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Here’s a look at the unheralded players who played well yesterday.

I guess now we know why he couldn't stop eating. Rim-shot! From the Bloomington Pantagraph :

With just a few weeks to go before Major League Baseball's trade deadline, the hottest name on the rumor sheets is Seattle left-hander Cliff Lee, who has turned in one brilliant performance after another lately.

Only one problem: The Mariners have yet to make him officially available.

The trade deadline can be a defining moment during the season.

NL All-Star manager Charlie Manuel said he was told to include a utility player on the NL roster, so he has chosen Omar Infante of the Braves.

Infante is a very versatile player who can play all the infield and outfield positions, but he has one home run and 22 runs batted in this season. He is a good player, but he is not an All-Star player.

His teammate Troy Glaus, who has hit 14 home runs and driven in 56 runs, would have been a much better choice, not to mention the NL home run leader Joey Votto, who has hit 21 home runs.

While rumors swirl that Cliff Lee is close to being dealt, there were plenty of on-the-field stories that are worth discussing.  Felix Hernandez continued to thrive.  Matt Garza and Mike Pelfrey continued to struggle.

Professional baseball has been around for roughly 150 years and the result has been memories and moments that will last forever, talent that shines above the rest, amazing revenue for the national government, and some crazy rules that just don't make much sense.

Baseball is a game of tradition and honor (minus steroids).

NEW YORK—With five games left before the All-Star break, the Mets are trying to not let what was a surprisingly good first half turn into a disappointing finish.

After going on an amazing 21-7 stretch from May 22 through June 23, the Mets have played sub-.500 baseball over their last 11 games, going 5-6.

With the MLB All-Star break coming up soon, I decided that I would tell my opinion of this year's All-Stars and take a break from my usual NBA talk.

Of course, we all have our opinions of who should be an All-Star and who shouldn't be, and usually we give arguments for players from our favorite teams. For example, my Angels (the host of this season's All-Star events) only have one All-Star this season.

In this slideshow you will see several players who I believe were undeserving of a vote based off of this season's stats.

Note to Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel: Don't get drunk on the night you select the reserves of an All-Star Game. Snubbing Joey Votto in favor of Omar Infante, a utility player, was not a wise idea.

As of July 5, Votto is leading or near the top of the National League in almost every major offensive category.

Let's have a look:

First in home runs, first in on-base percentage, first in slugging percentage, first in OPS (obviously), third in batting average, tied for third in RBI, and tied for fourth in runs scored.