Biggest Trade Deadline Steals

Oh the trade deadline. Regardless of the sport, the trading deadline is always a time for contending teams to try and add that missing piece to get them to the promise land. Its also time  for teams in rebuilding mode to get a group of possible prospects that they can build the franchise around for years to come. Sometimes, the trades work out the way you hope. While other times, trades will blow up right in your face. Here's some of the most lopesided deals made at the deadline.

Jeff Bagwell Traded from Boston To Houston in 1990
In exchange for Bagwell, Houston sent Larry Andersen to Boston. The 1990 season was a decent one for the Red Sox, as they won 88 regular season games, taking home the AL East and falling to the Oakland A's in the ALCS. Boston had plenty of infield prospects at the time, including future heavy hitter Mo Vaughn. What Boston really needed at the time of the trade was help in the Pen, which is where Larry Andersen came into play. He had a 1.23 ERA in his 15 regular season games. It kind of fell apart after that. Andersen left for the Padres the following season. Boston slipped in the standings in 1991, finishing 3rd. Meanwhile, Bagwell shined bright in Houston. HIs first year with the Astros, 1991, Bagwell just so happened to win NL Rookie of the Year. He then went on to become one of baseball's best power hitters during a 15-year career with the Astros in which he belted 449 home runs and won the 1994 NL MVP award. Yeah I say the Red Sox won that deal.

Boston Red Sox get Pedro Martinez from Montreal Expos: Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe from Seattle Mariners in 1997
First there's the Pedro trade. After having four great years with the Expos, including winning a Cy Young, Pedro was on the Move to Boston. Montreal had to ship off Pedro, because of Financial reasons. In return for Martinez, Montreal received a pair of serviceable arms in Carl Pavano and Tony Armas, both of whom had decent runs in Canada. Meanwhile, the Red Sox added a future Hall of Famer, who will go down as one of the most dominant pitchers in franchise history. Martinez won two AL Cy Young awards, finished runner-up for two more in Boston and ultimately served as the ace of the 2004 team that ended an 86-year World Series drought. With the Lowe and Varitek trade, it was Seattle who was in more desperate need than Boston was. Seattle was so desperate for bullpen help that they gave up two solid prospects in varitek and Lowe for Heathcliff Slocumb. Slocumb's time in Seattle wasn't all too memorable, as he left after posting a 5.32 ERA the next season. The two players the Red Sox got back for him certainly were in Boston. Together, Lowe and Varitek combined to make five All-Star teams with the Red Sox and both were members of the 2004 World Series winners, with Varitek also serving as the backstop for Boston's 2007 championship team.

Cleveland Indians get Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips from Montreal Expos in 2002
Man, the trade deadline hasn't been that kind to the Expos/Nationals franchise. In 2002, Montreal was in the middle of fighting for a playoff spot, hanging around the race for quite some time. Montreal was in turmoil at that time, as they would leave for Washington two years later. The Expos felt that getting Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew would help them get over that hump to make the postseaosn. Colon did his part quite well, going 10-4 with a 3.31 ERA. Eventually Colon was dealt to the White Sox after the 83-win Expos fell well short of a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the three guys who were sent to Cleveland, Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips, all went on to stardom and have had great careers. Lee would team up with CC Sabathia to make a great one-two punch at the top of the Indians rotation. Sizemore made good on his enormous potential during three consecutive All-Star campaigns in Cleveland before injuries derailed his career. And Phillips became an All-Star caliber second baseman, albeit doing so with the Reds after the Indians inexplicably gave up on the talented infielder and traded him for Jeff Stevens in 2006.

Texas Rangers get Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia from Atlanta Braves in 2007
At the time the deal was made, the Braves were sitting 4.5 games back in the NL East. Atlanta was trying to reclaim the NL East crown and wanted to make a big move. They did, and it backfired bigtime. Sure they managed to grab up Mark Teixeira, who turned down the Rangers' offer of a long-term deal. Once that happened, he went on the trading block. Atlanta snatched him up. Even though Teixeira hit .317 with 17 home runs in 54 games, Atlanta missed the playoffs in 2007 and he was shipped to the Angels for Casey Kotchman and Stephen Mark midway through the 2008 season. Meanwhile, Feliz, Andrus and Harrison all became key contributors during the Rangers' back-to-back World Series runs in 2010 and 2011. It blew up on Atlant, making them feel worse than when they made the deal.

Toronto Blue Jays get Jose Bautista from Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008
A small part of you has to feel bad for the Pirates on this one. Now granted, there's no way of knowing for a fact that a player will have THIS kind of a breakout, but come on now. At the time it looked like nothing, but now it looks like a really big deal from a Jays perspective. In 2008 Pittsburgh decided  to give up on the man they call Joey Bats. Pittsburgh decided to pick up catcher Robinzon Diaz, who played just 43 games with the Pirates in 2004 and 2005. A six-time All-Star in Toronto, Jose Bautista became the first player in franchise history to hit 50 homers in a season in 2010 and is in the midst of his sixth straight 20+ HR season in 2015. Pittsburgh thought they were getting the better end of the deal in getting Diaz. Bautista finally got regular playing time and found a home and a calling in Toronto. The rest is history.

Minnesota Twins get Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano from San Francisco Giants in 2003
Both the Twins and Giants had fine years in 2003, winning each of their respective division (San Francisco won 100 games to claim the NL West, while the Twins won 90 to claim the AL Central). San Francisco was looking to make upgrades at the catcher position, which is why they brought in A.J. Pierzynski. AJ was coming off back-to-back seasons of hitting over .300 for the Twins at the time of the deal. To get him, they parted with a trio of pitchers in reliever Joe Nathan and prospects Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser. San Francisco quickly tired of Pierzynski and released him following the 2004 season, his only one with the club. Minnesota won out on this trade. While pitching for the Giants, Nathan was a middle of the pack reliever who hadn't really made a name for himself. Once getting to Minnesota, he earned the role of closer, Nathan went on to save 260 games and made four All-Star teams before leaving to sign with the Rangers following the 2011 season. Though Boof Bonser didn't work out for Minnesota, Francisco Liriano gave the Twins another gem in the deal by quickly becoming one of the best pitching prospects in baseball and winning 47 games in the majors from 2005-2011. Yeah I'd say the Twins made out like bandits in this trade.

