MLB

Whether it was the lack of mystical energy from a magical wizard or just plain being outplayed on the diamond, the Dodgers had a difficult weekend on the home front, as the Los Angeles Angels completed their first ever sweep of the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

James Loney sparked the Dodger bats with two doubles and three RBI late in the series finale on Sunday, but it wan't enough as the Angels held on for a 6-5 victory and swept the series.

The Angels, who have been torrid in the AL West as of late, registered their 10th win in their last 12 games.

Every so often, you hear people of influence connected to or interested in Major League Baseball fuss about how the black American baseball player is disappearing from the diamond.

This is why everyone thought the Rockies would be so good.

Last week I talked about the biggest snubs that are not getting voted to this year's All-Star Game. Now I want to turn my attention to pitching.

Pitching is back in a big way, as we have seen three no-hitters, two perfect games, and one coulda, shoulda, woulda perfect game by Armando Galarraga. As the All-Star Game approaches, both Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Phillies manager Charlie Manuel will have to make some big decisions about who should represent the A.L. and N.L. on the mound.

In Part I of this slideshow, I will begin with the A.L. If I were the A.L.

Milwaukee Brewers fans are blessed by the opportunity to turn the radio on and hear commentary from one of major league baseball's all time great personalities, Bob Uecker.

The silver fox's play-by-play is both informative and entertaining, providing statistical analysis and insight into the spirit of America's pastime.

The Brewers also have a guy named Telly Hughes.

Begin Slideshow

According to an interview conducted by Mike Silva (check out his site here), RP Heath Bell would be interested in coming back to the Mets if the Padres decide to move in a different direction.

Bell even goes as far as saying that the Mets would be his first choice, and that he would love to "lead the Mets to a championship."

For some teams, a relationship with the fans can be strictly based on winning games.

Other teams are more defined by the character of the team.

Very good teams maintain a balance between these two aspects, creating an organized team that may come across as very likable.

Raise your hand if you predicted that Armando Galarraga would pitch a perfect game. As much as I have liked the kid over the last year, nothing in his resume said he was able to dominate a game, much less throw a perfecto. He’s a decent play against weak teams and will likely have a rotation slot for a while, but don’t think for a minute that he’ll ever come close to that kind of dominant performance again.

Baseball at Progressive Field all of a sudden got a lot more exciting over the last week.

The Indians had a four-game set against the Boston Red Sox, winning two of those games, Carlos Santana was called up, and now Stephen Strasburg will be toeing the mound to the delight of baseball fans everywhere.

Once it was announced that Strasburg would be starting, tickets for today's game started selling like crazy. The good part of that equation is there will be a much fuller house today than has been the norm at Progressive Field this year.

If you talk to any Giants fan this year, they'll probably talk to you about Aaron Rowand's dismal slump, the equally underwhelming season by Bengie Molina, and the slight concern about franchise players Tim Lincecum and Pablo Sandoval and their sub-par seasons.

You'll hear stories about the lack of opportunity for young guys like Nate Schierholtz and John Bowker and the clamoring for youngsters like Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner.

And, as always, you'll hear plenty of criticism for San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean and manager Bruce Bochy.