Are you @#$#&^% kidding me?!?

Since I was working most of the day, I missed the 4 pm trade deadline, and all of the excitement (or disappointment, for some) it brings. Lance Berkman was traded from the Houston Astros to the Evil Empire, Ryan Ludwick ends up in San Diego as part of a three-team deal that also sent Jake Westbrook to St. Louis, and the Yankees also added another bullpen arm in Kerry Wood. While some of the more flashy deals did not go down, one of those in particular caught my eye.

Apparently, after the deadline passed, news emerged that the White Sox tried to land Manny Ramirez in a deal. That's right, THE Manny Ramirez. The Sox were not willing to give anyone up for him, but they were willing to pay the Dodgers $1 million of his remaining $6.7 million of his contract, which ends after this season. Ramirez is on the DL right now, and wouldn't be available until sometime in August. As you might have expected, the Dodgers said "no" to this offer.

While I cannot blame GM Kenny Williams for trying to make this team better at any cost, why would you go after someone who has as much baggage as Ramirez? He already has a reputation for not necessarily giving his full effort out on the field, and with his numbers being sub-par for his standards this year (.317 average, eight home runs and 39 RBIs), he hasn't exactly earned a free pass for that type of play. Plus, wasn't the goal at the beginning of the year for the Sox to become a more athletic, versatile team? While Ramirez would have been featured exclusively at DH if he joined the Sox, I don't think he has enough power left in him at this point in his career to justify acquiring another base-clogger on the basepaths. While Andruw Jones and Mark Kotsay aren't exactly the best hitters on the team, the platoon of those two has been working out just fine so far.

Also, the mixture of Ozzie Guillen and Manny Ramirez has the potential to become very volatile, very quickly. I cannot imagine what would happen if Ozzie felt Manny was not giving his best effort out there on the field (or better yet, on the basepaths). However, the club seems to click in spite of the distractions surrounding them (like the Guillen/Williams near fist-fight over the spot Ozzie's son was selected in this year's draft). Despite that, I'm sure that Manny Ramirez is one more distraction the Sox could do without. We'll see what happens with the Sox in the next month, since the waiver deadline is on August 31.

In the meantime, let's hope that the Sox can pull one out tomorrow and take two of three from the A's heading into this week's big series against Detroit!

Welcome Back!

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome you back to this blog. I would like to offer you my sincere apologies for my prolonged absence from here, mainly because school nearly had me in a choke hold over during April, May, and part of June. Now that school has been out for over a month, I can get back to offering you my opinions on the world of baseball, with special attention to the Sox.

A lot has happened since I was last here with you. There have been a whopping five no-hitters, two of which were perfect games. We have also witnessed one of the most agonizing near-misses in the history of no-hitters/perfect games, when Armando Galarraga came within inches of perfection, only to have it snatched from his hands by an errant call from first base umpire Jim Joyce.

In addition to the rash of no-hitters that have been thrown this year, there have also been remarkable stand-outs in the world of pitching. Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies, despite slowing down in recent weeks, has still been one of the best pitchers in baseball, as he continues to sport a 16-2 record, with a 2.67 ERA. Josh Johnson has also been right on Jimenez's heels in the National League Cy Young race, as he is featuring a 10-3 record and a major league-best 1.72 ERA. Other major league pitchers that are having standout seasons include Adam Wainwright and Jaime Garcia of the St. Louis Cardinals, David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays, Cliff Lee of the Texas Rangers and Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Also, who could forget about the dynamic debut of Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals? Before he went on the DL yesterday with shoulder stiffness, he has been rock solid in his rookie year, going 5-2 with a 2.32 ERA and with an excellent strikeout-to-walk ratio of 75-15 in 54.1 innings. You could almost make the case that what Bob Costas said during his first start was correct: the performance has exceeded the hype.

Plus, there have been many compelling division races in baseball through this point of the season. There have been many surprises in the National League, including the outstanding performances put on by the San Diego Padres and the Cincinnati Reds, who are both leading their respective divisions as of July 30. Also, the Atlanta Braves have returned to their perch atop the National League East, as they continue to lead their division by two and a half over Philadelphia.

