Diamond Dust: Power Players Edition, V.3.0

The All Star game was one to remember. I would like to put forth a notion that no one should be allowed on the field if they are unable to play. Why have Kazmir in the bullpen if they do not want him to pitch? If the game counts (as they have told us continually), these guys have to act like it. Credit to Clint Hurdle for throwing his guy for three innings before bringing in Brandon Webb.

The Not-So Crappy Cardinals have come out swinging in the second part of the season in sweeping the lowly Padres in impressive manner, coming from behind to win each of the games. None were more dramatic than Aaron Miles' walk-off grand slam in yesterday's 9-5 victory. The time has come to shut down Jason Isringhausen, as he blew a two run ninth inning lead yesterday. Troy Glaus is currently the hottest hitter o the planet. After a loss to the Phillies on July 10, Glaus was hitting .256. Since then his average has shot to .284 over 7 games. During this stretch, he has gone 17-29 with 12 runs scored, 4 doubles, 5 home runs, 9 RBIs, and has only struck out 3 times. More importantly, during this stretch, the Cards are 6-1, winning their last 5. The team will be tested this week, starting a four game set at home against the similarly hot Brew Crew and three this weekend against the Mets. And now for power players:

Top Bats:

1. Lance Berkman (1)-.342 (2)/22 HR (8t)/73 RBI (4)/.438 OBP (3)/.638 SLG (1)/30 2B (2)/15 SB (13t)
2. Josh Hamilton (2)-.309 (10)/21 HR (3t)/95 RBI (1)/.365 OBP (22)/.545 SLG (6)/24 2B (24t)
3. Albert Pujols (5)-.359 (2)/18 HR (20t)/55 RBI (30t)/.472 OBP (1)/.611 SLG (2)/21 2B (35t)/14 games missed
4. Chipper Jones (3)-.373 (1)/18 HR (20t)/53 RBI (33t)/.469 OBP (2)/.607 SLG (3)/12 games missed
5. Ian Kinsler (NR)-.328 (1)/14 HR (24t)/5 RBI (12t)/.389 OBP (9)/.533 SLG (9t)/34 2B (2)/24 SB (5t)

Guys to keep an eye on: Chase Utley (4), Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, Ryan Braun, Ryan Ludwick, Carlos Quentin, Jermain Dye, Milton Bradley

Top Arms:

1. Cliff Lee (2)-13-2 (1)/2.29 ERA (1)/110 K (7)
2. Edinson Volquez (1)-13-3 (2t)/2.49 ERA (1)/129 K (4)
3. Francisco Rodriguez (NR)-44 IP/2.25 ERA/45 K/40-43 SVO (1)
4. Brad Lidge (NR)-41 IP/1.10 ERA/56 K/21-21 SVO (5)
5. Tim Lincecum (4)-11-3 (5t)/2.79 ERA (4)/143 K (1)

Guys to keep an eye on: Justin Duchsherer, Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Ben Sheets, Carlos Zambrano, Roy Halladay, JOe Saunders, Ervin Santana

The Day the Dolphins Died

It is rare that you could say that losing two defensive ends is a good thing, but that is exactly what Redskins fans are thinking today. After losing starter Phillip Daniels and reserve Alex Buzbee, the Redskins moved quickly and acquired the heart and soul of the Miami Dolphins, Jason Taylor. Taylor has more sacks than any active player by a wide margin (117 to Kevin Carter's 100) and was named Defensive Player of the Year only two years ago. Having suffered as a Dreadful Dolphins fan my entire life, I can say that the one constant with this team over the past 10 seasons has been the play of Taylor. For several years he has been the only reason to watch this team play, thus losing him to a franchise as utterly annoying as the Redskins is irritating. Parcells never warmed up to the idea of Taylor doing "Dancing with the Stars," so Taylor had to go. I think this exhibits a bit of stubbornness on the part of the new executive VP and leaves the franchise without a face for the coming season. As for the Redskins, the one thing they have severely lacked for the last 5 seasons is a bonafide pass rushers. Solid play from the team's linebackers and secondary has gone to waste because of a lack of pressure up front. The acquisition of Taylor will single-handedly fix their problem and add to my suffering.

