Oh, I forgot Xavier Nady. I rag on the guy a lot, especially when he kills the Reds, but he is deserving of a spot this year.

     The Philadelphia Phillies brought down the tee-pee in the Atlanta Braves series last night.  The Phillies defeated the Braves in a 4-1 victory while displaying their prowess in their division by sweeping the Braves both times they met this year in Atlanta.  Cole Hamels showed his ace status by pitching 8-2/3 innings while allowing 5 hits, 1 run, 2 walks and administering 7 strikeouts.  The Phillies offense also showed up for the 3rd consecutive day placing 8 hits on the board with 3 of those hits being homeruns from Chase Utley (24), Ryan Howard (22) and Pedro Feliz (10).  Some other notables are Pat Burrell going 2-4 and Pedro Feliz 3-4 while both of these players are breaking through a hitting slump.  The Phillies are hoping for the reversal of the overall offensive slump that they accrued after sweeping the Braves the 1st time.  Sweeping them the 2nd time around should place them back on track to dominating the N.L. Eastern Division once again.

     Tonight starts the 4 game series with the Phillies hosting the Mets at Citizen Bank Park.  J.A. Happ the rookie sensation will pitch tonight away from his normal home at Coca Cola Park and the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.  Happ (3.54 ERA) which had started for 1 game last year against the Mets is hoping that his new bag of tricks will help defeat his rival Johann Santana (3.01 ERA) which he faces on the mound tonight.  J.A. Happ has proven himself at the AAA level with 3.54 ERA, 38 BB, 104 strikeouts over 101.2 innings pitched.  You can check out more J.A. Happ stats as well as Kris Benson and Brett Myers here.

Image from phillies.com

Designated Hitter: This one was tough to choose since the National League does not have a DH. The solution I came up with was to choose the best hitter who I did not select to start at any other position and I came up with Albert Pujols. He has the second highest OPS in the National League at 1.121, behind only Lance Berkman who plays the same position as him. Pujols also has hit 16 homers and driven in 43 runs while boasting a .358 batting average. He has been injured for some of the year, but has still put up excellent stats, making him deserving to start as the National League's DH.

Catcher: This one was extremely difficult, because there are so many catchers having an exceptional years in the National League. Bengie Molina is having an excellent year, batting .313 and driving in 48 runs. Cubs' catcher Geovany Soto has a .277 average, 12 home runs, and 46 RBI, but the player worthy of starting at catcher is Brian McCann from the Braves. He has a .303 average with 14 home runs and 44 RBI, but he leads all catchers with a .921 OPS, much higher than Molina's .787 OPS and Soto's .869 OPS. That's not to mention the fact that McCann has made only 3 errors all year and has the fewest passed balls in the National League (1) making him the deserving catcher to start for the NL in Yankee Stadium

First Base: There are certainly some excellent candidates here with Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, and Carlos Lee all having very good years, but Houston Astros' first baseman Lance Berkman stands out above all of them. Berkman leads all first baseman with a .367 batting average, is tied for the lead with 21 home runs, and is third in RBI at 63. He has the top slugging percentage and second best on base percentage of all first baseman and has even stolen 12 bases and has only been caught twice. Berkman has made only two errors all year and has compiled a .997 fielding percentage. Berkman is having the best year of his career and there is no doubt he deserves to start at first base for the National League.

Second Base: Chase Utley and Dan Uggla both deserve to start at second base, but only one can. Utley has 22 home runs, 63 RBI, and a .293 batting average while Uggla has hit 23 home runs, knocked in 58 RBI, and boasts a .290 batting average. They are nearly identical in every statistic. They have scored the same number of runs (57) and their fielding percentage differs by .001 (Utley at .982 and Uggla at .983). Utley has 6 more hits than Uggla and has a higher on base percentage, but his slugging percentage is .025 worse then Uggla's slugging so that evens it all out. I really can't decide between the two of them, but the Phillies have had a slightly better season (very slightly) so I will give the edge to Utley.

Shortstop: This one was easier than the other positions. Hanley Ramirez leads all National League shortstops with 17 home runs and also has a .294average and has driven in 34 runs. He has scored the most runs out of all NL shortstops with 67, has even stolen 17 bases, and is dominating in OPS at .909 (more than 50 points ahead of second place Jose Reyes). He has fielded terribly this year, having committed 14 errors already, but his hitting stats out weight the fielding stats and make Hanley Ramirez the deserving shortstop to start for the National League.

Third Base: Third base was another easy choice: Chipper Jones. He leads all of baseball with a .394 batting average and also leads all NL third basemen with 16 homers and is fifth in RBI at 46. Chipper has a monstrous 1.115 OPS, including a .630 slugging percentage. He probably won't hit .400 this year, but Chipper definitely deserves to start at third base for the National League.

