Opinion

In less than two weeks, the 81st MLB All Star game will be played. In recent years the voting has been a little one sided to a few teams players starting and only a few divisions being represented by starting rosters. This years voting so far, has been pretty much the same, especially in the American League where the Red Sox, Yankees, and Twins players dominate.

This article is part two of a series of articles looking at the Cubs' not-so-distant future. To read part one, which looks at first and third base, follow this link .

The Cubs have five outfielders on their 25-man roster that could start for just about any team in major league baseball: Marlon Byrd, Tyler Colvin, Kosuke Fukudome, Xavier Nady, and Alfonso Soriano.

As ESPN MLB writer Tim Kurkjian put it, "Managing in the Major Leagues is a really hard job."

And to tell you the truth, he is absolutely correct.

Case in point: A.J. Hinch, who along with GM Josh Byrnes were relieved of their duties as Manager and GM of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The D-Backs, once the darlings of 2001, have the second-worst winning percentage in the National League, trailing the Pittsburgh Pirates (whose skipper John Russell is in the managerial hot seat as well). 

Olerud, Alfonzo, Ordonez, Ventura.

The 1999 Met infield, known as "The Greatest Infield Ever." 11 years later, they still hold that title, but in the next few years, I prepare for a change of pace.

Davis, Tejada, Reyes, Wright.

Ike Davis is one of the best rookies in the league right now, and can only get better.

He's had only four errors in 66 games, and he's started in 64 of them. After Daniel Murphy got Wally Pipped, Davis should be a staple in this organization for years to come.

As all baseball fans know, they get to vote every year for the players they want represented to start in the Midsummer Classic.

Unfortunately, most fans get the selections wrong and many undeserving players are selected to start in the All-Star game.

My list for the 2010 NL All-Star starters is based on what these players did for their teams in the first half of the season and the stats that back up their claim.

Don't be fooled by what some of the Cubs players and management will tell you, the truth is that the majority of the players do not like Carlos Zambrano and wish he was elsewhere.

This is nothing new—Cubs players have long disliked Big Z.

Now, this latest incident where Zambrano stormed into the dugout and seemingly yelled at everybody and anybody hasn't helped the relationship.

But according to sources within the organization, this is not the first time that the majority of Cubs players have privately wished that he would move on.

Many times after jumping out to a sizable lead, the Florida Marlins' bullpen gives fans a reason to be nervous; no matter how many innings the starter pitches.

The bullpen hasn't been properly address by Flordia's front office. 

Most good teams have a strong bullpen. In 2007 the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series thanks to a stellar bullpen. They rarely let leads slip away.

The exact opposite is happening to Florida this season.

Was that Mike Leake on the mound today?

The poise was there, the confidence was there, as was the 6'0 frame, curly hair, and slight goatee, but it was not the straight to the "bigs" phenom.

Travis Wood came up today to make his Major League debut at Wrigley Field, and while no one can be 100 percent prepared for "The Show," he was about as ready as ready can be.  This wasn't a babe in the woods.  This was the Minor League pitcher of the year last year, and someone who had a very good chance to make the starting rotation out of Spring Training.

The Big Money Molina era is officially over.

The Gerald D. Posey era is finally dawning.

*Dance break*

Since the beginning of this season, Giants fans have been waiting for this day. And now that it's finally here, there are some implications that need to be addressed because we all know it isn't so simple as it always seems.

From the actual position (catcher) to the bullpen, this deal has far reaching ripples, so lets make sure we're all on the same page.

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Some White Sox fans have lost their minds.

You need proof? Here you go.

I've heard from more than a few usually knowledgeable White Sox fans, that the Sox should certainly give up whatever it takes to get Adam Dunn.

That's right, whatever it takes .

Now I'm no GM (although I'm thinking of going as Theo Epstein for Halloween. Hello ladies!) But even I know that you can't continually trade away your best young talent and still hope to be competitive in the long term.