Fan News

As ESPN MLB writer Tim Kurkjian put it, "Managing in the Major Leagues is a really hard job."

And to tell you the truth, he is absolutely correct.

Case in point: A.J. Hinch, who along with GM Josh Byrnes were relieved of their duties as Manager and GM of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The D-Backs, once the darlings of 2001, have the second-worst winning percentage in the National League, trailing the Pittsburgh Pirates (whose skipper John Russell is in the managerial hot seat as well). 

Here’s an article from Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News about San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean and his desire to hold information close to the vest.  It’s in response to an “informal poll” (meaning that not all GMs responded and it’s not entirely certain how many did) by Buster Olney of ESPN.com.

Olerud, Alfonzo, Ordonez, Ventura.

The 1999 Met infield, known as "The Greatest Infield Ever." 11 years later, they still hold that title, but in the next few years, I prepare for a change of pace.

Davis, Tejada, Reyes, Wright.

Ike Davis is one of the best rookies in the league right now, and can only get better.

He's had only four errors in 66 games, and he's started in 64 of them. After Daniel Murphy got Wally Pipped, Davis should be a staple in this organization for years to come.

Many hitters in the league have powerful uppercut swings designed to hit 40-plus home runs per season, but what 10 hitters have the kind of smooth, level cut that would make them untapped tennis talents?

We’ll begin with a couple honorable mentions, albeit players that are no longer active, and then we'll begin the countdown from No. 10 to No.

The Bengie Molina trade has been getting a lot of attention on the Internet, I assume because Bengie was once a big star and because people have wildly varying opinions of his value as a ballplayer.

I saw on mlbtraderumors.com that the player to be named later the Giants will likely receive is Michael Main, a 21-year-old RHP, whom the Rangers selected with the 24th overall pick of the 2007 Draft. 

If Main is the PTBNL the Giants do, in fact, receive, he’s worth the $2 million in salary for Molina the Giants are sending to Texas.

The Colorado Rockies are starting to scare some teams. The Rockies offense powered them to a 7-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on Thursday night.

The Dodgers activated RHP Cory Wade and out-righted him to Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday. 

The move was largely an attempt to avoid making more moves, as Wade is not occupying a 40-man roster spot while in the minors.

Wade stepped on the scene as a rookie in 2008 and was immediately effective.

In 71.1 innings, Wade finished with a 2.27 ERA. However, he was persistently hampered by shoulder problems, and his ERA ballooned to 5.53 while allowing 17 runs in just over 27 innings.

As all baseball fans know, they get to vote every year for the players they want represented to start in the Midsummer Classic.

Unfortunately, most fans get the selections wrong and many undeserving players are selected to start in the All-Star game.

My list for the 2010 NL All-Star starters is based on what these players did for their teams in the first half of the season and the stats that back up their claim.

http://mymetsjournal.blogspot.com/2010/07/not-again.html?spref=tw

Joe Petruccio has done an EXCELLENT job this year on recording each game in art afterwards. Check it out!

The Red Sox have traded minor league infielder Angel Sanchez to the Houston Astros in exchange for catcher Kevin Cash.

Cash, 32, hit .204 with two homers and four RBI for the Astros this season before being designated for assignment on June 23rd.

The acquisition was prompted by an injury to team captain Jason Varitek, reportedly a broken bone in his foot that will cause him to miss four to six weeks.

Cash spent part of the 2007 and 2008 with the Sox, hitting .207.