MLB Second Half

Sorry folks, not a lot of service in northern Minnesota.

After the N.L. finally won the all star game, its time to exam all the division races and the trade deadline.

The surprising Division leaders in the N.L( Reds, Braves,& Padres) have shocked the baseball world. I think the Braves will hold on to their lead, but the Reds and Padres will fall to the Cardinals and Rockies, respectively. The Wild Card will then come down to the Reds and Padres, plus possibly the Dodgers if they can add another starting pitcher. The Phillies will have to much ground to make up when they get fully healthy.

In the A.L, my picks are the Yankees, Tigers, and Rangers, with the Rays fighting the Angels for the Wild Card. The White Sox can contend if they add a bat, but i think starting pitching is a problem for them now that Peavy is out. Red Sox have way to many injuries and won't make a major splash before the trade deadline.

My mid season World Series pick is the Yankees vs the Rockies.

18 Big Names that might be on the move:

Adam Dunn

Dan Haren

Roy Oswalt

Prince Fielder

Ted Lilly

Jake Westbrook

Ricky Nolasco

David Dejesus

Matt Capps

Joakim Soria

Pudge Rodriguez

Derek Lee

Lance Berkman

Josh Willingham

Corey Hart

Jason Werth

Ryan Theriot

Dan Uggla

We could see upwards of 2/3 of these names on the move, or as low as only 5. It all depends how much the buyers are willing to part with.

Home Run Derby

First off, i had more yawns(7) than Home runs by the first two batters(3).

• I'm glad Big Papi finally got his first HR derby championship under his belt on his fourth try.
• Good to see the young gun Hanely Ramirez show off his power skills. He is known more for his glove and average than his power, but definitely showed it off today.
• $573,000,000 was awarded to The Boys and Girls Club of America by State Farm. Way to hit those gold balls boys!
• I can not wait till Bryce Harper gets into this event. If he does anything close to what he did at Tropicana Field( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liS3kGvQ9Bk) they may have to cancel the All-Star game.
• It's good to see the players out of their tense mode and interacting with each other and the fans. But come tomorrow, its all business as Home Field advantage is on the line.

What upcoming star do you want to see in a derby?

World Cup Recap

Before the World Cup, i was hardly a Soccer fan. I could care less who did what in the Europe League or how qualifying went. Now, this past month i have really gotten into the sport. Here are some of the moments that really stood out to me over this past month.

1. The U.S. Run: They actually won the group stage and the game against Algeria was pure storybook.
2. Switzerland over Spain: No one in a million years expected this. Im pretty sure Spain forgot about this already.
3. French Team: What a joke, they make the Minnesota T'Wolves look like a true team.

Best Player: Forlan, Uruguay- 5 goals and made an average team reach the semis.

Biggest Surprise: No African team went deep into the tournament except Ghana.

Biggest Disappointment: the 2006 finalist teams( Italy/France) failed to make it to the knockout stage.

Best Game: Ghana vs Uruguay-EPIC

Most annoying- vuvuzelas

Best Celebration dance- South African team after scoring first goal of the tournament.

Bulls Future

Even though the Bulls struck out this year for the big free agents, they still moved in the right direction. They added a very solid post player in Boozer, who will go along well with Joakim Noah and help develop Taj Gibson. They went out and added shooters,( Korver, Redick) which they desperately needed. They should try to bring back Brad Miller for some veteran leadership and try add 1 more guard(Nate Robinson or Shannon Brown would be a good fit)

Moving forward, they have positioned themselves to be players once again in the 2011 free agency pool. They will have to sign Noah to an extension,( and possible Rose) but still should be able to offer a max contract. Carmelo Anthony has a good shot to be out on the market and he would be the perfect fit for the Bulls. If that doesn't work out, Rashard Lewis could be available from Orlando, but it would likely cost the Bulls at least Taj Gibson and a draft pick. The Bulls still have one more summer to get it right.

All Star Game

I personally can not wait for the upcoming All Star game. I think it will be a low scoring game that will come down to pitching and defense in the end. The NL has a strong staff featuring, Ubaldo Jimenez, Roy Halladay, Josh Johnson,and Tim Lincecum to name a couple. They also have plenty of power of the bench, including 3 first baseman,( Votto, Howard, Gonzalez) not to mention Albert Pujols as the starter.

On the AL side, the starters are solid all through the field. Jeter might actually hit last!( Hows that for an all star game lineup?) And keep a look out for the AL's big 4 lefty pitchers. Cliff Lee,( who will still represent the Mariners) Jon Lester, young ace David Price, and South Sider Matt Thornton.

Some snubs i thought were deserving:

• 2 South Siders- Alex Rios ( .305 14 HR 47 RBI) Paul Konerko ( .299 20 HR 63 RBI)
• LAA-Jered Weaver ( 8-4 2.97 ERA)
• SD- Matt Latos (10-2 2.45 ERA0
• Det- Brennan Boesch ( .345 .605 SLG0

One last note, I am glad to see more middle relief pitchers head to Anaheim. They deserve more respect and attenttion for the role they play for their teams. 3 were chosen this year, Arthur Rhodes(Cin) Matt Thornton (CWS) Evan Meek (PIT)

Leave comments or your snubs

Free Agency

Now that the Free Agency frenzy is pretty much over, lets go over some of the highlights.

• Obviously, the big winner was the Miami Heat. Adding 3 major superstars to your team makes you an instant Championship contender. People should stop talking about of how it won't work, like who should take the last shot or run the team. All 3 are professionals and will do what it takes to win. Give the last shot to the hottest hand during that game and/or whoever has the mismatch. Give the Heat another solid guard( have been linked to Mike Miller and Derek Fisher) and some big bodies to defend the paint, and a championship can be within reach in Year One.
• The Bulls did not come out with any of the top free agents, but i do feel they improved immensely. Boozer will be solid next to Noah, and they added shooters to go along with Rose at the point. What I also like is that they still have enough money left over to offer a max contract to someone next year. Do I smell Carmelo here?
• My winners of free agency besides the Heat are the Knicks and Suns. The Knicks grabbed a superstar in Amare and got a solid player in Raymond Felton at point. Plus, look for them to be aggressive next year during free agency. I felt the Suns replaced Stodemire fine by reataining Channing Frye and signing Hakim Warrick form the Bulls. Look for them to compete again in the West.

MLB trade rumors

Now that the halfway mark is upon us in the MLB season, here are some possibilities that might happened between now and July 31st:

• The Sox have now shown they can compete in the AL Central. Can they pull a trigger though for an arm or a bat? Peavy is now gone for the year and Cliff Lee is off the market. Roy Oswalt, Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano have all been linked to possible trades. All are unlikely though because of their high salaries, and Kenny Williams is reluctant to take them on.
• If the Sox go after a bat, Adam Dunn and Prince Fielder are at the top of their wish list. They would provide immediate help in the middle of the lineup and could replace Paul Konerko if he does not come back next year.
• The Sox have plenty of prospects to move if they choose to, including, Jordan Danks, Tyler Flowers,Dan Hudson, and Dayan Viciedo
• Cub's fans, beware. At least 2 of these 5 names will not be with you in August and beyond: Aramis Ramirez, Derek Lee, Kosuke Fukudome, Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano. With the Cubs falling deeper and deeper into the cellar of the NL Central, teams will be dialing up Jim Hendry's number to strike a deal. DLee has the best chance to go, according to sources, that indicate the Angels are very high on him. The Cubs may try to move Alfonso Soriano if they can find any takers.

With the hot stove of July cooking up, it will be interesting to see who lands where

Leave any comments or opinions below