This spring, as the Yankees decided to toss Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen (where he belongs) I kept hearing people being critical of Chamberlain for all the wrong reasons. I heard this phrase over and over again. Over-hyped punk.

Overhyped… That might be true with the “Joba Rules” etc. but can we really blame the kid for that? He’s not the one who decided that he needed to be brought through this disastrous babying system.

The news broke on January 19th of this year that Bengie Molina rejected a two year contract offer from the Mets to sign a one year deal with the San Francisco Giants.

I posted my thoughts about missing out on Molina here.  To summarize:

Anytime sports and politics mix, things get a little sticky. We want sports to be pure and offer a sanctimonious escape in the form of entertainment. We also want sports to use its national platform to encourage positive change in our country and countries beyond our borders. Both are achievable, presumably, but we can rarely have it both ways.

Asking Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, to single-handedly change the new immigration law in Arizona is asking too much.

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

Brett Cecil, Toronto Blue Jays

Cecil, my pick for a streaming option yesterday, chewed up the Indians, going eight innings and allowing one run on one hit with 10 Ks. He improved to 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA.

David Freese, St. Louis Cardinals (pictured with Albert Pujols)

Remember the good old days when fans just got tackled for running on the field? Not anymore.

A 17-year-old fan who ran onto the field during the Phillies-Cardinals game at Citizens Bank Park was taken down by a Taser.

This was no Zach Galifianakis in "The Hangover" either. There was no fight.

I think we may have just discovered the game changer in the War on Streakers.

Begin Slideshow

Welcome to the second half of this week's Featured Columnist Poll, an early All-Star vote.

As stated in yesterday's AL results slideshow, for this survey, I asked my peers to select only the players who have earned spots based on their performances so far this season—not to predict who will make the team or choose players who they think will have earned spots by July.

For each position I have included the full vote totals, and asked a different respondent to write a synopsis for each winner.

Thank you to everyone who voted and submitted commentary!

Note: So as not to clog people's in

Attention mediocre American League pitchers and hitters.

If you'd like to build Hall of Fame numbers, it would be in your best interest to transfer to the National League as soon as possible.

We see pitchers like Brad Penny, Carlos Silva, and Jose Contreras, recent transfers to or back to the National League, as examples of the most recent hilarities the National League has produced.

"Throw 'til you blow" used to be many major league teams' motto. Now, they are teaching the complete opposite. Pitch counts are used in every single game, for every single pitcher. The days of the four-man rotation are over. Some teams go to a six-man rotation as the long season progresses.

Complete games have fallen by the wayside, and an "innings-eater" is now the exception, not the rule.

The following players shouldn’t necessarily be moved or picked up, but are mentioned because they are performing above or below their career norms. Each player is owned in at least 50 percent of ESPN leagues.   

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How great is this story?

Colby Lewis struggles with several Major League teams, the Rangers, Athletics, Tigers, and the Nationals, in the U.S.

Then in 2008 and 2009, he plays for the Hiroshima Toyo Carps in Japan.  He thrives there, leading the league in strikeouts both seasons. Then he comes back and dominates for the Rangers in the States. Pretty good, huh?