Diamond Dust: The 5 Dumbest and Most Astute Things I Said Before the Start of the Season

The problem with posting your thoughts on the Internet is that anyone can go back see how wrong you were in your preseason projections. While my World Series pick of Tigers over Mets did not seem bold at the time, it seems like a long-shot now (although the Mets are currently playing a great brand of baseball, winners of nine in a row). Johan Santana and Vladimir Guerrero will not win their league's respective MVP awards, Erik Bedard will not finish in the top 10 in AL Cy Young voting, and while Santana has pitched like one of the three best pitchers in the NL, a lack of run support will cost him that NL Cy Young he covets. Without further adieu, I present the lowlights and highlights of my preseason predictions:

The Not-So Bright:

1. "The Twins traded away their two best players and will probably hover around .500 only because of all the games they get to enjoy against the lowly White Sox and Royals, who will both be terrible and are not worth anymore of my time."-Even the Royals have exceeded expectations in this division. I gave the White Sox zero chance at finishing within 10 games of the Indians for second. I also underestimated the collective talent of Mauer and Morneau, as the Twins have been sensational.
2. "The Marlins will compete for the worst record in all of baseball."-No one thought this team would spend more days in first place than any other team in the first part of the season in a tough NL East. This team wins with its bats, as they currently rank 14th in pitching. They might not finish near the lowly Mariners and Nationals, but they will be more than 1.5 out when it is all said and done.
3. "This division contains the most Wild Card hopefuls. The Padres are the second best team in the NL and should win this division comfortably."-All I can say about my take on the NL West is moronic. Who thought the Padres would be this pitiful? The Dodgers? This division is embarrassingly bad.
4. "The race between the Tigers and Indians will be one to watch."-Actually, it is rather unwatchable. The Indians, like the Mariners, should be better. While the Tigers struggled initially and turned it around (.500 at the break is a monumental accomplishment for this team), the Indians have never found their collective bearings. If this emerges as a race, it will be for fourth place.
5. "Is Billy Beane still working in Oakland? How are those sabermetrics working out now?"-Like the Marlins, no one thought the A's would be within sniffing distance of .500 at the All Star break, nonetheless seven game over .500.

Nostradamus, anyone?:

1. "The Nationals will be a non-factor for the near future as they are equipped with a collection of minor league pitchers posing as a big league staff. At least they have a new stadium."-This team is terrible and has no one on the roster that any diehard Nationals fan would want to see. The stadium is terrific.
2. "The Brewers will make the race interesting with what is probably the best lineup in the NL, but pitching is this team's Achilles Heel. Eric Gagne as a closer is never a good sign at this stage of his illegitimate career. "-The Brew Crew have received two blessings this season. First the injury to the suddenly oft-injured Eric Gagne (get this guy a B-12 shot stat) and second, the acquisition of C.C. Sabbathia, both of which helped this team's pitching problems. With two bonafide aces and a lineup that absolutely kills the ball, this team will be dangerous in the second part of the season.
3. "The Rockies got into the playoffs by seemingly winning their last 50 games. They are in the same boat as the Phillies, Letdown City, population 2."-The Phillies have not been a disappointment, but the Rockies, unsurprisingly, are playing like the team that was out of the playoff hunt before that ridiculous run last season.
4. "The Rangers cannot pitch. Having Kevin Millwood as your opening day starter 5 years ago would have been questionable."-One cannot say enough about the Rangers offense, Kinsler, Hamilton, Young, Bradley, et al. have been fantastic. This team reminds me of the 2005 Red Sox-great offense, terrible pitching.
5. "Regarding the Toronto Blue Jays, can we please stop saying this is their year? This might be their year, if they played in the NL Central. Vernon Wells peaked a few years back because of obvious steroid use. They added Rolen and Eckstein (both of whom I love for obvious reasons), who are the on the downward slope of their careers and their two best pitchers are liabilities because of injuries."-People seem to think this team is playing well at 47-48, but that is not acceptable for the team that has been on the cusp of breaking out for the past three seasons

The Philadelphia 76ers Do Away With Generic Play In the Middle and Add a Brand Name