Outfielder: A lot of good candidates here. First, I like Ryan Braun who leads all National League outfielders with 20 home runs and is second in RBI at 57 while also possessing a .287 batting average. He has not made an error all season and leads all NL outfielders with 90 hits. Next, is Ryan Ludwick who has hit 16 home runs, has a .286 batting average, and has driven in 56 runs. Most importantly, Ludwick is third in OPS amongst NL outfielders at .944 and has made only 1 error all year. Finally, Pat Burrell should get the final outfield spot. He only has a .272 average, but has walked 60 times to give him a .408 on base percentage. Burrell has hit 19 home runs and driven in 49 runs to give him an OPS of .988, tops among NLoutfielders. Burrell has also not made an error all year and even has 6 assists. There are plenty of other outfielders with similar stats to Braun, Ludwick, and Burrell, but I think those three are just slightly better. Maybe I'm wrong, but those are my selections and I'm sticking to them.

The National League seems to have better hitters than the American League, at least statistically speaking, but the NL is getting destroyed in Interleague play. More on that in a future post, but for now, enjoy these All Star Selections and feel free to post any comments! (Photos: ESPN)

OF David DeJesus-Kansas City Royals

DeJesus is in the midst of an eight game hitting streak where he is batting .406 with three home runs. On the season he is batting .309/.370/.470 for the last place Royals. The Royals are playing some good baseball as of late (8-2 in their last 10) so put DeJesus in your lineup.

P Justin Verlander-Detroit Tigers

Following a horrid start to the season, Verlander struck out 10 over 5.1 IP on Sunday to record his fourth win of the season. His fastball was hitting 98 and he looked really good against the Giants. Since May 20, he has a 2.66 ERA and is finally starting to get the strikeout totals one would expect from a guy who can top 99 MPH with his fastball. His 1.12 WHIP in this time frame is also reason enough to be confident about starting him again.

SS Jeff Keppinger-Cincinnati Reds

Keppinger is back from his broken kneecap and went 1-4 in his first game since he went down on May 13. He was batting .324/.373/.446 until the injury. He was out a long time and a lot of people dropped him so he could be a good option at shortstop or third. Jerry Hairston Jr. got a lot of time at short when Keppinger was hurt, but he too is injured so Keppinger would be expected to handle short with the occasional third base mixed in.

Who's Down?

3B Joe Crede-Chicago White Sox

There was a lot of excitement after Crede's consecutive two homer games but he has cooled off considerably with only one home run since june 7. Keep an eye on Crede though because while he is a little down now, he can get hot in a hurry and get you points. Consider 3B Casey Blake as a sub because he is nine for his last 21 with an RBI in four straight games.

RP Carlos Marmol-Chicago Cubs

Marmol is one of the best setup men in baseball but his last two outings have been nasty. On June 19, he came in against the Rays and walked two on his way to surrendering four earned and earning the loss. Then two days ago, he walked three and gave up a run in an inning against the White Sox. The Cubs agree that they have some work to do with their ace setup man.

OF Pat Burrell-Philadelphia Phillies

Burrell is one for his last 19 and has eight strikeouts in this span (Herpes flareup?). Burrell is having a very good year so far, but you know that if you drafted Burrell, you'd be getting a guy who is prone to prolonged slumps. It's tough giving a power guy like Burrell a day off, but a guy like OF Fred Lewis has been hitting and swiping a few bag lately.

Last night the Phillies lost the 5th straight game to the Halos in a 3-2 hitting blunder by So Taguchi.  Yes, I know that your asking yourself "Who is So Taguchi" ?  Does it help if I say Pat Burrell's Asst. runner boy ?  Gofer ?  No, well let's just say he had better days in St. Louis . . . . .   It would not be fair to say that the Phils lost the game exclusively by So Taguchi's hands or lack there of, but instead a culmination of poor offense in the middle of the order.  Charlie Manuel changed the line-up in hopes of sparking a flame, but all he received was 6 hits and yet, another loss.  I do not want to mention the fact that So Taguchi dropped a routine fly ball in left field on Saturday's game.  I also do want to dwell on his stats, aaahhhhh yeah I do!  Check this out:

• 63 - AB
• .206 - AVG
• .286 - OBP ** He did not improve on this tonight by swinging at ball 3
• 4 - RBI
• 0 - HR
• 14 - Runs ** thanks to Pat Burrell for actually getting on base for him to run.
• 13 - Hits
• .931 - FPCT ** only player worse is T.J. Bohn, yeah that's right the Iron Pigs guy.  Where Taguchi should be . . . . .

Why is he here ??  I would rather have Chris Snelling at least he can hit a ball or take one for the team . . . . .

