EVIL~! alkeiper

He's hitting .289/.364/.417. Is he lacking power? Some perhaps, but remember he is just 22 years old. The vast majority of players Mauer's age are still in the minor leagues.

In any case, both of you need to knock it off. Take it to Hardcore Discussion.

Quite possibly yes. I think Kareem came along just before the big three, and his prime occured in a slighly less popular era for the NBA. It is amazing when you think about it. Kareem was a great player, won multiple NBA titles, dominated collegiate ball, scored more points than any other player in NBA history, played in a huge media market, and even performed in one of the greatest comedies of all time (Airplane), yet he's overlooked when the greatest players are discussed.

Deserving team represenatives from underperforming teams or teams unlikely to field a starter. This does not take positional needs of each squad into account... ARI: Craig Counsell or Luis Gonzalez ATL: Marcus Giles or Andruw Jones CIN: Adam Dunn CLE: Travis Hafner or Grady Sizemore COL: Clint Barmes (Todd Helton 2nd) DET: Brandon Inge KC: Emil Brown or David DeJesus MIL: Carlos Lee MIN: Joe Mauer NYM: Cliff Floyd OAK: Mark Kotsay PIT: Jason Bay SD: Brian Giles SF: Omar Vizquel TB: Julio Lugo TOR: Roy Halladay WAS: Nick Johnson Lugo over Cantu? I think Win Shares placed Lugo ahead on the basis of having nine more games played, 21 stolen bases compared to Cantu's zero, and Cantu is genuinely struggling in the field, while Lugo is producing excellent fielding statistics. Cantu's fielding statistics rate among the worst in the American League. Cantu hits for more power than Lugo. Lugo's edge is just about everything else. That Cantu has walked 7 times in 273 at bats is a huge red flag.

Just remember, if you see a car in the parking lot with a Phillies' license plate on the front and a Phillies' decal in the back windshield, you're standing in the presence of genius.

Honestly, it's Kareem, Chamberlain, Shaq and maybe Bill Russell. I think Shaq is in that elite group.

I thought you knew I attended East Stroudsburg University. I actually live a few miles from Mt. Pocono, so Scranton is a 30 minute drive.

Ryan Howard couldn't make it from Buffalo in time for the game, but luckily the Phillies are looking to call up their newest prospect from AA Reading...

Yea what the hell was he thinking? Have we not learned anything from Dennis Rodman? not that I care too much, I still hate Rogers for nearly blowing the 96 world series for the yankees with his horrible "performance" in game 4. Then again, was it not Rogers who also walked in the winning run for the braves in the 99 NLCS while pitching for the Mets? Or maybe I'm not remembering correctly. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It was. http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Krogek0012231999.htm

Phillies place Jim Thome on the 15 day DL, and call up Ryan Howard from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Howard has beaten the living crap out of the ball in AAA, and I hope he makes the most of this opportunity.

It's possible, but I don't think it is likely. The Athletics need to jump ahead of six teams to do it.

I still don't think Leyland was the answer. Given what I have seen from Manuel however, I actually prefered the way Larry Bowa ran strategies. I do think the manager is the least of the Phillies' problems right now. This is an extremely difficult question for the Phillies to deal with. On one hand, Howard is hitting the crap out of the ball at AAA (I've seen it personally). On the other hand, Thome has three years left, and is contract is unmoveable. Neither can change positions. In addition, considering Thome's background, you do not want to give up too early. I will say that it was extremely frustrating to see Ryan Howard left in AAA during the Phillies' west coast interleague trip. After just 28 big league at bats, Charlie Manuel seemed hesitant to use Howard in any meaningful situations. That's a shame especially considering when the Phillies have given talented but unproven players a chance (Geoff Geary, Robinson Tejeda, Ryan Madson) they have come through. Ryan Madson has struck out nearly a batter an inning. I do not care how good a middle reliever is. It does the team no bloody good when the team is constantly down three runs in the late innings, and you have no bench depth because you thought Endy Chavez was a good idea. They need to give Madson the first crack at a rotation job. Otherwise, there is just not much on the market available without mortgaging the farm. Barry Zito is a name, but a fly-ball pitcher in Citizens Bank Park could be disasterous. Hope is on the horizon however. Gavin Floyd went eight innings his last start in Scranton, giving up only two runs, walking none and striking out six. Cole Hamels has finally returned to the mound, striking out 13 in 11 innings in Clearwater. Hamels has the talent, no question. Remember, this team is still just 3.5 games out of a wild card berth. Two weeks ago this team looked like a pennant contender. We have a long way to go yet.

I hope they show the Cleveland Williams fight. Williams landed THREE punches the entire three rounds. Just an ass-kicking at its artistic best.

I've liked Clark for awhile. His skills tend to be underrated so he has no realistic shot at the All-Star game. He'd be a borderline choice, but it is such a crowded group that I couldn't see giving him the nod for the first time.

Lee will doubtless be the Brewers' representative, and I have no problem seeing him in the Derby.

Surprisingly, the only time it did NOT rain in Scranton tonight was from 6:45 to 9. We got the entire Red Barons game through without delay.

Besides, Rocker pitched 20 2/3 innings in the postseason and never gave up a run.

Bigbie is a league average corner outfielder. He's a nice guy to have, but he is not the kind of player you hold back in a trade scenario.

Not all of them. There's me. The rest of them are though.

He's a Flyer. Remember what fans he speaks of.

Well, Ewing is 7', and Barkley is 6'5". Of course, Barkley encourages us to Shut Up and Jam! Which is quite funny, considering Barkley has not jammed in five years and he never shuts up. That's not a statement in favor of one player over another. I'm just rambling.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article...t=.jsp&c_id=mlb NL balloting update. Bobby Abreu is now FIRST in the NL outfield vote. Recognize. Well, even the "Choi is a platoon hitter" crowd never thought Lee would hit .380 in half a season and drag the Cubs into the wild card chase kicking and screaming.

While a nice thought, I don't think it happens unless there are personal animosities between the executives themselves. I think teams think of what's best for their own business, and don't worry about who the other team is unless they are a division rival or something of that nature.

I like the deal better if the pitching prospect is Hayden Penn. It depends on what they do with the money that would've gone to signing Burnett long term. While I like the deal, it's worth noting that the last time the Marlins dealt a star, they got burned (Derrek Lee for Hee Seop Choi).

The Phillies signed Doug Glanville to a minor league contract so he could retire as a Philly. First time I've seen that in baseball.