The Philadelphia 76ers went from marginal playoff team to Eastern Conference contender and it only cost them about $80 million dollars. This team overachieved last season in making the playoffs, let alone going up 2 to 1 against the mighty Pistons in the first round. Brand is a career 20 and 10 guy and instantly becomes one of the two best power forwards in the Eastern Conference alongside KG. In the East his chances at becoming an All Star and making it to the NBA Finals increase exponentially. His signing will allow Reggie Evans, a high energy guy who lacks the tools to be a dominant NBA power forward, to come off the bench and hopefully allow Sammy Dalembert (who has been a disaster since being given a big contract) to develop offensively. Andre Miller had a career year scoring the basketball last season (17 ppg), but his assists were down. The addition of Brand will allow him to find a even ground between scoring and handing out assists. Andre Igoudala needs to shoot better, but having a bona fide threat in middle will allow him room to slash to the basket, which is what he does best. Brand, when healthy, took the Clippers to within one game of the Western Conference Finals, yes the LA Clippers, so his credentials needed not be brought into question. I am assuming somewhere in the city of LA Baron Davis is sobbing. At least he has those $80 million to fall back on. The East is still all about the Mighty C's, but the Sixers will now be worth watching, especially if they someone, anyone, who can shoot the ball from the outside.

Diamond Dust: The All Star Edition

The MLB All Star Game is the best of its kind with the Pro Bowl being the most insufferable. There are two major problems with the Summer Classic, first is the fan voting and second is the fact that the winning team gets home field advantage in the World Series. The second is so inane and irritating that I cannot devote anymore space to it here. The fan voting is irritating when the entire infield is made up of Yankees and Red Sox in the AL and the NL outfield is littered with undeserving Cubs. It is the job of the managers to fix what the fans do and for the most part a good job was done this year with two glaring exceptions. Brian Wilson is not an All Star. A certain amount of credit is due to the man for leading the NL in saves, but his ERA is 4.37. The conversation on Mr. Wilson ends there. But the biggest offense is Jason Varitek. His selection is embarrassing. He is not the second, third, fourth, or fifth best player at his position in his league. Varitek is hitting .215. You read that right, .215. It is not clear to me when .215, even for a catcher (one who is not a great defensive catcher mind you) was relegted to All Star level. I will argue that it is not.

The Not-So Crappy Cardinals continue to play at a level no one thought possible. Currently, this crop of overachievers has the second best record in the NL, only .5 game up on the hard charging Brew Crew. While the Cubs and Brewers have made news in acquiring C.C. Sabathia and Dan Haren this week, the Cardinals will look to some old arms to give them a boost. Mark Mulder returns to the rotation tonight in Philadelphia and the Double C continues his rehab and should be ready in August. I am weary of Mulder's chances of getting back to where he was when the Cardinals acquired him in 2005 (his only healthy season in a Cardinals uniform), but am willing to give Dave "the Miracle Worker" Duncan the benefit of the doubt. The Cardinals have showed up as a potential suitor for the red-hot Matt Holiday. Probably will not happen, but stay tuned. Ryan Ludwick's selection after a career thus far ravaged by injury was certainly deserved and would get more attention if not for Josh Hamilton's amazing story.

Other random mutterings:

• The Devil Rays continue to be the story in the first half. The Washington Nationals were the story in 2005 when they led at the break, so let's slow down on projecting this bunch into the World Series. While it is legitimate to point out that the 2008 Devil Rays are much more talented than the 2005 Nationals, the latter did not have have the Red Sox and Yankees behind them in the standings.
• The Tigers have put themselves into the conversation in the AL Central, but the White Sox and Twins have been sensational as of late.
• Remember when the Mets were finished? They currently reside 1.5 games behind the overrated Phillies.
• The NL West is a disaster.
• Ian Kinsler is as Pato Banton would say "bubbling hot," Josh Hamilton might drive in 150 runs, Justin Duchscherer (try spelling that correctly without looking) is currently the best pitcher in baseball, Joe Saunders will not win 20 games, Brandon Webb might win 25 games, Ryan Howard has 137 more career strikeouts than Albert Pujols in 2,470 fewer at-bats and might strikeout 250 times this season, and I do not care if A-Rod is f^cking Madonna.

Go see what the old man's got cooking here.