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Quietly, there may not be a team in the game that’s making a bigger splash at the trade deadline than the Texas Rangers. Three weeks away from pulling the biggest trade of the 2010 season which pitching star Cliff Lee came aboard, the Rangers have nabbed Jorge Cantou as well as Washington Nationals 2B Christian Guzman.

The Rangers desperately needed a corner infielder and that why they traded for the former Florida Marlin 3B. Cantou hits for decent power and average (.262 10 HRs) but more importantly the Rangers talked Florida into picking up a portion of Cantou’s $2.2 million dollar salary. Cantou will mostly play at 1B since 3B is firmly established by star Michael Young.

Yet, the Rangers were not finished with Cantou. Moments ago, I have learned that from my good buddy, Jon Heyman over at SI, that the Rangers have acquired 2B Christian Guzman. Remember, this is from a team on the verge bankruptcy! Nevertheless, bankruptcy or not the Rangers want a World Series title in 2010.

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Phils are the best team in the NL in less than 24 hours

In less than a 24 hour period the Philadelphia Phillies became the best team in the National League. On Wednesday, the Phillies put OF Shane Victorino on the DL and called up highly touted Domonic Brown from AAA. Brown is on the same talent level as Jason Heyward, Buster Posey, and Mike Stanton. Plus, there is also the unlimited potential of pitching stars Stephen Strasburg and Mike Leake. I don’t believe I have ever seen a rookie crop with this much talent. Should be a fun next 10 years or so in Major League Baseball.

But,the Phils became the favorite to get to back to the World Series for the 3rd consecutive season when they landed Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt on Thursday. According to SI’s Tom Verducci, the Phillies have joined the Yankees and Red Sox as teams who will spend an unlimited amount of cash to reach the World Series every season.

I don’t see how the Braves can hold off the Phillies unless they add big time right handed bat in the outfield. Reports surfaced late night that Braves have interest in Astros RF Lance Berkman, which would be significant upgrade over Nate McLouth.

Matt Capps to the Twins

The Minnesota Twins definitely improved themselves right before the trade deadline as they picked up Washington Nationals closer Matt Capps.

Capps is one of the most underrated closers in the game, mostly because he plays for the lowly Washington Nationals. However, Capps numbers show that he deserves the recognition. Capps sports a 2.74 ERA and is 26 out of 30 in the saves department. Not too shabby and a solid move for a Twins club that is a 1 1/2 game behind the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox.

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Phillies Fighting Back

Going in to last Friday’s weekend seriees against the Colorado Rockies, the Philadelphia Phillies stood in 3rd place in the NL East seven games behind the 1st place Atlanta Braves.

Three days later, they are only 4 1/2 out with a three game set this week against the lowly Arizona Diamondbacks. On the other hand, Atlanta does face last place Washington, but must get out of DC with two games against Stephen Strasburg and Livan Hernandez.

Atlanta’s Tommy Hanson will face Strasburg tonight. Hanson has been struggling of late, however he does possess a 2-0 record against the Nats with 2.94 ERA.

The most anticipated matchup of the night will be two rookie sensations squaring off for the first time in 2010. Braves RF Jason Heyward will get his first taste of Strasburg tonight of what could be the beginning of classic rivalry.

The Phillies also appear to be the frontrunners in the Roy Oswalt sweepstakes. The trade deadline is Saturday, and if the Phillies land Oswalt the Braves and Phillies division battle will go down to the final weekend.

Rays’ Matt Garza Tosses MLB’s 5th No Hitter of 2010

If anyone had any question whether or not the steriod era was over in baseball, Monday night should have erased all doubts.

Tampa’s Matt Garza threw baseball’s 5th no hitter in 2010 as the Rays defeated Detroit 5-0. The San Diego Padres and the New York Mets are the now the only two franchises without a no hitter which is surprising especially for the Mets since they have been around since 1962.

This really should have been the 6th no hitter this season. Don’t forget about Jim Joyce’s incorrect call at first base that took a perfect game away from Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galaragga.

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Arguably the biggest media event besides the Super Bowl kicked off at the Winfrey Hotel in Birmingham, AL as SEC Media Days took center stage to begin the unofficial start of college football season. Over 850 media creditenals were handed out as fans, photographers, and writers tried to catch a glimpse of the stars of the SEC.

Wednesday’s opening day will without a doubt be the highlight of the three day event as the head coaches of the past two college football national champions took to the podium. Here are some of the highlights:

Agents are “Pimps” and “Predators”
The month of June was expansion month in college football, and it appears July will be agent month. Already two current college football stars have been accused of taking benefits from agents. The careers of North Carolina DT Marvin Austin and Alabama DE Marcelll Dareus
are in serious jeopardy. Both players are projected by many draft insiders as top 10 picks in next April’s NFL draft. A loss of Austin and Dareus’ talent could possibly derail of season of giant expectations for both Alabama and North Carolina. Alabama could be particularly damaged since they are already replacing 8 starters off of last year’s championship defense.

