Phelps Most Decorated Olympian

Hey All,

Michael Phelps lingered on the blocks, not wanting to make another shocking blunder. The 19th medal was his. All he had to do was avoid a DQ, then set off on what amounted to four victory laps.

Down and back, then down and back again, the roars getting louder with each stroke.

When Phelps touched the wall, he finally had gold at his final Olympics.

And a record for the ages.

Phelps swam into history with a lot of help from his friends, taking down the last major record that wasn't his alone. He took the anchor leg for the United States in a gold medal-winning performance of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay Tuesday night, earning the 19th Olympic medal of his brilliant career, and the 15th gold.

A more appropriate color.

''I've put my mind to doing something that nobody had ever done before,'' Phelps said. ''This has been an amazing ride.''

About an hour earlier, Phelps took one of his most frustrating defeats at the pool, blowing it at the finish and settling for silver in his signature event, the 200 butterfly..

That tied the record for career medals held by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, but it was hardly a triumphant moment. Phelps slung away his cap in disgust and struggled to force a smile at the medal ceremony.

But any disappointment from that race was gone by the time he dived in the water on the relay, having been staked to a huge lead by teammates Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Ricky Berens.

Before the race, they all huddled together, fully aware of their role in history.

''I thanked those guys for helping me get to this moment,'' Phelps said. ''I told those guys I wanted a big lead. I was like, 'You better give me a big lead going into the last lap,' and they gave it to me. I just wanted to hold on. I thanked them for being able to allow me to have this moment.''

Berens handed off a lead of nearly 4 seconds to Phelps, who was extra cautious with the exchange, knowing the only way he could ruin this one was to get disqualified.

Lochte stood on the deck, waving his arms. Dwyer and Berens pumped their fists. And Phelps touched the wall for his first gold of the London Games with a cumulative time of 6 minutes, 59.70 seconds.

No one else was close. France's Yannick Agnel swam a faster final leg than Phelps, but it wasn't nearly good enough, his country taking silver in 7:02.77. China was far back in third at 7:06.30.

Phelps might have backed into the record a bit by failing to win any of his first three events at these games, but there's no denying his legacy as one of the greatest Olympians ever - if not THE greatest.

''The legacy he has left behind for swimming is fantastic,'' said South African Chad le Clos, the guy who beat him in the butterfly. ''Even in Africa, everyone knows Michael Phelps.''

Phelps has 15 golds in his career, six more than anyone else, to go along with two silvers and two bronzes. After failing to medal in his only race at the 2000 Sydney Games, he won six golds and two bronzes in Athens, followed by his epic eight gold medals in Beijing. And now the swan song, not nearly as epic but enough.

Latynina won nine golds, five silvers and four bronzes from 1956-64.

''You are now a complete legend!'' the public-address announcer bellowed, accompanied by the Foo Fighters' song ''Best of You.''

Phelps still has three more events in London before he retires, three more chances to establish a mark that will be hard for anyone to touch.

''It has been a pretty amazing career,'' the 27-year-old said, ''but we still have a couple races to go.''

Several fans held up a bedsheet with ''PHELPS GREATEST OLYMPIAN EVER'' handwritten on it.

Hard to argue with that, though this hasn't exactly been the farewell Phelps was hoping for - a sluggish fourth-place finish in the 400 individual medley, a runner-up showing in the 4x100 free relay, then another silver in the 200 fly.

The 200 fly was a race he had not lost at either the Olympics or world championships since Sydney, when he finished fifth as an unknown 15-year-old just soaking up the moment, a kid with big dreams but no idea they would turn out like this.

Phelps, after leading the entire race, tried to glide into the wall instead of taking one more stroke. Le Clos took that extra stroke and beat Phelps by five-hundredths of a second.

''Obviously I would have liked to have a better outcome in the 200 fly,'' Phelps said. ''I was on the receiving end of getting touched out. Chad swam a good race. I've gotten to know him a little over the last year. He's a hard worker, he's a tough competitor and he's a racer.''

Le Clos pounded the water when he saw the ''1'' beside his name.

''He has always been an inspiration to me and a role model,'' le Clos said. ''I've watched all his races a million times and I've run the commentary over and over. Now, I guess I can watch my race.''

Phelps hung on the lane rope and buried his face in his hands, disgusted with himself for having squandered what looked like a sure gold. Le Clos won South Africa's second swimming gold of the games in a time of 1:52.96. Phelps finished in 1:53.01, while Japan's Takeshi Matsuda took the bronze in 1:53.21.

''It's obviously my last one,'' Phelps said. ''I would have liked to win, but 1:53 flat isn't a terrible time. When you look at the picture of it, it's a decent time.''

But the finish was a stunner, given that Phelps had won a memorable race at Beijing when a rival made the very same error. Milorad Cavic of Serbia thought he had the 100 fly in the bag after his final stroke, but Phelps made the split-second decision to get in one more stroke and slammed into the wall - one-hundredth of a second ahead of Cavic.