Blue Jays pick up Edwin Encarnacion in 2009
Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart went to Toronto, while the Reds were able to pick up Scott Rolen. Not a bad deal from a Reds point of view. During his first year with the Reds, in 2010, Rolen hit 285 with 20 home runs and 83 RBI while providing Gold Glove defense at third base. Chronic shoulder issues limited him to 157 games over the next two years, during which he hit a combined .245 with only 13 home runs and 75 RBI. He was out of baseball after the 2012 season. Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart ever amounted to anything in Toronot. It took until 2012 for things to really take off, but they did for Encarnacion, who today is one of the premier power hitters in all of Major League Baseball.

Diamondbacks pick Up Curt Schilling in 2000
While Travis Lee and Vicente Padilla provided Philadelphia with some decent performances, what Curt Schilling did in Arizona makes them almost irrelevant. From 2001 to 2002, Schilling would go 45-13 with a 3.10 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a ridiculous 609 strikeouts over 516 innings of work, walking only 72. He was equally impressive during the playoffs in 2001, going 4-0 with a 1.12 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and 56 strikeouts over 48.1 postseason innings. After an injury-filled 2003 campaign, Arizona shipped Schilling to Boston for a package that included right-hander Casey Fossum and lefties Jorge De La Rosa and Brandon Lyon. Schilling was so dominate during his time in Arizona, it made the other guys in the deal that went to Philly totally pointless.

Thee are just some of the most lopsided deadline deals in MLB history

(Thanks to ESPN and Bleacher Report for help with this article)

What To Watch In Training Camp

And here we go. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!?!?! Training Camp around the entire National Football League and teams are getting geared up to chase the Lombardi Trophy. Both New York teams, the Giants and Jets, are looking to bounce back after a rough go of it last year. Big Blue finished the year 6-10, while Gang Green is trying to shake off going 4-12 a season ago. Both teams are having new face, and coaches for that matter, that are trying to be ready by the time the season starts on September 14th.

For the Giants, they are coming off a rough year. Sure they came on strong at the end of the season, but by then it was too little too late. Big Blue is now looking to try and get back to the playoffs for the first time since their Super Bowl win in 2011. Steve Spagnuolo has been brought on board to try and right the defensive ship, but there's more to it that that if the G-Men are going to get back into playoff contention this season. So here's some storylines to watch out for in Giants Camp this summer

1. Jason Pierre-Paul's Status
After hurting his hand in a firework accident, there's no guarantees as to whether or no JPP will even play for the Giants this season. Because of the injury, he is going to miss time at the start of the year, probably missing the first three or four games of the year due to his hand. As it sits right now, Pierre-Paul hasn't signed his tender, which means he may not even play for the Giants this season. So with JPP slated to miss playing time this year, who's the guy who is going to take his starting spot on the Giants defensive line? You have Robert Ayers, Kerry Wynn and Jordan Stanton behind him on the Giant's depth chart, but which one of them can fill the void JPP's injury is leaving. You could also throw two other names out there as to who can help pick up the slack: Damontre Moore and Owa Odighizuwa. Moore has 5.5 sacks as a reserve last year and Odighizuwa is a rookie who can possible make an impact.

2. Return To Form For Victor Cruz
A season ago, Cruz went down with a torn patellar tendon, a major blow to the Giants offense. It left the window open for Odell Beckham Jr to come through and take over the top wide receiver spot on the team. Now with Cruz on the comeback trail, it could leave the Giants with two spectacular weapons for Eli Manning to throw to. During his career, Cruz has been a very productive receiver in the NFL. He won't put up the flashy numbers like other wide receivers in the game, but is still worth every penny the Giants are currently paying him, when he's healthy. The big question going into camp is how healthy, and how back to form, is Victor Cruz? If he is back to his old self, or something close to it, then with him, Odell Beckham and Ruben Randell, the Giants will have a great receiving core. But lets say Cruz can't produce like he once had. Is there a backup plan in place?

3. Can Steve Spagnuolo Deliver The Goods?
Things haven't exactly looked good for the Giants defense over the last couple of years. Big Blue have surrendered over 6,000 total yards three of the last four seasons (2011-2012, 2014), which is a bit of a surprising number considering how good the D-Line has been known to be for the Giants in the past. Steve Spagnuolo has a tall task ahead of him to try and rebuild a defense that had once been known so much for its feared pass rush. The question is can the players buy into his new system and right the ship? Jon Beason is going to be critical for the Giants defense, if they are hoping to get back to the top.

4. How Good Is The Offensive Line?
This seems to be a recurring theme the past few seasons going into Giants camp. Ereck Flowers, Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg, Geoff Schwartz, and Marshall Newhouse are all going to have to step up. Will Beatty is missing time after recovering from surgery during the offseason to repair a torn pectoral, which is why Ereck Flowers is going to have a lot of pressure on him in camp. Richburg and Pugh are playing new positions this year. Richburg will be making a return to center, which is his natural position. Pugh is now being asked to line up at left guard, which is going to be a changeup for him. With the new players being moved around to new spots, they need to get adjusted and comfortable with their new spots if the Giants are going to have success this season.

