MLB Trade Deadline

So I think I am finally going to finish my post about the trade deadline. Now I know what my dad is thinking, actually he sent me a text about his beloved Cleveland Indians, after learning they traded away the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, Cliff Lee, saying he could not believe it. The Indians categorized themselves as sellers, or in other words, opted to start building for the future and not try to win now. Other sellers included the Toronto Blue Jays, the team who asked way too much for veteran pitcher and workhorse Roy Halladay, the San Diego Padres, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who seem they dump all of their star players as soon as they reach time for a contract extension. The Pirates could have an all-star lineup, were they financially able to keep everyone they trade. Now there are also plenty of teams who always are buyers, the Red Sox, or the Roid Sox as some call them now, and the Yankees. Now surprisingly, the Yankees really did not make any major moves, while Boston, opted to get Victor Martinez and Casey Kotchman. Now their are other teams who make simply maddening moves, making you wonder if they are trying to win now or build for later, like the Mariners. It seems they are always cultivating talent and then giving it away. They helped pitcher Jarrod Washburn return to star pitcher status, then traded him to the Tigers. Sure they received plenty of prospects, if they were sellers, but a few days earlier they traded for Pirate shortstop Jack Wilson and starter Ian Snell, so it looked as if the Mariners were ready to contend until the Washburn trade. Then you have the Diamondbacks, who seem to always be on the brink of either contention, or setting a new record low in wins, who never make trades that seem to help them. They traded away Felipe Lopez, but kept their stars, which is the way it should be. They need to grow their hometown talent and then if there are some pieces missing, don't trade away your franchise corners that you have already worked so hard to build, such as the Pirates. Now the Padres also traded away Jake Peavy to the White Sox, who is scheduled to get off the disabled list in late August. Now think about the power pitching staff the Sox will have when Peavy returns; Mark Buehrle, who has a perfect game this season, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and longtime journeyman Jose Contreras, and could get a half-decent Bartolo Colon back depending on how fast he recovers from his injury. It seems as if the favorite to come out of the National League are the Philadelphia Phillies, with their acquisition of Cliff Lee, while the American League is up for grabs, the Red Sox and Yankees will be in the mix as always, while the White Sox, Twins, and surprisingly the Rangers could be in the mix as well.

Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, and the Roid Sox

My beloved sport of baseball has once again taken a hit because of greedy, selfish, baseball players whose success and fame just aren't enough, they have to boost those numbers using Performance Enhancing Drugs, or PED's. Of all the dumb things you can do in a town, especially one which had not claimed a World Series title in 86 years, is to take steroids, become the hero, and then six years down the road, let reporters from the New York Times report you had taken steroids in 2003 during the so-called "anonymous" drug test. Being a Diamondbacks fan, I can't stand the way Manny has acted in Boston, let alone the warm reception L.A. gave him after his 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance, this only confirms my hatred of Ramirez, but Big Papi?! Really? The guy who vehemently denied ever taking steroids, saying there should be a year suspension from baseball for even the first positive test, is guilty of testing positive? What should honestly surprise us these days about star baseball players, their egos, and the lengths they will go, to perform at a peak level, higher than their competitors? I do not like Jose Canseco, but everyday it seems as if his allegations are true, even though we all laughed at him when he said 80 percent of baseball players were taking steroids. There are discussions going around about whether we should put asterisks next to the records players with a known connection to steroids make. We don't know the scope of steroids and their users, for all we know every player was on them during this time. We can't put asterisks in the record books, but we can right the wrongs of baseball. For every Dodger fan who cheered when Manny came back after being suspended, and welcomed him with open arms, now we need to boo and jeer him. He is not a clean player and will do the same to you as he did in Boston. Win a tainted title and leave when you don't pay him enough. We need to raise our children as moral human beings, so that when they do get offered steroids, they don't take them. Cheating is wrong and although it looks like they prosper, it always comes back to bite you, so a here is a little piece of advice, Don't do it!