This time, it was Phelps on the losing end. He was again denied a chance to become the first male swimmer to win the same individual event at three straight Olympics, though he can still do it in the 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly.

Lochte was also feeling better about himself, having struggled in two straight events after opening the Olympics with a dominating win in the 400 individual medley. He swam the anchor of the 4x100 free relay, but was chased down by Agnel after being handed a comfortable lead. Then he was fourth - far behind Agnel - in the 200 free.

''After that relay, my confidence went down,'' Lochte said. ''Everyone just kept on telling me, 'You know what, you're better than that. Just forget about it and move on.' I didn't swim at all this morning, which I thought helped. I woke up this morning and I was back to myself. I was that happy-go-lucky guy, so I think that's what really helped me throughout the whole day.''

In the first final of the night, American Allison Schmitt won the 200 freestyle with a dominating performance that left everyone else, including teammate Missy Franklin, battling for the other medals.

Schmitt won in an Olympic-record 1:53.61. France's Camille Muffat took silver in 1:55.58, almost a body length behind, while Bronte Barrett of Australia took the bronze over Franklin by a hundredth of a second. Barrett touched in 1:55.81. Franklin, who led after the first 50, was fourth in 1:55.82.

''I was just racing,'' said Schmitt, who is quietly becoming one of the stars of the pool. ''I knew I had to kick it. I just look at that scoreboard and see 53 and first place. I couldn't be happier.''

She captured her first career gold medal, to go along with a silver in the 400 free and a bronze in the 4x100 free relay.

The 17-year-old Franklin was denied her third medal of the games, one night after her gutsy victory in the 100 backstroke earned her a tweet-out from pop star Justin Bieber.

''I was trying to do the best that I can,'' said Franklin, who still has four more events in London. ''I was in an incredible heat. I really wanted to go best time.''

China's Ye Shiwen set an Olympic record to win her second gold of the London Games, adding the 200 individual medley title to a world-record performance in the 400 IM that sparked suspicions about doping. Everyone from her fellow swimmers to the International Olympic Committee have come to her defense, and she put aside any distractions to win again.

The questions didn't stop. The teenager was peppered with drug-related queries at her news conference, including a reporter asking her point-black if she had ever used banned substances.

''Absolutely not,'' Ye said through a translator.

The 16-year-old took the lead in the final lap and clocked 2:07.57, shaving 0.18 off her own mark set in Monday's semifinal. Alicia Coutts of Australia touched in 2:08.15 to take the silver medal and Caitlin Leverenz of the United States finished in 2:08.95 to take bronze.

Defending champion Stephanie Rice of Australia was fourth.

But this night was all about Phelps, who endured both gut-wrenching disappointment and thrilling triumph.

After losing the 200 fly, he retrieved his cap, went over to congratulate le Clos, and hustled out of the pool to get ready for the relay. Before that, Phelps had to return to the deck for a medal ceremony that he clearly would have preferred to skip. He bit his lip, leaned over to have the silver medal draped around his neck, and forced a weak smile.

It sure didn't feel like a celebration.

But the mood was much different when he came out with his teammates to accept gold for the relay. He bantered playfully with the crowd. He posed with an American flag. He propped up a chair trying to reach his mom and two sisters, sitting in the front row.

As Phelps lingered on the deck, doing television interviews, a crowd of U.S. supporters broke into a chant.

''Four more years! Four more years!''

But, really, what's left for someone who's already the greatest? The answer is nothing. Phelps will go down as one of the greatest Olympians ever. Now I was one of the ones who said he should have stopped in 2008 after winning 8 golds, but he's proven me wrong and is now the most decorated Olympian. 

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Walk-Off Winner

Hey All,

The Boston Red Sox were taking on the Chicago White Sox at Fenway. The Red Sox had a 2-1 lead in the series and were looking to bring the brooms out last night. They did just that, by in dramatic fashion with a 3 run walk off homer by Cody Ross.

Ross' 5-year-old son stood behind him as he sat at a podium during a postgame interview session, triggering him to recall when he first started to enjoy hitting in the clutch.

"I've always wanted to be up in those situations since I was like my son's age," Ross said of his three-run homer in the ninth that lifted the Boston Red Sox to a 3-1 victory against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night. "It's a great feeling, especially when you're the hero."

Ross' dramatic shot came one night after he hit three-run homers in back-to-back innings of a 10-1 victory.

Before the game, he was jokingly asked if there'd be a repeat performance.

"I thought it was kind of a dumb question, but I guess it wasn't," he said, smiling, with his blond-haired son, Hudson, just off to his left.

Boston took three of four games in the series and is 5-2 since the All Star break.

It was the fifth loss in 13 games for AL Central-leading Chicago, which opens three-game series at second-place Detroit on Friday night.

Boston's Clay Buchholz had a solid start, allowing one run, six hits, striking out six and walking one in eight innings. But he was set to be the loser until Ross' blast.

