Received Chipper Jones for Jorge Cantu.  My offense if fine, but could use help mostly in AVG and despite his current slump Chipper should help in that area.  Even if he misses a few games here and there (more like when) I still would rather have Chipper over Cantu.  I also have Aramis Ramirez on my DL, so I'll be able to put one of the two at CI or UTIL when he comes back.

I was getting some serious interest in Zack Greinke. Aside from Greinke my starting pitchers consists of Jon Lester, Yovani Gallardo, Matt Cain, Edwin Jackson, John Danks and Max Scherzer.  As you can see, pitching is pretty solid.  Since the offers were coming back fairly aggressive, I decided to see how high I could sell on Greinke as I have already had a half seasons worth of great production.  The deal ended up like this...

My team traded: Zack Greinke, Shane Victorino and Frank Francisco

My team received: Alex Rodriguez, Matt Kemp and Chad Qualls

The way I see it: A-Rod has started to find a little groove.  While I don't think he'll be the A-Rod of old for the rest of the season, he should be a great addition to Chipper/Aramis at 3B/MI/UTIL and makes one of them expendable should I want to try and deal for another position.  To me Matt Kemp>Shane Victorino.  They are the same type of player, but Kemp has more power and more speed.  Frank Francisco for Qualls is basically a wash at this point.  Francisco has not looked sharp since returning from the DL and Qualls is a low end closer.  My other closers include Jose Valverde, Kevin Gregg and Kerry Wood.  Not the best closer group in the world, but it's holding me above water. 

All in all these are the players I gave up and received:

I got:

Chipper Jones

Alex Rodriguez

Matt Kemp

Chad Qualls

I gave up:

Jorge Cantu

Zack Greinke

Shane Victorino

Frank Francisco

How do you think I did in my day of wheeling and dealing?

P.S. have a great 4th of July weekend!!!!

On July 4th, Eddie Chambers and Alexander Dimitrenko face off at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg, Germany, for a chance to be part of the Wladimir Klitschko heavyweight sweepstakes.

For some reason, Chambers is fighting his third title "eliminator" in a little over a year and a half, again under unfavorable circumstances, and you have to wonder if Dan Goosen, his promoter, is too busy with Chris Arreola and Paul Williams to stay awake at the wheel.  After beating Derric Rossy and Dominic Guinn back to back in late 2007, Chambers was hot enough property to challenge for any number of the flotsam titles floating around.  Instead, he fought two eliminators for the IBF belt, defeating Calvin Brock in Tacoma, Washington via split decision, and losing to Alexander Povetkin in Berlin.  (In keeping with the long tradition of sanctioning body surrealism, Povetkin has yet to fight for the IBF title.)  "We want to be heavyweight champion of the world," his manager, Rob Murray, Sr., told Bernard Fernandez.  "Not just the heavyweight champion of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, the state of Pennsylvania or even the United States.  To do that, we can't just knock on the door. We have to kick it down."  But it seems as if Chambers has been trying to kick down the same door for years.

Chambers, fighting out of Philadelphia, finds himself in the same position against arguably his toughest opponent to date, despite the fact that there are probably other options.  After all, with two WBA champions reigning simultaneously at the moment, anything is possible.  It may be his own fault, however, since his monotonous style may have turned HBO suits against him.  His dreary win over a dreadfully unmotivated Sam Peter last March on ESPN2 brought to mind the jiggly heyday of the 1980s Lost Generation heavyweights. More and more Chambers appears content to do less and less.  Against Rossy, undefeated but underwhelming, Chambers went to work with rapid combinations, hooks to the body, straight rights, nifty uppercuts, and an accurate jab.  He also closed the show aggressively.  Since then, however, Chambers has settled into a pattern of doing as little as possible to win. 

In my opinion, this has the look of a force-out by George's three sisters Josie, Nancy, and Kathi. It couldn't have come at a worse time in terms of public relations for the series, which is still getting slammed for markedly poor racing last week at Richmond International Raceway.

If the goal was for a smooth transition from George to Curt Brighton and Jeff Belskus, the new men in charge of the Speedway, that was not reached by any stretch of the imagination.

Consider the fact that Brighton and Belskus were the track's chief legal counsel and chief financial officer of the Hulman-George companies respectively. I don't care what the IMS board was thinking, it's going to look like the track has been taken over by Legal and Finance. And automatically, some people are gonna think, "They're setting up for a sale."

