Spooky Express All Star Break Week Long Express

[Spooky]

Computer has been down all day so will get it
started finally.

Six-pack for Monday

-- Mets won last nine games before break, shutting out four of last six opponents.

-- Rays lost last seven games, are half-game behind Boston.

-- Hitters 1-4 in Texas lineup all made All-Star Game, and the Rangers are still in third place in a four-team division.

-- CC Sabathia is first pitcher since Earl Wilson in 1970 to hit a homer in each league in the same season.

-- Kenny Perry won three-man playoff at Quad Cities Open when both his opponents hit ball in water on 1st playoff hole

-- How are there no hometown guys in Home Run Derby?

[Spooky]

SCOREBOARD FOR TUESDAY

All-Star game (8:00 p.m. EDT). The 79th version of the midsummer classic is held at Yankee Stadium.


STARS FROM SUNDAY

- CC Sabathia, Brewers, homered and pitched his first National League complete game in Milwaukee's 3-2 win over Cincinnati.

- Brian McCann, Braves, homered and drove in three runs to help Atlanta rout San Diego 12-3.

- A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays, came within two outs of a shutout, allowing a run and six hits in Toronto's 4-1 win over New York.

- Aaron Miles, Cardinals, went 3-for-5 with his second homer of the year and five RBIs to help St. Louis defeat Pittsburgh 11-6.

- Tim Lincecum, Giants, struck out nine in eight innings and improved to 11-2 as San Francisco beat Chicago 4-2.

- Chad Billinsley, Dodgers, struck out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings to help Los Angeles avoid a sweep with a 9-1 win over Florida.


SOX STEP UP

Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched six scoreless innings and the Boston Red Sox reclaimed the AL East lead going into the All-Star break, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 2-1. The Red Sox moved a half-game ahead of Tampa Bay and took the division lead for the first time since June 28. Boston trailed by a season-high five games last weekend, then won five of six while the Rays lost seven in a row. Tampa Bay lost its seventh straight, 5-2 to Cleveland.


SPEED DEMON

Reggie Willits scored from second on Erick Aybar's infield single with two outs in the ninth and the Los Angeles Angels rallied to beat the Oakland Athletics 4-3. Willits, who entered the game as a pinch runner, never stopped running from second base on the play. Aybar's high chopper eluded closer Huston Street's glove, and shortstop Donnie Murphy's throw to first baseman Daric Barton was late. Willits just beat the throw home, which dribbled away from catcher Kurt Suzuki.


SLUGGING

The Cardinals beat the Pirates 11-6 and scored 28 runs and had 50 hits while winning two of three in the series. They could have swept their final series before the All-Star break, but couldn't hold leads of 9-3 and 10-4 while losing 12-11 in 10 innings Saturday night despite a season-high 22 hits.


SLUGGING BUT LOSING

Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye homered for the Chicago White Sox, who had a season-high 22 hits but lost 12-11 to the Texas Rangers. The 22 hits were the most allowed by Texas in a victory. Dye went 4-for-5, including a two-run single in the ninth for the final runs, and five other White Sox players had three hits.


AN EVEN DOZEN

The Nationals, who have baseball's worst record and worst offense, were shut out for the 12th time in a 5-0 loss to Houston. The 12 shutouts are most in the majors. Washington has lost 10 of 13, and three of the losses were shutouts.


STREAKING

All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler extended his majors-best hitting streak to 25 games with three hits and drove in three runs for the Texas Rangers, who held on for a wild 12-11 victory over the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox. ... Troy Glaus completed a 10-for-13 weekend with a home run, one of the Cardinals' 15 hits in an 11-6 win over the Pirates. ... Braves All-Star catcher Brian McCann extended his on-base streak to eight straight plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with a walk and a hit by pitch. Atlanta beat San Diego 12-3.

SIDELINED

Reds leadoff hitter Jerry Hairston had to be carried off the field after straining his right hamstring running out a bunt single in Cincinnati's 3-2 loss to Milwaukee. He led off the third inning by bunting toward third. About a quarter of the way to first, he pulled up and limped across the bag. He made it to first safely, then fell over clutching his upper right leg. Manager Dusty Baker, Joey Votto and trainer Mark Mann carried him off. Hairston will have an MRI in Cincinnati on Monday. ... The Reds placed Aaron Harang on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right forearm. Harang is 3-11 with a 4.76 ERA in 20 appearances, 19 starts, and is eligible to be reinstated on July 23.


CUB-STARS

The Cubs tied the National League record for most players on an All-Star team when reliever Carlos Marmol was selected to replace injured Chicago teammate Kerry Wood. Marmol was picked because he was the relief pitcher with the highest vote on the player ballot. He is the only pitcher in the game who isn't a starter or a closer. The NL record was set by the 1943 St. Louis Cardinals, and equaled by the 1956 Cincinnati Reds and 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates. Before this year, the most All-Stars for the Cubs was six in 1936 and 1988.


SPEAKING

"I hate what just happened this week, but we're sitting in a very good spot.'' -Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon after the Rays dropped their seventh straight, 5-2 to Cleveland to fall a half-game behind Boston in the AL East after leading by five games.


PREVIOUS SEASONS ON JULY 15TH

1901 - Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants pitched the first of two career no-hitters, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0.

1969 - Cincinnati's Lee May hit four home runs in a doubleheader split with the Atlanta Braves. May had two home runs and drove in five runs in both games as the Reds lost the opener 9-8 but came back to win the second game 10-4.

1969 - Rod Carew stole home off Chicago's Gerry Nyman in the Minnesota Twins' 6-2 victory. It was Carew's seventh steal of home for the year and tied Pete Reiser's 1946 major league mark.

1973 - Nolan Ryan of the California Angels struck out 17 batters and threw his second no-hitter of the year, beating Detroit 6-0.

1980 - Johnny Bench broke Yogi Berra's record for home runs by a catcher as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Montreal Expos 12-7. Bench hit his 314th homer as a catcher off David Palmer. Bench had 33 home runs while playing other positions.

1990 - Chicago's Bobby Thigpen became quickest to reach 30 saves in a season as the White Sox beat the New York Yankees 8-5.

1997 - The San Francisco Giants scored 13 runs to set a modern NL record for runs in a seventh inning en route to a 16-2 rout of the San Diego Padres. The Giants set the NL record for the most runs in a seventh inning since 1900.

1999 - After 22 1/2 years in the dreary Kingdome, Seattle finally played a home game outdoors, moving into a $517.6 million ballpark with a retractable roof. Jose Mesa wasted a ninth-inning lead by walking four batters and the Mariners lost 3-2 to the San Diego Padres in Safeco Field's opener.

2003 - Anaheim's Garret Anderson went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double as the American League beat the National League in the All-Star game 7-6. Hank Blalock of Texas hit a go-ahead, two-run homer as a pinch-hitter in the eighth off Los Angeles' Eric Gagne.

2005 - Baltimore's Rafael Palmeiro became the 26th player to reach 3,000 career hits, curling an RBI double into the left-field corner off Joel Pineiro in the fifth inning of a 6-3 win over Seattle. Palmeiro joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray as the only players with 3,000 hits and 500 homers.

2006 - For the first time in nearly three decades, a full major league schedule was played without a save being recorded. There were six blown saves during 15 games, including two each in Pittsburgh's 7-6 victory over Washington, and in Cincinnati's 3-2 win against Colorado. The Nationals and Reds both won with ninth-inning rallies.

2007 - The Philadelphia Phillies lost their 10,000th game, 10-2 to St. Louis. The franchise, born in 1883 as the Philadelphia Quakers and later called the Blue Jays in the mid-1940s, fell to 8,810-10,000.

