Fan News

The Midsummer Classic consists of three events: All-Star Sunday, the Home Run Derby, and the All-Star Game. Each event is a joke. The MLB, which is arguably the best and most successful league in the US, has by far the worst All-Star Game and related events out of the four major sports. 

(Note: Some think the NFL Pro Bowl is the worst, but the NFL really can't do anything to change it. Given the rigor of the NFL season, it has to take place after the Super Bowl, and that's why it's not as popular as the NFL would hope.)

For those of you  familiar with my MLB Power Rankings, you usually see the top 10 players at the bottom of the page. Those who most deserve the four major individual awards. These awards are the National and American Leagues Most Valuable Player Awards and Cy Young Awards—given to the Leagues’ best pitcher of that year.

When Chris Tillman was demoted for the second time in his career on June 22, he had the feeling that he just didn't belong with the ball club.

Whether his teammates felt the same way or not, Tillman's numbers certainly showed that his thoughts weren't unwarranted.

At 0-3 with a 8.40 ERA, Tillman seemed to be having trouble translating his success with AAA Norfolk to Baltimore and he was struggling to figure out exactly why the gap in performance existed.

However, Saturday's start against the Texas Rangers was a sign that all of that might be a thing of the past.

The Twins closed out the unofficial first half of the season salvaging the third game against Detroit with a 46-42 record.

Good enough for third place in the AL Central.

One definition for 'frustration' is when expectations exceed reality.  For Twins' fans the first half of 2010 has been a lesson in dealing with frustration.

Even before the first pitch was thrown in 2010 the expectations were high.

The Atlanta Braves have won 16 of their 50+ wins this season in their last at-bat, and a number of those have been dramatic walk-off wins.

This is an ongoing chronicle of those wins, with video from MLB.com

Please check back as the season progresses.

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When Niuman Romero , a 25-year-old infielder, went 0-for-4 against the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this month upon being called up from Boston’s Triple-A team the Pawtucket Red Sox, I was surprised. He had come out of nowhere, having been claimed from the Cleveland Indians prior to this season, and taking this into account, he fit the bill of someone who would have an immediate impact.

For the second game in a row, the Philadelphia Phillies have pulled off a 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. With the win, Philadelphia also capped off their first four-game series sweep of the Reds since 1975.

And for the second game in a row, it came down to great pitching and a clutch base knock by Jimmy Rollins. It wasn't quite as dramatic as an 11th inning walk-off hit, but Rollins came through in the third inning, driving in what turned out to be the winning run.

The grandstand was full today at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, RI, as Red Sox ace right-hander Josh Beckett took the mound for what will likely be his penultimate rehab start before re-joining the ball club for the second half of the season.

Just one day after Los Angeles Dodgers' shortstop Rafael Furcal was named as a replacement on the National League All-Star team, lefty reliever Hong-Chih Kuo was informed of his addition to the squad on Sunday.

Kuo and Furcal will join fellow teammates Jonathan Broxton and Andre Ethier in the Midsummer Classic in Anaheim, which takes place on Tuesday.

Kuo, who was added as a late replacement for Atlanta Braves outfielder Jason Heyward, makes his first appearance as an All-Star after four arm surgeries nearly took him out of baseball completely.

It is without argument Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis should be on the American League All-Star team when the game takes place on Tuesday night in Anaheim.

But Youk was snubbed for the third time earlier today and will find himself watching the game at home on his couch instead of lacing ‘em up with his fellow American Leaguers.

First came his omission by the fans, coaches, and MLB officials when they selected the original team.