5. Find A Way To Stay Healthy
This has been one of the biggest killers of the Giants over the last couple of seasons has been their health. We already talked about Beaty and JPP getting hurt. Beckham missed minicamp with a hamstring injury, and starting tight end Larry Donnell missed it with an Achilles injury. The Giants' roster isn't deep enough to weather injuries, and no roster is deep enough to weather a rash of injuries to starters. The Giants need to hope that their bad injury news for the offseason has all already happened, and that they get through August without another injury gut punch.

As rough a year as it was last season for Big Blue, it was much worse for Gang Green. The New York Jets finished the year 4-12, the first time the Jets have had that bad a season since 2007 (another year in which they went 4-12).Rex Ryan is no longer coach (he's now with the Buffalo Bills), as well as John Idzik, who was let go as General manager (he's now the Jacksonville Jaguars Salary Cap Consultant). So now it's up to new GM Mike Maccagnan and new Head Coach Todd Bowles to get the team back on track and do something that hasn't been done since 2010, that being get the Jets into the playoffs. In order for that to happen, everything has to fall right for the Jets in an improved AFC East. Here's a few things to look at for Gang Green in training camp.

1. The New Coaching Staff
There are quite a few new faces to the Jets coaching staff heading into this season. Todd Bowles now takes over as the new head man, with Chan Gailey (the ex Bills head coach) running the offense and Kacy Rodgers (the old Dolphins defensive liens coach) running the defense. Training camp will give everybody a chance to get to know how things are going to be run around the organization under the new management. Todd Bowles will have to try and regin in a team that enjoyed Ryan's loose, free-wheeling style. This new offense that Gailey will implement will try and turn a question a quarterback into a decent one. Plus with Rodgers now taking over a totally revamped defense, it will be interesting to see if he can pull them together and make them a winner.

2. The Quarterback Situation
Speaking of the Quarterbacks, this is still a big issue for the Jets. If the Jets, or any team in the National Football League for that matter, are going to be a success in this league, they need to have stability at the Quarterback position. I have not felt the Jets have had a solid, proven NFL ready QB since Chad Pennington (but that's just my take). Going into camp Geno Smith is once again fighting it out for the starting job, this time its with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick hasn't been the main guy in any organization he has played in, so he may have to step his game up if he wan'ts to beat out Geno for the starting job. Geno really has to prove something in camp, the biggest thing being hang onto the football. He has had 41 turnovers in his 30 career starts in the NFL. This is Geno's real test to try and nail this job down.

3. How Good Is The Offensive Line
Much like the Giants, the offensive line for the Jets is going to be something to look at during camp. D'Brickashaw Ferguson, James Carpenter, Nick Mangold, Willie Colon, Breno Giacomini Oday Aboushi and Brian Winters are going to be counted on to return to form. Back in 2009 and 2010, the Jets were considered to have one of the top offensive lines in the NFL. Well that hasn't exactly been the case over the last couple of seasons. They have had struggles keeping the opposing defense out of the backfield. Outside of Ferguson and Mangold, nobody else on the line has really proven to be worth their wait. This Jets line doesn't scare you nor does it really provide much protection for their QB's. The offensive line needs to step up and shape up if the Jets new offense is going to be a success.

4. Return Of The Defense
Last year, one of the biggest problems the Jets had was the secondary. They had one of the WORST secondary's in the entire league. They didn't have Revis, nor did they have Cromartie. Well guess what? Both guys are back in the fold for this season. The secondary already looks like its going to be a strength of this Jets team again this season, something that hasn't been said in quite some time. Lets also give credit where its do, to a new look defensive line. Selecting Leonard Williams generated a decent amount of attention and praise for the new regime. One of the big question for the Jets will be how much he will be able to contribute as a rookie. Sheldon Richardson's suspension adds a big of urgency to Williams' development. He is now looking at filling a big role early in the season. How ready will Williams look? You also have to take into account the need to get Muhammad Wilkerson a new deal. He has already said that he will be in camp, so he avoids a holdout. But how effective is he going to be.

5. New Weapons To Work With
You have to wonder just how well these new weapons will mesh into this organization. Chris Ivory is still the guy in the running game for the Jets. He doesn't have Chris Johnson to contend with, but instead has to compete for carries with newcomers Zac Stacy and Stevan Ridley. Both guys have to worry about their health, as Ridley has dealt with a bit of an injury bug the last few seasons. The depth is decent, but where's the breakaway threat? Same question can be made for the receiving game. Sure Eric Decker had a decent year last year, but I made this argument a season ago he isn't really a number one wide out. Now it looks like the Jets have one with the addition of Brandon Marshall from the Bears. Marshall has a chance to prove himself again, as he's coming off an injury-plagued season with the Bears last year. Factor in that with his age, as he is 31 years old, it makes you wonder a little. He still has plenty of talent, there's no denying that. Marshall gives the Jets a chance to have something they haven't had since Jerricho Cotchery in 2007. That being a 1,000-yard receiver. On paper, the Jets have the weapons to work with. Now its just waiting to see how well it translates to the field.

These are just some of the storylines to watch during training camp this summer!

Lou's Legacy In Jersey

When you think of the New Jersey Devils, you think of some of the great players that have come through that organization. Ken Daneyko, Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Patrik Elias, Martin Brodeur, Brian Rafalski, Brian Gionta, Zach Parise, Bobby Holik, John MacLean, Kirk Muller, Scott Gomez. The list goes on and on as to the players that helped make the franchise. For all the talent that has come through the organization on the ice, there was one man responsible for bringing that talent into one place. Lou Lamoriello. New Jersey and Lou have parted ways this offseason, with Ray Shero taking over as General Manager and Lou stepping down as President to become General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

For twenty eight years, Lou Lamoriello was the man responsible for building the Devils. He started the journey in 1987, when team owner John McMullen had named him president. Then, shortly after becoming team president, Lou named himself General Manager, replacing Max McNab. Lou's first year at the helm of the franchise, the Devils turned in a 29-45-6 mark. Up until that point, the Devils franchse was known by some around the league as a "Mickey Mouse operation." The following season, 1987-88, the Devils turned things around, compiling a record of 38-36-6. That record was not only good enough to get them into the playoffs, but the team had a magical run, going all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, before losing to Boston in seven games. That was viewed a turning point for the franchise.