All I am saying is that the Phils only have a 1 game lead with several tough series coming up.  Right now I do not see them in 1st place going into the All Star break.  Gillick,  hook a man up and get a different bench player other than So Taguchi.  Oh, and yes I do know that it is a team sport and yes So Taguchi is going to take the brunt of my frustration.  Come on win won for Lieberthal !!

The Philadelphia Phillies have the night off to prepare for the upcoming barrage of teams that they must face for the next 22 games until the All Star game.  The Series are as follows:

1. Angels
2. A's
3. Rangers
4. Braves
5. Mets
6. Cardinals
7. Diamondbacks

This is by no doubt a difficult task, but If you research some of the stats it should ease some of your concern.  The Phils also rank in the top 5 in the Major League in Runs, RBI's, HR, and SLG %.  Even with our most recent slump offensively we are well prepared for the road ahead . . . . .  Go Phightins!

The top 5 Batting Averages for regular position players are as follows:

1. .294 - Chase Utley
2. .289 - Jimmy Rollins
3. .280 - Pat Burrell
4. .278 - Shane Victorino
5. .268 - Jayson Werth

The top 5 players for RBI's:

1. 63 - Ryan Howard
2. 62 - Chase Utley
3. 47 - Pat Burrell
4. 33 - Pedro Feliz
5. 28 - Jayson Werth

The top 5 ERA for starting pitchers:

1. 3.23 - Cole Hamels
2. 4.09  - Jamie Moyer
3. 4.57 - Adam Eaton
4. 5.06 - Kyle Kendrick
5. 5.58 - Brett Myers

The top 5 OBP for regular position players:

1. .421 - Pat Burrell
2. .385 - Chase Utley
3. .353 - Jimmy Rollins
4. .351 - Jayson Werth
5. .347 - Shane Victorino

The top 5 HR for position players:

1. 22 - Chase Utley
2. 19 - Ryan Howard
3. 18 - Pat Burrell
4. 09 - Jayson Werth
5. 08 - Pedro Feliz

Since 2000, when Burrell broke in with the Phillies, there are only 23 players who have hit at least 200 homers and driven in at least 750 runs. He is one of them. Alex Rodriguez, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Albert Pujols, Pat Burrell - all on the same chart.

Surprised, right?

That he is one of the top two-dozen power hitters of this era is unquestioned. History surely will view Burrell that way. The reply will come back that more was expected of the first pick of the 1998 draft - and, well, fine.

But if you look at the players who made their major league debut in 2000, Burrell is so clearly the premier slugger of that class that it isn't even arguable. His 236 homers are 70 more than the guy behind him on the table, Aubrey Huff. His 788 RBI are 193 more than Huff. Again, it is not close.

Sure, he could've used better stats than homers and RBI to prove his point (OBP? VORP? EQA?), but he's speaking to an audience that might not be as receptive to those.  Hoffman then follows with a couple humble quotes from Burrell where he gives praise to other players and talks about his teammates.  What a jackass, am I right people?

Hoffman also brings up that horrible 2003 season, putting it in context of his entire career and refusing to let it overshadow Burrell's other years in the pin stripes:

For years, it seems, Burrell has been tied to twin anvils as far as the people of this town are concerned: his huge contract for one, and his disastrous 2003 season for another. That one season, especially - when Burrell hit only .209 - seems unshakeable in the public consciousness. Even as he has built from that, and really taken off in the last 12 calendar months, the past remains predominant somehow.

"That's got something to do with it,'' Burrell said, evenly. "People who play the game for a long time, they do have bad years - some worse than others. Mine was terrible. I think I hit 21 homers that year and I don't remember any of them. I couldn't tell you one of them because it was that difficult of a year ...

"But it made me a better player. To look back and see where I have come from there, it's a world of difference.''

Let's hope that most people have been swayed by his play throughout the past 3 seasons and now understand that there's much more involved with good offensive production than accomplishing feats like a 300 batting average and fanning less than 100 times a year.  This man's services should be retained by the Phillies going into the next several years.  I wouldn't give him more than 12 million a year due to him being on the wrong side of 30, but I see nothing wrong with a 3 year/36 million dollar contract.  Tremendous interest from others teams in the offseason could prevent a contract like that, and with the way he's been playing he's certainly earned a bidding war.  If the Phillies were to let him go, would you be happy with an outfield of Werth-Victorino-Golson-random free agent platooning veteran?  That's what's going to be put out there if Burrell walks.

BTW, I think it's safe to say we settled the debate. Burrell is a hitting machine.