Today's birthdays: Ryan Wagner 26; Chris Denorfia 28, Miguel Olivo 30.

[Spooky]

Daily Sports Roundup for Monday

Will Brett Favre be starting for the Packers next year? Backing up Aaron Rodgers? Starting for someone else? Staying retired? Right now, that's basically anyone's guess.

And with all the indecision it's pretty hard to place a futures wager on Green Bay winning Super Bowl XLIII right now - even though their odds have become more lucrative since Favre first announced his retirement. The Packers' Vegas odds to win the title opened at 7/1, but since then they've slipped farther down the chart to just 12/1.

That has them behind six other teams on the odds list - the Patriots, Cowboys, Colts, Jaguars, Giants, and Chargers. New England, of course, leads the way at 5/2 despite their upset loss in last year's championship game. The Pats will have the Tom Brady-to-Randy Moss combo back this year, and that has bettors still excited about their chances.

The Cowboys are at 9/2, followed by the Colts at 6/1, and each of the Jaguars, Giants, and Chargers at 10/1. The odds for Dallas and New York to win Super Bowl XLIII have both improved over the last few months - they started out at 6/1 and 12/1, respectively.

The Seahawks are next on the list at 15/1, with the Steelers and (surprisingly) the Bears both at 18/1. Chicago opened at 25/1 odds to win the Super Bowl, but have found some support in the last few months. The Bears would be a team interested in getting Favre.

The Saints follow at 20/1, with the Buccaneers (another possible Favre landing spot) at 28/1, and each of the Titans, Redskins, Vikings, and Browns at 30/1. The Bengals and Broncos are both at 38/1, with the Cardinals and Eagles at 45/1, and a quartet of teams sitting at 60/1 - the Bills, Panthers, Lions, and Texans. The Jets and Rams are at 75/1.

The longshot list then starts with the Chiefs at 100/1, with the Ravens, Raiders, and Niners all at 125/1. The bottom feeders are then the Falcons and Dolphins. Those two teams combined for just five wins last year, and their Super Bowl chances are at 150/1.

Other than monitoring Favre news the only other sports activities on the calendar for Monday are baseball's preliminary All-Star activities and a single WNBA contest. The diamond action is highlighted by the Home Run Derby, which will feature sluggers Ryan Braun, Dan Uggla, Lance Berkman, Chase Utley, Evan Longoria, Justin Morneau, Josh Hamilton, and Grady Sizemore. That event gets going at 8:00pm ET at Yankee Stadium Monday night.

On the court the action takes place on the west coast, as the San Antonio Silver Stars pay a visit to the Los Angeles Sparks. Those two conference rivals last met down in Texas on June 20, with the Silver Stars coming out on top 77-75. Ann Wauters led the way for San Antonio with 21 points that night, while Candace Parker scored 27 for L.A.

[Spooky]

State Farm Home Run Derby participants announced

Major League Baseball and State Farm, the official insurance sponsor of Major League Baseball, today announced the eight All-Stars who will participate in the 2008 State Farm Home Run Derby, which will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes TV and ESPN Radio on Monday at 8 p.m. (EDT).

The National League will feature Houston Astros first baseman Lance Berkman; Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun; Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla; and Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley.

Competing for the American League will be Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria; Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau; and Cleveland Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore.

Berkman, a five-time N.L. All-Star, will be competing in the Derby for the fourth time in his career. He also took part in 2002, 2004 (finishing as the runner-up at his home ballpark, Minute Maid Park) and 2006. Morneau, a two-time A.L. All-Star, was a part of last year's field at AT&T Park in San Francisco. The remaining six participants will be competing in the Derby for the first time. Longoria will be just the sixth rookie ever to participate in the Derby.

NL, Bats, Age, 2008 homeruns, Career homeruns

Lance Berkman, HOU, S, 32, 28 (T-7th in NL), 281

Ryan Braun, MIL, R, 24, 23(T-4th in NL), 57

Dan Uggla, FLA, R, 28, 23(T-4th in NL), 81

Chase Utley, PHI, L, 29, 25(T-3rd in NL), 122

AL, Bats, Age, 2008 homeruns, Career homeruns

Josh Hamilton, TEX, L, 27, 21 (T-2nd in AL), 40

Evan Longoria, TB, R, 22, 16(T-14th in AL), 16

Justin Morneau, MIN, L, 27, 14(T-21st in AL), 124

Grady Sizemore, CLE, L, 25, 23(1st in AL), 101

The "Gold Ball" donation program will be included again in the State Farm Home Run Derby competition. For every home run that State Farm Home Run Derby participants hit during the competition after their ninth out, Major League Baseball and State Farm will combine to donate $17,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the official charity of Major League Baseball. The $17,000 represents each of the State Farm agents across the United States and Canada.

This year's event will feature two new additions, the State Farm and MLB Call Your Shot promotion and the MLB and State Farm Boys & Girls Club Player Match-Up.

Bennett Hayes of Brimfield, Illinois is the grand prize winner of the State Farm and Call Your Shot promotion and will be on the field during the Derby to call a memorable home run shot at Yankee Stadium. In addition to the on-field event, Hayes won round trip air transportation and first class hotel accommodations for four to New York, four tickets to the State Farm Home Run Derby and MLB All-Star Game and several other New York-themed prizes.

Prior to the final round of the State Farm Home Run Derby, Hayes will join the two State Farm Home Run Derby finalists and will choose the spot where the sluggers will try to deliver a home run. A coin toss will determine which MLB player gets the first crack at the called shot. If either player delivers a home run to the called field, Hayes will take home a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid vehicle and a 2009 MLB ticket package ... and a lifetime of memories from the ultimate baseball experience.

Each Derby participant will also be paired with a teenager from a New York area Boys & Girls Club, with the winning player securing a $50,000 Teen Center for the local Boys & Girls Club for the teen with whom he is paired, compliments of State Farm. Boys & Girls Club members paired with non-winning Derby participants will be awarded $10,000 toward a Teen Center for their clubs.

"The caliber of players that are participating in this year's State Farm Home Run Derby is outstanding," said Mark Gibson, assistant vice president of advertising for State Farm. "We look forward to a high energy event for the fans and some friendly rivalries developing between the professional players. We wish all the players the best of luck and hope to see a record number of gold balls in the stands."

The 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, being held at Yankee Stadium in its final season, will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8 p.m. (EDT). The 2008 All-Star Game will be preceded by FOX's coverage of the 2008 All-Star Game Red Carpet Parade presented by Chevy along Sixth Avenue in Manhattan at 7 p.m. (EDT). ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the 208 All-Star Game that will also be available on XM Satellite Radio, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage. For the sixth consecutive year, the outcome of the All-Star Game will have an impact on postseason play, as the winning League in this year's All-Star Game will have home-field advantage in the 2008 World Series.

[Spooky]

NEW YORK (AP) -Baseball is saying goodbye to Yankee Stadium during the All-Star break, a time when the sport's best gather and fans focus on one ballpark. New York general manager Brian Cashman hopes it isn't a final farewell.

"Certainly we're hopeful that we can get our act together,'' he said, "and extend it into October.''

As the scoreboard in center field points out, just 32 regular-season games remain at Yankee Stadium, the 85-year-old monument to baseball history. There have been 106 World Series games played at the big ballyard in the Bronx - more than one-third of the American League's home total of 300.

"I've had a lot of great memories here and a lot of sad memories,'' said Hall of Famer George Brett, who hit three homers during a 1980 playoff game at Yankee Stadium but is best remembered for the 1983 Pine Tar Game, when his go-ahead, ninth-inning homer was disallowed by umpires, then reinstated by the AL president.