Since that season, the Devils have won three Stanley Cups, 1995, 2000 and 2003. Between that first playoff run in 1988 and their last playoff appearance in 2012, New Jersey has missed the playoffs only three times (not including the lockout year of 2004-05). The last three seasons haven't been great in Jersey, as they have missed the playoffs in each of those years. Still, Lou Lamoriello has been one of the biggest reasons why the Devils have been one of the more consistent franchises in the entire NHL. It's safe to say that New Jersey fans owe quite a lot to Lou for being able to turn that team around from a laughing stock to a power.

There is quite a list of accomplishments by this franchise. There's the three Stanley Cups, to go along with five confrerence titles (as they lost in the finals in 2001 and 2012), and a total of nine division titles (1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10). Each and every one of those titles has Lou's fingerprints all over it. He was able to bring in the right mix of players to make the team winners. He knew how to push the right buttons at the right times. When he wasn't happy with the way the team was being run from behind the bench, he made a switch. He even took over on a couple of occasions behind the bench if he felt he needed to. Lou has left a pretty enduring legacy in Jersey. He put the Devils on the map, made them a relevant organization.

Just before heading off to Toronto, Lou left the Devils, and their fans, with one final goodbye (Photo courtesy of the New Jersey Devils Facebook Page)

Lamoriello leaves as, perhaps, the most important general manager in New York sports history.

Major League Baseball Franchise Four

Having a healthy debate is something that has been around sports as long as the game itself. Baseball is no exception to the rule. With this debate, it comes down to who are the best players in the history of each franchise. Trying to determine the Mount Rushmore for every Major League franchise is a tough thing to do. Well that decision was put into the hands of the people, and they have spoken in a big way. Below we are going to list the guys who were named to their respective franchise four's and some who I felt got snubbed a little for their picks. So here we got with the Major League Baseball Franchise Four.

Greatest Living Players 
-Hank Aaron
-Johnny Bench
-Sandy Koufax
-Willie Mays

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
-Vladimir Guerrero
-Nolan Ryan
-Tim Salmon
-Mike Trout

-Was a little surprised Vlad made it over Garrett Anderson. I know Vlad had six outstanding years with the Angels, but Garrett Anderson played 15 years in Anaheim and smacked 272 homers, while driving in 1,292 runs. Same thing with Nolan Ryan over Chuck Finley. Finley won more games in an Angels uniform (165) than Ryan did (138).

Houston Astros 
-Jeff Bagwell
-Lance Berkman
-Craig Biggio
-Nolan Ryan

-The only other guy I would have even remotely considered putting on this list for the Astros is Mike Scott. The guy did go 110-81 lifetime in Houston, winning the 1986 Cy Young award in the NL. But hes on the outside looking in

Oakland Athletics
-Dennis Eckersley
-Jimmie Foxx
-Rickey Henderson
-Reggie Jackson

Toronto Blue Jays 
-Roberto Alomar
-Joe Carter
-Carlos Delgado
-Roy Halladay

-You could make an argument for Dave Stieb here too. The guy won 175 games in a Toronto uniform, and if WAR means anything, this guy had a 57.4 WAR the highest out of any player.

Atlanta Braves 
-Hank Aaron
-Chipper Jones
-Greg Maddux
-Warren Spahn

-You could make the argument for almost anybody on this list for Braves players. There was Tom Glavine, who won 244 games in a Braves Jersey. Then there's also Eddie Mathews, who just so happened to hit 493 of his career 512 home runs for the franchise.

Milwaukee Brewers
-Cecil Cooper
-Rollie Fingers
-Paul Molitor
-Robin Yount

St. Louis Cardinals 
-Lou Brock
-Bob Gibson
-Rogers Hornsby
-Stan Musial

-There's two other guys who you could throw onto this foursome. One is Ozzie Smith, one of the best shortstops to every play the game. He was a career .978 fielding percentage. Then there is Albert Pujols. Albert spent 11 years in St. Lous, hitting .328 while smacking 445 home runs and driving in 1,329 runs and winning National league MVP three times. Hell, during ten of his eleven years in St. Louis, he drove in at least 100 runs in each season. The only year he didn't was his final season.

Chicago Cubs
-Ernie Banks
-Ryne Sandberg
-Ron Santo
-Billy Williams

-A little surprised Ferguson Jenkins didn't get the call here. Jenkins went 167-132 lifetime in a Cubs uniform, with a 3.02 ERA and 2,038 strikeouts. Yes I know Billy Williams had almost 400 home runs and over 1300 RBI, but I think Jenkins should have gotten it over Williams.

Arizona Diamondbacks
-Paul Goldschmidt
-Luis Gonzalez
-Randy Johnson
-Curt Schilling

-Although he had a short seven year career, Brandon Webb could have made a push for this list too. He did win a Cy Young award and finished runner up twice more after that. There's no way he's getting passed what the four guys did for the Franchise, but Webb deserves a little more recognition.

Los Angeles Dodgers 
-Don Drysdale
-Sandy Koufax
-Jackie Robinson
-Duke Snider

The only name I MIGHT even consider switching out on this list is Jackie Robinson for Roy Campanella. Roy broke into the big leagues a year after Jackie, while Jackie did have more of an impact on baseball from a cultural perspective, Roy had the better career. Three MVP awards and considered one of the greatest catchers of his time. A shame it was cu short due to injuries.