"I was sitting on the couch watching," he said. "He's been in big situations and is a guy that thrives in those situations most of the year."

When Ross reached home plate, he was met by Nick Punto, who tore his jersey.

"He was famous for that in St. Louis [last postseason]," Ross said. "I met the shredder."

While Buchholz had his own little celebration.

"I was running around the clubhouse," he said.

Matt Thornton (2-6) got one out, but left with runners on first and second before Addison Reedfaced Ross, who hit a 1-1 pitch into the Green Monster seats.

Carl Crawford opened the ninth with a single, but was erased on Dustin Pedroia's fielder's choice grounder. Adrian Gonzalez then singled to right before Reed came in. Just before the first pitch, Boston sent Punto in to pinch run, slowing Reed down a bit.

"You go back and forth and make decisions, figure them out," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of electing to open the inning with Thornton. "You got the two lefties coming up with Crawford and Gonzalez, so you know you know you still got Reeder out there if Ross and the rest of the righties come up."

Reed just felt he missed badly with the pitch.

"It was supposed to be a fastball away, and it just sailed over the middle of the plate and he got a good piece on it," he said.

Alfredo Aceves (1-6) pitched one inning for the victory.

Chicago rookie left-hander Jose Quintana continued the impressive start to his career, pitching eight shutout innings.

Quintana held Boston to five hits, striking out two and not walking a batter in his 10th major-league start. The 23-year old has held opponents two runs or fewer in eight starts.

Buchholz had been given the second-most run support in the majors at 7.48 runs per nine innings -- only behind teammate Felix Doubront's 8.38 per -- but the Red Sox couldn't solve the rookie lefty.

Boston was held to one hit until loading the bases with one out in the seventh on singles by Pedroia, Gonzalez and Ross. Shortstop Alexei Ramirez was leaning the wrong way on Will Middlebrooks' liner, dove back, grabbed the ball on one hop and fired to second to start an inning-ending double play.

The White Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Adam Dunn drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on Paul Konerko's single, barely beating right fielder Ross' throw. Alex Rios followed with his sacrifice fly to center and Dunn trotted home easily.

Unlike Wednesday night when the Red Sox pounded a rookie left-handed starter for eight runs, three home runs and 12 hits in four innings, Boston had only Pedro Ciriaco's two-out triple in the third.

Second baseman Pedroia returned from the 15-day disabled list after being out with a strained right thumb and went 1 for 4.

Chicago's Kevin Youkilis didn't play because of a tight left hamstring. He was 4 for 8 with a home run and three RBI in his first series against his former team of 7½ years since being traded on June 24.

This can only mean good things for the Boston Red Sox. They are getting healthy, starting to hit the long ball, and winning games since the All Star Break. This happened last year with Boston getting off to a slow start, picking it up near the middle, but we all remember the crumble that happened last September. As a Red Sox fan I hope there's no crumble this year, but rather just great baseball and a run for the postseason.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Batting Crown In Pittsburgh?

Hey All,

The battlin Bucs are heating up, including that of center fielder Andrew McCutchen who looks to bring a batting title to Pittsburgh.

For the Pirates, home is where you hang your crown. Yet the Bucs' home is also where hitters hang their heads, mourning drives that become warning-track fatalities.

The man promising to bring the NL batting crown "home" has barreled-up on that contradiction. Andrew McCutchen returns to PNC Park on Friday night accompanied by the rest of the first-place Pirates and enough flashing numbers to make Elias' head spin.

McCutchen's .369 average puts him in position to add to the Pirates' 25 historical batting titles, the most for any Major League team (St. Louis is runner-up in the NL with 22 crowns, while Red Sox players have won 24 AL titles).

Amazing enough that average is 153 points above what McCutchen produced in the second half of the 2011 season. It has a lot to do with Pirates ownership's reaction to that swoon: A six-year, $51.5 million contract extension agreed to during Spring Training.

"That freed up Andrew," manager Clint Hurdle said. "His attitude became, 'I can just go and play now.' Sometimes something like that can lock up a guy, worried about living up to it. Not him."

McCutchen is also contending for the NL home run crown. His 22 are second to Ryan Braun's 26, after McCutchen waited until the Bucs' 29th game to hit No. 1.

The future Home Run Derby participant did not connect for his first homer until May 8, a game he had also begun with an average of .298. In 61 games since McCutchen is batting .404, with 22 home runs and 58 RBIs.

"The thing is, those first five weeks he was getting pitches to hit, but wasn't hitting them," Hurdle recalled. "He's not missing them now. He's playing the game the best he's ever played."

All this makes the center fielder the embodiment of Pittsburgh's strange journey along the National League Central's yellow brick road. For he has built, and will try to maintain, those incredible numbers in a home park that was designed to be pitcher-friendly and has lived up to that blueprint.

Wait, you say, haven't the Bucs led the Majors in scoring since the start of June? That they have, and it is a contradiction that leads to the most confounding part of the Pirates' contention for the division title.