While 13 of the Yankees' last 14 regular-season games are sold out and the team is headed to its fourth straight 4 million-plus season at the box office, the stadium was at best half-filled for Sunday's All-Star Futures game, which had an announced atten of 48,383. Season ticket-holders had to buy seats for Sunday as part of strips that included Monday's home run derby and Tuesday night's All-Star game, the commissioner's office said.

Tuesday's game is the highest priced in baseball history, with lower-deck seats costing $525-$725 and bleacher tickets going for $150. In New York's Wall Street-driven economy, the home run derby sold for $100-$650 and the Futures Game for $50-$225.

And that's the list price.

On StubHub.com, tickets for Tuesday's game were on sale for up to $6,390 each. That's cheap next to the regular-season finale against Baltimore on Sept. 21 - the asking price on StubHub is as much as $65,000. Per seat.

"It is a museum. It's a baseball museum,'' said NL manager Clint Hurdle, who listed Yankee Stadium alongside Boston's Fenway Park and Chicago's Wrigley Field. "They're dripping with the historic ambiance of the game - the individuals that have played the game, the world (championships) that have been won there, the monuments in the outfield. I mean, the pope. Correct me if I'm wrong, didn't he speak at Yankee Stadium? It is a venue that holds its own amongst all venues.''

Davey Johnson, manager of the U.S. squad that lost 3-0 to a World team in the Futures Game, remembered when he played at Yankee Stadium in the 1960s for the Baltimore Orioles against Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.

"I hate to see it go,'' Johnson said. "I didn't think Yankee Stadium would ever change.''

So what was his fondest memory?

"It wasn't that Jeffrey Maier game,'' he shot back quickly, remembering back to when he managed the Orioles in the 1996 AL championship series and a 12-year-old fan leaned over the right-field wall, above right fielder Tony Tarasco, and deflected a fly ball that wound up as a home run for Derek Jeter.

Futures players had to sign three dozen baseballs, two home plates, two pitching rubbers (pitchers only) and three jerseys. When the major leaguers walk into the clubhouses Monday, each will have 14 dozen baseballs to sign.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is expected at the All-Star game. The 78-year-old owner's health has declined in recent years, and he hasn't attended a game at the ballpark since opening day.

Yankee Stadium hosted the All-Stars in 1939, 1960 and 1977 - the latter on a day when it was 102 degrees. The '77 game was played 1 1/2 years after the stadium reopened following a reconstruction that cost $167 million.

The new Yankee Stadium, which will be 63 percent larger, is rising across the street at a cost of at least $1.3 billion. It will feature a Hard Rock Cafe, a Martini Bar and regular-season seats that cost up to $2,500 a game. But it won't be the same.

"Being at the final All-Star game at Yankee Stadium is going to be very special,'' said Cleveland pitcher Cliff Lee, the expected AL starter. "Everyone knows the heritage there, and to be part of it is something I'm really looking to experience. It is going to be a crazy time.''

[Spooky]

All-Star Betting Breakdown

Major League Baseball has one helluva long season; we’ve seen teams play somewhere in the neighborhood of 90-something games and we’re only at the All-Star break!

While a majority of players will have Monday to Wednesday off, the few, the proud will descend upon Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for the 79th Midsummer Classic, MLB’s All-Star game.

Let’s take a look at both the National League and home side American League.

Although the NL has the longest winning streak in All-Star game history, with 11-straight victories extending from 1972-1982, the AL is currently on a hot streak of its own, boasting an 11-game unbeaten streak, which includes a controversial 7-7 tie in 2002.

NL and Colorado Rockies’ manager Clint Hurdle will have a number of fireballers to choose from, including current MLB win leader and Arizona Diamondback starter, Brandon Webb (13 wins).

The D-backs hit the ground running grabbing nine straight wins in Webb’s first nine starts of this season but he seems to have bottomed out a bit.

In his last 10 starts, Webb has gone 5-5, although Arizona has gone 3-0 in his last three starts and his last start at Yankee Stadium resulted in a 4-1 loss.

Another arm that Hurdle can rely on at the All-Star game is someone whom he is quite familiar with, the Rockies’ Aaron Cook.

The righty has lived up to his last name when he starts this season as Colorado is 12-7 this year when Cook takes the mound and in fact, the Rockies have taken a majority of Unders in the same situation, going 7-11-1 on the Over/Under this season.

The NL rotation also features a number of Cubs—seven Cubs were named to the NL All-Star team overall—including 10 game winner Ryan Dempster.

Dempster worked his way back into the starting rotation after a long stint coming out of the Bullpen and the Cubs have gone 14-5 in his starts this season.

Like Webb, Dempster’s last outing in the Bronx resulted in a loss (6-2) but that was all the way back in 2000.

Boston Red Sox and AL manager Terry Francona will also have some talented pitchers to choose from, this is the All-Star game after all.

Making his first appearance in an All-Star game, the L.A. Angels’ Joe Saunders, who just happens to be the AL’s win leader with 12, started the season off on fire as the Angels went 7-0 in his first seven starts but, like Webb, has leveled off.

After the seven game hot streak, the Angels have gone 6-5 in Saunders’ subsequent starts and in his last 20 starts he has gone 8-11-1 on the Over/Under.

Saunders last game in the Bronx was a 7-4 win.

Unlike Saunders, the Toronto Blue Jays’ Roy Halladay is a veteran of the All-Star game with five appearances under his belt.

This season Halladay has gone 10-8 but has been more profitable as of late as the Jays have gone 7-3 in his last 10.

A seasoned veteran of the AL East, the same division the Yankees play in, Halladay has played many games in the Bronx and has a 9-6 record at Yankee Stadium.

[Spooky]

Spooky Midseason Baseball Awards 2008 - MLB Awards

AL MVP - Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
Ian Kinsler and Milton Bradley are playing very well for the Rangers. However, I believe that it is Hamilton who is the backbone of that team’s lineup. Take him away and the Rangers wouldn’t be nearly as deadly.

NL MVP - Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
Sure, the Astros are a bad team and chances are slim that they will make the playoffs. That said, Berkman is having a career year and is the best hitter in the NL to date this season.

AL Cy Young - Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
Mariano Rivera might be having his best season in his career but Lee has been amazing. His 12-2 record is very impressive, as is his 2.31 ERA. Lee was nothing special until this year but now the Cleveland ace is making a name for himself.

NL Cy Young - Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds
Josh Hamilton is playing amazing baseball for the Texas Rangers, however the Reds have to be happy with their offseason move. The Reds got Volquez from the Rangers and he has consistently been the best pitcher in the NL this season.

AL Rookie of the Year - Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
One day soon, Evan Longoria might become more famous than Eva Longoria. He’s the clear cut rookie of the year in the AL — and it’s not even close. He has exceeded all the hype he had coming into the season.

NL Rookie of the Year - Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs
A lot of players on the Cubs are getting notoriety this season but one can argue that Soto is the most valuable player on Chicago’s roster. He has stepped in as a rookie and is playing great baseball.

[Spooky]

Spooky Express 9 Innings of Baseball

1st Inning

The New York Mets extended their winning streak to nine games with a 7-0 defeat of the Colorado Rockies at Shea Stadium. The shutout was the Mets’ fourth in six games, and the bullpen’s scoreless-innings streak reached 19. The Rockies did have seven hits, the first time since last Monday that a Mets opponent had more than three. Mike Pelfrey (8-6) worked eight strong innings and over his last eight starts, Pelfrey has gone 5-0 and has given up less than three runs six times.

