As the pennant races heat up and the non-waiver trade deadline approaches, the insanity begins.

This was evident on Friday night when Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox left Fenway an hour before facing the New York Yankees. He left the ballpark without formal notification because of continued soreness in his right knee. This was a culmination of events revolving around his sore right knee going back to Wednesday in Seattle.

Needless to say, the Red Sox organization has had enough.

Yes, this was a classic example of "Manny being Manny." It has gone to the point of ultimate tolerance even in the offices of John Henry and Larry Lucchino. Now, there is talk of trading Manny elsewhere.

Manny welcomes this open discussion of trading him elsewhere. He even waived his 10-5 Rights (10 years service, 5 years on the same club) of his No-Trade clause for Theo Epstein to make it happen. In his own words, Manny still loves the Sox, but "enough is enough."

I am not at the point of saying "good riddance." Henry made it clear that any distraction from the pennant race is unwelcome, whether it was the drama over his right knee or the hornet's nest revolving around his possible departure out of Boston. This is what the Red Sox Nation must undertake as a priority.

The point being that any trade to send Ramirez elsewhere will have to come as a sacrifice for the Red Sox. But, who would be resilient enough to fill his shoes in such a trade. What team will sacrifice not only paying more than planned on acquiring Ramirez, but send off their finest players for the outfielder's services?

Trading Ramirez is not going to be easy.

So far, the best trade of the deadline season was the Milwaukee Brewers' acquisition of former Cleveland Indians' starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia. Once the biggest prize of the deadline, that trade benefited the Brew Crew greatly as Sabathia is on a roll with shutouts and complete games under his belt. Now that Manny Ramirez has been touted as trade bait, the Sabathia deal could become a footnote to a larger drama in the game.

Then again, Ramirez could remain in New England and suck it up for another run at the postseason. This is probably the smartest thing considering the potential fall out of such a transaction.

So, even if Manny isn't going to Iraq as he offered up in an interview recently, one would hope that clarity will ensue between Ramirez and the Red Sox as they weigh a legitimate reason to pursue a transaction. In the end, emotions aren't enough for a reason to make a trade.

"He was called a prude when he wouldn't let a woman into the naked men's World Series clubhouse, despite spending night after night in a hospital AIDS ward reading to dying gay men even before the dangers of that disease were fully understood."

Paul Degener
The son of the late former Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn

You know, I used to like Kuhn a lot as he the Commissioner during my younger years. There were times when I criticized him like everyone else. In all, I respected what he did for the game.

Yet, there were many things that I had no clue about Commissioner Kuhn. This was one of them.

That is what it takes to be enshrined in Cooperstown...taking baseball from beyond the diamond into every fan's hearts.

Thank you, Mr. Kuhn.

Before I began posting on this site, it did cross my mind to start one of these up when they first came out. Even my friends encouraged me to start up an MLBlog when you actually paid for the privilege to do so. However, the prices for maintaining this blog weren't justified for me to do so, but I thank MLB Advanced Media for giving all of us a forum to express our thoughts amongst all of us...and beyond.

While I was hemming and hawing over getting an MLBlog space, I wrote a lot about the game dating back to when I began my current personal blog in 2005. As much as I wanted to include my older material on here, none of it would be relevant for the purpose of relevance on this site.

Now, I included a link to the older material on the side of this page. Feel free to peruse through these posts! I'm sure there are plenty of fans wanting to see what I had brewing for the three seasons prior to this one.

A word of warning, you might not be able to comment on the older material as that functionality was shut off on a lot of the posts due to spamming and such. If there is a particular post you wanted to comment on, feel free to do so here.

Enjoy the old stuff! In the meantime, enjoy the new, too!

Tony Gwynn blazed a trail. He walked into the Baseball Hall of Fame and sported the plaque that wore the cap of the San Diego Padres on his chiseled bronze head. That plaque has been posted on the walls inside the Cooperstown, New York paean to the game.

This weekend, two more men will be enshrined just a few feet away from Gwynn's plaque. They also had an impact on baseball in "America's Finest City" as the manager and teammate of the young contact hitter at the ball club's finest hour. They were all involved on the seminal 1984 Padres team, also starring ex-Los Angeles Dodger Steve Garvey, that met the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.