• There's no reason to be surprised or (if you're one of the dozen existing Rays fans) concerned about the Tampa Bay Rays 7 game losing streak. Think of it as a "regression towards the mean." The Rays have some top notch starting pitching among Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Matt Garza, and even Andy Sonnanstine has put up 10 wins, but they're 8th in the American League in runs scored. Their everyday SS, Jason Bartlett, has 9 extra base hits (8 doubles, 1 triple) in 273 at bats! With the exception of rookie Evan Longoria, none of their "big bats" are performing anywhere up to par. From last season to this season, B.J. Upton has gone from a .300/24/82 with a.894 OPS to a .276/6/44 with a .787 OPS; Carl Crawford has gone from a .315/11/84 with a .821 OPS to a .270/8/47 with a .700 OPS; and Carlos Pena has gone from a .282/46/121 with a 1.038 OPS to a .236/14/47 with a .778 OPS. In order for the Rays to seriously compete with the Red Sox for the division crown, they'll need major improvements from just about every offensive player on their roster in addition to adding at least one big right-handed bat and a shortstop with more power than a little leaguer. Realistically, the Rays are a 90-92 win team and serious contenders for a Wildcard berth, which is nothing to laugh at considering their pathetic team history.
• The Yankees are toast. And I'm not just referring to this season, but to next season as well. A team with a salary of over $200 million should NEVER have gone into a season relying on THREE rookie pitchers to carry them. Joba looks like the real deal but don't you think they might be reconsidering not giving up Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Melky Cabrera for Johan Santana now? As it stands, they have somewhere on the order of $75 million coming off the books this offseason (Jason Giambi - $23.5 million, Bobby Abreu - $16 million, Andy Pettite- $16 million, Mike Mussina - $11 million, Carl Pavano - $11 million (remember him), Kyle Farnsworth - $6 million, the main culprits), but as a result they'll have a number of huge holes. With no minor league position players they can realistically fit into their lineup, how do they not offer Mark Teixera 7 or 8 years at $150 plus million as well as $100 million plus to Ben Sheets and/or CC Sabathia? Not to mention, what do they do with Right Field? Do they sign Pat Burrell or Adam Dunn for $50 plus million, move Johnny Damon back to Center and put Melky Cabrera in Right? No matter what way you slice it, the Yankees will be forced to either overpay for position players or trade some or all of their top prospects for a player like Matt Holliday. And yet again, they'll need to completely overhaul their bullpen aside from Rivera. They're a disaster and I'm loving it.
• Most people didn't notice but the Boston Red Sox may very well have won the World Series during last Friday's 7-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles: JULIO LUGO TORE A QUADRICEPS AND WILL BE OUT FOR 4-6 WEEKS! Oh happy day! I'm not sure I've ever mentioned this but I have an almost irrational hatred of Julio Lugo. My enjoyment of watching Red Sox games is seriously hampered by his presence on the team. I would actually rather see him strike out with the game on the line rather than get a basehit at this point because of the possibility that that hit might extend his stay on the Red Sox. Now we get to see talented rookie Jed Lowrie take over -- something which should have happened last season -- and hopefully never give the job up. Julio Lugo getting injured is the equivalent of adding an Albert Pujols or Hanley Ramirez to the lineup, that's how much he detracts from the team by his presence. At this point, I can't see how the Red Sox don't win the World Series -- unless they put Lugo back in the lineup in September that is.
• There are 3 Jewish All-Stars out there tonight: 1B Kevin Youkilis (.314/15/63), 2B Ian Kinsler (.337/14/58), and 3B/LF Ryan Braun (.286/23/66). A pretty nice trio I'd say. I don't know if there are any All-Star Jewish Shortstops on the horizon, but we certainly could put together a nice Jewish infield. Oy!
• My apologies to Cliff Lee, but Roy Halladay should be the starting Pitcher for the AL. I know that Lee has the better record and a slightly better ERA (2.31 to 2.71), but Halladay's 7 complete games and 2 shutouts are remarkable in this day and age. If Halladay were on any other team than the Blue Jays, he would be openly discussed as one of the great pitchers of his generation.
• I'm usually fairly biased when it comes to anything related to Red Sox-Yankees, but there's absolutely no question that Mariano Rivera should be the AL closer over Jonathan Pabelpon. Rivera's had the better season, end of story. But the treatment that Pabelbon and his wife received during this afternoon's Red Carpet parade of All-Stars down Avenue of the Americas, where he was booed unmercifully and some threats were hurled at him and his wife, was typical no-class chickenshit behavior from Yankees fans that was completely uncalled for. Now I hope Rivera is used in the 5th inning or not at all. Maybe they can detonate Yankee Stadium with those ass-clown "fans" sitting in the stands.

Game time! Finally, mercifully!

Whoops, my bad, the longest pre-game introductions in the history of sport continues.