San Francisco Giants 
-Barry Bonds
-Willie Mays
-Willie McCovey
-Buster Posey

-No knock on Buster Posey, he's an outstanding baseball players. But I wouldn't have put him on this list just yer. Not when you consider the career a guy like Christy Mathewson had. Christy finished his career with the Giants with a 372-188 record, 30 career saves, a 2.12 lifetime ERA, 2,504 strikeouts and oh yeah, he had won 30 or more games in a season twice. Yeah I'd say Mathewson should be there instead of Posey.

Cleveland Indians 
-Bob Feller
-Tris Speaker
-Jim Thome
-Omar Vizquel

Seattle Mariners 
-Ken Griffey Jr.
-Felix Hernandez
-Edgar Martinez
-Ichiro Suzuki

-Another name to throw out there for this franchise would be Randy Johnson. He spent ten years in Seattle, winning 130 games, the most he ever won with a single franchise. Sure he got most of his Cy Young awards in the Desert, but his first one came while he was a Mariner.

Miami Marlins 
-Jeff Conine
-Mike Lowell
-Gary Sheffield
-Giancarlo Stanton

New York Mets
-Keith Hernandez
-Mike Piazza
-Tom Seaver
-David Wright

-You could also throw in Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry on this list as well. Doc went 157-85 in eleven years in a Met suniform. During his time with the Orange and Blue, he failed to hit double digits in wins only twice.Strawberry hit more home runs, 252, than any other player in franchise history.

Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos 
-Gary Carter
-Andre Dawson
-Vladimir Guerrero
-Tim Raines

-All of those guys represented the Expos version of the franchise. If you throw in the Nationals years, there's two names who stick out to you. One is Ryan Zimmerman and the other is Bryce Harper. Both guys have been and will be the face of the Washington franchise.

Baltimore Orioles
-Jim Palmer
-Cal Ripken Jr.
-Brooks Robinson
-Frank Robinson

-The only other name that can come close to joining this list would be Eddie Murray. Murray will go down as one of the best switch hitters to ever play the game. He played 13 of his 21 years in the Majors in Baltimore. While there, he just so happened to smack 343 of his 504 home runs there, oh and he also drove in 1,224 runs while there.

San Diego Padres 
-Tony Gwynn
-Trevor Hoffman
-Randy Jones
-Dave Winfield

Philadelphia Phillies 
-Richie Ashburn
-Steve Carlton
-Robin Roberts
-Mike Schmidt

-Another name to throw out there is Chase Utley. Spent his entire 13 year career in Philly and will probably go into the Hall, if he's lucky, as a 2nd baseman.

Pittsburgh Pirates 
-Roberto Clemente
-Bill Mazeroski
-Willie Stargell
-Honus Wagner

-I think in time, Andrew McCutchen may knock Bill Mazeroski out of this list. Cutch has spent his entire 7 year career in Pittsburgh He's already won one MVP and made the all-star team in the Natinoal league each of the last five seasons

Texas Rangers 
-Adrian Beltre
-Ivan Rodriguez
-Nolan Ryan
-Michael Young

-As good as utility man as Michael Young has been for Texas, I was a little surprised that he was taken over Juan Gonzalez. Sure Gonzalez was a bit of a headcase, but the guy did win two MVP awards and drove in 1,180 runs while playing 13 seasons in Texas.

Tampa Bay Rays
-Evan Longoria
-David Price
-James Shields
-Ben Zobrist

Boston Red Sox 
-Pedro Martinez
-David Ortiz
-Ted Williams
-Carl Yastrzemski

-As much as I love David Ortiz, I'm surprised he got the nod over Roger Clemens. During his 13 years in Boston, some of which were on bad teams, Clemeens managed to go 192-111 with a 3.02 ERA and 2,590 strikeouts. He also won three Cy Young awards while in Beantown. Again Ortiz has put up fantastic numbers while playing in Boston, its just that Clemens has done a lot better during his time in town.

Cincinnati Reds 
-Johnny Bench
-Barry Larkin
-Joe Morgan
-Pete Rose

Colorado Rockies 
-Andres Galarraga
-Todd Helton
-Troy Tulowitzki
-Larry Walker

Kansas City Royals 
-George Brett
-Dan Quisenberry
-Bret Saberhagen
-Frank White

Detroit Tigers 
-Miguel Cabrera
-Ty Cobb
-Hank Greenberg
-Al Kaline

Minnesota Twins 
-Rod Carew
-Harmon Killebrew
-Tony Oliva
-Kirby Puckett

-Was a little surprised Walter Johnson was selected for the Twins. Yes Tony Oliva was a good hitter, but Walter Johnson did win 30 games one year, was a two time MVP and oh yeah still holds the record for tossing 110 career shutouts in his big league career. He also struck out 3,509 hitters in his career.

Chicago White Sox
-Harold Baines
-Paul Konerko
-Minnie Minoso
-Frank Thomas

New York Yankees 
-Joe DiMaggio
-Lou Gehrig
-Mickey Mantle
-Babe Ruth

-The only other person who I would even remotely sniff getting a chance to make this list, at least out of guys in my lifetime, would be Derek Jeter

American League Take Midsummer Classic

For the 86th time in history, the best players in the game gathered in one place, for a showcase of the best in the world. The All-Stars gathered at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, with home field advantage in the World Series on the line. It wasn't exactly a night to remember for the National League, as for the 3rd year in a row the American League came out with the win, this time by a 6-3 score.  The real winners from this game are the team that wins the American League Championship come October, because they will have home field advantage in the World Series.