2nd Inning

Jhonny Peralta drove in three runs and the Cleveland Indians beat Scott Kazmir and Tampa Bay 5-2 yesterday to complete a three game sweep and gave the Rays their season-worst seventh straight loss. The Indians entered the series having lost 10 straight, their worst streak since 1979, but outscored the Rays 31-8 to extend their home winning streak over Tampa Bay to 13. The Rays have not won in Cleveland since Sept. 29, 2005, and dropped 18 of the last 20 meetings overall.

3rd Inning

THE BALCO MEMORIAL HOME RUN DERBY
The Balco Memorial takes place tonight at the Stadium and there almost was a very interesting participant – Ichiro.

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports that Ichiro was approached by MLB officials about participating but turned it down because of his tight hamstring. "It was discussed,'' M’s interim GM Lee Pelekoudas said. "I think it would have been nice for him to participate if he wanted to. You watch him in batting practice and he puts on a show.''
Manager Jim Riggleman agreed,
"I think he would have won the thing,'' he said.

That would have made it worth watching.

The participants will be Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins, who has 14 home runs and will represent the American League along with Josh Hamilton (21) of the Texas Rangers, Evan Longoria (16) of the Tampa Bay Rays and Grady Sizemore (23) of the Cleveland Indians.

The National League will be led by Lance Berkman (22) of the Houston Astros, Ryan Braun (23) of the Milwaukee Brewers, Dan Uggla (23) of the Florida Marlins and Chase Utley (25) of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Morneau is the only repeat offender from last year's event.

4th Inning

CC DOES IT ALL
CC Sabathia homered in his first National League complete game to help Milwaukee avoid a sweep with a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds as Milwaukee improved to 20-10 in one-run games on the year. Sabathia improved to 2-0 in his first two starts with the Brewers, striking out nine in the complete game victory. Sabathia now has four complete games on the year and he lowered his ERA with Milwaukee to 2.40. Sabathia hit a solo home run in the third inning, his second of the year and third of his career. Sabathia became the third pitcher in major league history to homer in both leagues in a season. The others were Earl Wilson in 1970 (Tigers and Padres) and Jim Tobin in 1945 (Tigers and Braves).

A crowd of 42,108 was the Brewers' fourth consecutive sellout and 20th overall.

5th Inning

REMEMBERING BOBBY MURCER by Harvey Frommer
Bobby Murcer became a Yankee just after the glory times of the franchise, 1949-64, and I followed his baseball exploits along with millions of others. There was always a pleasing presence about the man.

It was a stunner when he was traded on October 21, 1974 to the San Francisco Giants for Bobby Bonds, Barry's dad. That was where I entered the story.

The summer of 1975 I was traveling about with the Philadelphia Phillies (The Mets had informed the League Office that they could not host me) writing my first book - A Baseball Century: the First Hundred Years of the National league.

It was a very interesting experience going from city to city and interviewing players, managers, coaches, owners. I used a big boom box tape recorder and an even bigger briefcase to store my tapes, credentials, media guide and notes. I truly was a "beginning author."

I arrived at San Francisco's Candlestick Park and interviewed the long-time owner of the Giants Horace Stoneham and his long-time publicist Garry Schumacher and other Giants.

Then I came upon Bobby Murcer. He was not a part of the National League story, not a part of the subject matter of the book I was writing and was so honed in on.

But I decided to talk to him anyway and get some of his thoughts. Affable, smiling, a bit out of uniform in the garb of the Giants, Murcer was a pleasure to be with.

I thanked him for his time and continued on in my relentless pace interviewing in the locker room and on the field. I must have stopped for a snack or something and came back to where I thought I had put my tape recorder and tapes.

They were not around. Weeks of work ­ not around. I started to panic. I asked everyone ­ no one had seen them. I re-traced my interview steps ­ no luck.

I was out on the windy Candlestick Park field and spied Bobby Murcer and explained my plight. He said something about never letting things important to you out of your sight. He suggested we go back into the dressing room to look.

He reached up and into his locker. "Here they are," he smiled "Someone must have put them there," he continued in that distinctive Oklahoma drawl. "Let me autograph a baseball for you to make your day a little better."

I always suspected that Bobby Murcer was the "someone." He was always the practical joker. I'll never forgot that day and that moment of panic and the lesson Bobby Murcer taught me.

6th Inning

PROBABLE PITCHERS

1. Agent Nez Balelo, a one-time Seattle Mariners prospect, will be the pitcher for the Brewers' Ryan Braun in the BALCO Memorial Home Run Derby.

2. Mick Billmeyer, the bullpen coach for the Philadelphia Phillies, will pitch to Chase Utley.

3. Cleveland bench coach Jeff Datz will pitch to Grady Sizemore.

4. Lance Berkman wanted Astros bullpen coach Mark "Beetle" Bailey to accompany him to New York, but Bailey opted to take the three days off to be with his family in Houston and Berkman will have one of the Rockies' coaches pitch to him instead.

5. Clay Council, a 71-year-old volunteer high school coach from Raleigh, N.C., pitch to Josh Hamilton. Council has been throwing batting practice to Raleigh-area kids, including Hamilton, for more than 30 years. Hamilton promised Council many years ago that if he was ever invited to the Home Run Derby, he would ask Council to pitch to him.

6. Normally in Marlins batting practices, Dan Uggla will face either bullpen coordinator Pierre Arsenault or manager Fredi Gonzalez. Uggla plans on just finding someone in New York to pitch because he wants his coaches to take the break off.

7. Evan Longoria doesn't have a "pet" pitcher who knows how to lay them in there just right. So his plan: "I'll pick somebody based on what I see when I get there."

8. Twins hitting coach Joe Vavra will be Justin Morneau's pitcher.

7th Inning

DID YOU KNOW?
Ryan Braun hit his 56th career home run July 8 in his 200th game. Only Mark McLiar (59) and Rudy York (59) hit more in their first 200 games.

8th Inning

KINSLER KEEPS KHITTING (THE “K” IS SILENT)
Ian Kinsler extended his majors-best hitting streak to 25 games with three hits and drove in three runs, leading the Texas Rangers to a 12-11 victory over the Chicago White Sox. The AL's leading hitter (.337) had doubles in each of the first two innings, increasing his majors-leading total to 34.

Since having the worst record in the majors at 7-16 in late April, the Rangers (50-46) have won 16 of their last 23 series.

9th Inning

And you’ve got to love Ozzie - "This was the worst baseball game I've ever seen. ... The pitchers should look themselves in the mirror and be embarrassed," Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. "That was ugly. That's the worst I've seen in a long time."

[Spooky]

Daily Sports Roundup for Tuesday

The National League will be trying to put an end to a lengthy losing streak when they take on their American League counterparts in the annual All-Star Game Tuesday night.

The last time the NL pulled out a victory in the All-Star Game was back in 1996, when MVP Mike Piazza (then of the Los Angeles Dodgers) led his club to a 6-0 victory. Since then the American League is 10-0-1 in the contest, with that infamous tie coming in 2002. Last season Josh Beckett got the victory as the AL edged the NL by a tally of 5-4.

And the American League is obviously pegged as the favorite again this season, with the game being held at Yankee Stadium (first pitch is set for 8:20pm ET on Tuesday). The Vegas oddsmakers have the Junior Circuit listed as the -140 favorites to win the contest and secure home-field advantage in the World Series, with the total at 10 runs.

So which players are the National League running out onto the field to try and put an end to their decade-long skid? Here are the starters for both leagues for Tuesday . . .