• George Steinbrenner being wheeled out to the mound doesn't quite give the same level of chills as when Ted Williams was brought out at the 1999 Fenway Park, does it?
• Ted Williams at Fenway was one of those special moments that only sports can deliver.
• From my fiancee: "Wade Boggs looks weird. Like a serial killer."
• I think we're possibly within 45 minutes of game time.
• I'm predicting a 6-4 AL victory. The AL's pitching advantage is the difference. But for the first time in a LONG time, I would actually favor the NL's line-up, particularly at the top. Ichiro/Jeter gets schooled by Hanley Ramirez/Chase Utley. You wouldn't know it by listening to Tim McCarver, but Jeter is an average baseball player at this stage of his career. Ichiro has finally brought his average up to .300, but Hanley Ramirez is one of the Top 5 offensive players in the game.

First Inning

Top Half:

- Hallelujah, the game's on!

- I can barely watch the T.V. when Hanley Ramirez is on. To think that I could have been watching him for the past two seasons instead of Julio Lugo!!! Sure, it's nice having Beckett and Mike Lowell, but trading a future Hall-of-Famer always has its drawbacks.

- Wow, Cliff Lee is fired up. Let's hope -- for Cleveland's sake -- that he doesn't overthrow and have to go on the DL like Pedro Martinez did after striking out 5 in a row to start the 1999 All-Star game.

- Nice, quick half inning. 17 more of those and it might make up for the 2 hours worth of pre-game introductions.

Middle Half:

- How is Milwaukee going to deal with the impending free agency of Ben Sheets AND CC Sabathia? I like the trade they made, they saw an opportunity to boast one of the top rotations in the game and they took it -- unlike the New York Yankees, who have quickly grown into chickenshit "let's hold onto all of our precious prospects" mode -- but I doubt the Brewers can sign both. I would sign Sheets if I were them. Sabathia has pitched a lot of innings and would soon look like Jabba the Hut after a year or two of living in Milwaukee.

- What a chump A-Rod is for not participating in the Home Run Derby. The whole "it screws up your swing" meme is complete bullshit and he knows it. You think that Josh Hamilton regrets his experience? A-Rod's a coward, that's why he didn't participate in the Derby. He was afraid of looking bad. While he may undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest players to ever play the game, he'll never be a legend.

Second Inning

Top Half:

- Wasn't Albert Pujols supposed to have blown out an elbow by now?

- Who saw this season coming from Chipper Jones?

- Ryan Braun strikes out! Jews everywhere hang their heads in disgust.

Middle Half:

- That Kevin Costner movie "Swing State" looks painfully bad. My advice: rent the 1993 Clint Eastwood-directed Kevin Costner movie, A Perfect World, instead. Very under-rated film. Highly recommended.

- The Red Sox don't have much choice other than to pick up Manny Ramirez's option for next season. What else are they going to do? Sign Pat Burrell or Adam Dunn to an overpriced 4 or 5 year contract, trade Kevin Youkilis and Craig Hansen to Colorado for Matt Holiday (that was a proposed trade), or give LF to rookie Brandon Moss? It's only a one year commitment, hardly a difficult decision.

- I always liked Milton Bradley. Crazy as all hell, but I'm glad he's doing well for himself. It's doubtful that he'll be able to maintain his equilibrium though -- If I were the Rangers, I'd trade him before the deadline and restock my minor league pitching depth.

- Kevin Youkilis strikes out! The Jews are growing restless!

Third Inning

Top Half:

- Yogi Berra making fun of Derek Jeter. Classic.

- Is there a more pathetic thing in sports than Yankee fans who wear those fake Jason Giambi moustaches? Yay, he's hitting again, so let's forget that he's a steroid-taking, gold thong wearing moron. If the average human body is 60% water, I would guess that Giambi's is 15% water an 45% HGH at this point.

- I wonder if "Fukodome" is actually prounounced "Foo-kay-dome" in Japan? Are there any Japanese out there that can confirm this for me?

Middle Half:

- I also have to say that I loved the Chicago Cubs trade for Rich Harden. Pair him with Carlos Zambrano and that's nice 1-2. Unfortunately Harden is as fragile as a leg-shaped lamp and there's at best a 10% likelihood that he makes it to the post-season in one piece.

- Nobody hits into a smoother double play than Derek Jeter. He's truly a gifted athlete.

Fourth Inning

Top Half:

- Raise your hand if you're excited for the X-Files Movie? Nobody?

- Halladay is a free agent after the 2009 season. It's funny you don't hear any discussion of the Blue Jays considering putting him on the trade block. I would expect they could extract no less than 2 top tier prospects as well as a couple of mid-grade prospects for him.

