Opinion

Fun fact: Who has the best winning percentage of any pitcher in baseball over the past five seasons?

Here's a hint. It's not C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Johan Santana, Josh Beckett or any of the other pitchers the East Coast writing establishment loves to go on endlessly about.

It's Jered Weaver at .663.

Weaver has clearly taken his game to another level in the absence of former Angels ace John Lackey, and has managed to single-handedly carry his team through a horrific stretch in the process.

He's currently the most coveted pitcher out on the trade market.

They are the best team in baseball trying to defend their championship.

The Yankees and Cliff Lee, seems like a trade everyone is expecting or debating about that could, might, or won't happen.

But here is the big question: will the Yankees pull the trigger and make a deal with the Mariners to get Lee?

Another series of rumors took the Internet by storm last night. According to a Detroit radio station's Twitter account, the Twins and Mariners agreed to a deal that would send Cliff Lee to the Minnesota in exchange for Wilson Ramos and Aaron Hicks.

Eventually, various beat writers and reporters shot down the rumors but did confirm that the two teams were in serious discussions. At this point, I think it's time we draw some conclusions, in order of confidence:

1. The Twins are interested in trading for Lee.

As I sit here waiting for my boring accounting professor to get done talking with some 60-year-old woman, it occurs to me that I haven't written anything in two months. Call it annoyance with the fact that no one reads my articles.

Read this article!

Anyway, you've probably heard that the St. Louis Cardinals need another starting pitcher.

NL All-Star manager Charlie Manuel said he was told to include a utility player on the NL roster, so he has chosen Omar Infante of the Braves.

Infante is a very versatile player who can play all the infield and outfield positions, but he has one home run and 22 runs batted in this season. He is a good player, but he is not an All-Star player.

His teammate Troy Glaus, who has hit 14 home runs and driven in 56 runs, would have been a much better choice, not to mention the NL home run leader Joey Votto, who has hit 21 home runs.

Note to Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel: Don't get drunk on the night you select the reserves of an All-Star Game. Snubbing Joey Votto in favor of Omar Infante, a utility player, was not a wise idea.

As of July 5, Votto is leading or near the top of the National League in almost every major offensive category.

Let's have a look:

First in home runs, first in on-base percentage, first in slugging percentage, first in OPS (obviously), third in batting average, tied for third in RBI, and tied for fourth in runs scored.

Bruce Bochy isn't the worst manager in San Francisco Giants history.

That designation is reserved for a man most modern day fans have never heard of, who was scouting for the club when a mid-season manager's change suddenly put him in control.

Where Bochy ranks among the best to manage the Giants in San Francisco is open for debate.

The Colorado Rockies are used to it. They are the lone team that plays in the Mountain Time zone. Therefore, games on the east coast are wrapping up when they start, and games on the west coast are underway shortly after the Rockies start.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden is famous for being protective of his pile of dirt. Especially if you trot over it on your way off the field.

The New York Yankees have a rising superstar in their mitts, with Brett Gardner .