AL East

Celebrity gossip reporter, Perez Hilton, posted on his website that Alex Rodriguez broke a home run world record on Wednesday afternoon. (Sorry, I thought Perez Hilton breaking the A-Rod story is funnier and more entertaining then Peter Gammons doing so.)

Sunday night, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox pitching match-up of AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett is by far the most exciting.

The Yankees will have their hands full here on Sunday night pending which AJ Burnett is on the mound against a healthy Josh Beckett.

Both pitchers have a lot of passion and will fight till the end if need be, bloody and all. If there is ever a chance for a good, old-school Yankees-Red Sox bench clearing brawl...Sunday night is the perfect set-up.

Let’s look at Sunday match-up:

For just about two weeks I read an article every day about how people didn’t care about Alex Rodriguez's quest for 600 home runs because he was a cheater (except, of course, the newspapers cared enough to remind me every day).

On Wednesday afternoon against the New York Yankees, starting catcher John Buck injured his thumb and was placed on the disabled list after the game. There's no definite timetable for his return, but he won't be back until Aug. 19 at the earliest. Injuries are never anything to get excited about, but sometimes the player movement that stems from one can cause some excitement.

With catcher John Buck on the 15-day DL, it was the perfect opportunity for the Blue Jays to call up their stud in waiting, J.P. Arencibia . Let's take a quick look at why Blue Jays fans and fantasy owners are getting excited...

AAA Line - .306, 30 HR, 77 RBI    

With #600 now in the past, the New York Yankees are ready to take on their rivals, the Boston Red Sox.

Boston has been hit hard with the unfortunate injury bug. Making the six and a half games the Red Sox need to catch the first place Yankees, who are tied with Tampa Bay Rays, not completely out of reach.

Almost two weeks and 46 at-bats following home run 599, Alex Rodriguez belted his 600th career home run and officially became the youngest to do so at age 35, displacing Babe Ruth who did so at age 36. The Yankees have been reeling as of late, in part due to Rodriguez.

The Yankees have been searching the trade market all season long for a veteran backup who can play third base, so they could occasionally rest Alex Rodriguez. They even went as far as nearly making a deal with the Boston Red Sox for Mike Lowell.

However, it seems possible, though a long shot, that they already have a capable backup in their minor league system: Brandon Laird.

Laird, 22, is a minor league third base prospect who was recently promoted to Triple-A Scranton after spending most of 2010 with Double-A Trenton.

Alex Rodriguez has had a down year for himself this season, but his numbers during his most recent slump, since he’s hit home run No. 599, have been dragged down even further.

Here’s how A-Rod has done since hitting homer no. 599:

It seems now that the Steroid Era is almost officially behind us the game of baseball has turned into a game of attrition. Much like football and hockey, only the healthy will survive.

Two of the teams that have been hit the most by injuries—the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies—got hit even harder on Monday when both teams lost their All-Star first basemen.