National League Starters

C - Geovany Soto (Cubs)
1B - Lance Berkman (Astros)
2B - Chase Utley (Phillies)
3B - Chipper Jones (Braves)
SS - Hanley Ramirez (Marlins)
OF - Matt Holliday (Rockies)
OF - Ryan Braun (Brewers)
OF - Kosuke Fukudome (Cubs)

Soto and Fukudome are both rookies, and obviously are making their first All-Star appearances. Ramirez and Braun will be participating in the game for the first time as well, while Utley and Holliday have three appearances each, Berkman has five, and Jones has six. The Cubs' Alfonso Soriano was also elected to the starting lineup, but he'll miss the game due to an injury; Holliday was selected as his replacement to start.

The National League's pitching staff will include Aaron Cook, Ryan Dempster, Dan Haren, Brad Lidge, Tim Lincecum, Carlos Marmol, Ben Sheets, Edinson Volquez, Billy Wagner, Brandon Webb, Brian Wilson, and Carlos Zambrano. Kerry Wood also made the team, but he'll sit out with a blister on his hand; Marmol replaces him on the squad.

The NL reserves are Russell Martin, Brian McCann, Adrian Gonzalez, Albert Pujols, Dan Uggla, Aramis Ramirez, David Wright, Cristian Guzman, Miguel Tejada, Corey Hart, Ryan Ludwick, and Nate McLouth. Hart made the team due to the Final Man vote.

American League Starters

C - Joe Mauer (Twins)
1B - Kevin Youkilis (Red Sox)
2B - Dustin Pedroia (Red Sox)
3B - Alex Rodriguez (Yankees)
SS - Derek Jeter (Yankees)
OF - Manny Ramirez (Red Sox)
OF - Josh Hamilton (Rangers)
OF - Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners)

Youkilis, Pedroia, and Hamilton will all be making their All-Star debuts on Tuesday, while Mauer has been there twice, Suzuki eight times, Jeter nine times, and Rodriguez and Ramirez a dozen times apiece. David Ortiz was voted in as the starting designated hitter, but his injury will keep him out of the game. Milton Bradley will be the DH instead.

On the pitching staff for the American League this year are Justin Duchscherer, Roy Halladay, Scott Kazmir, Cliff Lee, Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, Mariano Rivera, Francisco Rodriguez, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, George Sherrill, and Joakim Soria.

Selected as the AL's reserves were Dioner Navarro, Jason Varitek, Justin Morneau, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Joe Crede, Carlos Guillen, Evan Longoria, J.D. Drew, Carlos Quentin, Grady Sizemore, and Bradley. Longoria won the Final Man vote for the league.

Managing the American League side this year will be Terry Francona, who got his Red Sox back into first place in the AL East division on Sunday afternoon (they're a half-game up on the Rays). Meanwhile, the NL's manager will be Clint Hurdle; his Rockies were a surprise success last year, but they haven't done much damage so far this year.

[Spooky]

Six-pack for Tuesday

-- Not the best week to be a Packer........Green Bay or Billy

-- How about Josh Hamilton bringing a 71-year old American Legion coach up from North Carolina to throw in Home Run Derby? But you wonder if he got tired late Monday night.

-- Mr Counsil, the BP pitcher, had been in the Bronx for one baseball game; when Don Larsen threw his perfect game in the 1956 World Series. He was 19 back then.

-- Any chance the Packers trade Aaron Rodgers?

-- I feel bad CBS cut Billy Packer loose; sometimes, people just want to hear a different voice. If ESPN had half a brain, they'd sign Packer tomorrow, or tonight.

-- Ryan Braun brought his agent to throw BP? Imagine what pressure the guy was under; trying to throw meatballs to his client in front of the whole world. Lets see scumweasel agent Scott Boras do that-- he'd probably charge by the pitch.

-- The Josh Hamilton Story will be hell of a movie someday; you just pray it has a happy ending.

[Spooky]

SCOREBOARD FOR TUESDAY

All-Star game (8:00 p.m. EDT). The 79th version of the midsummer classic is held at Yankee Stadium.


STARS FROM MONDAY

- Justin Morneau, Twins, won the Home Run Derby, beating Texas' Josh Hamilton 5-3 in the final round.


HR DERBY RECORD

Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton hit a record 28 homers in the first round of the home run derby at Yankee Stadium on Monday night. Hamilton, who later lost to the Twins' Justin Morneau 5-3 in the final round, eclipsed the single-round mark set by Bobby Abreu in the first round at Detroit's Comerica Park in 2005. Hamilton has 21 homers this season and leads the majors with 95 RBIs.


STARTING NODS

Cleveland's Cliff Lee and Milwaukee's Ben Sheets were selected as the starting pitchers for Tuesday night's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. NL manager Clint Hurdle of Colorado tabbed Sheets, who is 10-3 with a 2.85 ERA. Several other NL All-Stars pitched Sunday, making the well-rested Sheets a logical choice. Lee was picked by Boston manager Terry Francona to start for the AL, highlighting a remarkable resurgence for the left-hander after he was demoted to the minors last year. He is 12-2 with a 2.31 ERA this season.


NO BONDS IN 2008?

Barry Bonds' agent Jeff Borris said Monday the slugger has not received a single offer and was unlikely to play in 2008. Borris dismissed recent reports of interest from Arizona, the New York Mets and Boston. "I'm an optimistic guy by nature,'' Borris said, "and I've told Barry that the prospects look bleak.'' Bonds, who turns 44 in two weeks, led the majors last season with a .480 on-base percentage. He finished the year with 762 career home runs, tops on the career list, and became a free agent when the San Francisco Giants did not bring him back.


SO LONG, RED

Red Foley, the most celebrated official scorer of his time in major league baseball, died Monday at Booth Memorial Hospital in Flushing, N.Y, according to his family attorney, Kevin Brosnahan. Foley was 79. From 1981 to 2001, Foley was an official scorer in 10 World Series, more than any other scorer in modern history. That included the Series of 1985, 1987 and 1991, which did not involve New York teams. Foley was a sports writer for the New York Daily News for 34 years before retiring in 1981. He began working as an official scorer in 1966 and continued to do so until 2002, scoring more than 3,000 games.


SURGERY

Nationals outfielder Wily Mo Pena will have surgery on his left shoulder. Pena has a small tear in his left rotator cuff and fraying of the labrum in his left shoulder. He was examined Monday by Nationals team doctor Ben Shaffer and is expected to have the operation within seven to 10 days.


STILL SIDELINED

Yankees left fielder Johnny Damon had his first hitting off a tee session pushed back at least a couple days because of soreness in his injured left shoulder. Damon, on the disabled list for the first time in his career, sprained the shoulder when he ran into the left-field fence while attempting to catch a ball on July 4.


FETCHING A HEFTY PRICE

A baseball cap worn by New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth has been auctioned for a record $328,000 on Monday. The sweat-stained cap from around the 1920s sold at an auction of Yankees memorabilia in New York. Hunt Auctions says the cap is one of only three Yankees hats in existence worn by Ruth during games. It says a hat used by a player had never sold for more than $100,000.


SPRING MOVE

The Cincinnati Reds have finalized an agreement to move their spring training facility from Florida to Arizona in 2010. The Goodyear, Ariz., city council unanimously approved a binding agreement with the Reds on Monday night. The Reds will join the Cleveland Indians at a $108 million facility, which will include a 10,000-seat ballpark and will be the centerpiece of a $1 billion development with offices, shops and restaurants. The Indians, who previously trained in Winter Haven, Fla., will move there in February. The Reds plan to hold one more spring training in Sarasota, Fla., before joining them.


CLOSE TO COMING BACK

Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez was 1-for-4 with a run scored in a rehabilitation appearance with the Class-A West Michigan Whitecaps on Monday night. He singled, reached base on a fielding error, popped out and grounded out. The Tigers say Ordonez, on the 15-day disabled list for a strained oblique muscle in his abdomen, could return when Detroit resumes play Thursday at Baltimore.


