The Missing

No, I haven't changed forums and become a movie blog reviewer. Although I did see some of The Missing with Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones, and it wasn't bad. Aaron Eckhart's death was gruesomely awesome. But back to baseball. I am the one who has been missing. It's been far too long since my last blog, but I'm back to make amends to this excellent readership of mine. Before I begin though, you may have noticed a few subtle new changes to my blog. For one, there is an advertisement at the top-right corner, and before you ask, no I have not sold out. Ok, yes I have. I get paid a very, very small amount of money when people click on it, but don't go clicking it just to earn me 10 cents or anything. It's tracked, and if people click on it repeatedly I will lose sponsorship. So click if you want to, but in moderation please. I don't want to get in trouble with the Man. Also, there is a little thing at the bottom of each blog which makes this site easy to share with others, or something. I'm not quite sure what that does yet, but it's new and cool and it's here now. Anyway, baseball!!

The trade deadline is upon us and that means, rumors, rumors and more rumors. There is a play called Rumors as well. You should check it out if you get the chance. While I do love me some theater, I love me a good baseball trade more. It's so interesting to see how general managers plan to help a club succeed in the present without mortgaging the future. The problem with the trading deadline is that it more often rumors than facts. That's the nature of the business. With hype from sources like ESPN, MLBNetwork, MLBTradeRumers.com and endless baseball blogs and sites like this one, I get a little sick of the overindulgence. "Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?" Therefore, I will not speculate on any specific trades, mainly because I don't have researchers and insiders working for me. Instead, I will merely comment on things that have actually occurred.

One team making a few ripples in the trade pond is the Los Angeles Angels...of Anaheim. In a matter of a few days, the Angels put together trades for Alberto Callaspo, a versatile infielder from the Kansas City Royals, and pitcher Dan Haren from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Callaspo was a good move because he fits the Mike Scioscia mold of a baseball player. Dan Haren on the other hand was a bit of a shock to me. Just when I thought that Haren would go to a team like the N.Y. Yankees, or maybe the Philadelphia Phillies, the L.A.A. Angels made a huge statement to the first place Texas Rangers, that they aren't quite dead in the water. While Danny Boy isn't having the best year, (a 7-8 record and 4.60 ERA with Arizona) he is a top of the rotation pitcher who can eat innings and strike 'em out with the best of them. In fact, Haren's strikeout/walk ratio is nearly 5/1. That's outstanding. Furthermore, it would have been terrible to see the Angels make this stellar move, just to have their new acquisition get pegged by a line drive and be out for the season. While Haren did actually get hit by a line drive in his first appearance as an Angel, he seems to be doing fine, and should make his next start with no problems. Joel Pineiro on the other hand, isn't so lucky. He hurt an abdominal muscle while warming up for a game the other day, and now it looks like he'll be out for at least 6-8 weeks, and possibly more. The Angels moves may have been all for naught. But we shall see.

Another big pitcher on the market, really the only big pitcher left, is Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros, but it looks as though he may have been snatched up today by the Phillies. Like the Phils need another ace pitcher! Well, apparently they do. And if there are any other dominant pitchers out there who just happened to be named Roy, call up Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro, he'll probably give you a crap load of money. Now that Amaro has realized his monstrous error of not keeping both Roy Halladay AND Cliff Lee, he went looking for another solid starter to bolster this team. Although Oswalt certainly won't come cheap, and the Phillies pursestrings are about ready to pop, it looks as though this trade is all but sealed. I know, I said I wouldn't speculate, but I felt like writing, and I didn't feel like was waiting another couple of hours to get the final OK, when just about every analyst says it's going to happen. But strange things happen in baseball, and it's possible that this deal could collapse at the last minute. Personally, I don't know how Oswalt is going to fare in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park. I mean, even Halladay gets rocked their sometimes, and he's the ultimate ground-ball pitcher. Again, we shall see.

Trades are not the only things making baseball news. Believe it or not, some actually baseball, played on a field, is also stealing the headlines. And who was making said big news. Well, none other than Matt Garza of the Tampa Bay Rays. Garza pitched his first career no-hitter on Monday versus the Detroit Tigers. The only thing that kept the performance from being perfect was a walk given up to rookie sensation Brennan Boesch. This is a departure from the other two no-hitters pitched this year by Ubaldo Jimenez and Edwin Jackson, who gave up six, and eight walks respectively. Not to take anything away from those great achievements, but there is something to be said for only allowing one baserunner all game as compared to eight. Garza also struck out six on his way to a 5-0 victory, bringing his total for the year to 11-5 with an ERA just north of four.

Elsewhere, there are some great battles taking place all around the league. Both Central divisions and the NL West are hotly contested. As are the NL and AL East divisions. And speaking of the AL East, there is a guy named Alex Rodriguez that you may have heard of. Well, he's gunning for homerun number 600, and when he does get it, he'll join some exclusive company. Only six players have ever hit 600 dingers before, and if A-Rod finishes his season strong, he could pass Sammy Sosa and take over 6th place on the all-time homerun list. Unlike a few years ago though, there are now some strong doubts as to whether Rodriguez will ever catch and/or pass Barry Bonds for the all-time record. Mostly due to recent injuries A-Rod has been dealing with. Personally, I don't care which one of them holds the record, because they are both tainted with the stink of steroids. I'm not saying their homeruns don't count, but I don't have to like it.

Well, I hope I can get back into the swing of things in the next few days and get back to writing more. I'm sorry I was absent for so long. Once again, theater kept me busy, and lately I've not been feeling well. But no more excuses, you need your baseball knowledge, and I desperately need to make 10 cents. Until next time folks!