MLB

Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg called for a press conference on Monday without revealing his intentions to the public. After meeting with St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster, Sternberg stepped up to the podium to tell us what we already knew: Tropicana Field isn't good enough.

Though for the past two seasons the Rays have had the best home record in all of baseball, the Trop is quickly becoming a relic of bland 1980s architecture. The catwalks, the spotty turf, the dome itself; all things people point to when they talk about Tropicana Field.

Fellow Yankee fans, before you accuse me of high treason or blaspheming our dear captain, please heed my plea for understanding.

As a lifelong fan of the team, I have long loved Derek Jeter and cherish his numerous contributions to the latest run of success in the Bronx. I am fully aware that the Yankees just won a World Series last year and the team is currently claiming ownership of the best record in Major League Baseball.

Over the weekend, the Yankees overtook the Rays for first place in the American League East division.

But it has now become a three team race since the Red Sox are playing better and are now on the Yankees Rays coat-tails.

The Yankees have been playing well in the month of June, but they are entering the dog days of summer and the A.L. East pennant race will only be getting tougher.

There have been many rumors floating around of the Yankees trying to add pitching, preferably Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt before the July 31 trading deadline.

A couple of days ago I noticed how well Rays' rookies catcher John Jaso and 2B/SS Reid Brignac are playing.  I’ve seen very little written about either of them, so I thought I’d try to fill the void.

Brignac is 24 this year, and he’s splitting time almost evenly for the Rays between second and shortstop.  Regular shortstop Jason Bartlett is back after a hamstring injury put him on the DL for 15 days, but Bartlett hasn’t been hitting, and Brignac has stepped in to fill the void.

For those of you who are already looking towards next year, let’s continue our way around the diamond as we look at 2011 rankings (keep in mind that by year’s end these could significantly change):

As the trade deadline begins to inch closer and closer, it becomes more obvious what teams will be buyers and what teams will be sellers.

It is fairly obvious that the Indians will be one of the teams that will be sellers. They are currently 13.5 games out of first place and 16 games under .500 with a 26-42 record.

There has been talk about a few Indians pitchers being moved between now and the trade deadline. Jake Westbrook's name has been mentioned in connection with many teams.

As the trade deadline inches closer and closer, it becomes more obvious which teams will be buyers and which teams will be sellers. It is obvious the Indians will be sellers this year. They are currently 13.5 games out of first place and are 16 games under .500 with a 26-42 record.

There has been talk about a few Indians pitchers being moved between now and the trade deadline. Jake Westbrook's name has been mentioned in connection with many teams. However, there is a more interesting name that has been circling in the trade winds.

The White Sox announced the signing of their first round pick LHP Chris Sale for $1.656 million. 

Sale was rated the top college left-hander after Drew Pomerantz in most of the mock drafts shown, but he fell to the White Sox with the 13th pick, probably because he went to a second-tier school, Florida Gulf Coast University.

Florida Gulf Coast did indeed play mostly second-tier schools. When they played top-tier schools, they generally got pounded, unless Sale was pitching.  He beat Wichita State 7-2 on March 5, 2010 and Clemson 4-2 on May 1, 2010.

With Jimmy Rollins set to come off the DL and return to the lineup on Tuesday, the Phillies will face a decision on which of their backup shortstops they want to keep on the bench, and which one they want to send down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

For me, the decision would appear to be an easy one.

Over the past few games Wilson Valdez has been clutch. Whether it's coming up with a key hit to get a rally started—or keep a rally going—or being a wall in the infield, Valdez has shown more than enough to warrant a spot on the bench.

The Yankees are right in the middle of their interleague games this season and are heading west to play the D-Backs and Dodgers, two former World Series opponents.

Their last two series have been against the Mets and Phillies, who were also in the World Series against the Bombers.

The Phils and Yanks faced off last October, with the Yankees winning the series four games to two for their unprecedented 27th championship. But it was the Phillies who took the three-game series this year.