SPEAKING

"These young guys today, today they're bigger. I don't know if they're stronger. (Harmon) Killebrew, Frank Howard, (Willie) McCovey, Dick Allen, (Willie) Stargell, Rico Carty, (Mickey) Mantle, Lou Gehrig. Go back as far as you want there were some really strong people. There's no one playing today that's stronger than Jim Rice. There's no one playing today who hit the ball farther than Gorman Thomas.'' - Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, at the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium on Monday night.


PREVIOUS SEASONS ON JULY 15TH

1901 - Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants pitched the first of two career no-hitters, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0.

1969 - Cincinnati's Lee May hit four home runs in a doubleheader split with the Atlanta Braves. May had two home runs and drove in five runs in both games as the Reds lost the opener 9-8 but came back to win the second game 10-4.

1969 - Rod Carew stole home off Chicago's Gerry Nyman in the Minnesota Twins' 6-2 victory. It was Carew's seventh steal of home for the year and tied Pete Reiser's 1946 major league mark.

1973 - Nolan Ryan of the California Angels struck out 17 batters and threw his second no-hitter of the year, beating Detroit 6-0.

1980 - Johnny Bench broke Yogi Berra's record for home runs by a catcher as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Montreal Expos 12-7. Bench hit his 314th homer as a catcher off David Palmer. Bench had 33 home runs while playing other positions.

1990 - Chicago's Bobby Thigpen became quickest to reach 30 saves in a season as the White Sox beat the New York Yankees 8-5.

1997 - The San Francisco Giants scored 13 runs to set a modern NL record for runs in a seventh inning en route to a 16-2 rout of the San Diego Padres. The Giants set the NL record for the most runs in a seventh inning since 1900.

1999 - After 22 1/2 years in the dreary Kingdome, Seattle finally played a home game outdoors, moving into a $517.6 million ballpark with a retractable roof. Jose Mesa wasted a ninth-inning lead by walking four batters and the Mariners lost 3-2 to the San Diego Padres in Safeco Field's opener.

2003 - Anaheim's Garret Anderson went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double as the American League beat the National League in the All-Star game 7-6. Hank Blalock of Texas hit a go-ahead, two-run homer as a pinch-hitter in the eighth off Los Angeles' Eric Gagne.

2005 - Baltimore's Rafael Palmeiro became the 26th player to reach 3,000 career hits, curling an RBI double into the left-field corner off Joel Pineiro in the fifth inning of a 6-3 win over Seattle. Palmeiro joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray as the only players with 3,000 hits and 500 homers.

2006 - For the first time in nearly three decades, a full major league schedule was played without a save being recorded. There were six blown saves during 15 games, including two each in Pittsburgh's 7-6 victory over Washington, and in Cincinnati's 3-2 win against Colorado. The Nationals and Reds both won with ninth-inning rallies.

2007 - The Philadelphia Phillies lost their 10,000th game, 10-2 to St. Louis. The franchise, born in 1883 as the Philadelphia Quakers and later called the Blue Jays in the mid-1940s, fell to 8,810-10,000.

Today's birthdays: Ryan Wagner 26; Chris Denorfia 28, Miguel Olivo 30.

[Spooky]

Thirteen of the favorite sports movies of all time:

13) Slap Shot-- Paul Newman as coach of minor league hockey team; the Hanson Brothers, Eddie Shore/old-time hockey. Little bit dated, but still fun to watch. (You can still get Charlestown Chiefs gear at River City Sports - hockey jerseys, football jerseys, soccer jerseys, nhl jerseys, nfl jerseys, cfl jerseys, ahl jerseys.)

12) Longest Yard-- The original, dammit. Burt Reynolds as the QB, Eddie Albert as the warden, Ed Lauter (who also played a hockey coach in Youngblood) as a CO. Ray Nitschke and Joe Kapp played on the guards' team.

11) Caddyshack-- Guys I went to college with know this movie by heart, line-for-line. Still makes me laugh today.

10) Any Given Sunday-- I could listen to Al Pacino, even if he was reading the phone book; he captures the essence of what a coach is and does in this movie. Good touch having Hall of Fame players as opposing coaches in the movie.

9) One-on-One-- The same dude that played Tom Landry in the football classic North Dallas Forty is Coach Smith, the coach who makes a mistake recruiting a smalltown guard, then tries to run him off. Robby Benson looked like Pete Maravich back in the mid-70's, and that helped the movie a little bit.

8) Brian's Song-- Again , the original, the greatest made-for-TV movie of alltime. Billy Dee Williams as Gale Sayers, James Caan as Brian Piccolo, and Jack Warden as George Halas. Real life is always more fun than fiction.

7) Bull Durham-- Lot of great lines in this movie; if it wasn't for Timothy Robbins having a horrible throwing motion, it would get lot more credit as a terrific baseball movie. As Bill Murray once said, "......the world needs less mental hosptals and more minor league baseball."

6) Hoosiers-- OK, so Norman Dale wasn't such a great coach; if Jimmy Chitwood hadn't come back, Dale would've been fired in the first half of the movie. Chitwood, I am told, made 23-29 from the floor in this movie-- that actor is now a golf pro.

5) Hoop Dreams-- Documentary on two kids who played high school ball in Chicago; again, real life makes for better stuff in movies. This one didn't turn out so well, but it did show Isiah Thomas is a better actor than he was a general manager.

4) Bad News Bears-- THE ORIGINAL. Walter Matthau was the best as Buttermaker, the beer-swilling coach who somehow got a team with Tatum O'Neal as pitcher and the motorcycle kid as the best hitter to within an out of the league title. The kid who was the winning pitcher was the star on the old TV show, The Courtship of Eddie's Father.

3) Rocky-- What a great movie. Sadly, three of its four sequels were hideous, but the original is just a tremendous movie. No way do I blame Sylvester Stallone for making a ton of money on the sequels, but he never came close to the original.

2) Major League-- I've probably seen this movie fifty times and I laugh just as hard every time I see it. How Bob Uecker didn't get nominated for an Oscar is beyond me. Only thing I would have done differently is sub an actress for Rene Russo, who I didn't like in either this or Tin Cup.

1) Blue Chips-- First of all, the scene where Bob Cousy makes the free throws in a half-dark gym? Done on the first take, and Nick Nolte's line about him never missing was ad-libbed. Trust me, I could go on for a while about this movie, and it would've been even better had they let Shaq act a little more.

[Spooky]

The 2008 All-Bum Team from Spooky


With the Midsummer Classic being played tonight, we figured it was only fair to honor those who are at the opposite end of the spectrum: the Rumors and Rants Major League All-Bum Team.

Unfortunately, we are not the only ones to think of this concept. But I like to think we've come up with the shittiest team of them all.

Dontrelle Willis, SP Tigers
D-Train now stands for Derailed Train. The Tigers traded their future to Florida this offseason for Willis and Miguel Cabrera to get to the World Series now.

Willis gave them all of 11 1/3 IP, 21 walks and a 10.32 ERA before getting sent all the way down to Class-A Lakeland, where he's only pitched once. I guess that pretty much makes him our team captain (though there is heated competition).

Now, Willis is merely hoping to get called back up to the bigs as part of the 40-man roster in September. Seriously.

Rich Hill, SP Cubs
Last year, Rich Hill had electric stuff and posted and 11-8 record with a 3.92 ERA and 183 strikeouts. This year figured to be even better.