There has been just as many surprises in the American League as well. The Chicago White Sox, who trailed the Minnesota Twins by a whopping nine and a half games on June 8, have stormed back to take the division lead, as they are up by a game and a half entering tonight's play. The Texas Rangers, after acquiring ace pitcher Cliff Lee in a trade with the Seattle Mariners, have plowed ahead of the Angels and A's, leading the West by eight and a half entering tonight. In addition to those races, the Rays and Yankees are continuing their battle atop the AL East, as the Yankees lead by two games over Tampa entering tonight.

Also, who can forget about the trade deadline tomorrow? There has already been a flurry of activity, as we have already seen Roy Oswalt get dealt from Houston to Philly, Edwin Jackson get dealt from Arizona to the South Side of Chicago and Matt Capps get dealt from Washington to Minnesota in just the last couple of days. With tomorrow's 4 pm deadline still looming, we should not be surprised to see more big trades go down in the next several hours.

It has been an absolute blast following baseball this summer (as it always is), and it has been even more of a blast watching the Sox make an incredible comeback to take over first place in the Central. With two months left before the postseason, you can all but gurarantee that there will be a lot more fun surprises headed our way in MLB. Rest assured, that whenever those surprises occur, I'll try to give you my thoughts on at least some of them! Once again, I would like to offer you my most sincere apologies for my prolonged absence, and you will definitely hear back from me soon!

2010 MLB Predictions

Welcome back everybody! I apologize for my prolonged absence, as school had me bogged down for the past month. We are fast approaching New Year's Day for many baseball fans, as Opening Day is just days away. Since most of the teams have their 25-man rosters set, we can finally take a look at how each team will likely finish in 2010. Who will be left standing at the finish line at the end of October (or, in these days, early November)? Here are my predictions, beginning with the good ol' American League (the asterisk denotes my pick for the Wild Card):

American League East

1.) New York Yankees- With their strong lineup and starting rotation, getting back to October should be no problem at all for the Bronx Bombers.

2.) Boston Red Sox*- The strength they lost in their lineup (Jason Bay) they made up for by strengthening their rotation, as the signing of John Lackey bolsters an already formidable starting five. When you combine a strong starting rotation with a lineup that is still pretty good even without Bay, you have yourself a playoff team.

3.) Tampa Bay Rays- While this is a solid team on paper, they are not quite good enough to take down New York and Boston. Expect Carl Crawford trade rumors to surface if they begin to slip early.

4.) Baltimore Orioles- The O's have a great young nucleus in their lineup and a whole stable of young pitchers ready to make their mark in the big leagues. They probably will not contend this year, but if all goes well, New York, Boston and Tampa Bay better watch out in 2011-2012. The Birds are almost back.

5.) Toronto Blue Jays- Cito Gaston's final season as a manager won't be nearly as pleasant as Bobby Cox's will be in Atlanta, and that is a shame. The team is practically in a rebuilding mode since trading Roy Halladay, and they will miss him dearly in the starting rotation. It remains to be seen who will step up and become the ace of the staff, whether it will be Opening Day starter Shawn Marcum or Ricky Romero, whose performance last year almost earned him Rookie of the Year honors. Also, look for Adam Lind and Aaron Hill to be the anchors of an otherwise porous lineup.

American League Central

1.) Chicago White Sox- The Sox easily have the best starting five in the division, and an argument can be made for whether or not they have the best five in the American League. If all goes well between Mark Buehrle, Jake Peavy, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Freddy Garcia, their lineup will not have to score that many runs to win games.

2.) Minnesota Twins- The whole baseball world will be watching to see how well the Twins will play outdoors this season. My guess is that they will be just fine. The Twins will bring back a solid starting lineup, and a decent rotation that is not quite as good as Chicago's, but will be good enough to keep them in ballgames. Missing Joe Nathan will probably hurt this club, but remember, these are the Twins. They always seem to find a way. Don't be surprised if the AL Central comes down to another one-game playoff.

3.) Detroit Tigers- Despite the addition of Johnny Damon, expect the Tigers to be a bit weaker this year. They will miss Edwin Jackson in the starting rotation this year, and they will be starting two rookies this year in the field (Austin Jackson in center field, Scott Sizemore at second base). While Jackson and Sizemore have a lot of upside, they are still unproven. An aging Magglio Ordonez in right field will not necessarily help matters, either.