That may not be the truth. I'm betting it isn't the truth. But perception is just as powerful as truth nowadays.

At the same time, I understand where the sisters were coming from. IMS is a cash cow, but the recession has forced the folks at 16th and Georgetown to re-think things. The IRL had won the open-wheel war, so it was natural for somebody to come to George and say, "Tony, good work. But it's time for your league to show it can stand on its own."

And if George had been pushing the alleged half a billion dollars to make this league work in a 14-year span -- well, look at the returns and you could see why the sisters would be wanting to draw the purse strings, especially in this current climate. They may or may not know about racing, but if you were entitled to an inheritance, you'd certainly like to have it, right?

But -- and this is where I really wish we knew the whole damn story -- what exactly set George to give up his post at the IRL? By all accounts, that was the one job the IMS board wanted him to keep and focus on. Is this all just a matter of "You think you can do it better than me, well here's your chance"?

I wouldn't be surprised if it was. Or maybe, George finally got sick of all the drama, all the politics and all the B.S. that infects major-league sports' every nook and cranny these days, which can become amplified when family is involved.

I read Bruce Martin's take on the situation for Versus and I keep coming back to this passage:

"For anyone who knows the history of the Hulman George family, it can be rather contentious - probably not much different than other families around the globe. But most of those families aren't rich and money often outweighs family loyalty. So the sisters turned on Tony. Reports of screaming and shouting in board meetings and family gatherings began to surface.

One report that was never substantiated was Josie threw her checkbook at Tony in the May 26 board meeting and screamed, 'You've spent all my money so here, go ahead and spend the rest of it.'

George had already lost his power as CEO after that meeting but when news leaked out that he was ousted, even the sisters had to be surprised at the backlash that followed. George's mother, Mari Hulman George, issued a statement saying her son was still in power and George met television reporters to say he was still in charge but as the days went on, it became obvious while he still had the title, his decision making power had been stripped."

And then Tony decided to give up the IRL job as well, creating even more surprise for Mari. It's as if any future plans had been geared to see George as the CEO of the IndyCar Series with Mari and the sisters as the watchdogs. And now, unless the two-president system of Brian Barnhart and Terry Angstadt works out fine, those plans need to be recalibrated.

Who would want to deal with a situation like this? Not many. If you told me that you had talked with George after the decision came down and you said you felt a sense of relief around him, I'd believe you. He still has his millions and he can fully focus on his Vision Racing operation now. Considering where the team is, that's enough for his plate.

Still, the handling of this whole situation would make the IRL the biggest soap opera in professional sports -- if it had a higher stature. Instead, it's in big trouble. Everyone expected 2009 to be a tough year with the recession involved, but it's gone from tough to almost unbearable.

At least the league's come out with a plan to make the product better. That's priority one. Priority 1A? That's obvious: Find a leader. One that knows racing and perhaps even more importantly, knows how to market it. I'd nominate Eddie Gossage for the position, but he's in a good spot with his Texas Motor Speedway. I'm not sure if he wants to give that up for the headaches of running an entire racing series.

In the meantime, we've still got a bunch more races to cover and this next one is at a track that's near and dear to my heart. It's the first place I went to see an open-wheel race and it's a beautiful place. This stuff, even with all of its flaws and foibles, still makes me happy.

And that's what counts. We're still gonna watch. We're still gonna root for our favorite drivers. We're still gonna get angry at blocks and chops. And if we're lucky, we'll still yell, "Fight, Fight, Fight" if another pit road brawl breaks out.

While that all occurs, I'm gonna be like George Phillips and give the doom and gloom a rest for now. Leave that for all the numbskulls on Crapwagon that can't let things go.

They can rant and rave. I'll just watch the race.

And remember, folks. It's always darkest before the dawn.

Then here they are with Iverson gone and Rasheed Wallace aging a bit. And Richard "Rip" Hamilton can't do everything by himself. How can Detroit survive? I'll tell you why.

With two standout adds of Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, the Pistons look like a viperous team coming into the 2009-10 season as they look to strangle their opponents.

And another good thing is that they haven't reached 30 yet, as they are both in there mid-20s, which is acceptable for this offense.

Bringing in Gordon really helps out Rip and Rodney Stuckey being the "sixth man" of the group. Gordon makes a monumental difference towards the squad. It'll look like the "good ol' days" when it was Isaiah Thomas, Vinnie Johnson, and Joe Dumars.

