Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1224 of 1503)

The MLB All-Star rosters have been released for the American and National leagues. Four Red Sox (Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz) and three Cubs’ (Geovany Sota, Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome) position players made the roster. Soto is the first rookie to ever start at catcher for the National League.

Keith Law of ESPN.com lists his All-Star snubs.

Joe Saunders over John Lackey
Lackey might have missed this cut because he’s only made 10 starts this season, but he was an All-Star in 2007 and finished third in the Cy Young voting (and was, in fact, the third-best pitcher in the AL) last season.
He’s also off to a ridiculous start after his DL stint, with a sub-two ERA. Saunders has the gaudy win total, but he’s more a creation of the Angels’ defense than anything else. He’s having a good season, but Lackey’s season has been better, as is his pre-2008 resume.

Miguel Tejada over Jose Reyes
I doubt anyone in the commissioner’s office was pushing for Tejada, a star in the Mitchell report and an age-forger, to appear on the NL roster. So what gives?

The Astros are represented by Lance Berkman, so that’s not the explanation. Tejada’s not having a good offensive year, despite playing in a park that heavily favors right-handed power hitters (his road OPS is .681 this year). He’s still playing solid defense, but Reyes, the Mets’ shortstop, is a better player in every facet of the game, and is arguably a bigger “star” in the fame sense of the word.

It’s hard to argue how good Saunders has been this year (12-4, 3.04), but Lackey has been absolutely filthy since coming off the DL. I don’t get Tejada over Reyes either, although Reyes hasn’t been particularly sharp in the field. The rest of Law’s snubs list is pretty spot on, including why Ryan Ludwick got the nod over Pat Burrell.

THE LOVE OF SPORTS ranked the top 10 future hall of fame pitchers.

2. John Smoltz (Atlanta)
Smoltz, one of the fabled members of the dominant Braves staffs in the ‘90s, is the only pitcher in baseball history to win at least 200 games (210) and save 150 (154) in a career. Along with that unique distinction, he became the 16th pitcher to get 3,000 K’s and has a career ERA of 3.26…

3. Tom Glavine (Atlanta, New York Mets)
Glavine’s just one of four lefthanders to win 300 games and is tops among active southpaws. The 22-year veteran has spent his entire career in the N.L. East and has won 20 games five times, leading the league each time he’s done so…

6. Greg Maddux (Chicago Cubs, Atlanta, LAD, San Diego)
Where do you start with Maddux? The guy’s in a league of his own. Never a power pitcher, he’s relied on unparalleled intelligence and control…

It’s amazing that the Braves only won one World Series with Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux in the same rotation for that many years. Although hey, five World Series appearances in one decade is an incredibly impressive feat, regardless of the fact that they lost four of those five title series.

– There’s no question what the news of the week is: C.C. Sabathia was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for a handful of prospects, including top hitter Matt LaPorta.

– Speaking of the Brewers, J.J. Hardy had a big day as the Crew topped the Pirates 11-6. Hardy went 3 for 4 with two dingers, four RBI and two runs scored. Ryan Braun also hit home run No. 21 on the year.

– With career blast No. 536, Alex Rodriguez tied Mickey Mantle on the all-time home run list. Brett Gardner did his best Derek Jeter impersonation, becoming the first Yankee rookie to get a walk off hit to beat the Red Sox since Jeter did it in 1996. The Bombers beat the BoSox 5-4 in 10 innings.

– Chipper Jones’ quad apparently isn’t bothering him too much. Jones added to his already impressive 2008 season on Sunday, going 3 for 5 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored as the Braves defeated the Astros 7-6. Larry is currently hitting .388, with 18 home runs and 50 RBI on the year.

– The Tigers’ Nate Robertson went nine innings, yielding just one run on four hits, but he earned a no decision. Marcus Thames hit a sac fly in the top of the 15th inning as Detroit beat Seattle 2-1.

– The Big Unit showed some life for the first time in weeks, striking out 10 in Arizona’s 3-2 victory over San Diego. In was Johnson’s first win in eight starts and he broke a six-start losing streak.