Baseball

Tim Wakefield has probably been one of the most successful starting pitchers ever for the Boston Red Sox, maybe behind Cy Young and Roger Clemens.

The 1995 AL Comeback Player of the Year has been a mainstay on the Red Sox roster since '95. He has accepted every role that the Red Sox has given him wholeheartedly. If the manager said something like "Hey, Timmy, I need you to be in the 'pen for about two months", Wakefield would respond with "Sure, no problem skip."

I can feel the indignant outrage already exploding across barber shops and sports bars across all of Minnesota.

"Why isn't Kevin Slowey on the All Star Team?"

"Don't they know he has ten wins?"

As it stands, the Detroit Tigers sit atop the American League Central Division with a modest two-game lead.  Yet, looks can be deceiving when you look at the AL Central.  

This is definitely the worst division in the majors, with no team standing far above the others.  At this point, the Tigers, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox are the three teams that will contend for the division championship.  

Here is a glance at the Cincinnati Reds all-time greatest team lineup:

Team Name: Cincinnati Reds

Year Established: 1882

City: Cincinnati

Ballpark: Great American Ballpark

 Previous Nicknames: Red Stockings (1882-1889), Redlings (1954-1959)

League: National League

Division: NL Central

# of Playoff Appearances: 12

# of Pennants: 10

World Series Titles: 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990

All-Time Team

Catcher: Johnny Bench

First Base: Tony Perez

As I sat at my computer anxiously awaiting Charlie Manuel's decisions on this year's National League pitching staff, I wondered whether or not the Phillies' skipper thought Josh Johnson would make the team. 

Would Javier Vazquez sneak in?  Who would he choose as the last relief pitcher?  One wonder that I did not think I had to consider was whether or not Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee's ace, would be on this year's team. 

As I was heading home to southern New Jersey from a Wimbledon party just outside of Philadelphia, I drove by Citizens Bank Park in southern Philadelphia on the way to the Walt Whitman Bridge and peeked into the stadium while driving.

All I saw was a sea of red.

The Phillies, on their way to the World Series, took care of business at home.

Something they have not done so far this season, until now.

Yes, you've got Ryan Church hitting clean up followed by Nick Evans, Jeremy Reed and Brian Schneider for the Mets. Not likely to scare any opposing pitcher.

Isn't it amazing how sports shape our perceptions of people?

Remember just two years ago when Barry Bonds was chasing the all-time home run record? Who gave him the most grief on the road?

Dodger fans.

The same Dodger fans who have turned their head to the fact that their guy actually was caught for PEDs. The same Dodger fans who doesn't believe that Bonds could have taken steroids unknowingly doesn't think or doesn't care what Manny Ramirez does, because he's their guy now.

If the fans of Philadelphia expect a repeat this fall, or for that matter a solid playoff run, the starting pitching must be addressed. 

The struggles of Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez being on the DL, inconsistent hitting across the board, home ballpark struggles, championship hangover, or any other excuse you want to chalk up, all are minuscule in comparison to the conspicuous truth—the Phillies need another starting pitcher.  

Let's discuss starting pitching first. 

Why a picture of Pedroia? Because he's one of two starters (the other being Hamilton) that doesn't deserve a trip to St. Louis.

It's ridiculous to see some of the players that got in (Hamilton, Granderson) and that others didn't.

Here is the list of people who should have gotten in from the American League. They have put up stellar numbers, but I guess not good enough...

Just a note -- there's no catcher snub.

Outlandish? Do you agree or disagree?

Never in my history of watching sports have I been as frustrated as I have been with the 2009 version of the Atlanta Braves.

I have watched as they hit great in spurts of three games, and then perform terribly in five. I've watched a dominant pitching staff throw quality innings night-in and night-out for Atlanta, only to see the pitcher rewarded with a loss in a 1-0 game.

Other games, we've watched Atlanta hold a lead for the majority of the game, only to have the relief staff blow the game to pieces.