Now we know how Gordon can help, how the heck will Villanueva end up? I'll tell you how.

Villanueva helps replace Rasheed Wallace, who reportedly has received some pretty big attraction from the Boston Celtics, and according to ESPN.com, some appeal from the San Antonio Spurs.

Although Villanueva is probably better shooter, there is absolutely no way he can reinstate the defensive intelligence of Sheed. But besides that, the Pistons were built to be a younger and stronger team.

Wallace, I know, is the heart and soul of the Detroit Pistons, but he has to go and it looks he will...to the C's.

Many people were also lingering for the trade of Kwame Brown and Jason Maxiell to the New Orleans Hornets for Tyson Chandler and Julian Wright, but c'mon: Aren't Gordon and Villanueva better?

The Pistons look to be a powerhouse team and can be a threat in the Central Conference. But it's going to be a tougher division as the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks join the mix as both teams are dying for playoff-spot.

With Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Rip Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey, and Tayshaun Prince leading the Pistons, they can be that team they were: a furious one.

And Gordon and Villanueva are the first step in the progress.

Crawford has been dangerous on the first pitch of at-bats. He's batting .467 against the first pitch, and not because he's sitting on fastballs:

Crawford vs. the first pitch
	Batting avg.	Slugging pct.
Fastball	.520	.600
Breaking ball	.364	.818
Changeup/splitter	.444	.778

If pitchers can get past the first pitch they may want to think about busting him hard inside. Crawford is batting .160 (8-for-50) against the next pitch after an inside heater.

It takes some good discipline and hitting skills to be able to swing on the first pitch. Certain hitters will rarely even think about first pitch swinging. Though some pitchers worst pitch in terms of location will often come on the first pitch. Crawford some how hits for more extra bases on a off speed pitch which is odd, likely most of those breaking pitches are hangers or ones he can flip in between the outfielders.

It doesn't really matter if Crawford takes a pitch for ball one or swings/takes strike one. His OPS after a 1-0 count is .789 and .784 after a 0-1 count. He gets more walks taking a first pitch ball but less power than getting behind early.

Crawford is set to have one of his best seasons as a Rays, leading the Majors in stolen bases with 40 which has been helped by his highest walk rates and OBP of his career.

BB-Ref

It looks like Homer could be back for a prolonged stay, but I don't really care too much about that. His command has been off in his limited appearances, but even if he does get it together, I think the Reds are going to need lots of offense (a tall order) to pull off a victory anytime he's on the mound. There's also the Dickerson v. Taveras debate. Dickerson obviously has the numbers advantage so far, not to mention his amazing defense in centerfield (Baseball Tonight couldn't get enough of Dickerson when he got those few starts awhile ago), but it doesn't look like Baker or the front office are going to change their minds for the long term. Sure, Dickerson will get his playing time, either in center or left, but money is money and orders are orders, so just let Taveras play and work himself out of his slump, which he is slowly but surely doing.

Votto's return prompts the question of when Ryan Hanigan will get any significant amount of playing time. He certainly proved himself in Votto's absence, as did Jonny Gomes from the DH spot in interleague play. Finding playing time for these players and good offensive combinations that can actually score runs are two huge problems looming over the second half of the season. But this problem isn't really a problem. Better to have too many people than too few. 

Hopefully the Reds will be able to continue beating the Cardinals at home this weekend and occupy one of those spots at the top of the division. Once there, I think the Reds will be rejuvenated after the All Star break, then slowly extend that division lead into the fall. Of course there are some problems, but things are starting to fall into place: the bench players are contributing, the first baseman is an MVP candidate, and the starting rotation should be back to normal sometime after the All Star break. Granted, there's a big road trip before the break, but it's in the east against the Phillies and the ailing Mets. My 7-man baseball team with no uniforms and little to none athletic ability could beat the Mets right now, and the Reds played the Phillies hard back in May. This is a scrapping baseball team with lots of upside, but consistency is key to winning and the Reds haven't exactly proven to be consistent just yet. Even so, they've been contending all season long and will continue to do so, but from the 1st and 2nd place positions.

Mike Bibby

Atlanta Hawks point guard was given some rumors that he may go to Philadelphia to play for the Sixers.

But Sixers fans, you might want to stop cheering and put your hands down. The Sixers aren't interested in Bibby, according to the Inquirer.