But then the mentally fragile Hill got himself into some sort of bizarre rut where he found it impossible to throw strikes, and lived up to Ozzie Guillen's 2006 description as a "Triple-A piece of shit" when the Cubs sent him down to Iowa in April. Then, he cried when Lou Piniella promised they'd save a spot for him in the rotation. His control didn't get any better at that level, and now he's trying to figure things out in Rookie League in a truly baffling fall from grace.

Perhaps he caught wind of the fact that my friends and I started calling him Dick Hill and it hurt his feelings. I'm sorry, Rich.

Barry Zito, SP Giants
Since he no longer is on the A's and I still have his jersey in my closet, you'd think I'd remember to put him on this team.


Brett Myers, WB Phillies
Myers, a key part of the Phillies' pitching staff for last year's division champions, came out of the gates with a 3-9 record and 5.84 ERA before he was sent down to Class AA Reading. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Apparently, Myers will be back in Philly shortly after the All-Star break.

And in case you haven't figured it out, "WB" stands for Wife Beater. With Wil Cordero unavailable, we needed someone to fill our spot on the All-Bum team roster.

Eric Gagne, RP Brewers
I don't think that anyone is actually surprised that Eric Gagne sucks this year. But that doesn't make him any less of a bum.

After getting a $10 million deal from the Brew Crew, Gagne has blown an impressive five saves in 15 chances and has a 7.33 ERA. He's been taken out of the closer's role, but his lofty contract pretty much guarantees he'll be in Milwaukee for the rest of the season.

Jeff Francoeur, OF Braves
Stop me if you've heard this one before: highly touted and well-established player gets sent down to the minors after a terrible start to the season.

Andruw Jones, OF Dodgers
Andruw Jones is earning over $14 million this year to hit .164 with 2 homers and 10 RBI. Talk about a guy that should be doing time in the minors. Check that. He should be doing time in prison, because he's clearly commiting robbery.

Not to mention that he could be the worst free-agent signing since the British acquired the Hessians for the Revolutionary War. Perhaps it's time to make Andruw the undisputed team captain.

Jim Edmonds, OF Padres*
Before the formerly hated Edmonds was getting clutch hits for the Cubs, he was "starring" for the Padres to begin the season. Did you know that he stopped taking his post-concussion medication since he joined the Cubs because it seemed to affect his vision?

Let's see what a Padres fan has to say about the matter. Phillips?

Phillips: "Ehem (straightens tie). Fuck Jim Edmonds. That worthless no-heart-having, no-effort, phone-it-in motherfucker. I hope you catch syphilis and die in a sanitarium you piece of shit."

Richie Sexson, 1B Mariners
Sexson's woes have been well-documented on many a site, and he is a welcome addition to the All-Bum team.

Rickie Weeks, 2B Brewers
More like Rickie Weaks.

Khalil Greene, SS Padres
Last year, Greene had 27 homers and 97 RBI.

This year, he's one of the many impotent pieces of the Friars offense, with a .216 average, 8 homers and 32 RBI. Not quite the same pace as last year.

Here's hoping he doesn't end up in the Sean Burroughs Graveyard of Left Infield Irrelevancy.

Bill Hall, 3B Brewers
I hate to do this to Billy Hall, who is a gamer that is willing to go anywhere his team tells him. But facts are facts, and Hall is having a Rob Deer-like year at the plate.

Though he's got 12 homers, he's only hitting .234 with a .294 on-base percentage. And he's struck out 74 times.

To be honest, I had no idea there would be this many Brewers on the All-Bum team. Guess that just goes to show how impressive guys like Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and J.J. Hardy have been to pick up some serious slack.

Victor Martinez, C Indians
For a catcher, a .278 average with 21 RBI and no home runs in 198 at-bats is quasi-respectable.

But when he's coming off a year with a .301 average, 114 RBI and 25 homers? Well, that ain't cutting the mustard. Especially when it means you have fewer dongs than Henry Blanco. Or CC Sabathia. And though Martinez has dealt with injuries this year, his total downfall in production is a big reason the Tribe is already waiting until next year.

Travis Hafner, DH Indians
Pronk was once the greatest thing to ever come out of North Dakota.

Now, with a .217 average, 4 homers and 22 RBI -- that's less power than Cubs Lollypop Guild 2B Mike Fontenot -- he will have to hand the crown back to Lawrence Welk.

Manager: John Gibbons, Blue Jays
Gibbons was so bad that the Jays decided to have an early-'90s flashback and bring back Cito Gaston. If they don't get back to the postseason, at least they can relive their glory years every night at the Sky Dome.

Gibbons is the same manager Ted Lilly fought with two years ago. Lilly seems like he'd be a pretty easy-going guy, so we're gonna guess that Gibbons is kind of a prick.

General Manager: Bill Bavasi, Mariners
Bavasi's already out of a job, as the M's are on their way to their fourth last-place finish in the past five years. The straw that broke Bavasi's back was the nightmarish trade of top prospects to Baltimore for pitcher Erik Bedard, who has good stats but is not quite the ace he was expected to be because he's a little bitch who refuses to go beyond 100 pitches a game.

[Dirty]

Thanks Spook

[Spooky]

DAILY SPOOKY SPORTS ROUNDUP FOR WEDNESDAY

Baron Davis bolted Golden State to sign with the Clippers. Elton Brand parted ways with the Clippers for a cushy job in Philadelphia. So who has a better shot at winning it all?

The Vegas oddsmakers think it's Brand and the Sixers. Philly finished 40-42 last season, and slipped into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference standings. That was good progress for the franchise, who were still trying to move on from the Allen Iverson era. Still, the Sixers by no means looked like a legit contender.

Enter Brand, who should provide a real boost for the team this season - assuming he can stay healthy. Philadelphia still isn't up with the elites of the conference on the NBA futures list, but bettors are definitely starting to take notice. After opening at a line of just 40/1 odds to win the NBA title in the '08/09 season the Sixers are now at only 20/1 odds.

And what about Davis and the Clippers? A Davis-Brand combo would have at least put Los Angeles close to the playoff picture in the tough Western Conference, but with just one star on the squad their chances aren't nearly as good. Still, all the drama at least got the Clippers noticed, and their odds for this year have improved from 75/1 to 50/1.

The Warriors are going to miss Davis, but they at least added to their roster by bringing in former Clipper Corey Maggette. Golden State managed to finish 48-34 last season, but that still wasn't good enough to get them into the playoffs (they were two games back of Denver for the No. 8 seed). The Warriors' title odds have gone from 30/1 to 35/1.

Also making an offseason splash have been the Raptors and the Pacers, who swapped Jermaine O'Neal for T.J. Ford. Toronto is hoping that O'Neal can stay healthy and team up with Chris Bosh in a formidable front court. Indiana is hoping that Ford can stay healthy and become their leader in the back court. The Raptors' title odds have improved from 25/1 to just 20/1, while the Pacers have slipped from 50/1 to only 60/1.

The biggest mover on the Vegas odds list, though, has been the Bucks. Milwaukee dealt Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons to the Nets in exchange for Richard Jefferson, and they no longer seem to be interested in getting rid of Michael Redd. The Bucks opened way back at 150/1 odds to win the title, but their moves now have them at 75/1.

Of course, that's still a long way from contender status, and the Celtics and Lakers continue to lead the pack on the Vegas odds list. Both Boston and Los Angeles are pegged at 3/1 to be crowned the '08/09 champs, with the Pistons, Hornets, and Spurs all at 7/1. The Suns and Jazz follow at 10/1 odds, with the Cavaliers just back at 12/1.

If you're looking to take in some real hoops action on Wednesday, however, you'll have to settle for either Summer League highlights or a couple of Eastern Conference WNBA matinees. The Sky and Shock will meet in Detroit in a 12:00pm ET contest on Wednesday afternoon, with the Dream and Fever then tipping off in Indiana at 1:00pm.