Good thing that Hurdle keeps saying that the season's outcome will define this team because, at the moment, it defies definition. Throw all of the team's stats into a numbers-crunching machine and it would sputter, emit sparks and finally just blow up.

The Bucs' well-chronicled offensive turnaround has had less to do with adjusted swings than with the schedule. Through May, which they ended with a ridiculous team average of .218, the Pirates played 29 of 50 games at home. Since then they have played 25 of 41 games on the road.

The Pirates have hit 64 of their 101 home runs on the road, where they average 4.5 runs compared to 3.7 at home. Despite this their 29-14 record in PNC Park is the Majors' best home mark.

It doesn't make sense until the spotlight shines on their collective 2.39 ERA in those 43 home games, more than two runs lower than the road mark (4.68).

"Our pitchers love pitching at home. It's a pitcher-friendly ballpark," Hurdle reiterated. "When you develop a home-field mentality, you build your club to your home field. What we tried to do is get the personnel in place we need to have success.

"But," Hurdle added, "our guys have gotten over the mentality that left field is too deep, that it is not a hitter's park. It is -- if you hit line drives and keep the ball low and hit it hard, good things will happen. There's a lot of grass out there."

There was also a lot of grass around the 457-foot center field sign in Forbes Field -- where 13 of the Pirates' batting titles were won between 1909-1970. Before that, Exposition Park hosted seven bat kings. Three Rivers Stadium produced four titles, while Freddy Sanchez's 2006 title was the only one in PNC Park's first 12 seasons.

McCutchen thrives among those grass blades, although his wrists can generate the bat-speed and power to send balls soaring over them. His 10 home runs at PNC Park account for 27 percent of the team's home total. He also is hitting 30 points higher at home (.386) than on the road (.356).

He shouldn't count on those MVP chants subsiding during the upcoming six games against the Marlins and Cubs.

McCutchen's version of his breakthrough is as monotonous as the two, three hits he seems to be getting daily.

"[I'm] just going up there trying to hit the ball hard, without trying to do too much," McCutchen keeps saying. His modesty belies all the hard offseason work the All-Star put in to get to this point.

"He worked on things he had to do to be the best player he can be and he hasn't varied from that for one day," Hurdle said. "It's a very special time and place for him. And the other thing is, he's having fun with it. Too many times, we get that head-down-and-grind mentality of, 'I've got to do well' and falling to pieces if things don't go right. Andrew is enjoying this ride."

He enjoys it the most of any of the Pirates hitters when the ride pulls into PNC Park. On a personal level that is. Everyone is stoked by the wins, but when it comes to maintaining offensive equilibrium, no one is as balanced as McCutchen.

Go down the line: Pedro Alvarez has 13 road homers among his 19 (a total which pairs with McCutchen to form the NL's second-best one-two punch, behind only the Milwaukee twosome of Braun and Corey Hart). Casey McGehee has hit seven of his eight on the road and Neil Walker is hitting 59 points higher on the road (.324) than at home (.265).

The Pirates' chief home-field advantage is knowing what to expect and how to prepare for it. Hurdle's lineup often reflects the defensive needs of the day's pitcher, whether his tendency is to get grounders or get to the ball in the air.

By the time a visiting team might have figured it out, it has to move on.

"Our confidence level spikes at home," Hurdle said. "It's not like we aren't confident on the road, but at our place and in front of our fans, it's just different."

Forte and Bears Make Deal

Hey All,

Earlier Monday we listed the franchise-tagged players most likely to receive a contract extension before Monday's 4 p.m. ET negotiation deadline. Matt Forte topped that list, and with good reason: the Bears running back agreed to a four-year deal, CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora confirms.

Sean Jenson of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the deal first. CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman confirms reports that the deal is worth approximately $8 million a year.

Earlier this offseason, we saw a number of contracts to big-name running backs. The Eagles gave LeSean McCoy a five-year deal worth a reported $45 million. Arian Foster also signed a five-year deal worth $43.5 million with the Texans this offseason. And Marshawn Lynch signed a four-year deal worth $31 million.

So, depending on how much guaranteed money Forte got, he may ultimately be slotted correctly in terms of the contract. He's worth more than Lynch (in my opinion) but clearly isn't as good as McCoy or Foster, regardless of how much of the Bears offense ran through him.

Additionally, Forte was operating from a standpoint that lacked serious leverage: he had been tendered by the Bears, he's got injury history (recent injury history no less), and Chicago inked Michael Bush this offseason in order to protect themselves from possibly missing Forte for any length of time.

The Bears are glad to make this deal, because they do put a lot of the offensive load on the legs of Forte. He is a great running back, minus the injury problem. Even with that they have a solid back up in case of a costly injury.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Brees Reaches Deal

Hey All,

Drew Brees has agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract with the New Orleans Saints, with $60 million guaranteed, said a person familiar with the deal. Brees and the team reached agreement Friday, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been publically announced. Brees had been tagged as the Saints' exclusive franchise player and could not negotiate with other teams.