4.) Kansas City Royals- We all know about Zack Greinke, who was last year's Cy Young Award winner. Nonetheless, what about some of the other young talent on this team? Will Billy Butler continue his ascent as a major league hitter, or will he fall victim to inconsistency? Will Luke Hochevar live up to his potential and provide another stabilizing force in the starting rotation, or will be become plagued with inconsistency? Ownership can continue to tell Royals fans to be patient, but considering that it has been 25 years since they made the playoffs, patience has to be running very thin in Kansas City. On-field progress of the team as a whole needs to be seen soon.

5.) Cleveland Indians- Has any team fallen faster in the last three seasons? They went from being just one win away from clinching the AL Pennant in 2007 to finishing in the AL Central basement last year. Between a bad starting rotation and a mediocre lineup that has only two bright spots (Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo), things will probably get worse for the Tribe this year.

American League West

1.) Los Angeles Angels- They may have fallen back towards the pack a bit after losing some key people to free agency (primarily third baseman Chone Figgins and right fielder Vladimir Guerrero), but the Halos still have what it takes to win their fourth consecutive division title. They don't have the sexy one-two punch at the front of their starting rotation like Seattle does, and they may not have a blistering offense like Texas does. What they do have is a good balance between the two; they feature a strong starting five that as a whole, is more complete than Seattle and a lineup that can manufacture runs more efficiently than Texas.

2.) Seattle Mariners- They have the good one-two punch at the front of their rotation in Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee, and they added Chone Figgins in the offseason as well to give their lineup more speed. However, the back three of their rotation is still very suspect, and their lineup still needs more pop to keep up with the Angels. If they want to take down Mike Scioscia's boys in L.A., they'll have to give them a taste of their own medicine by manufacturing runs themselves.

3.) Texas Rangers- Team President Nolan Ryan is predicting 92 wins and a division title from this club, who has not seen the postseason in 11 years. They certainly have the bats to carry them, but will their pitching hold up? Can staff ace Scott Feldman provide an encore performance of what he did last year? We'll see.

4.) Oakland Athletics- They aren't the worst team in baseball, but they certainly are the most boring one by a mile.



National League East

1.) Philadelphia Phillies- The addition of Roy Halladay, along with an absolutely explosive lineup, will ensure the Phils of their fourth straight division championship.

2.) Atlanta Braves*- Let the Jason Heyward show begin. The presence of this 20-year-old right fielder will ignite a spark throughout this team, and his play will be a major contributing factor to Atlanta making their first postseason appearance since 2005. The Braves also feature a solid starting rotation that will also help carry them to October.

3.) Florida Marlins- Much like their in-state brethren to the north, this will be a good team, but not good enough to take down Philly and Atlanta. Their rotation is suspect beyond Jason Johnson and Ricky Nolasco, and their lineup, as a whole, can be streaky at times.

4.) New York Mets- Now that the Mets play in a park where home runs go to die, they really need to become stronger in pitching and defense. Signing Jason Bay does not exactly help with this, especially since the Mets are in desperate need of pitching beyond Santana. I would not be surprised at all if manager Jerry Manuel and General Manager Omar Minaya were shown the door at the end of the season if the Mets do not contend.

5.) Washington Nationals- The Nasty Nats won't be good this year, but the day they call up Stephen Strasburg will be one of excitement in the Nation's Capital. It should also be interesting to see who they take with the number one overall pick in this year's draft, too.

National League Central

1.) St. Louis Cardinals-- The Redbirds will be flying high back into October, on the strength of their four best players: Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright.

2.) Chicago Cubs- The talent is there, but will they stay healthy? Plus, getting rid of Milton Bradley should help with the clubhouse morale this year, too. I do not expect them to make the playoffs, but I expect them to perform better than they did last year.

3.) Cincinnati Reds- They probably won't contend this year, but if everybody stays healthy, a winning season should definitely be a lock for Dusty Baker's crew.

4.) Milwaukee Brewers- Outside of Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee will have their adventures with their rotation. Look for a lot of slug fests with the Brew Crew this summer.

5.) Pittsburgh Pirates- They have a decent young core in their starting lineup and their rotation was not dreadful at all last year. Since Garrett Jones and Andrew McCutchen will both be with the team for the entire season, the Bucs will avoid the NL Central basement for the first time since 2006. Unfortunately, they will endure their 18th consecutive losing season.

6.) Houston Astros- This team has been slowly eroding over the last few years. Lance Berkman will have his injury woes throughout the season, and their rotation is very thin behind Oswalt. If Oswalt misses any time, this team will be doomed to a last-place finish.

