Opinion

I'm not a guy who enjoys dogging Joe Girardi, not in the least bit possible.

I love supporting him, even when people question every little decision he makes when the Yankees lose games.

Being the manager in New York isn't a piece of cake, and Girardi seems to handle the pressure well.

People tend to forget it is only his second year managing.

Alright praise time over, time to get down to my first real criticism of an in-game move by the Yankee skipper.

This is an open letter to the Seattle Mariners front office with a realistic list of moves that need to be made whether that be trades, call ups, free agent signings etc.

The reason I have included the word realistic is because this will not include dreams like Ronny Cedeno to the Cardinals for Albert Pujols. No, all of the moves will be realistic.

With All-Star fan balloting wrapping up tomorrow, I figured it was time to take a look at which Brewers should be making the trip to St. Louis for the mid-summer classic.

By my estimation, the Brewers will have four players in this year's game.

Rickie Weeks very likely would have made the team if injury hadn't cut his season short on May 17.

Mike Cameron also would have been a strong candidate if he would have maintained the numbers he put up in April. Cameron will have to hold out hope for a Gold Glove at the end of the season instead.

I'll tell you what, although watching Albert Pujols hit two gigantic bombs last night was exciting, I would still much rather watch Jeremy Affeldt's intense celebrations after clutch double plays.

And I'll tell you another thing: Nobody would have predicted that come the dawn of July, the team with the second-best winning percentage in the National League would be 26th in runs scored, third to last (28th) in home runs, and dead last in walks.

However, for as putrid as those numbers may seem, the Giants would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.

We are not quite mid-way through the season and Alex Rodiguez is less than two months removed from his time on the disabled list, and nowhere near removed from the media's flaming maw.

You'll have to excuse Pittsburgh Pirates fans for not knowing quite how to react to a front office with a plan.

Tuesday's trade that sent the speedy and affable outfielder Nyjer Morgan and left-handed reliever Sean Burnett to the Washington Nationals for sidetracked prospect Lastings Milledge and righty Joel Hanrahan was met with predictable discontent from many followers of the maligned Buccos.

We're just about halfway through the MLB season. The Yankees and Red Sox are having their perennial fight for the top of the American League East (and the Rays are catching up too). The Tigers, White Sox, and Twins are all duking it out while the Angels and the Rangers are swapping punches.

Then you have the National League.

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This is not about a billy goat, a Bartman, or some new Century Club Curse hanging over the Chicago Cubs. Yes, the Cubs haven’t won a World Series in over 100 years now, but it’s no longer about a lack of talent or a propensity to choke.

Everybody wants to bury the Mets this week for their underachieving ways, but at least their struggles can be largely related to their lineup that has been decimated by injuries, a bullpen that lost its power set up man, and one misguided contract given to Oliver Perez.

When the Atlanta Braves made Jeff Francoeur their first round selection in 2002 MLB Draft, a lot of hype surrounded the kid from Parkview High School and for good reason.

A two-sport star in high school, Francoeur made headlines when he decided to turn down a football scholarship from Clemson University in order to play professional baseball.

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