Opinion

With the Mets having lost the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, they still are in need of another starting pitcher. Losing the last two games to the Braves and falling to five games out of first place and two back in the wild card race have made this need even more obvious.

Philadelphia Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. can breathe a sigh of relief.

Now that former Phillies pitcher and fan favorite Cliff Lee has been traded to the Texas Rangers, Phillies fans will no longer be scoreboard, watching every five days wondering "what if?"  

Lee's starts will no longer be Chinese water torture for a Phillies team with three reliable starters and two train wrecks.  

Phillies fans will no longer calculate and recalculate the math it would have required to keep Lee.

To tell you the truth, I loathe to even broach this subject. It has been debated to death by every fan, writer, media pundit, and cab driver with even a modicum of interest in the New York Yankees. Unfortunately, the issue must be addressed, and the time is now.

What do the Yankees do with Joba Chamberlain?

This isn't a re-visitation of the tired discussion of whether Joba is best suited for the starting rotation or the bullpen. Sure, plenty will still ask that question, but not me—not this time. The stakes are greater than that now.

The tweet world is up in arms. The fan-selected All-Star starting first baseman, Justin Morneau, of the Minnesota Twins has withdrawn from the All-Star Game with concussion-like symptoms.

AL Manager Joe Girardi moved up Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera to the starting role and has selected Chicago White Sox slugger Paul Konerko as an injury replacement to the team.

Girardi has been accused of "hating the Red Sox" with this "biased" selection and that "Youkilis was clearly snubbed."

With Andre Ethier and Jonathan Broxton already named to the 2010 All-Star game, and Rafael Furcal recently added to replace Jose Reyes, there is one Dodger who would fit the role just as well, if not better.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman James Loney is having an above-average season while quietly floating under the All-Star radar.

With the All-Star break not getting here fast enough, the Twins have fallen from decent to mediocrity. Their once potent lineup has now proven to have many more holes then it let on and has given the Twins a lot to gather in their three days off.

An optimist would say the Twins play better in the second half. However, one shouldn't bank on such thoughts because the pure fact that Minnesota's starting rotation has fallen to an atrocious level.

A Rotation in Decline

As much as I hate to admit this, I think the Mets have been overachieving this year.

I'm not sure anyone would have guessed that they would have been playing this great of baseball this year.

No one expected stellar performances from R.A. Dickey, or even Angel Pagan. David Wright was a huge question mark, especially given his peculiar 2009 season. Jose Reyes's health has been in question.

Yesterday's trade of Cliff Lee confirmed what a majority of Philadelphia Phillies and their fans suspected to be true all along—last winter's deal was a terrible blunder. 

Baseball history is littered with undeserving All-Star selections, due in large part to the rule that each team must be represented. In today's era of bloated all-star rosters, it's hard to imagine a good player playing his entire career without ever making an all-star team. Here are some of the best players to never make it to a mid-season classic.

Catcher- Cliff Johnson

Welcome to the Arizona Diamondbacks garage sale.

Everything must go.

Seriously, everything.

Currently last place in the National League West and over twenty games under .500, the Diamondbacks need to start rebuilding.

This team just isn't going to win. Ever.

With the July 31 trade deadline looming, these five players are the most likely to be sent off.

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