National League West

1.) Colorado Rockies- Get ready for Rocktober, part three. The lineup is already rock solid (pun intended) and if the pitching lives up to expectations, there will be no second-place for the Rockies this year. They will be champions of the NL West.

2.) Los Angeles Dodgers- Will the lineup produce enough to keep up with Colorado? Also, the divorce of the Dodger's owner will be a very big distraction this summer.

3.) San Francisco Giants- They have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, but they also have one of the more anemic lineups in the game, too. The lack of quality bats on this team will cost them.

4.) Arizona Diamondbacks- If Brandon Webb returns to form, they will have a great one-two-three punch at the top of their rotation, along with Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson. Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds will also be tough outs once again for opposing pitchers. While the rest of their lineup is talented, they are also very inconsistent. This inconsistency has doomed the team each of the last two years, and this year will not be any different.

5.) San Diego Padres- Outside of Adrian Gonzalez, I dare you to name three people on this team. This team is largely unknown, but Kyle Blanks should garner some attention with his power bat this summer. Expect trade rumors for Adrian Gonzalez to pick up steam this summer, as well.

Postseason

American League Division Series
New York Yankees defeat Chicago White Sox 3-2
Los Angeles Angels defeat Boston Red Sox 3-2

American League Championship Series
Los Angeles Angels defeat New York Yankees 4-2

National League Division Series
Philadelphia Phillies sweep St. Louis Cardinals 3-0
Colorado Rockies defeat Atlanta Braves 3-1

National League Championship Series
Philadelphia Phillies defeat Colorado Rockies 4-3

World Series
Philadelphia Phillies defeat Los Angeles Angels 4-1

Spring Training Has Finally Arrived

Finally, just when you think you cannot deal with winter any longer, pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training, and at last, you begin to think warm thoughts once again. Just watching ballplayers perform the simple tasks of jogging and playing catch on sun-drenched fields in Florida and Arizona gets fans in northern cities (myself included) all excited about the prospects of warmer weather on the horizon, and with that, the prospect that this year will finally be their team's year. Everybody starts over again, every team is in first place, and every team believes that this will be the year that things come together. If Opening Day is the baseball fan's equivalent to New Year's Day, then the day that pitchers and catchers report might as well be New Year's Eve, for the anticipation of what is to come is easily on par with the last day of the calendar year.

While every team has reason for optimism, there are some teams that are really licking their chops about the potential the 2010 season may hold for them. In the American League, the Yankees return as the obvious favorites to not only win the pennant, but to win it all again. However, the road to a repeat will not be easy for them, as they have to contend with the always-challenging Boston Red Sox, and the young upstarts in Tampa Bay, whose balanced lineup is ready to make up for last year's mediocre finish. In the American League Central, it will come down to Minnesota and Chicago once again, and fans of both teams will be wondering what will end up prevailing: Minnesota's explosive offense, or Chicago's dynamic pitching staff? Meanwhile, in Detroit, fans are anxiously awaiting to see if the departures of Curtis Granderson, Edwin Jackson and Placido Polanco will have any significant effect on the team, especially in a division where Chicago and Minnesota have already made themselves even stronger entering the new year.

In the American League West, Angel fans are likely very optimistic about this season; however, the fact that their team has fallen closer to the pack in the West has to be cause for concern among the Los Angeles faithful. Meanwhile, a clearly improved Seattle team has to be very excited about their chances for their first playoff bid in nine years with the additions of third baseman Chone Figgins and starting pitcher Cliff Lee. Down in Texas, the Rangers are eager to prove that last year was not a fluke, and they will look to do that by riding the coattails of star outfielder Josh Hamilton, and by hoping that starting pitcher Scott Feldman can repeat his outstanding performance from 2009. A's fans have reason for optimism as well, as they are crossing their fingers and hoping that their young rotation can live up to the expectations bestowed upon them by many people in 2010.

At the same time, fans of teams in the Senior Circuit have reasons for optimism, too. Philly fans have to be the most excited of them all, as they are pumped about the chance of being the first National League team since World War II to win three consecutive pennants, and with the addition of Roy Halladay to their rotation, their chances should be great. Despite this, the Marlins and the Braves will not let the Phillies go quietly, as both teams will pose a formidable challenge to the two-time defending National League Champions heading into this season. Braves fans have to also be excited about the chance of watching top prospect Jason Heyward making the opening day roster and making an impact on not just the team, but the NL East race as well. In New York, the Mets and their fans can only hope that things will be looking up in 2010, as the last three seasons have brought them nothing but sorrow and disappointment. The addition of left fielder Jason Bay during the offseason had to certainly brighten their spirits. Even Washington fans have something to be hopeful for this year, as they will be anticipating the arrival of number one draft pick Stephen Strasburg to the major leagues. What will be even more intriguing with Washington during the 2010 season will be who they decide on choosing as their number one draft pick when that time comes around in June.

