MLB

Year in and year out, many fans wonder how long they have with their star players, and others can't wait for their teams to trade a bundle of prospects for a high-caliber player. 

The July 31 trade deadline is still far enough away, but, as we know, trades can happen anytime, and with the beauty of no salary cap, things can get wild.

These four transactions must occur before the big three-one:

According to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox have been talking about a Brad Penny-for-Jeff Francoeur deal. The Red Sox have been scouting Francoeur for awhile, and the Braves are looking for a new starter after the release of 305-game winner Tom Glavine.

Apparently, the Red Sox had the deal in place, but the Braves then backed out of the deal, seemingly no longer desiring Penny.

How do you personify a winning team?

How do you take a run, say a 17-5 run, and choose the one or two things that stand out in this run more than anything else?

Good pitching and clutch hitting win games, but individual games mean little until you look at the overall context. Is it one win among 20 losses, or one loss among 20 wins? What stands out, from game to game to game?

It would appear that the guys running things at the Major League Baseball Commissioner's office are bored or are simply looking for new ways to irritate teams, owners, and fans.

The most recent atrocity committed by Bud's gang was the six game suspension issued to New York Yankees' pitcher A.J. Burnett for "throwing at" Nelson Cruz of the Rangers. While the pitch was definitely up and in, Burnett never actually plunked Cruz, yet he still got the suspension and was fined an undisclosed amount of money.

The Mets last played the Nationals on May 25. The Mets had just taken two of three from the Red Sox and were fresh off a tough 12-5 loss. When the Nationals rolled into town, the New York did exactly what was needed by sweeping the series with ease.

Now it’s time for the Mets to do the same in hostile territory. It isn’t going to be easy with so many injuries piling up, but this is going to be a true test to see what the Mets are made of.

Yesterday, news broke that Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett would be fined and suspended for six games for throwing high and inside to Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz on Tuesday.

Riots instantly broke out within the Bronx. Upset fans overturned vehicles and set fire to local buildings, police were called in to keep the angry mobs of flaming bat-wielding people at bay, and general chaos ruled the streets.

Okay, so that didn't really happen.

I was going to spend some time today talking about the current situation with Bill Hall, but it seems as though there is much more to talk about than just Hall. I will get to his situation in a bit.

First off, Dave Bush is ALL man! I know he lost the game last night and gave up a Ruthian home run to Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson, but the toughness Bush showed after taking a line drive off his pitching arm was outstanding.

Bush continues to be a very important part of the Brewers' rotation and he continues to give the Brewers a chance to win every game he pitches.

The Sox Throw a Good Pick Six?

The old adage says you can never have too much pitching, but most teams don't have enough. Fifth starters are just disposable rotation fillers on most teams, which makes the Red Sox' current conundrum so odd: They've got too many good starters.  What to do? 

New York Mets at Washington Nationals; JJ Putz to have surgery

The first time the Mets played the Nationals, it was late April and the Mets were on a four game losing streak, coming home after getting swept in St. Louis. New York won the opener of that series and took two of three from the worst team in baseball.

The New York Mets announced that relief pitcher J.J. Putz will undergo surgery for a bone spur in his elbow. He will most likely miss the next eight to 12 weeks.

Putz started the season off strong, but began to lose consistency on his pitches through the last few weeks.

In 29 games, Putz has pitched himself to a 5.22 ERA with a record of 1-4. This is not what the Mets were expecting when they acquired Putz from the Seattle Mariners in a three-team deal in Dec. 2008.