The scoring got started in the top of the first inning when Mike Trout of the Angels led off with a home run off NL starter Zack Greinke to give the AL a 1–0 lead. The NL tied the score in the bottom of the second when Jhonny Peralta drove in Paul Goldschmidt with an RBI single off AL starter Dallas Keuchel. In the top of the fifth, Prince Fielder, who was pinch-hitting for Nelson Cruz, hit a go-ahead RBI single that scored Trout to give the AL a 2–1 lead off Dodgers ace, Clayton Kershaw. The next batter, Lorenzo Cain, hit an RBI double to score Albert Pujols to make it a 3–1 ballgame. In the bottom of the sixth, Andrew McCutchen homered off Chris Archer to make it a one-run game. In the top of the seventh, Trout walked and was lifted for pinch-runner, Brock Holt, who scored on an RBI double by Manny Machado to give the AL a 4–2 lead. Machado then scored on a sac fly by Fielder to make it a 5–2 game. In the top of the eighth inning, the Twins Brian Dozier hit a solo home run to make it a 6–2 ballgame.

In the bottom of the ninth, Ryan Braun led off with a triple to right field off of Twins closer, Glen Perkins, then scored on a sac fly by Brandon Crawford to make it a 6–3 score. The next batter, Cubs rookie, Kris Bryant flied out to right for the second out and finally, Joe Panik lined out to left field to seal the AL's third straight victory and earn home-field advantage in the World Series. After hitting the homer run and scoring two runs, Mike Trout of the Angels walked away with his 2nd straight MVP award.

During the course of this baseball game, a few things stood out to me. One is that Mike Trout is, for lack of a  better word, the best player in the game today. He lead off the game with a home run, making it an unofficial record. In the four games that Trout has played, he has hit for a single, double, triple and home run in his first at bat in each game. That's pretty impressive. It's no surprise that he took home MVP awards for the 2nd straight year. Another surprise from the American League side was the play of Prince Fielder. The big man is making a strong case for comeback player of the year, after missing most of last season due to a neck injury. This year, he's having a fine season, and even though it doesn't count, he was still able to drive in a pair of runs for the AL coming off the bench. From the mound, the best performance has to go to Jacob DeGrom of the New York Mets. All he did was strike out the side in his inning of work. He struck out Stephen Vogt, Jason Kipnis and José Iglesias. Oh yeah, he needed only ten pitches to do it. TEN. That's a pretty impressive body of work for one inning. Most people who haven't gotten the chance to watch him yet, realized why he won the Rookie of the Year in the National League last season.

With those guys having solid games in the midsummer classic, two others had outings that weren't as memorable. First is Bryce Harper. Don't get me wrong, when the lights are usually on bright, Harper comes up in the big spot. The All-Star game, not so much. Harper went 0 for 3 with a pair of strikeouts. I don't think its going to matter much to a guy like Harper, who is having an MVP type season for the Nationals, but he has yet to pick up a hit in the All-Star game in his career. Another guy who had a rough night in the game was Clayton Kershaw. The current Cy Young and MVP award winners in the National League got roughed up in the one inning he pitched. He wasn't chosen for the squad originally, but made the team as a last-minute sub. Then he came into a 1-1 game in the fifth inning and let in the go-ahead run and one more. He took the loss for the NL.

As far as the New York teams go, there was quite a bit of representation at the game. For the Yankees, Mark Teixeira and Brett Gardner went a combined 0 for 4 at the plate with three strikeouts. Dellin Betances was the only Yankee pitcher, tossing one inning of work walking one and striking out one, while allowing zero runs or hits. Jake DeGrom was the lone Met and it took just ten pitches to strike out the side in the 6th inning.

All time There have been two ties, with the National League winning 43 times, and the American League winning 41 times. The National League has won just three times since 1997.

Major League Baseball Midseason Report

The dog days of summer are here. We have hit the unofficial midway point of the Major League Baseball season, the all star break has arrived. Most teams have already played 88 to 89 games, which means we are just a bit past the halfway point of the season. A lot has gone down through the first half of the baseball season, some surprising and some a little underachieving. I don't think that when the season started, many people would have had the Houston Astros to be playing near the top of the AL West, same goes for the fact that the Detroit Tigers are 3rd in the AL Central, behind the Royals and more shocking the Twins. We got a lot to get to so lets dive right into it. Here's a look at what's gone down in the first half of the MLB season.

Here's the Standings around Major League Baseball at the All-Star break:

American League
AL East
New York Yankees 48-40 0.545 —
Tampa Bay Rays 46-45 0.505 3½
Baltimore Orioles 44-44 0.500 4
Toronto Blue Jays 45-46 0.495 4½
Boston Red Sox 42 47 0.472 6½

AL Central
Kansas City Royals 52-34 0.605 —
Minnesota Twins 49-40 0.551 4½
Detroit Tigers 44-44 0.500 9
Cleveland Indians 42-46 0.477 11
Chicago White Sox 41-45 0.477 11

AL West
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 48-40 0.545 —
Houston Astros 49-42 0.538 ½
Texas Rangers 42-46 0.477 6
Seattle Mariners 41-48 0.461 7½
Oakland Athletics 41-50 0.451 8½

National League
NL East
Washington Nationals 48-39 0.552 —
New York Mets 47-42 0.528 2
Atlanta Braves 42-47 0.472 7
Miami Marlins 38-51 0.427 11
Philadelphia Phillies 29-62 0.319 21

NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals 56-32 0.636 —
Pittsburgh Pirates 52-35 0.598 3½
Chicago Cubs 47-40 0.540 8½
Cincinnati Reds 39-47 0.453 16
Milwaukee Brewers 38-52 0.422 19

NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers 51-39 0.567 —
San Francisco Giants 46-43 0.517 4½
Arizona Diamondbacks 42-45 0.483 7½
San Diego Padres 41-49 0.456 10
Colorado Rockies 39-49 0.443 11

A couple of things stand out from the first half, some teams coming in as a surprise while others have been a bit of a disappointment. Who would have guessed that the Houston Astros would be in 2nd place in the AL West. Houston has scored the 4th most runs in the AL (396) and hit the most home runs in the league (124). Five of the Astros have already hit the double digit mark in home runs: Chris Carter (15 HR), Luis Valbuena (19 HR), Colby Rasmus (11 HR), Evan Gattis (15 HR) and George Springer (13 HR). Houston also ranks in the top four in team ERA (3.58) and batting average against (.237). You can also throw the Minnesota Twins into that argument as a big surprise in the American League The Twins sit nine games over .500 and are in 2nd in the Central. Its been a combination of decent power at the plate and solid pitching on the hill. Trevor Plouffe, Torii Hunter, and Brian Dozier are the heartbeat of the Minnesota offense. In order for the offense to hold up, you need to have good pitching and the Twins have been getting that. Its not as dominant as some of the other teams in the AL, but thanks to solid starting pitching from Phil Hughes, Trevor May and even Mike Pelfrey, Minnesota is sitting near the top of the AL Central.