Had a deal not been reached, the tender for a quarterback was worth $16.3 million. Brees would have had to play for that amount or hold out without a contract.

Brees skipped the Saints' offseason practices while holding out for a new long-term contract that now makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history.

New Orleans had designated Brees, 33, its franchise player in March after the club was unable to reach a new long-term extension with the record-setting quarterback before his previous six-year, $60 million contract expired.

Want to reach the Super Bowl? These players will need big seasons if their teams are going to New Orleans.
Brees however, was steadfast in not wanting to play for a one-year deal.

During the past six seasons, Brees has not only led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title, but has completed more passes (2,488) for more yards (28,394) and more touchdowns (201) than any other quarterback in the NFL. His 67.8 percent completion rate spanning the past six seasons also tops the league.

In 2011, Brees set NFL single-season records with 468 completions, 5,476 yards passing and a completion percentage of 71.2. His prolific passing numbers helped the Saints set a new NFL high for total offensive yards in a season with 7,474.

He led the Saints to a 13-3 regular season record and second NFC South Division title in three seasons. New Orleans defeated Detroit in the first round of the playoffs before falling in the final seconds of their second-round game at San Francisco.

This offseason marked the first time Brees had the opportunity to negotiate a major, long-term deal with the leverage provided by a string of injury-free seasons highlighted by a slew of individual and team statistical records, in addition to a championship.

He commanded only second-round money when he was drafted by San Diego, and the Chargers placed the one-year franchise tag on him when that deal ran out in 2005. The right-handed Brees then had an injury the following season that required major surgery to his throwing shoulder, and which left him with few major offers during the 2006 offseason.

He wound up signing the six-year deal in New Orleans that left him playing for well below what the top quarterbacks in the league earned during the past few seasons.

Brees' new deal tops the previous benchmark contract for elite QBs set by with the five-year, $96 million deal Denver gave earlier this offseason to Peyton Manning, who is three years older than Brees and sat out last season while recovering from neck surgery.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports

Home Run Derby

Hey All,

Prince Fielder made a splash at the All-Star Home Run Derby. Eight of them.

The Detroit slugger joined Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to win multiple titles, thrilling the crowd at Kauffman Stadium with several shots into the right-field fountain and beating Toronto's Jose Bautista 12-7 in the final Monday night.

"Just being mentioned with him is real special," said Fielder, who spent time at Griffey's house when he was a kid. "My dad would let me go over and play video games all day. He always took care of me when I was a kid."

On a night when the Yankees' Robinson Cano was repeatedly booed and went homerless, Fielder put on the most powerful display among baseball's big boppers. Winner at St. Louis' Busch Stadium three years ago, Fielder had a total of 28 home runs over three rounds to cap the main event on the eve of the All-Star game. He hit the four longest drives of the night, including a pair at 476 feet.

"They were far," he said. "That's not easy to hit it out there."

While the ball stayed out of McCovey Cove during the 2007 Derby at San Francisco's AT&T Park and the right-field swimming pool last year at Chase Field in Phoenix, there was plenty of aquatic activity in Kansas City, second only to Rome for most fountains in cities around the world.

After three splash shots among his five homers in the first round, Fielder started off the second round as the setting sun lit up clouds in a pretty pink behind the left-field wall. His mop of dreadlocks visible as he hit without a helmet, Fielder deposited four more balls into the 322-foot-wide water spectacular, which by then was illuminated in the twilight.

He added another water drive in the final round, then leaned against one of his sons while he watched Bautista swing.

"I'm a little disappointed," Bautista said. "I'm capable of doing more. I had a lot of fun doing it."

When he won three years ago in St. Louis, Fielder's 23 homers included a 503-foot drive that disappeared between two sections of bleachers in right-center. Griffey won titles in 1994 at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium, 1998 at Denver's Coors Field and 1999 at Boston's Fenway Park.

Cano set a final-round record of 12 en route to last year's title in Phoenix, where he hit 32 overall. This year he was the object of loud booing throughout by fans upset he didn't select the Royals' Billy Butler after promising to take a hometown player for his derby team.

Fans chanted "Bil-ly Butler!" in between their boos. When it was over, Cano got hugs from Boston's David Ortiz and Yankees teammates Curtis Granderson and CC Sabathia.

"I was criticized before I got here. If you play for the Yankees you get booed everywhere you go," Cano said.

It was the 17th time a player went homerless in the Derby, the first since Detroit's Brandon Inge in 2009.

"That was the most interesting reaction to a home rum derby I've ever seen, but the fans were excited which is all that counts," Granderson tweeted.

Carlos Gonzalez and Andrew McCutchen (four each) and Matt Kemp (one) also were dropped after the first round.

Carlos Beltran (12) was dropped after the second round, when Mark Trumbo and Bautista were tied with 13 apiece, leading to a swingoff won by Bautista 2-1.

