Opinion

We thought the war of words from Dallas Braden and Alex Rodriguez was a one-time deal. It took a place when that game at Oakland in a few weeks ago ended.

The day after that game, the Yankees carried it on by ripping Braden. Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter and CC Sabathia called Braden out for being a whiner and a journeyman.

That inspired Braden to call out Rodriguez in an interview on CSN California.com last Thursday.

After the Oakland Raiders traded for the Washington Redskins' Jason Campbell, the speculation in the swirling rumors of JaMarcus Russell's imminent demise was replaced with inevitability.

The big man with the even bigger contract was due $9.45 million in the upcoming season and, by all accounts, nothing about the kid warranted rolling the dice when that kind of money was at stake.

And so the axe fell on May 6th, putting Russell firmly in the running for the title of Biggest Bust in the History of the National Football League.

That's gotta sting.

The news has been fodder for numerous punchl

The illegal immigrants, as we refer to the violators who generated a controversy in Phoenix, one of the urban cities surrounded by the sticky, muggy and humid heat, especially come the summer months, are battered with hypocrisy and woes.

After a brief Mother’s Day weekend break, Fantasy Baseball Insiders Tonight is back with everything you need to know from Monday night’s action…

HITTERS

Hitter of the day: Carlos Ruiz (4-for-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI)

The Tiger faithful love their team, and stand by their players through good and bad.

That is, after said players have won them over.

Johnny Damon and Jose Valverde didn't exactly hit the ground running in their first few games donning the Olde English D. It took Damon until mid April to get above the Mendoza line, and Valverde blew his very first save opportunity of the year (as many as Fernando Rodney blew all of last year).

The moves were highly-questioned to begin with, within the Tigers fan base and outside it

Mike Napoli hit his fourth double of the season on Sunday.

It should have been his second triple.

What does it say when a struggling hitter fails to do everything he can to help his team on offense? Only that it won't be his team much longer.

Down by seven runs late in a game against the Seattle Mariners, Napoli punched a ball down the left field line just out of the third baseman's reach, a universal signal for the hitter to take extra bases.

When Alex Rodriguez "walked on Dallas Braden's pitching mound," Mr. Braden took umbrage because A-Rod broke an unwritten rule. The mound belongs to the pitcher.

Alex responded by referring to Dallas' handful of wins.

A few days ago, Alex claimed he was not making any more comments because he didn't want to add any more time to the left-handed pitcher's 15-minutes of fame.

Alex Rodriguez will probably finish his career with more home runs than Babe Ruth and Henry Aaron, but there is only way that A-Rod can top what Dallas Braden achieved on May 9, 2009.

The most impressive play, or non-play, of the Mother's Day game at Great American Ball Park came immediately after Cincinnati Reds' rookie sensation, Mike Leake allowed his first legitimate hit in the top of the seventh—a two-out double to Cubs' outfielder Marlon Byrd.

After pitching hitless baseball through the front five, Leake gave up an infield single.  If the official score keeper were a cool dude or dudette they would have ruled it an error.  In reality, the hot grounder off the bat of Starlin Castro was a single.

No matter how many consecutive sellouts the Phillies have at Citizens Bank Park (they’re up to 58, by the way), the Eagles are always a hot topic.

Especially when the topic is in any way, shape, or form connected to Donovan McNabb.

McNabb is back in the Philadelphia headlines, this time, responding to comments that former Eagle teammate DeSean Jackson made recently to the Sporting News. 

“I really don't want to extend his extra 15 minutes of fame.”

So said Alex Rodriguez on Friday night, when asked about Dallas Braden’s comments on the unwritten rule of baseball that A-Rod supposedly broke when he ran across Braden’s mound during an A’s vs. Yankees game.

A-Rod wasn’t alone when it came to the cheap shots.