- What a laser from Ichiro to gun down Pujols at second. There's nothing more enjoyable than having an outfielder on the team you root for who has a gun for an arm like Ichiro or Vlad Guerrero. I still miss Dwight Evans.

Middle Half:

- Madonna? Seriously, A-Rod? That's who you end your marriage for? Just when you thought he couldn't sink any lower, he starts dating a 49 year old woman. He could have had a Paris Hilton/Lindsey Lohan sandwich, but he settled for someone who was born in the 1950s.

Fifth Inning

Top Half:

- Pineapple Express will be a huge hit. I read the screenplay and it is hands-down hilarious. After The Dark Knight it's the movie I'm most looking forward to this summer.

- Home run by Matt Holiday and we have a run on the board!

- If the Rays are serious about this season, Holiday would be a good addition. They certainly have the prospects to get the job done. It's a question of whether they have the desire. I doubt it.

Middle Half:

- I was a little surprised that Billy Beane traded Rich Harden. The As are 7 games over .500 and had a realistic chance at the Wild Card. Methinks Beane might know a little something about the health status of Rich Harden that he's not letting on. To think of all the pitching talent that Oakland has traded over the years -- including Danny Haren, the guy on the mound for the NL -- and they still have the best ERA in all of Major League baseball!

- Ian Kinsler with a stolen base! First the Jews control the media, the banks, and Hollywood, and now we're taking over baseball. What will we think of next?

- Thankfully for Derek Jeter there are already two outs so he can't hit into a double-play...Only a ground out to the pitcher. Rally killed.

Sixth Inning

Top Half:

- If I were Jason Varitek I would be significantly embarrassed to be named to the All-Star team. I know, it's a great honor to be chosen by the players, but have a little self-respect and come up with a "hamstring injury" or something. Is his .218 average the worst in baseball All-Star game history? To think just how much A.J. Pierzynski has to be hated by his fellow players for them to choose Varitek over him.

- Lance Berkman drives a deep out to Sizemore in Center, Hanley Ramirez tags up, and the NL takes a commanding 2-0 lead.

- You can choose to call it classy, but I prefer to see it as Terry Francona embarrassing himself with this whole removing A-Rod and Jeter in the middle of the inning so they can get a big cheer. Terry, have a little respect for yourself. These Yankee fans deserve an opportunity to be dipped in a barrel of feces before they deserve an opportunity to cheer for their hometown clowns.

Middle Half:

- I feel like it's time for a good All-Star game beaning. Milton Bradley is coming up soon. Maybe we could get the first brawl in the history of the All-Star game.

- That was a nice pitch by Haren to strike out Sizemore. Again, I reiterate, it's incredible the amount of talent the As have had to trade.

Seventh Inning

Top Half:

-Apparently Pabelbon's pregnant wife getting threatened by Yankees fans is a lead story on the Nightly News here in Los Angeles. I wonder if this story will get national attention? I ask you, do Yankee fans have any decency?

- Can we all agree that it would be nice if the Minnesota Twins overtook the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central?

- I just saw the the Clippers traded a 2nd round pick to the Nuggets for Marcus Camby. Good move by the Clippers, I'm shocked. Camby's only under contract for 2 seasons and will improve their interior defense signifcantly. Probably not the move that Clippers fans were hoping for after losing Elton Brand, but they may be better off in the long run.

Middle Half:

- Wait, Corey Hart is in right field? Is he wearing his sunglasses at night?...Sorry.

- Edwin Volquez really does look like a young Pedro Martinez out there. He brings the ball up higher before his release, but very similar to Martinez.

- J.D. DREW ties it up with a 2 run jack! I think I've mentioned this before, but J.D. Drew's emergence into an All-Star this season has me worried that the apocalypse is just around the corner. I will never be shocked by anything for the rest of my life after his turn-around.

Eighth Inning

Top Half:

- If I were Jonathan Pabelbon, I would just turn and start firing pitches into the stands. Fucking cowards.

- And the next time the Red Sox face New York, I'd plug a few Yankees batters for good measure.

- Yankees fan start chanting "over-rated," which of course is a chant they stole from Boston Celtics fans. How pathetic. I have a chant for Yankee fans: how about "YEAR 2000!...YEAR 2000!...YEAR 2000!"

- NL takes a 3-2 lead after Navarro throws a ball into centerfield, allowing Tejada to get to third and score on a sac fly.

Middle Half:

- You know what, it might be a good thing if the AL loses, because that way the Red Sox would be able to celebrate at Fenway Park after their 4 game sweep of the World Series.

- Hey, were you aware that this is the last season at Yankee Stadium?! Shouldn't they have been drilling that into our heads every 5 minutes for the entire length of the game?

- I'm going to go out on a limb and predict 10 All-Star appearances for Longoria's career. He ties the game with a double down the left field line.