In the always-interesting National League Central, the Cardinals look to be the favorites, especially with the Redbirds retaining Matt Holliday for the next seven years. The duo of Holliday and Pujols should be a lethal one, as well as the one-two punch of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter in the starting rotation. The talent level of just those four players alone has Cardinals fans believing that they have a great shot at dethroning the mighty Phillies atop the National League. Meanwhile in Chicago, Cub fans are becoming more impatient with each passing year, as they have been told "wait til' next year" every year since winning their last championship in 1908 (that's no typo, people). Fans in Milwaukee and Cincinnati are hoping that their decent, yet flawed teams can catch lightning in a bottle and make noise in the division, and fans in Pittsburgh are simply hoping that an 18th consecutive losing season can be averted with the great young talent of Garrett Jones, Andrew McCutchen and Lastings Milledge leading the way. Bucs fans are also in great anticipation of the arrival of one of their own highly touted prospects, as third baseman Pedro Alvarez should make his major-league debut sometime in 2010.

The National League West is also brimming with optimism, as the Dodgers and their fans are hoping for a NL West three-peat in 2010. Doing so will not be easy, as they will have to contend with a scrappy Colorado team that nearly won the division last year, the pitching-rich San Francisco Giants, and the darkhorse Arizona Diamondbacks, who will see the return of a healthy Brandon Webb to a rotation that will be featuring Dan Haren and the recently-acquired Edwin Jackson. Fans of the Diamondbacks are also hoping for encore performances of their two best hitters, Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds, who made up the bulk of Arizona's offense last year. As far as Padres fans' hopes for 2010...well...um...at least San Diego has nice weather and great beaches, don't they? And quite possibly one of the best parks in the majors.

It goes without saying that many teams and their fans are anticipating the arrival of Spring Training, when everybody has a shot at winning it all. It is when things start anew, when bad seasons are put into the past with the hope that things will turn out for the better in the new year, and when teams that did finish well in the previous year can maintain their groove into the next. While it is always interesting to ponder who will come out on top in the new season, it is even more fun going along for the ride and watching the year unfold. It is time for baseball. Play ball!

Goodbye, Big Hurt

The greatest player in White Sox history has finally decided to call it a career.

And what a magnificent one it was, for the man known as "The Big Hurt," for during the majority of the 1990s, he was one of the most feared hitters in the game. He was known during his prime as an exceptional hitter, one who could hit for average just as easily as he could hit for power. Later in his career, when he made the switch to DH for good and when his batting average capabilities started to slip, he was still feared for his power, and because of his sheer size.

Ah yes, his size. That massive, immense, monolithic, six-foot-five, 260-plus pound frame that easily placed fear into the hearts of some of the most unflappable pitchers in MLB. That frame, combined with the impeccable bat control that he displayed in his prime was what made him legendary. It is no wonder why Sox announcer Ken "Hawk" Harrelson christened him with the nickname that he'll carry with him for the rest of his life, "The Big Hurt."

Thomas would finish his illustrious 19-year career with 521 home runs (tied for 18th all-time), 1,704 career RBIs (22nd all-time), two MVP awards (along with being robbed of a third by Jason Giambi in 2000), and one World Championship in 2005 which unfortunately, his contributions toward that were marginal due to injury. It is also fitting that he is tied with Ted Williams for 18th on the all-time home run list because it was Williams who many people were comparing Thomas to during his prime (a right-handed version of him, of course).

As a result of this announcement, the White Sox have announced that they will be retiring Thomas' number 35 in what will be called "Frank Thomas Day" at U.S. Cellular Field on August 29. Once that day arrives, Thomas will share a place on the wall at U.S. Cellular Field along with other Sox greats such as Luke Appling, Billy Pierce, Ted Lyons, and his former teammate, Carlton Fisk. Hopefully, six years from now, he'll be able to have a place reserved in the walls of baseball's most hallowed grounds, the Hall of Fame.