Yet, the Hall has rules. Since the Padres did not win the 1984 World Series, these men accomplished Fall Classic victory elsewhere. For Veteran's Committee selection Dick Williams, he will wear the cap of the Oakland A's, the team he piloted to back-to-back World Championships in the early 1970's. For the BBWAA-elected reliever Rich "Goose" Gossage, he will wear the cap of the New York Yankees for the job he did in turning around the 1978 World Champions when he was sent to the bullpen in place of the departed and popular Sparky Lyle.

This is not a post questioning the Hall's decision to have these two men represent their winninest teams on their bronze plaques in Cooperstown. Yet, as a native Southern Californian, one who prefers the Pads over the Bums, it would be nice if they were recognized for their contribution to uplifting the Padres at a time when the game wrote them off.

As their skipper, Dick Williams always had a way with players. He was one tough guy who demanded the best out of the players and fought with his superiors. In 1967, he forged the "Impossible Dream" in Boston to the mercy of Bob Gibson's hard pitching and the offense of the St. Louis Cardinals. When he went on to Oakland, he led a revolution in many ways. For the first two championships in the 1970's, Williams was there, the first to wear the once-taboo moustache. His players were also on the revolutionary act, which is debatable whether they won because of it or now.

After even tougher tours in Anaheim and Montreal, he arrived in San Diego to don the brown-and-yellow...and orange. In his third season in Mission Valley, his Pads grabbed the National League Western Division pennant en route to a comeback win against the Chicago Cubs in the League Championship Series. Though the Pads won a game in the Fall Classic, Williams could not out-manage Sparky Anderson and the Tigers.

An integral part of the 1984 success was Gossage. Goose's career was never the smoothest getting to this point. He came up in the majors to the Chicago White Sox in 1972 as a reliever. He was making a name for himself, but Goose was never the marquee closer in the class of Lyle, Hoyt Wilhelm and Rollie Fingers. That was until 1978 when Gossage took over for the defending Cy Young Award winner Lyle in the ace closer role in The Bronx. Despite the fans anger towards this change, Gossage was credited for taking the Yanks back to winning the American League East from 15 games behind. Goose not only shut the door the Red Sox's season in that one-game playoff at Fenway Park, he also helped the Pinstripes to their victory over the Dodgers for the championship.

After a successful run in The Bronx, Gossage was signed by "Trader" Jack McKeon before the 1984 season to join a Padres club determined to reverse history. McKeon was a busy man making sure Williams will have a championship-level team on the field of Jack Murphy (Qualcomm) Stadium. Gossage was joined by his old Yankees teammate Graig Nettles, but it was clearly Garvey's team with a young Gwynn making plenty of noise. With all components in place, the Padres accomplished their objectives with a resounding 12 game gap between themselves and the rest of the NL West.

Considering this history, clearly the Baseball Hall of Fame recognizes the ties that bind these two 2008 Inductees. The Padres are entering their 25th season since that seminal 1984 campaign and shown their post-season prowess since then. A place in the 1998 World Series and subsequent divisional titles kept the Friars busy even as they moved from Mission Valley to the Gaslamp Quarter. Still, Williams and Gossage will take the stage in Cooperstown with their World Championship caps on their plaques, instead of their greatest triumphs represented in bronze.

Fifteen innings of play capped the spotlight over the New York area. Justin Morneau punctuated a long night that gave the American League a home victory. This after Commissioner Bud Selig let play go on and not provide a repeat of the acrimony in Milwaukee a few years ago. Well played, Mr. Selig!

Well played, J.D. Drew! The All-Star MVP has grown up from the spoiled draftee refusing to sign with his original team to a championship ring-wearing hero. Perhaps this is his redemption.

The weekend itself looked amazing. Every event had a touch of Yankees sterling to it. From the Fan Fest at the Javits Center to the game itself, that Yankee touch is undeniable. Well played, Mr. Steinbrenner!

Yet, it seemed that everyone else stepped up to make the All-Star experience worth it. Think of the Home Run Derby where Josh Hamilton gave the fans at the old stadium a show while Morneau took home the honors of the event's champion. Well played, Justin and Josh!

When you looked at the field, how many new All-Stars shined during the game? It is great to see the teams assembled with not the same ol' superstars every year as the emerging stars take their place alongside the legends. The likes of Hamilton, Evan Longoria, Edinson Volquez, Ryan Braun and Geovany Soto took to the All-Star stage with amazing grace and class. Well played, men!

