Baseball

John Smoltz was smiling in front of his locker on Tuesday afternoon as he finally confirmed that he will return to big league pitching on June 25 vs. the Washington Nationals, following a final three-inning rehab stint on Wednesday at McCoy Stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox.

But what he doesn’t want is fans thinking this is just about him.

The Giants currently have a major logjam in the outfield with Fred Lewis, Nate Schierholtz, Aaron Rowand, Randy Winn, and Andres Torres all deserving of playing time. 

Aaron Rowand is having a spectacular year with a .300 batting average, a .363 on base percentage, and a .470 slugging.  He had a solid first month of the season with a .283 batting average with six walks and two home runs. 

Tonight begins one of the great reasons interleague baseball is considered a success in Major League Baseball: the Chicago Crosstown Classic.

But this year's version of the series comes with lots of question marks about both teams. Both managers have been public with their frustrations as well, while the teams that were picked to be among the favorites in their divisions are fighting for respectability.

So before this serious begins, let's look at the matchups and how the team's players represent Chicago the best.

So much for waiting for the Hall of Fame to call you. A breaking report shows the Sosa was one of the 104 players that tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.

The report cites lawyers knowledgeable of the drug testing results from that year. Sosa would not address allegations of steroid use, and now we know why.

He's a cheater, and now this validates it. His home run race against Mark McGwire cannot be taken seriously. His MVP award is now in serious question. He forgot how to speak English because he knew he was doing the game wrong.

Prince Fielder has looked downright kingly this year.

The 25-year old is hitting for average and power while playing top-notch defense at first base. Without a question, he is in the midst of a great season and makes a lethal one-two punch alongside slugging outfielder, Ryan Braun.

Date: June 16, 2009
Time: 8:15pm
Teams: Detroit Tigers at St. Louis Cardinals
Park: Busch Stadium
Weather: 83 and partly cloudy. Chance of rain later in the evening.
Starting Pitchers: Justin Verlander(7-2, 3.02)  Adam Wainwright(6-4, 3.49)
Records: Detroit(34-29)  St. Louis(34-30)
Last 10 Games: Detroit(6-4)  St. Louis(3-7)

My Two Cents

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Should the New York Mets hire Manny Acta?

Just because the Phillies were off yesterday doesn’t mean I have to stop writing about them. I’m a babe and I’m Irish. That means I can’t stop my obsession with boys and I can’t stop talking—but not necessarily in that order. 

But when my husband asked if I could abstain from baseball for just one day, I was speechless.

After reading one too many articles about trade ideas for the "desperate" Atlanta Braves, I figured it's time we took a journey back into franchise history and remembered the types of moves we've made in similar situations.

For every McGriff deal, there's been a Teixeira.

The deal may sound good at the time (finally!