Trumbo and Bautista each managed to put a drive into the small fountain beyond the left-field wall. Trumbo also hit a pair of shots over the Royals Hall of Fame in left, toward Interstate 70.

Until Next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

MLB Midseason Leaders

Hey All,

It's that magical time of the year for baseball, it's the All Star Break, and teams are getting some much needed rest. I know you all are wondering, who's leading at the midway point of this season? Well that is what I am here for. I have all the updates on your Midseason leaders in the major leagues.

The Weekend All-Star Buzz while you were instructing your postman, in this heat, to deliver the mail straight to your swimming pool. ...

1. Mid-year MVPs: Josh Hamilton of the Rangers and Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates.

The Angels' Mike Trout is closing the gap quickly, and the Yankees' Robinson Cano is right there, too ... with the Blue Jays' Jose Bautista, the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera and Paul Konerko of the White Sox and David Ortiz of the Red Sox in the conversation. So let's see where we are three months from now.

But right now, Hamilton is the guy. Even though he's gone quiet lately, there's still no looking past those numbers. He leads the AL in OPS (1.088) and RBI (75), he's tied for first with 27 homers. He powered the first-place Rangers in May, helping them pad a lead large enough to keep them in first at the All-Star break despite a recent five-game losing streak.

"He's a freak," says one admiring scout, and that scout isn't alone in his assessment. On his good days, Hamilton is the biggest game-changer in the majors. The Rangers' task in the second half, especially if they maintain their division lead, will be keeping Hamilton healthy. He's been less than 100 percent in each of the past two postseasons.

McCutchen? Call it a dark horse pick if you want. The Reds' Joey Votto leads the majors in OPS (1.088). But McCutchen is second (1.017) to him in the NL, leads the majors in hitting (.359) and pretty much has accounted for roughly 33 percent of the Pirates' offense by himself: He's scored 55 runs and knocked in 56 for a total of 111 of Pittsburgh's 332 runs.

"He's carried us," says one Buccos front-office man, and where McCutchen has taken the Pirates at the break is straight to first place in the NL Central. We'll see where the second half leads. But, for now, after a North American-sports record 19 consecutive losing seasons, if the Pirates win and McCutchen keeps doing his thing, the question isn't, "Is McCutchen really the MVP?" The question is: "How can he NOT be the MVP?"

After McCutchen, midyear Thanks for Playing MVP shout-outs also go to the Mets' David Wright, the Brewers' Ryan Braun, the Giants' Melky Cabrera and the Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez.

2. Mid-year Cy Youngs: Justin Verlander, Tigers, and R.A. Dickey, Mets.

Love what Chris Sale and Jake Peavyo of the White Sox and Jered Weaver of the Angels have done. But Weaver missed two weeks with a sore back and Sale just hasn't carried the workload of Verlander, who has pitched 30 more innings. Verlander tops the majors with 132 2/3 innings pitched, he's tied with Washington's Stephen Strasburg for the major-league lead with 128 strikeouts, he's holding opponents to a .200 batting average (third in the AL). Verlander remains the answer to the question: If you had to win one game in the AL, who's your pitcher?

Dickey has baffled and dominated in nearly every start. The back-to-back one-hitters were a thing of beauty. Wins, ERA, innings pitched, opponents batting average ... Dickey's got it going on. His 0.93 WHIP is second in the majors to Weaver's 0.90. The Giants' Matt Cain, the Pirates' James McDonald (and maybe even A.J. Burnett), the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, the Nationals' Gio Gonzalez and the Reds' Johnny Cueto are in the race.

3. Managers of the Mid-Year: Buck Showalter, Orioles, and Clint Hurdle, Pirates

Last time the Orioles were a winner, Brooks Robinson was in diapers (sometimes it feels that way, doesn't it?). And Hurdle edges the Dodgers' Don Mattingly by a narrow margin the size of, say, Dee Gordon. No way should Mattingly's Dodgers be leading the NL West at the break ... but Hurdle, ahoy, mate. The Pirates, as you may have heard, haven't had a winning season in two decades.

4. Rookies of the Mid-Year: Mike Trout, Angels, and Bryce Harper, Nationals.

Fifteen years from now, we'll look back on this season as the launching pad for Trout and Harper.

5. All-Star Fun: Words of wisdom from Royals Hall of Famer George Brett as they're gathered in Kansas City: "I played like my dad was in the stands. I know in high school, I know in Little League, if I hit a ground ball and didn't run it out, I got my ass kicked."

6. Zack Greinke, Marathon Man: Well, sort of. He started Saturday's game for the Brewers against the Astros but was ejected after only four pitches. So he started again on Sunday and went three innings. And the Brewers plan to start him for a third consecutive game Friday when they open the second half against the Pirates, which will make him the first pitcher since Red Faber of the 1917 White Sox to start three consecutive games in the same season.