The gushing must stop. There's work to do as we enter in the second half of the season. The key for these All-Stars is to get back to their respective clubs and dive into their respective pennant races. These guys may have shined for one night only...or for a couple of nights...but, it's time to put on the hard hats, the gear and get back to work!

But, first, there's the matter of a trade deadline to tackle. Any rumors out there on how will follow C.C. Sabathia and Rich Harden into new homes in time to fuel the race to the postseason?

The Midsummer classic will make its final appearance at the old Yankee Stadium next Tuesday. The significance of this All-Star Game in the Bronx seems more of a transition from the old to the new. One more spotlight on the original House that Ruth Built is all the Steinbrenners need before opening up the new house.

It just seems odd that it was 1977 when the game was last played in the Bronx. Wasn't the ballpark just been retrofitted a year or so back when they play the last All-Star Game there? Doesn't anyone recall that they had to do so because the place was falling apart when CBS owned the Yanks? The Pinstripes actually played 2-3 seasons in Flushing, Queens while their house was renovated.

Again, I can't stress enough the magic of my era. Granted, it wasn't the golden age of baseball, but it served a purpose for me. My memories of the All-Star Game reflected those times where baseball was experimenting with new markets and changes in the way they did business. Designated Hitters and Free Agency basically told the story of the game I grew up with.

I think back at some of the moments of the Midsummer Classic and ponder the game as it was even while Charlie O. Finley was destroying the A's.

1978 - San Diego: Dad went to this game. He could've asked his sons to come down from the Valley, but that would've been ugly. He had great Plaza level seats behind home plate, yet he never got into baseball as his ex-wife (my mother). What dad did see was Steve Garvey shown some love by the San Diego fans for one night only. I heard a fan through the television say: "We'll root for you tonight, but not tomorrow"...or, something to that affect. Little did they know that the All-Star MVP of 1978, in vivid Dodger Blue, would become a Padre hero six years later.

1979 - Seattle: As a Pirate fan that season, it was no surprise that I would mention the two amazing throws by Dave Parker from right field. Inside the Kingdome, the roof held up as Parker threw one guy out at third, then another one at home. It was one of those moments in which I wanted to say "I told you so!" I always knew The Cobra had amazing talent to go with his power. Yet, he was a troubled man. We did not know about his narcotic use until after his time in Pittsburgh was done. Still he left a last impression with a couple of astounding rifle arm throws from right field.

1981 - Cleveland: The rally cry was simple: "Baseball was back!" The All-Star Game was a time point where a labor dispute had to be resolved. Bowie Kuhn and Marvin Miller knew they had to get the job done for the sake of the game. Free Agency already sullied the game's finances and everyone wondered how much this will impact Major League Baseball as a whole. At old Municipal Stadium, the game roared back on a rare August date to a large crowd of 72,000-plus hungry for baseball. Len Barker gave the locals something to cheer about when he came on in relief of starter Jack Morris. The night would've been perfect if the American League won, but the game came back the way that it should...roaring!

1983 - Chicago/Comiskey Park: This old house sparked a new era in the game. Fifty years before, the first All-Star game was played on the South Side. It came back to the tune of an American League resurgence...and uprising. The bats of Fred Lynn and Jim Rice made enough noise for the old fireworks machine to explode from the scoreboard. Lynn, a California Angel at the time, made his third inning round-tripper a grand slam...an All-Star first! One would think that the NL's dominance of the Midsummer Classic would be done that night. In this game, it was only temporary.

1999 - Boston: If you remembered one thing about this All-Star Game, it would the appearance of Ted Williams. He came in on a golf cart to the delight of the players and the 34,000-plus in attendance. Williams also came as he was part of the "Team of the Century," highlighted by a rare appearance by Sandy Koufax and the controversial spotlight on Pete Rose. Then there was the game itself...uh, what game? Well, Pedro Martinez won in a Red Sox uniform for those keeping score.