Saban took his opportunity at the podium yesterday to blast agents and the NFL for not getting a handle on the situation “I don’t think it’s anything but greed that is creating it right now on behalf of the agents,” Saban said. “I hate to say this, but how are they any better than a pimp? I have no respect for people who do that to young people. None. How would you feel if they did it to your child?”

The ballad didn’t stop with Nick Saban as Florida head coach Urban Meyer did his own bickering. His former offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey has been accused of taking $100,000 from an agent. Meyer called the agents “predators” and agreed with Saban the NFL had get the situation under control.

The agent scandal is just the beginning and don’t be surprised if nearly 30 teams are involved before it’s all said and done. NCAA is expected to pay a visit to the University of Georgia for an inquiry into agent activities on their campus.

Schools can blame USC and Reggie Bush for the NCAA’s focus on this matter. The NCAA felt embarrassed that one of the most profilic players in college football history was able to circumvent the NCAA for so long. The NCAA won’t let it happen again.

However, Meyer and Saban are right on target. The resolution to this problem lies with the National Football League. Agents who are involved in these activities must be suspended or even banished from the NFL.

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We are underway in the 2nd half of the Major League baseball season, and there already some crucial games going down this weekend.

New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays-This a huge series for both teams. The AL East is the toughest division in baseball with arguably baseball’s three teams in New York, Tampa Bay, and Boston. However, with the Red Sox are devastated by injuries, and it is crucial for the Yankees and Rays to get as much as distance as possible from the Red Sox.

The key for the Yankees, however is getting Joba Chamberlin back on track. Indications from Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com this morning are that the Yankees may be even willing to shop Joba. With the Yankees missing out on Cliff Lee, you can expect the Yankees will still be willing shop players for another front line starter.

Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox-The Rangers have already gotten off to a great start in the 2nd half by bombing the Red Sox last night by a score of 7-2. This is was big win for Texas after ending the 1st half in horrible fashion by getting swept by the lowly Baltimore Orioles.

On the other hand trouble is looming for Boston. Tim Wakefield has only won 3 games this season and his ERA has plummented to nearly six (5.65). It is remarkable that the Red Sox have been able to hang in this division with the devastating injuries they have suffered. The key for Boston will be to hang around enough until they get Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz back in the rotation. However, it is still unknown when key players such as Dustin Pedroia and Victor Martinez will rejoin the team.

New York Mets and San Francisco Giants-This is crucial series for the Mets, because it appears the Atlanta Braves could be pulling away in the NL East.

The Braves made moves this week to solidfy first place in the NL East and make a move to capture a World Series title in Bobby Cox’s final season. On Wednesday, the Braves acquired SS Alex Gonzalez in trade with the Toronto Blue Jays earlier in the week.

The Mets are already 5 games out after being shut out by Tim Lincecum 2-0. Carlos Beltran is back in the lineup for New York, but the lingering oblique injury that Jose Reyes continues to fight is a concern.

The Mets also must worry about the Philadelphia Phillies who ended the 1st half with a 4 game sweep of the Cincinatti Reds. The Phillies are playing much better and are also looking to acquire a front line starter before the trade deadline. If the Mets are not careful, they could be out of the NL East running by August.

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As I predicted last night, the National League ended 14 year drought to the American League and won the All Star Game last night by a final score of 3-1.

Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann was awarded the game’s Most Valuable Player Award as he laced a three run double down the right field line in the top of the 7th. McCann’s run clearing double was the first 3 RBI non-home run in All Star Game history.

With the win McCann may have given his Atlanta Braves, who own the best record in the National League, the home field advantage in the World Series come October.

The Boss Has Passed

One cannot ignore the impact that Yankees owner George Steinbrenner had on the game of baseball. I was terribly sadden to hear of the owner’s passing yesterday of a massive heart attack at the age of 80.

A moment of silence was issued for Steinbrenner last night before the All Star Game. The Yankees will also were a patch on their sleeve in honor of “The Boss” for the remainder of the 2010 season.

He is the author of the big spending free agent market seen in the game since the early 1980s. Steinbrenner became owner of the Yankees as a limited partner, while he ran a successful shipping company back in Cleveland.

One of the more interesting books ever written about ”The Boss” is ”Steinbrenner” by Bill Madden, of New York’s Daily News. While the book will make you think less of the of the emotional, loose cannon owner, he was without doubt the most competitive owner in the history of sports. Today, I mourn the passing of a true baseball icon.

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