Opinion

After reading Dave O' Brien's (Atlanta Journal Constitution writer) latest, I am convinced that the sooner Jeff Francoeur is released, the better.

Francoeur was benched for the third straight game in part because he's not good enough to start on some church softball league teams right now. But mostly because Matt Diaz is tearing the cover off the ball of late.

Francoeur told O' Brien that he "wasn't happy" with the decision. He went on to say, "I cant do anything about it."

The Brewers are sinking. But there's good news: It's only just before the All-Star Break, which means there's still plenty of time to get some sort of deal done, and with left fielder Ryan Braun starting to speak up about wanting General Manager Doug Melvin to make some moves, there could be some unrest in the locker room if something isn't done.

I was struck recently when two separate lists of the “All-Time Baltimore Orioles” included Gus Triandos as the best catcher in Orioles history. If that is truly the case, then we need Matt Wieters worse than I originally thought.

Not that I have anything against Gus Triandos, he was a solid player in the early years after the Orioles moved from St. Louis. However, if a player who played 50 years ago and had a .249 batting average, 142 home runs, and 517 RBI is the best your franchise can offer at a position, you have some issues.

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Well, they're tied for first and their bats have come alive. A season that could have gone south…didn’t. And now a couple of all-stars.

A quick glance at the two who got in:

Tori Hunter. So often free agents bomb out in new cities. Too much pressure, too much change. Sometimes, quite frankly, they aren’t as good as they seemed to be. Maybe it was their home park, their comfort zone, their mind set.

If you haven’t read I gave you my take on the American league all star rosters. For the most part I thought the fans got it right. So why not do the National league, I’ll give you guys my take on how the fans did in the National league voting.

The Texas Rangers came into the series hosting the Angels at the end of a terrible June.  For the month, Texas had a losing record, the worst hitting, and worst on-base percentage.  And worst of all they had lost their lead over the Angels.

Down 1.5 games to the Angels, and the Mariners only 2.5 behind Texas, the Rangers needed a big showing against the defending AL West champ Angels and defending AL champ Rays.

Monday: L, 2-5 (40-35)

Despite the assertion that Detroit's minor league system is talent deficient, the future is looking bright in Double-A Erie.

Five SeaWolves were elected to play in the Eastern League All-Star game on July 15, suggesting the cupboard is not bare.

Catcher Alex Avila, first baseman Ryan Strieby, outfielders Brennan Boesch and Deik Scram, and right-handed relief pitcher Josh Rainwater will suit up for the 24-man Southern Division squad.

After a 21-7 June, the Colorado Rockies suddenly find themselves in a pennant race.

Less than three weeks ago, this was a team on the verge of trading away its best players, packing its bags and hoping for next year.

Now, the Rockies are a team poised to make a run at the playoffs.

As we sit three weeks from the July 31 trading deadline, what is the team’s next move?

This was, after all, a team stacked with potential trade bait only a few weeks ago. Now, most of these players look to be serious contributors to a potential Rockies playoff race.

Tampa Bay recovered from an extremely slow start to the season to pull over .500 in the second quarter. With 83 games in the books, the Rays have passed the midway point in 2009 and we begin to gear up for the second half of the season and hopefully a stretch run.

When we looked at the team at the quarter pole, the Rays were a measly 21-22. Since May 21, the Rays have gone 23-17.

At times they have looked like the champions of the American League, defending their crown. At other times, they've looked like the "Devil" Rays. Consistency remains elusive for this ball club.

On Sunday, July 5, it was announced that Orioles center fielder Adam Jones would represent his team in St. Louis, at the All Star Game. The 23-year old outfielder has made his mark so far, with a .308 average, 12 home runs, 46 RBI, 91 hits, a .364 on base percentage, and 17 doubles.