Fan News

For one day, the spotlight dimmed a bit.

With Raul Ibanez spending a day in Reading, PA for a rehab assignment, Kyle Drabek had a little attention taken away from him yesterday.

Make no mistake, however: There were still plenty of people at the ballpark to see Drabek.

Plenty of fans. Plenty of scouts. Plenty hoping that very soon, Kyle Drabek will become one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball.

At just 21 years of age, he is noted as the top pitching prospect in the Philadelphia Phillies' organization.

Ready to get Bombed?
Is your idea of having fun getting drunk with your buddies and not caring what goes on in the field? We ranked all the ballparks for you to aid you in your quest.

We rated each Major League ballpark in five categories: percent of people in the city who drink (no one likes to drink alone); ballpark consumable liquid offering (beer); friendliness of the people (everybody loves new drinking buddies); and post game options / public transportation (The CHG hates Drunk Drivers).

Here are the best major league ballparks to get bombed…

Don't trade Roy Halladay, Blue Jays.

Not for the sun, the moon, and half the stars.

Maybe to the Yankees if they offer you CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes. Or for an equivalent offer from another team. But not otherwise, because he is the "sine qua non" (without which not) of your playoff chances.

I have been one of the people that believes your team has a legitimate shot at the playoffs, if not this year, certainly next. You got off to a good start, then faltered, mainly against (weaker) National League teams. A better "draw" next year might see you through.

What a week Cub fans!

Two weeks ago this was the most apathetic team I had ever seen, and now they are actually showing life! I think they actually want to win!

What a good feeling this is! I can’t stop using exclamation points! The Cubs are good again!

After last season’s dominance, I did not expect to be this happy to be two games over .500. But ever since Lou made some adjustments to the batting order, the team has shown signs of life.

If an NFL or MLB team ever needed a player, who do they look for? They go into the Twins or Vikings organizations.

Through the years, Minnesota franchises have done very well in bringing up great players only to let them walk and become superstars in other places.

Most notable is David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox.

For six years, the Twins groomed Ortiz to be their designated hitter. After his best season with the team in 2002 where he hit 20 home runs and 75 RBI's, they let him go to the Red Sox.

Chicago sports radio stations are reporting that the Chicago Cubs will place starting pitcher Ryan Dempster on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Friday, July 3.

Dempster reportedly has a fractured toe on his right foot.

Kevin Hart, who was just demoted on Monday, will be recalled to fill Dempster's rotation spot between now and the All-Star break next week.

UPDATE: Because the Cubs had optioned Kevin Hart to Iowa after the injury occurred, the team was not able to make the listing retroactive. Dempster's 15 days begin on Tuesday.

I believe it was the Beach Boys who sang the song "Wouldn't it Be Nice?" Perhaps the song could use a new stanza:

"Wouldn't it be nice if Mike Hampton,

Could pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates ever day?

Then the Houston Astros could get ready,

For a World Series ticker tape parade celebration day."

OK, sports fans, as you can plainly see, my songwriting will never, ever compare with the Beatles, Bob Marley, Billy Joe Shaver, or [fill in the name of the songwriter you love whom I neglected to mention].

Back to the ranch.

Peter Gammons was on ESPN 1000 with Waddle and Silvy today, and the possibility of Roy Halladay to the Sox was a major topic.

Blue Jay's GM J.P. Ricciardi recently said that they'll have to at least listen to offers for their ace starter, and the Sox seem to make a lot of sense as a landing spot. They've already tried to acquire an ace pitcher once this season, and they seem to have the requisite young talent to make an offer.

Buy low, sell high.

It's a maxim that serves Wall Street investors well, and over the test of time, it has proven true in baseball as well.

When Mark Shapiro of the Indians traded Bartolo Colon and got Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, and Lee Stevens, he was bashed mightily by Indians fans. How could they give up on Bartolo Colon? He was coming off of two consecutive 200-strikeout years! And all they got were prospects?! They got hosed!

Or at least that's what the fanbase thought.

How do you think that trade looks to Cleveland now?

The All-Star break is less than a week away and it’s time to take a look at how the first half has treated the five NL West teams.

Last week I updated the progress of the Dodgers, Giants, and Rockies in the month of June. This breakdown will be focused on the entire first half production (or lack of production) for all of the NL West clubs.