Kudos to MLB for once again successfully proving that the all-star ballot selection process is about as antiquated and inefficient as the electoral college system. Looking forward to seeing George Brett man third base, Bret Saberhagen start and Dan Quisenberry close out the all-star game. Maybe Whitey Herzog and the late Dick Howser can co-manage the A.L. stars.
If there was ever going to be a pinnacle moment that defined how spending money doesn’t equate to having a winning team, it is right now in the American League. The division leaders are Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Houston. And by the way Minnesota is fourth.
In the National League it is a completely different story however as the Nationals led by 210 million and recent no-hitter fame Max Scherzer lead the East, the Cardinals lead the Central (of course the Astros should get some obvious playoff shares there) and the L.A. Dodgers (Yankees West) lead the N.L. West.
Hard to imagine that Pete Rose threw a game or tried to have one of his teams intentionally lose. It doesn’t fit his personality. What does fit his personality is lying. With that said, time to put him in the Hall of Fame. The all-time hits leader did it without the assistance of performance enhancing drugs and he is one of the best of all time.
The great start by the New York Mets has come to a crashing halt as they have dropped five straight while the Nationals have won three straight and keep getting better.
And what is going on with the Seattle Mariners. They are only a game ahead of the worst record in the American League even with Nelson Cruz playing well. One reason is because Robinson Cano is struggling mightily and probably never should have left New York. Sometimes you need pressure to play.
If Cole Hamels goes to Texas, it will be interesting to see the final package and if the Red Sox truly missed the opportunity.
The NBA Draft is this week and Danny Ainge gets a chance to utilize the assets he has compiled for the Boston Celtics and to see if he can improve draft position or acquire a player or two that can change the fortunes of this franchise. Drafting 16 and 28 won’t get it done.
Lots of rumors regarding DeMarcus Cousins being traded most recently to the Los Angeles Lakers. Cousins is a moody malcontent who has the same general demeanor as one Rajon Rondo. Although Cousins is much more talented, buyer beware especially with a young team.
The Lakers incidentally are also in pursuit of Dwyane Wade if he opts out also. Wade is entering his 13th season, but showed last year he hasn’t slowed down as he was still averaging 21 PPG.
New York Knicks President Phil Jackson came out and criticized NBA offenses and claims LeBron travels every time he touches the ball. I think Phil has enough on his plate that he should keep his eye on the ball. Too bad Phil can’t ride the coattails of any Knicks players.
In a shocking move, the WNBA and New York Liberty have suspended isiah Thomas’ application to be an owner until further notice.
If Tom Brady gets his suspension reduced to one or zero games, I still contend that will be in part due to Kraft backing down from pursuing legal action against the league. I say that Brady still gets two or three games.
Funny how the St. Louis Cardinals (arguably the one of the classiest organizations in sports) hacking the Houston Astros database (a federal crime) gets fractional media attention relative to Deflategate. I guess if Bill Belichick and Tom Brady aren’t involved in the alleged crime, than the severity of the crime doesn’t matter.