[Spooky]

Six-pack for Wednesday

My six favorite baseball mascots

6) Mr Met-- How does he get his big head into the subway?

5) Billy Marlin-- Only mascot to have its head stolen.

4) Bernie Brewer-- Was higher on list when he slid into a mug of beer at old County Stadium; they are the Brewers, after all.

3) Baxter-- Youngest of the mascots; its not easy being the mascot of a team in the desert.

2) Mariner Moose-- Recovered from broken ankle when he crashed into Kingdome fence during failed stunt-- tough.

1) Philly Phanatic-- By far, the best mascot. Not even close.

[Spooky]

Wednesday's Spooky's Dizzy Dozen
Impressions of the All-Star Game

12) There had to be lot of relieved people when the AL won; no one wanted another tie. How would they have determined home field for the World Series? Rock-paper-scissors?

11) Managers in Arizona and Tampa couldn't have been happy when their aces got into the game, after tossing 100+ pitches in Sunday's game. Especially with Kazmir having injury history

10) Seattle lost a game to the Tigers a few weeks back when a backup catcher had to pitch the 15th inning, because they ran out of pitchers; would they have let a position player do that in an All-Star Game? Luckily, we'll never know.

9) Bad night to be Dan Uggla. Tough night for a good player.

8) Strange thing-- AL had bags full, no one out after his errors, but they never scored. Terrific pitching by Aaron Cook.

7) This is first time since 1977 that Cubs, White Sox are both in first place at All-Star break. Neither won the division that year.

6) If Mets make the World Series, they can thank closer Billy Wagner for not having home field edge; he blew the save in 8th inning when Longoria golfed double down leftfield line.

5) How about Russell Martin? He uses a catcher's mitt like its a damn first baseman's glove. Great play tagging Morneau out.

4) American League is now 11-0-1 in last 12 All-Star games.

3) Is there a network TV rule that Derek Jeter has to be shown on camera every 90 seconds? Give the guy a rest.

2) Next winter's outdoor NHL game is Red Wings at Wrigley against the Blackhawks. Weird thing is I don't think they can do this in Montreal or Toronto-- no outdoor arena big enough.

1) If the game had gone much further, they should have let the guy who threw HR Derby for Josh Hamilton be official pitcher for both teams. There would have been some runs then.

[Spooky]

Thursday's Daily Sports Roundup after the longest day of the year

Tiger Woods is injured, and Phil Mickelson has never performed very well at the British Open, so that leaves South Africa's Ernie Els as the big Vegas favorite to win the major.

Els went into The Open Championship at just 8/1 odds to grab the trophy, which is something he did at this tournament back in 2002. Els has also had a lot of close calls at the event, with three second-place results (1996, 2000, and 2004), two third-place finishes (2001 and 2006), and a fourth-place finish at last year's tourney at Carnoustie.

Mickelson falls in behind Els on the odds list at 10/1, with Sergio Garcia at 12/1, and both Justin Rose and defending champion Padraig Harrington at 15/1. Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, Retief Goosen, and Vijay Singh were all pegged at 20/1 odds to get the win by Vegas, with Geoff Ogilvy and Luke Donald just a little farther back at 25/1.

Other notables and their British Open odds this week include Stuart Appleby (30/1), Stewart Cink (35/1), Justin Leonard (35/1), K.J. Choi (35/1), Stephen Ames (40/1), and Mike Weir (40/1). Miguel Angel Jimenez is a longshot at just 60/1 odds to get the victory.

The start of the 2008 British Open at Royal Birkdale dominates the sports news on Thursday, but Major League Baseball also swings back into action. There are four games on the diamond Thursday, with the Mets at Cincinnati, San Diego at St. Louis, and Pittsburgh at Colorado in the NL, and Detroit at Baltimore in the AL.

The top pitching matchup will be in St. Louis, where the Padres' Jake Peavy (7-5, 2.47 ERA) will take on the Cardinals' Kyle Lohse (11-2, 3.39 ERA). Peavy has allowed more than three earned runs in an outing only twice this year - and it hasn't happened since he returned from the DL on June 12. The righthander is coming off a strong outing against the Braves in which he tossed seven scoreless innings and fanned seven hitters.

Lohse is 8-0 with two no-decisions over his last 10 starts, allowing three or fewer earned runs in nine of those outings. The righthander also tossed seven scoreless innings in his last trip to the mound, striking out three Pirates and giving up six hits in his 11th victory.

Johan Santana, well rested since he wasn't invited to the All-Star Game, will start for the Mets on Thursday, and he'll be looking to help the team run its winning streak to 10 games. The lefthander blanked the Giants on three hits over five innings in his final start of the first half, but he'd gone winless over his six starts prior to that despite solid lines. Santana is scheduled to face the Reds' Johnny Cueto, who lost the Cubs last time out.

There are three WNBA games on the schedule for Thursday, with Minnesota at Houston, Washington at New York, and Los Angeles at Phoenix. The Sparks got another big game from Candace Parker on Monday night as they cruised to a 75-62 win over the Silver Stars. Parker tossed in 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on the night.

Finally, there's on Canadian Football League game on tap for Thursday, with the Tiger-Cats out in Calgary to face the Stampeders. Hamilton is just 1-2 straight up and 1-2 against-the-spread so far this season, but the one time they did cover was on the road. Calgary is 2-1 SU and 2-1 ATS, and they managed to cover in their only home contest.

[Spooky]

Been quite hairy the last couple of days and the damn
wireless connection has been faulty here at the office.



Six-pack for Thursday

-- Now the Packers are charging Minnesota with tampering over the Favre thing; Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson are going to start feeling left out pretty soon.

-- Greta van Susteren? Why? Rachel Ray wasn't available?

-- Looks like the Packer/Favre standoff is going to drag on in to training camp, all of which takes lot of heat off the Giants as they defend their title.

-- Bud Selig came fairly close to David Wright, JD Drew as pitchers in the 16th inning of the All-Star Game. Not sure if that would have been better than a tie game.

-- At some point, doesn't baseball have to realize how stupid giving home field advantage in World Series to winner of an exhibition game is? Little Leagues are run better than this.

-- The hideous ESPYs were filmed last night, to be shown on Sunday at 9, which means no 4:00 games on Extra Innings package because the ESPN game comes on at 6. Not good.

[Spooky]

THURSDAY'S GAMES

Hot Pitchers

-- Reds are 5-2 in Cueto's last seven home starts. Santana has a 2.37 RA in his last three starts- Mets lost six of his last seven.
-- Lohse is 2-0, 1.29 in his last three starts. Peavy is 2-1, 1.38 in his last four starts (14 scoreless IP in his last two starts).
-- Jimenez is 2-1, 1.86 in his last three starts. Maholm is 1-0, 1.96 in his last three outings.


Cold Pitchers

-- None

-- Olsen is 1-2, 8.53 in his last four starts. Rogers is 1-2, 5.19 in his last four outings.

Hot Teams

-- Mets won their last nine games, allowing 19 runs (nine in one game). Reds won seven of their last ten games.
-- Colorado won five of its last six home games.

Cold Teams

-- Cardinals lost three of last four home games. Padres lost five of their last seven games overall.
-- Pirates lost nine of their last twelve road games.

-- Orioles lost seven of their last eight games. Tigers lost three of their last four games.

Totals

-- Over is 5-2 in Cincinnati's last seven games.
-- Under is 5-2 in Cardinals' last seven games.
-- Last four games at Coors Field went over the total.

-- Over is 6-2 in last eight games at Camden Yards.