Baseball

Looking at the A's rotation so far, it's clear that Dallas Braden is every bit the good #2 guy I thought he could be. Josh Outman looked very good before blowing out his elbow, and Vince Mazzaro should be a good starter for years to come.

As for Trevor Cahill...well, his terrible peripherals indicate he's in the need of some Triple-A time.

The other starter in the Oakland rotation is 21-year-old rookie Brett Anderson.

Anderson posted ERAs above 5.00 in April, May, and June, leading many to categorize him as the weakest link in a young rotation.

Not so fast.

It's a shame they closed down Six Flags at Astroworld a few years ago. You know the amusement park right across the Astrodome from Southeast Loop 610.

All the rollercoaster rides at Astroworld (such as Grease Lightning, Texas Cyclone, and abrupt drop-offs like the Skyscreamer) might be good practice for being a Houston Astros fan.

The All-Star game arrives tomorrow, and tonight is the Home Run Derby. It’s a much-maligned three or four days without regular season games.

I’ve written an article about how exciting the All-Star break can be, and there are some points this year that I’d like to add.

One of the worst interviews the state of Minnesota has ever seen is also one of their most valuable assets.

Priceless to his organization, Joe Mauer has a tough decision looming just around the corner.

Should he stay in Minnesota with a contract that will doubtless be smaller than anything offered by the Yankees or Red Sox, or should he move on to greener pastures?

Yesterday: infielders

Again, these grades are based on a combination of my own personal expectations and each player's WAR.

For a full archive of my articles, check out my page at Examiner.com.

The San Francisco Giants can no longer fall back on the Cinderella story line. They have the third best record in the league, and lead the wild card chase by two games.

They are fourth in the league in hitting and first in pitching.

They have one of the best young hitters in the league in Pablo Sandoval, and two of the best starters in Lincecum and Cain. Their closer is tied for the league lead in saves and their bullpen has been excellent of late.

The lack of power excuse no longer holds water as they are among the league leaders in home runs since June 9.

The Cubs cause a lot of pain. Unless you're a true Cubs fan, you have no idea. 101 years is a long time to wait for a championship.

A lot of people ask me, "Why do you invest so much into a team that produces so little?" That is a great question. I finally sat down to think of why.

Here are the reasons:

Because we play two.

Because we had Ernie, Ronny, Billy, Fergie, and Phil all on one team.

Because we experienced the magical summer of 1969.

Because we call 1969 magical even though we choked in August.

On Sunday night, in front a national television audience, the creative genius Chicago Cubs' fans have been begging Lou Piniella to employ finally showed up.

If you read the play-by-play for the ninth inning, there is a sequence that will undoubtedly have you scratching your head.

Sean Marshall relieves Angel Guzman. OK, nothing major there.

Aaron Heilman relieves Marshall; Marshall to left field. What? It's bad enough Heilman's pitching, but Marshall in left field?