But heck, it would be real nice for Philly to get him. But as for right now, he's chilling in Atlanta.

He is also looking to bring the Hawks to the playoffs again and hopefully passing the second round and not getting killed by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

My bad, Atlanta. Sorry for bringing back bad memories.

Ricky Rubio

Jeez Ricky!

I really don't understand what's the point of him coming to the NBA after reading this about him going back to Spainto play proffessionaly for two more years!

But it won't matter because if he wants to return to the NBA, the Timberwolves still hold the rights to him. So Ricky, it really doesn't matter if you don't want to play for Minny, just try to make the best of it, okay?

Nah, he won't.

Hedo Turkoglu

Hedo Turkoglu, he recently opted out of his contract with the Orlando Magic, shouldn't be really happy right now.

The Toronto Raptors were about to give him a $60M contract but they decided not to, according to The Star.

We'll see what happens, maybe Toronto be decide to again. And teams going for a bid?

As of right now, not many. Sorry, Hedo. Want to go back to Orlando? Nah, I really think he doesn't. Let him wait, he'll get the deal and the team he wants.

New Orleans Hornets

The Times-Picayune reports that the New Orleans Hornets are deciding to acquire the following free agents:

• Mikki Moore (right)
• Maceo Boston
• Jake Voskuhl

ESPN.com reports that the Hornets are also taking a look at former-Hornet, Brandon Bass.

Let's see who they pick because all of the players look interesting to me. Moore might fit well.

I don't know who to pick, it'll be a tough decision. But hey, why not , sign them all. But nah, it'll probably be a not-so-smart idea.

Josh Childress

The Journal Times reports that the Milwaukee Bucks are trying out Josh Childress, who the last NBA team he played with was the Atlanta Hawks after moving to the Olympioacos.

Childress has been called by many NBA teams, and he does look like he can fit nicely with the team after that trade that sent Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs.

Here is the biggest news of the day! Now that I have made a new website called MemphisBlueBears.com, a site about the Memphis Grizzlies (I am a bigger Indiana Pacers fan, though, of course), I know have to write some Grizzlies news.

Well, Allen Iverson announced that he wanted to play for the Memphis Grizzlies, ESPN reports. Here's what Iverson said on his Twitter:

"I'm a free agent, healthy again, and capable of signing with any team. My only preference will be [is] to play for a coach that knows what I bring to the table and that I am going to bring it every night! Someone who best knows how to utilize my skills to make our team the very best it can be. For those of you who thought I was done, think again."

Whew, A.I. had a lot to say there to all of his fans on Twitter (more than 16,000 to be exact, dang!). Let's see how everything turns out.

He looks good with the Grizzlies as a new "Big Three" may approach with him, Rudy Gay, and O.J. Mayo. Now that would be nice. We'll see how it turns out, as of right now, Iverson is probably chilling (and why wouldn't he?).

• Brad Ziegler
• Brian Bass

Tim Wakefield has never been to an All-Game and this year may be his best and last chance. With a 10-3 record, the few blips that bounced his ERA above 4.00 can be ignored along the way, especially with a win in a head to head duel with 8-3 Felix Hernandez (2.54 ERA) tonight.

Result:  -13.4 units

Split yesterday, with the bigger play unfortunately being the loser.  Just a handful of plays today.  Don't want to get too wild and crazy with my luck down here.

• Mets (+125)  2 units
• DBacks (+115)  2 units
• Rays (-140)  1 unit
• Royals (-145)  1 unit

Good luck!

First, he must have major league stuff, as he's been on the 25-man roster the entire season, posting a 4-0, 1.72 mark over 31.3 IP in 31 games to date (not to mention a 2.84 ERA in '08 over 19 IP).  This year, DiFelice has pitched 2 innings on two occasions, and over an inning in five other games.

So, then, they must feel that his stuff drops off after two innings.  DiFelice went 4 full innings in the World Baseball Classic against Venezuela, throwing 45 pitchers, with 33 of them for strikes, resulting in just 3 hits and 0 ER's.  DiFelice was a starter at Nashville last season as well.

At the very least, DiFelice should be the "go-to" guy whenever a starter starts getting around in the 3rd or 4th inning...and if McClung or Suppan continue to have rough starts, I'd like to see DiFelice get a shot at starting before trading Alcides Escobar for a Jarrod Washburn.