2002 - Milwaukee: Now, we all should remember this...or, rather, prefer to forget it. Here's Commissioner Bud Selig...returning home for the All-Star Game...having to make the toughest decision in his career. When it was announced that all of the reserves and pitchers already played for each league, you'd think that the 41,000-plus on hand would march down Interstate 94 over to his mansion and burn it down. At the bottom of the eleventh, Selig pondered what to do. He called the game. He called it after some of the greats of the game showed up at Miller Park for a grand celebration of the game. He called it in the face of his old fans looking for bottles of Miller Brewing Company products to douse their former owner with. He called it to embarrass his hometown and the state he loves. Sorry I brought it up, folks!

There are probably more Midsummer Classics I can recall, but some memories blaze hotter than others. These are my memories. I hope your memories include this year's game at Yankee Stadium.

The votes are in. The All-Star lineups are being massaged and ready for Yankee Stadium. It looks like it's going to be an exciting weekend throughout the New York area.

The midsummer hype also made me think back about the All-Star games of the past. I remember a time before FOX where you voted for the fielding starters and let the managers pick at least one representative from each team in their respective league to round out the roster. That was it!

Think about this prompted me to search for an All-Star lineup that reflected my love for the game during my lifetime.

This was a tough lineup to fulfill. My core years for baseball ranged from 1972 onward to today. Though I did create the criteria that all of the below should not on any active roster as a player. Some of them are broadcasters, coaches, managers, scouts and executives. There are a couple of them who are no longer with us on this Earth.

There may be no surprises to these lineups. Then again, you may rediscover an old name you may have forgotten over time. Feel free to comment to argue, suggest or even reminisce over these fellas.

NATIONAL LEAGUE
1B - Willie Stargell: A true leader on the field and off.
2B - Joe Morgan: The prototypical second baseman of my era.
3B - Mike Schmidt: On the corner or at bat, there's no compromise when he's out on the field.
SS - Ozzie Smith: Forget the backflips, it's the enthusiasm of the game backed up with some of the best shortstop work in my lifetime.
C - Johnny Bench: Best. Catcher. Ever.
OF - Hank Aaron, Dave Parker and Dusty Baker: In one decade, these three brought excitement into the Stern household with nothing short of amazing performances.
STARTING PITCHER - Tom Seaver: The original "Tom Terriffic." A legend? Perhaps. Simply, he became the first big pitcher that blipped on my radar in the NL.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
1B - Rod Carew: His batting grip was unorthodox, but it worked for a career average of .328.
2B - Frank White: It is puzzling why we often forget about the perennial Kansas City Royals second baseman. In his day, he was the prototypical second baseman in the American League. You can argue for Paul Molitor, Willie Randolph or Bobby Grich, but you can never argue against Frank White's excellence in the middle.
3B - TIE: Brooks Robinson, Craig Nettles and George Brett: In this corner, you can't simply pick just one. All three equally stamped their ticket to immortality with amazing performances at bat and on the field.
SS - Cal Ripken, Jr.: Iron man. Gentleman.
C - Carlton Fisk: Pudge always inspires people to do their best no matter situation they are in.
DH - Reggie Jackson: He is the baddest dude ever to play the game of baseball. His bat talks louder than the exhaust notes of anything in his car collection.
OF - Jim Rice, Rickey Henderson and Kirby Puckett: Power, speed and complete heroism...if that's not a proper combination in an American League outfield, then what is?
STARTING PITCHER - Dave Stewart: Give him credit where credit is due. He came from mediocrity and was almost shown the door to the game to one of the most feared starting pitchers in the American League. The "death stare" was just enough to strike you out.

Yeah, yeah...we're talking mainly the 1970's and 1980's. No one can argue the quality of the game at the time, but for me...that's where it all began. Including some of my favorite All-Star games I've ever seen.

I'll post more of that later.

The scoreboard never lies, July 4, 2008. Photo by Randy Stern

On the Fourth of July, I attended what would be my last home game at the Metrodome for the season. This was accomplished after doing a double-dip of games at the home of the Minnesota Twins. In other words: It was a personal rare feat that I attended two games in a single week.

Earlier in the week, I caught the resurgent Detroit Tigers playing the Twins with Scott Baker on the mound for the home team. This time, it was the Twins that had the upper hand in the proceedings. Certainly the Tigers looked improved and showed they wouldn't back down from a fight. On the other hand, Nate Robertson couldn't get it together on the mound. Craig Monroe reminded Robertson who his Tiger was.