7. Shane Victorino and Cole Hamels, trade bait: Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. vows he will not trade the present for the future, but as the sun sets on Philadelphia's great run, he's going to have to make some hard decisions between now and July 31. The Phillies, who rank with the Marlins and the Tigers as the majors' most disappointing clubs, are sub-.500 at the All-Star break for the first time since 2006. They lost their 50th game on Sunday. Last year, they didn't lose their 50th game until Sept. 12.

8. Justin Upton, enigma: The Diamondbacks are getting a lot of play on their disappointing outfielder, as Jon Heyman writes here.

Diamondbacks fans are booing as Upton struggles with an OPS down some 160 points from last year, when he hit .289 with 31 homers and 88 RBI. This season, he's at .267 with seven homers and 36 RBI. Arizona is in position to make a second-half run, but Kirk Gibson's club has shown no signs of putting one together so far. Meantime, neither the Dodgers nor the Giants look capable of running away from the division. The difference at this point between the Diamondbacks contending or fading? An Upton hot streak. Justin, the clock is ticking. ...

9. Giancarlo Stanton and Andrelton Simmons, ouch: Game-changing injuries in the NL East as the first-half closes. Stanton, the Marlins' slugger, is out four-to-six weeks following knee surgery. If the Marlins' season isn't torpedoed already, this could do it. Simmons, the Braves' slick shortstop who replaced Tyler Pastornicky, broke a finger on his throwing hand against the Phillies on Sunday and is expected to open the season's second half on the disabled list. If the Braves can keep the left side of their infield on the field when he gets back -- Simmons and Chipper Jones -- they've got a shot.

10. The Franchise: The Marlins may make for awful baseball, but they're going to make for riveting television once The Franchise is up and running. After all that's gone wrong so far, you ask, how could they finish the first half with an even louder thud? Heath Bell blew another save by surrendering three runs in the bottom of the ninth in St. Louis, and Hanley Ramirez reverted to form by punching a dugout fan and taking two stitches to a finger.

"Very stupid injury. Very immature," manager Ozzie Guillen told reporters. "You're going to hurt yourself because you can't hit? Good hitters don't do that. Good hitters battle back and try to get better."

The second half will be all about battling back for a number of teams and players. The Marlins? Grab a pile of newspapers, because we're going to need some fish wrap.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Pirates Loss Close Game

Hey All,

After spending most of the week with the Houston Astros, who kept scoring first then had no retort, the Pirates on Friday night ran into someone who punched back.

The Bucs, the shocking leaders of the National League Central, and the NL West-contending Giants, shocked by three straight losses in Washington, D.C., exchanged volleys to the entertainment and ultimate disappointment of many in a sold-out PNC Park who watched San Francisco hold on for a 6-5 victory.

"To jump out early, have them jump back, and for us to continue to chip away ... that's the way we're playing now," said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, disappointed by the result but certainly not by the effort as his crew suffered only its second loss in 10 games.

The Pirates' last salvo went a long way: Pedro Alvarez led off the eighth with a 457-foot homer off lefty reliever Javier Lopez, but all that did -- besides awe witnesses -- was cut into the final margin.

The loss ended the season's fourth four-game winning streak by a team that has yet to make it to five. That might reflect the unavoidable fact of always having a weak link in the five-man starting rotation, which at the moment is Erik Bedard.

"We'll look at some tape, try to help him figure out some things over the [All-Star] break," Hurdle said of the veteran lefty, who for the fourth time in seven starts could not make it through five innings. Asked whether he might already have some idea of what those things are, the manager admitted, "I do have some thoughts, which we'll share with him first."

Bedard on Friday was quite charitable with the 3-0 lead the Pirates had presented him.

The Giants thus attempted to tighten up two races, the one they trailed by a game and a half and the one the Pirates led by two games.

The small picture was as compelling. After shadowing each other atop the NL batting charts for weeks, Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen and Giants left fielder Melky Cabrera got some face time.

Although the averages of both players officially rounded off to .356, the two began the night at a ridiculous .00011 apart; McCutchen lead at .35593 and Cabrera at .35582.

The Bucs won that battle, if not the war.

After a 3-for-5 night that included two RBIs, McCutchen was at .360.

Cabrera also drove in two, but had "only" two hits in four at-bats to finish at .358.

McCutchen's teammates appear as stunned and impressed by his performance as are outside observers. Pick a context -- batting .550 in July after earning June Player of the Month honors, 17 hits in his last seven games, 27 hits in his last 52 at-bats against left-handers, a dozen games with three-plus hits -- and McCutchen is in his own orbit.

"Me and McCutchen are from the same class [of 2005] out of high school, and to see where he's at is pretty outstanding," said Alvarez, who tied McCutchen for the team lead with his 16th homer. "I just hope that he can keep going, because we're feeding off his energy. It's been a lot of fun to play alongside him."

Before pulling their first-inning punches, the Bucs pushed across a quick run for a 1-0 lead. They began the game with three consecutive singles, by Josh Harrison, Drew Sutton and McCutchen -- the last good for his 55th RBI.