One of the bigger disappointments from the first half of the year has been the San Diego Padres. For all the moves that the Padres made during the winter, bringing in Matt Kemp, Derek Norris, Wil Myers, Ryan Hanigan, Justin Upton, Will Middlebrooks Craig Kimbrel & Melvin Upton, Jr. That's a lot of talent to have brought on board, and with that in the lineup, San Diego is in 4th place in the NL West? How does that even happen?  Eight games under .500 and ten games back in the West isn't where the Padres saw themselves by the time we hit the All-Star break, which is why the Padres let go Bud Black and replaced him with Pat Murphy, who will run the team the rest of the way.

During the first half of the season, a few players have hit some pretty big milestones. We've had two no hitters thrown. First Chris Heston of the San Francisco Giants tossed a no-hitter against the Mets on June 9th. Then, on June 20th, Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals threw a no-hitter against the Pirates. We've also had some big pitching milestones reached during the first half of the year. Mark Buehrle, of the Blue Jays, recorded his 200th career win April 10 against Baltimore. Craig Kimbrel of the Padres and Francisco Rodríguez of the Brewers each recorded milestone saves. Kimbrel picked up his 200th career save against the Braves on June 8th, while K-Rod recorded save #350 against the Reds on April 23rd.

As good as it has been for the pitchers, the hitters haven't been doing so bad for themselves in the milestone department as well. There were some who hit some milestone home runs. Jose Bautista of Toronto hit his 250th career home run against Baltimore on April 21. Adam LaRoche of the White Sox also hit his 250th homer, against Detroit on June 5. Prince Fielder of Texas clubbed his 300th career home run against Toronto on June 26. He and his father, Cecil, become the second father-son duo in Major League history to notch 300-plus homers, the other being Barry and Bobby Bonds. We've seen two new members join the 400 home run club this season. Adrian Beltre of Texas joined the club when he went deep against Cleveland Indians on May 15. The very next day, May 16th, Miguel Cabrera of Detroit joined the Club, going deep against St. Louis.

Last but not least, there's Alex Rodriguez, who has been adding his name to the history books since returning from suspension. Rodriguez passed Willie Mays by hitting his 661st home run against the Baltimore Orioles on May 7, hitting it off of Chris Tillman. Alex then became just the 2nd player in the history of the game to record 2,000th career RBI. He did it with a two-run home run in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on June 13. Just six days later, June 19th, Alex joined the 3,000 hit club, launching a home run in the first inning off of Justin Verlander of the Tigers. He became the 29th player to reach this mark.

Since baseball is a very stats oriented sport, here are the league leaders by the all star break around the Majors.

American League
Hitting
Batting Average Miguel Cabrera (DET) - .350
Home Runs Albert Pujols (LAA) & Mike Trout (LAA) - 26
Runs Batted In Mark Teixeira (NYY) - 62
Runs Mike Trout (LAA) - 68
Hits Prince Fielder (TEX) - 114
Stolen Bases Jose Altuve (HOU) - 25

Pitching
Wins Felix Hernandez (SEA) & Dallas Keuchel (HOU) - 11
Loses R.A. Dickey (TOR) & Corey Kluber (CLE) - 10
Earned Run Average Sonny Gray (OAK) - 2.04
Strikeouts Chris Sale (CWS) - 157
Innings Pitched Dallas Keuchel (HOU) - 137.1
Saves Glen Perkins (MIN) - 28

National League
Hitting
Batting Average Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) - .340
Home Runs Giancarlo Stanton (MIA) - 27
Runs Batted In Nolan Arenado (COL) & Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) - 70
Runs Paul Goldschmidt (ARI) - 60
Hits Dee Gordon (MIA) - 122
Stolen Bases Billy Hamilton (CIN) - 44

Pitching
Wins Gerrit Cole (PIT) - 13
Loses Aaron Harang (PHI) - 11
Earned Run Average Zack Greinke (LAD) - 1.39
Strikeouts Clayton Kershaw (LAD) - 160
Innings Pitched Max Scherzer (WAS) - 132.0
Saves Mark Melancon (PIT) - 29

Now that we know who's leading what, its time to hand out some hardware. Here are the midseason Major League Baseball Award Winners.

Manager Of The Year
NL: Mike Matheny St. Louis Cardinals
It always seems like the Cards find a way to stay the class of the NL Central. Think about this. Adam Wainwright, Matt Adams, Jon Jay and Matt Holliday all started on Opening Day. All four are now on the disabled list, as is Jaime Garcia, who had a 1.69 ERA in seven starts before getting hurt again. And the Cardinals keep winning, a tribute to an organization that has also (for now) seemed to survive a hacking scandal. St. Louis just keeps finding a way to stay on top of the division.

AL: A.J. Hinch, Houston Astros
Houston has pulled a 180 from last year. Houston was near the basement in the AL West and are now in the thick of things, not only in the divisional race, but the wild card situation as well in the American League. Hinch deserves a lot of credit for it right now. The Astros have the talent in place, they just needed something to help bring it all together and right now, Hinch has been the perfect guy for the job.