The Twins played well. There were some nervous moments, but you can tell that the Twins wanted nothing short of shoving the Tigers aside in the pennant race. Mission accomplished through taking chances...well, Carlos Gomez taking most of the Twins chances that evening.

Then, it was the Cleveland Indians again. On the fourth, the fireworks were certainly inside as well as a few blocks away over the Stone Arch Bridge. Nick Punto showed that his promotion to the number two spot on the batting rotation was no fluke. That home run just left of the baggie made sure of that fact.

Between the two games, a lot of observations had to be made of the Twins. For one, the off-season acquisitions facilitated by General Manager Bill Smith are paying off. Delmon Young's Friday night homer added to a vast improvement from the criticisms of not fulfilling his hype. Indeed, Young lived up to the expectations of everyone with sharp connections and smart defense.

Add to the fact that both Carlos Gomez and Craig Monroe are also contributing to the club's surge towards the division-leading Chicago White Sox. These guys aren't merely "Little Piranhas," but big fish making lots of noise. Gomez loves taking a few extra efforts in his play. He'll jump for balls, bunt when it is not necessary, use his body to take an extra base or score at home and defy the instructions of his manager Ron Gardenhire.

That's all good, but at the All-Star Break, you need to save those heroics when you need them.

Back to the statement made before: Why would this be my last home game at the Metrodome this season. Well, this summer has been hectic between things. Life's schedules prevent me from considering additional games at home. Not to mention that annoying fact of going to a ballgame solo. Not that I have friends who would love to go, but priorities sometimes clash at the worst possible times.

So, the next game I'll be attending will be in Toronto. I'm not joking here. While the Republicans are whipping up a frenzy just a few precious miles from my office, I will be in Toronto spending a few precious moments before returning back to my graduate studies.

Incidentally, the Jays will be playing the Twins that night.

Did you vote, yet? If you did, thank you! Democracy is still alive thanks to the All-Star Game! Think about it: A global democracy where millions of ballots are counted for sixteen slots to start off the midsummer classic at old Yankee Stadium.

Even a Zimbabwean war veteran militia couldn't stop all of us from voting for our favorite players...regardless of who they are and where they came from!

Honestly, I forgot who I voted for. It was months ago. I should've recorded it somewhere, but I didn't. Besides, I am only one of millions who voted for their favorite player.

Regardless, my All-Star Teams would look somewhat different than the current polls show. How? Well...

NATIONAL LEAGUE
1B - Prince Fielder, Milwaukee: His bat's one thing, but his spirit is infectious! He's the heart of the New Brew Crew.
2B - Dan Uggla, Florida or Chase Utley, Philadelphia: Either NL East star will work. Just look at their seasons so far...
3B - Aramis Ramirez, Chicago Cubs: I love Chipper Jones. He's injured right now and there are conflicting reports of whether he can play in the All-Star Game. If not, pick this guy instead!
SS - Jose Reyes, NY Mets: I've never seen anyone so emotional on the field in a long time. We need someone so emotional, yet play so well, these days!
C - Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs: If you remember Benito Santiago from a decade or so ago, think of this rookie as his second coming.
OF - Ken Griffey, Jr., Cincinnati; Kosuke Fukudome, Chicago Cubs and Ryan Braun, Milwaukee: This is always a tough choice in any league. I like Alfonso Soriano of the Cubs, but, my apologies to my Chicago friends, but I gotta go with the cheesehead instead. He's been more exciting lately.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
1B - Kevin Youkilis, Boston or Justin Morneau, Minnesota: I like both of these guys equally, but I find it hard just to pick one. That's how good these two are!
2B - Dustin Pedroia, Boston: Argue against him and ignore the many reasons why he will make the starting All-Star lineup this season.
3B - Alex Rodriguez, NY Yankees: He's having another good season, OK?
SS - Derek Jeter, NY Yankees: See Alex Rodriguez.
C - Joe Mauer, Minnesota: Enough said...
DH - David Ortiz, Boston: No All-Star Game should be without Big Papi.
OF - Manny Ramirez, Boston; Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle and Torii Hunter, LA Angels: I'd pick Vladimir Guerrero right below them, also. When it comes to the AL, I prefer my veterans in the outfield over the young guns anytime.

So, have you voted? You have just a precious few hours to go. When the polls close...well, there's always that "last chance" slot voting before the game itself.

Just vote...