Harrison, getting a start at short and atop the lineup, lit the fuse again in the third. He led off with a walk and, one out later, scored when McCutchen's drive found the 410-foot nook in left-center for a triple. Neil Walker's double delivered McCutchen for a 3-0 lead.

Bedard entered the fourth with a no-hitter -- having retired nine straight after a game-opening walk of Justin Christian -- but never got out of it.

"We saw him really improve after the leadoff walk," Hurdle said. "The second and third were very crisp. The fourth was bad all around."

Precisely what the Giants did -- bat around. Ryan Theriot sent an RBI double to right-center and scored on Cabrera's game-tying homer, which cleared the bases but not Bedard's plate.

"Rod [catcher Barajas] was going down to block it; it was going to go in the dirt," Bedard said of the 1-and-0 curve to Cabrera. "But he hit a home run on it."

Bedard had a slightly different evaluation of that pitch than did his manager, who had said that breaking pitch was something the pitcher "probably wanted lower."

"They're not just cashing it in and sitting back, waiting for something to happen," said the beneficiary of the rally, southpaw Barry Zito. "They're making it happen. That home run Melky hit was a huge lift for the team, and everyone else added in their spots."

A run-scoring single by Hector Sanchez gave the Giants their first lead at 4-3, and they added to it when Harrison let Joaquin Arias' grounder carom off his glove and into left for an error.

"The guys bounced back good," said Giants manger Bruce Bochy. "They got an early lead, but the club did a great job of putting together a big inning."

Bedard retired Zito on a sacrifice bunt, then his 3 2/3-inning start was over. He needed 37 pitches just to get through two-thirds of that fourth inning.

Casey McGehee's sixth homer in the fifth reduced Zito's lead to 5-4 but, after 2 1/3 hitless innings by Chris Resop, Juan Cruz surrendered Theriot's sacrifice fly in the seventh to reset the San Francisco lead at 6-4.

All in all, the Pirates are surging and need to keep this momentum up well past the [All Star] break, and cruise into the playoffs. They need to keep using McCutchen's "energy" and hope that the pitching stays where it's at, and they will be just fine. I can't wait to see what they do this afternoon against the Giants in the heat at PNC Park as they try and keep the lead in the NL Central Division.

Until next time
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Howard To Brooklyn

Hey All,

Dwight Howard's inevitable divorce with the Orlando Magic may have gotten just the motivation it needed.

Spurred by the Nets' decision to fill up their cap space by acquiring Joe Johnson from Atlanta, the Magic are once again engaged in trade discussions for Howard with the Nets while also exploring options with other teams, league sources say a trade will be made.

The Nets scenario would be complicated and isn't imminent, one of the sources said. It also isn't the only one Orlando GM Rob Hennigan is working on. Atlanta, Houston, the Lakers and possibly Dallas are among the teams the Magic are trying to engage as the Howard situation may finally have reached a tipping point.

UPDATE: But one person briefed on the talks described Orlando's posture with regard to trading Howard as "unhurried." The Magic still hold leverage over Howard, who at some point must work with the team on a mutually beneficial exit strategy. Howard surrendered his leverage in March when he waived his early-termination option for 2012-13, and with it his right to become a free agent this summer.

Indeed, according to another person briefed on the matter, there is little optimism even from Howard's camp that the Nets can put together a realistic package for the All-Star.

After using most of its cap space to acquire Johnson and re-sign Gerald Wallace to a four-year, $40 million deal, Brooklyn seemed out of the Howard trade sweepstakes Monday night. In fact, Howard's camp was deflated upon learning that the Nets had decided to move on with the Johnson scenario rather than wait for Orlando to engage them in trade talks for Howard.

"They got tired of waiting on Dwight," one person involved in the process said.

The complicated scenario that the Nets and Magic have tried to resurrect would involve the signing-and-trading of Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries as well as promising guard MarShon Brooks and multiple future first-round picks. Ideally, the Magic are looking to unload one of their bad contracts in a Howard deal, either that of Hedo Turkoglu or Jason Richardson.

UPDATE: Even though the re-signing of Wallace and acquisition of Johnson would put the Nets over the cap, their working figure includes cap holds for Lopez and Humphries, who could be flipped for Howard. It's difficult to envision finding room for Turkoglu, who makes $11.8 million next season. But the Nets probably could absorb J-Rich's $5.8 million and they have a $3 million trade exception into which another Richardson, Quentin, would fit.

But it's far from certain that Orlando would deem the Nets' offer palatable, considering they've had ample opportunity to deal with Brooklyn and have backed away every time -- even in recent days, when the Nets had multiple expiring contracts they've since flipped to the Hawks for Johnson.

The Magic, who want multiple young players, draft picks and cap relief in a Howard trade, plan to be thorough as they explore all possibilities.

In other words, step right up with your Dwight trade offers.

Everyone knows that Dwight wants to be in Brooklyn, just set up the third team that the Nets need to complete this trade, and get it done.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.