Ninth Inning

Top Half:

- K-Rod is into the game. Apparently he has 38 saves on the season! I take back my earlier comment that Rivera should be closing this game. He'll be a free agent this offseason, can you say 5 years, $55 million?

- Oh please God, let Rivera blow this game.

- Seriously, Terry, neither Rivera nor his mongrel fans deserve your deference.

- Oh well, strike em out, throw em out and the inning is over.

Middle Half:

- C'mon Kinsler, hit a walk-off. Do it for the Jews!

- Oh my sweet Lord, the Yankees are coming to Fenway Park next week! Let's pray that Radio Shack is stocked up on batteries!

- Kinsler strikes out. First the Exodus and now this! Haven't we suffered enough?

- J.D. is going hit another one, I can feel it...and he strikes out.

Tenth Inning

Top Half:

- Rivera's still out there. I like Terry's strategy now: wear out Rivera in the All-Star game before the Yankees come to town next week. Brilliant.

- 1st and third with one out. Rivera may blow this yet.

- Crap, double play. It looks like Rivera will get out of the game unscathed...unless Terry is thinking of bringing him out there for a third inning? That would be too good, but it's not happening.

Middle Half:

- Uggla was Uggly on that play.

- Uggla does it again, right through the wickets and it's first and third with no outs. Oh right, Uggla was also the batter who just hit into the double play. You think he might just want to dig a hole out at second base right about now?

- Walking the bases loaded. I like the strategy, not much else you can do at this point.

- Oh thank goodness Uggla didn't choke on that one, might have scarred him for life. One out, bases still loaded.

- Longoria up with a good chance to be MVP if he can get the run home...And he grounds out feebly to third and there's two outs. This game has had quite the ending.

- WOW, what a play by Tejada! He has to charge hard, the ball hits the lip of the glass, he fields it and then he makes a powerful off-balance throw to just catch the runner! How about Aaron Cook's performance under pressure there?

- How excited is Uggla right now?

Eleventh Inning

Top Half:

- If this game ends in a tie, I am going to be SO pissed off for spending my entireevening doing this live blog. If I do a live blog, I'm going to pretty much demand that I at least get to see a winner and a loser.

- Rafael Soria pitches to Christian Guzman -- quite the parade of stars.

- Well, that half inning was quite a downer from the theatrics of bottom of the tenth. Let's hope this game ends soon.

Middle Half:

- Kinsler with a lead-off single! The Jews may rise again!

- Kinsler caught stealing on a pitch-out! And he wasn't even tagged by Tejada! These umpires are all anti-Semites, I tell ya!

- J.D. Drew singles up the middle which should have been the game-winning hit. He still might get the MVP unless there's a walk-off home run.

- What a play at the plate! Great throw by McLouth, great block by Martin. There's nothing better than a bang-bang play at the plate.

- On to the 12th. My fiancee is NOT happy.

Twelfth Inning

Top Half:

- I promised to get my fiancee Pinkberry when the game is over so I think I've bought myself another inning or two.

- What the hell kind of flip was that from Morneau? This isn't a egg-tossing contest, throw the ball!

- Then Morneau fields a bunt that was going foul. Is he trying to make Dan Uggla feel better about himself?

- Francona decides to walk the bases loaded.

- Longest game in ASG history. Figures.

- Uggla strikes out. Is it possible to retroactively revoke a player's All-Star selection?

- A pitching change? Seriously, Terry? This might have been one of his worst coached games ever. I'm dying.

Middle Half:

- Carlos Guillen DEEP TO LEFT...and it's off the wall. It's officially the game that never ends.

- Uggla almost boots another one, but gets the out. Will they walk the bases loaded and try for the double play?

- Nope, they bring the infield in. Strange, I would have at least put a runner on at first base and tried for a conventional double play.

- Longoria strikes out and the fiancee is getting very restless.

- Now they intentionally walk Morneau and Kinsler again has the chance to be the hero.

- Kinsler grounds out to third. Maybe he's only half-Jewish?

Thirteenth Inning

Top Half:

- I'm slowly losing my will to live, but I'll press on.

- How long before one of those broken maple bats lodges into a pitcher's face?

- Now I'm starting to wonder, what happens if the AL runs out of pitchers? Scott Kazmir threw 104 pitches on Sunday so he won't be able to go too long. Will they have to bring in a position player? In which case would Kazmir have to play in the outfield? Or will they just call it a tie? This is incredibly intriguing.

- Was George Sherrill and his 4.08 ERA really the best that the Orioles had to offer this season? I can't tell you how thankful I am not to be an Orioles fan.

Middle Half:

- Someone named Carlos Marmol is now in the game to pitch for the NL. Even Peter Gammons is scrambling for his program to figure out who this guy is.

