The Phillies have acquired the Astros ace Roy Oswalt for RHP J.A. Happ and two prospects, Anthony Gose and Jonathan Villar.  The two minor leaguers combined for over 110 steals in the last two seasons and both players are very young. 

Philly is now the favorite to win the NL East I feel.  Their hitting was always better than the Braves but their pitching didn’t quite match up 1-5 with the Braves but now the Phillies have the best 1-2 punch in baseball.
Oswalt was just 6-12 this season with an very …

And then there were two. (I’ll get to that in a bit.)

Tampa Bay Rays SP Matt Garza has thrown the first no-hitter in Rays history against the Detroit Tigers. He faced the minimum amount of batters following a walk in the second inning and a subsequent double play. Garza totaled six strikeouts, but his ability to pound the strike zone led to many easy in the 5-0 victory.
The ninth inning consisted of a dribbler to second base by Don Kelly, a Gerald Laird strikeout looking, and finally Ramon Santiago pinch …

MLB POWER RANKINGS (July 19 – 25)
1. Yankees (62-35) – Why does Alex Rodriguez get media coverage of every at bat while he attempts to hit homerun #600? He is a self-proclaimed cheater.
2. Rays (59-38) – The Rays have done it, they’ve gotten over the hump. That hump was snapping an 18-game losing streak in Cleveland.
3. Padres (58-39) – Every time I look at the NL West standings I check to see what the lead for the Padres currently is. Well, every time I look, they have at least a …

On Sunday, the Baseball Hall of Fame will get two new members, Andre Dawson and Whitey Herzog, after their induction in Cooperstown, NY. Here’s a look at Dorrel Norman Elvert “Whitey” Herzog.

Whitey was not your run of the mill manager. He showed the importance of managing in baseball, and surely inspired coaches in other sports as well. It was about doing exactly what it took to win, whether the team had to change their style of play or just play harder in order to live up to potential.
Herzog will join …

On Sunday, the Baseball Hall of Fame will get two new members, Andre Dawson and Whitey Herzog, after their induction in Cooperstown, NY. Here’s a look at “The Hawk”, Andre Dawson.

Much to Ryan Sandberg’s anticipation, based on his own Hall of Fame speech in 2005, The Hawk is now a Hall of Famer too. Dawson played for a lot of pretty bad teams, but he had a knack for playing the game hard regardless. Starting in 1977, Dawson won the NL Rookie of the Year with the Montreal Expos. He …

This edition of news and rumors is heavy on the rumors baby. With the trade deadline approaching, rumors are all over the league. Who doesn’t like rumors???!!!??

Roy on the Block
The hottest player on the market right now has got to be Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros. However, he recently hurt his odds of being traded based on his wish for his $16 million option to be picked up for 2012. I don’t see any team willing to take that on for a pitcher that is past his prime. Don’t …

National League 3, American League 1
For the first time since 1996 (13 years) the National League has beaten the American League.  The win goes to Matt Capps of the Nationals and the losing pitcher goes to Phil Hughes of the AL while the save went to Jonathan Broxton.  The MVP of the game was Brian McCann thanks to his bases loaded 3-run ROPE of a double off… Matt Thornton.

The All-Star Game is always fun to watch, all the talent on the field at once just blows my mind.  The NL has about …

Longtime Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has passed away in Tampa, Florida at the age of 80.  Steinbrenner, who has been in bad health for the last few years, suffered a heart attack this morning.  In an official statement the Steinbrenner family has this to say…”He was an incredible and charitable man. First and foremost he was devoted to his entire family — his beloved wife, Joan; his sisters, Susan Norpell and Judy Kamm, his children, Hank, Jennifer Jessica and Hal; and all of his grandchildren.”
Love the Yankees or hate the …

David Ortiz won his first home run derby by beating Hanley Ramirez.  This was Ortiz’s first win in the derby after failing to take it down in 2005 and 2006.  Ortiz beat some good hitters, but far from the leagues best.  Pujols, A-Rod, Adam Dunn, and Joey Votto were all not in the compettition.  Ortiz beat Corey Hart, Miguel Cabrera, Nick Swisher, Matt Holliday, Chris Young, Vernon Wells, and Ramirez.
The home run derby is so difficult for me to get excited about.  In fact, make that the whole All Star …

MLB POWER RANKINGS – FIRST HALF (July 5 – 11)
1. Yankees (56-32) – Umm, east coast teams aren’t supposed to go out west and win 5 of 6 games; it’s just not supposed to work that way.
2. Braves (52-36) – I know the Rays have a better record, but what the Braves have done in the first half cannot go unlooked. This team has learned how to win, home or away – and I’m impressed.
3. Rays (54-34) – If it wasn’t for the Yankees the Rays would have the best …