Thanks for the memories, big fella. See you in Cooperstown.

The Venezuelan Connection: Luis Aparicio and Omar Vizquel

In this surprising piece of news that came out yesterday, the White Sox announced that they were going to un-retire Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio's number 11- with his blessing- so that fellow countryman Omar Vizquel can have the honor of wearing his idol's number for one season. This has, of course, stirred up a lot of debate within not only the White Sox community, but the baseball community as well. The biggest debate that has come out of this is the question of whether or not the honor of having a number retired is diminished when someone else is allowed to don the number- even with the player's blessing. Another question that is being raised with this announcement is whether or not this will create a domino effect; if Vizquel is allowed to don his idol's number for one year, will other players with their number retired give the same kind of blessing to younger players wishing to emulate their idols?

While I understand the critics' point of view in this situation, I do not think that there will be a domino effect created by this. Contrary to what some people may think, a player is not going to let their number be un-retired just for the sake of letting a younger player wear it. Take for example, Barry Bonds. He donned number 24 during his years in Pittsburgh, but when he arrived in San Francisco in 1993, he had to give it up because the "Say Hey Kid"- Willie Mays- already had number 24 retired. Bonds would take number 25 instead. The kicker of it all is that Mays is Bonds' godfather, and despite the connection to each other, he still would not give up his number to Bonds, who grew up idolizing Willie. This was not the only time this has occurred, either. Despite growing up largely within the confines of the Reds' clubhouse during the Big Red Machine era, Ken Griffey, Jr. still had to part ways with number 24 upon arriving in Cincinnati in 2000, because the great Tony Perez already had that number retired by the club, and neither the Reds, nor Perez, had any thoughts about un-retiring it.

However, the Vizquel/Aparicio situation is considerably different. Both men are from Venezuela, and they are both part of the country's brilliant legacy at the shortstop position. Vizquel is part of a shortstop lineage from that country that includes Chico Carrasquel, Aparicio, Dave Concepcion, and Ozzie Guillen, and he is also adding his name to the White Sox's lineage of Venezuelan shortstops, that includes all of the aforementioned players except Concepcion. Plus, Vizquel will likely be a sure-fire Hall of Famer once his career is all wrapped up (which will probably be after this season anyway), which also gave Aparicio more incentive to allow this to happen.

Simply put, Aparicio was not going to just let his number be un-retired for anybody to wear. However, considering that Vizquel is a titan in his home country along with Aparicio, this situation could not be any more perfect. Not only is national pride being put on display, but an homage to baseball history is now on display as well. Now, with this occurring, younger generations can now have the opportunity to learn about one of the game's all-time greatest shortstops, while watching another legend work his craft on the field at the same position.

**A little side note: Aparicio's number will be re-retired once Vizquel leaves, in case you were curious.

Hell Has Frozen Over

The title says it all. For the first time in 14 years, the Kansas City Royals will be appearing on "Sunday Night Baseball", as they will be taking on the Angels in Los Angeles for an Independence Day showdown. I guess the folks in Kansas City feel like they are in a major league city once again, now that their beloved Royals are finally back on the premier game of the week. Now that the Royals are finally good enough for national television once again, let's see if they can do something about that nasty little playoff drought of theirs, which is at 25 years and counting....

While I am happy for the Royals and their fans that they will finally get some national exposure, I am anxiously hoping that Zack Greinke will start that game against the Halos. For you see, the Royals playing just about anybody will be an absolute stinker of a game, no matter if it is a Tuesday night game, or if it is a game on ESPN's "Sunday Night" telecast. However, if Zack Greinke is pitching, it will definitely be worth tuning in. My guess is that ESPN is hoping for the same thing too, because I do not think that watching Brian Bannister or Gil Meche start against the Angels will inspire the same kind of excitement.

Even though I am all for equal coverage of teams on national television, I still believe that "Sunday Night Baseball" games should be reserved for teams that are worth watching. No matter what Fox might claim with their Saturday afternoon regional telecasts, "Sunday Night Baseball" is the premier game of the week, and it should be treated as such. If it means living with another Red Sox/Yankees showdown at the expense of a Padres/Astros game, so be it. Besides, if you are going to show a stinker of a game like San Diego versus Houston for the sake of equity, that's what you have "Monday Night Baseball" on ESPN for. Oh well. Here's to hoping that Zack Greinke gets the nod on the Fourth of July.