- Marmol has an ERA of 13.50 for his last 12 appearances. My mistake, All Star all the way.

- Oh my dear Lord, ANOTHER error for Uggla? I feel like the crowd at the end of Braveheart: Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!

- J.D. Drew steals a base. He can taste that MVP trophy now. He will NOT be denied.

- I'm guessing that Marmol is a Dominican based on his Pedro Martinez-like delivery. This is incredible: there must be an entire generation of Dominican pitchers who based their delivery on Pedro and will soon decend on Major League Baseball. I'm very excited.

Fourteenth Inning

Top Half:

- McLouth drills it to right, back, back, back! And J.D. Drew brings it it at the wall. I could have sworn that one was long gone. It was like the hand of God kept that one in the park. This game might not be ending anytime soon.

- And Russell Martin clocks one deep to right...and Drew catches it just short of the track. What's it going to take?

- You can't deny George Sherrill, son! On to the bottom of the 14th.

Middle Half:

- Why is Clint Hurdle using Brandon Webb when he has Brad Lidge still in the bullpen?? Webb also pitched on Sunday and the D-Backs didn't want him in the game. This makes absolutely no sense.

- And Brandon Webb mows the poor AL down.

Fifteenth Inning

Top Half:

- Scott Kazmir is in the game. Now I'm really hoping that this game goes beyond this inning and we find out what happens when the AL runs out of pitchers. What recourse does Major League Baseball have if there's a tie? It's not like they can retroactively declare that the league that has the better record in interleague play has home field advantage in the World Series, can they? I bet they'll have to do something stupid like a coin flip. Too funny.

- Kazmir walks Wright but gets a one pitch groundout from Guzman. My vision is growing blurry. At least I live on the West Coast and it's not even 11 PM yet.

Middle Half:

- Now Brad Lidge is in the game, the last pitcher for the NL. Oh please let this game make it to the 16th inning!

- Leadoff single by Morneau. You know the AL is going to win now that I want it to continue.

- Ryan Ludwick makes a great diving catch on Ian Kinsler. Anti-Semite!

- Dioner Navarro singles to center and J.D. Drew is up with the MVP on the line. One lousy, little single and he's got it.

- J.D. walks. He's now been on base three times with a steal and has 2 RBIs. He may have the MVP yet.

- Young with a fly to right...play at the plate...SAFE! Wow, that was close. He might have made it by a toe. AL WINS!

- Terry Francona is a little TOO excited. Eleven wins in a row for the American League. I guess the Red Sox will be celebrating in Chicago or Arizona this year. Alas.

- J.D. Drew gets the MVP after all. Suck it Yankees fans, suck it! Ha ha!

Peace, I'm out of here.

NL Lance Manly All-Stars:

SP- Edinson Volquez, 2.29 ERA, 126 Ks.

C-Brian McCann, 18 HRs, .940 OPS.

1B-Lance Berkman, 22 HRs, 1.096 OPS. A tough decision between Pujols and Lance Berkman, but a nickname like "the Big Puma" puts Berkman over the top.

2B-Dan Uggla, 23 HRs, .978 OPS. Another close call but Lance favors Ugly Uggla over Utley.

3B-Chipper Jones, 18 HRs, 1.086 OPS. Russell Branyan didn't play enough games to qualify, otherwise it would've been close.

SS-Hanley Ramirez, 23 HRs, .957 OPS. "El niño" is manly enough for Lance.

OF-Adam Dunn, 26 HRs, .918 OPS. We at Charging the Mound are very confused as to why no one seems to like Dunn right now.

OF-Ryan Ludwick, 21 HRs, .962 OPS. Do we expect to find Ludwick receiving any postseason awards? No, but you have to give credit where credit is due.

OF-Pat Burrell, 21 HRs, .979 OPS.

Check back in tomorrow for the AL Lance Manly's.

Despite the Phil's loss, Saturday still proved to be a good day in Philly. The 1st-seeded Soul defeated the Cleveland Gladiators 70-35 to advance to ArenaBowl 22. One memorable play came in the 3rd quarter, when Mike brown of the Soul was returning a kickoff. Cleveland's kicker Jason Ball dove to stop Mike Brown, but he hurdled over him and scored a touchdown. This is the first time the Soul won the division, the conference, and hopefully, the ArenaBowl.

Mets' starter Pedro Martinez picked up win number three and struck out six. Home Run Derbyer Chase Utley led the Phillies on the comeback trail hitting his 25th home run. Pat Burrell hit his 22nd, Ryan Howard his 24th and Geoff Jenkins his 7th. The Phillie fell short after Jayson Werth flied out to Endy Chavez to end any threat of a comeback.