Rookie of The Year 
NL: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
After getting the call-up during May, Bryant has been on a bit of a tear. He's hitting .269, a little low of an average but still a solid number. His 15 home runs are 2nd in the NL among rookies, behind only Joc Pederson of the Dodgers who has twenty. Bryant's 51 RBI's are the best out of any rookie in all of baseball. Its not just what this guy has done at the plate that's impressive. He's finally seemed to solidify 3rd base for the Cubs, something that Chicago has been looking for for some time now.

AL: Devon Travis, Toronto Blue Jays
He may not be getting the exposure as some of his other teammates like Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion, but he still has a solid upside to him. Travis is hitting .304, the bet batting average among all rookies in the American League. He's had decent power and run production numbers, and his defense at 2nd base can be comparable with some of his peers in the AL.

Cy Young Award
NL: Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals
Here's where I feel the debate is really going to heat up. You can make a very strong argument for Zack Grienke of the Dodgers, who does have the best ERA in all of baseball and has an 8-2 record and 106 strikeouts. Scherzer's numbers aren't as good as that of Grienke. Scherzer is 10-7 with a 2.11 ERA and 150 strikeouts, the 2nd most in the NL. The reason I'm giving the award to Scherzer is because he has been the rock of the Washington Nationals staff. Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strausberg have been hurt, and even when they are healthy they have been average at best. Mad Max has been the anchor of that pitching staff, and one of the big reasons why Washington is atop the NL East, despite the fact that the team hasn't been playing its best baseball in the first half of the year.

AL: Dallas Keuchel Houston Astros
He has the 2nd lowest ERA in the AL, behind Sonny Gray of the A's. He's one of only two pitchers in the American League with eleven wins, the other being King Feliex of the Mariners. Having an 11-4 record at the break is pretty impressive. One other reason to give him the nod as winner in the AL is his runs against. The most that Keuchel has allowed in a game is five. He's been by far and away the best pitcher in the Houston rotation and for my money one of the biggest reason that Houston has been able to hang around in the race in the West.

Most Valuable Player
NL: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
You can make an argument here for Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who is putting up outstanding numbers this year. Goldschmidt is hitting .320 (1st) with 21 homers (5th) and 70 RBI (T-1st). Those numbers are better than what Harper has put up, as he's hitting .339 (2nd), with 26 homers (2nd) and 61 RBI's (4th). The difference here would be where there respective teams are in the standings. Arizona, despite having one of the highest scoring offenses in the National League, can't seem to get wins (crappy pitching staffs will do that to you). But if you take both Harper and Goldschmidt out of their respective lineups, Arizona will still be able to be a success, sort of, where as the Nationals are not as good a team when Harper isn't playing. Washington seems to be a better team with Bryce in the lineup, which shows how valuable.

AL: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Normally this would be a stronger debate to throw Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers into the mix, but he's been hurt and the Tigers are still moving along. You can also throw Josh Donaldson of the Jays into the mix as he's one of the big three in Toronto who are keeping them afloat in the AL East. I still have to give it to Trout here. He may not have the outstanding offensive numbers he has in the past, but he's hands down still the best overall player in the American League.

So there you have it, a look back at some of what's happened in the first half of the Major League Baseball Season!

DeAndre Jordan DeCommitment

Just when you thought it was going to be easy, DeAndre Jordan pulls a 180. Last week, it looked as if DeAndre Jordan was going to make a move to leave Los Angeles and head for Dallas. He had made a verbal agreement to sign a four-year, $80-plus million max deal with Mavericks ownership that he would head to Dallas. But after meeting with some of his Clippers teammates in Dallas, it appears that Jordan may be backing off the deal and will re-sign a more lucrative contract to return to the West Coast and once again play for the Clippers. Jordan is back with the Clippers, signing a deal worth four years and $88 Million, with the player option to opt out after the third year of the deal.

This was a pretty big slap in the face to the Dallas Mavericks. Jordan had given a verbal agreement when free agency opened that he was going to sign a big deal with the Mavs. Dallas had put all its eggs in one basketl, planning to build the team around Dirk and DeAndre. Now that plan has blown up in Dallas face. Dallas thought they had a replacement for outgoing Tyson Chandler in the middle. They had their big man all lined up and ready to rock and roll. But the timing of this couldn't have been worse. The reason is because, since Jordan had verbally agreed to the Mavs, the other top 75 listed players on the free agent market had signed on with other teams. Now, with Jordan off the market, the best available free agent center is Kevin Seraphin, a 6'9 center whose played the last five seasons for the Wizards. No offense but I think its a huge downgrade if this guy signs with Dallas. The Mavs still have a decent starting lineup, which contains J.J. Barea, Monta Ellis, Chandler Parsons, Dirk Nowitzki and whoever is gonna play the middle. Plus throw in Raymond Felton, Rajon Rondo, Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva coming off the bench, you got yourself a solid contender out in the West. That would have made the Mavericks a better team had DeAndre Jordan in the fold.

Now he heads back to a star studded team in the Clippers, a place where he has spent his entire career. Now LA has a pretty good lineup with DeAndre back in the mix, having him play alongside Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Lance Stephenson and Blake Griffin. On paper, this team could be one of the big threats out in the Western Conference.

If you look at DeAndtre Jordan, this was a case of him getting cold feet. He had a golden opportunity to become his own man and really establish himself as an elite player. See playing with the Clippers, he is seen as the 3rd star, behind Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. He can be sort of a quite star in this league. Had he signed with Dallas, it would have been the perfect opportunity for Jordan to step out of that shadow and become his own star. I guess DeAndre really wasn't quite ready to become his own star. It takes a certain kind of player to really come into his own and take on the responsibility of being a big star on a team. It appears that Jordan wasn't ready to take on that role yet. He still seems content with playing the supporting role in LA, which isn't a bad thing by any means. It just goes to show that some aren't ready yet to take on that spotlight.