And the Winner is....

With the halfway point of the season rapidly approaching I have decided to hand out my midseason awards a week early.

AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Red Sox. Nobody can argue with this one. Gonzalez has taken to being away from PetCo Park like a duck to water. Through Tuesday, Gonzalez was leading the American League in batting, hitting at a .356 clip to go along with 16 homers and 71 RBI's. He leads the league in hits and is also second in the AL in doubles. Runners Up: Jose Bautista, OF/3B Blue Jays, Curtis Granderson, OF, Yankees.

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, SP, Tigers. He is 10-3, has added another no-hitter to his resume, owns a MLB leading 0.84 WHIP, has whiffed 124 batters, and possesses a 2.38 ERA. He has been one of the reasons the Tigers have made up all the ground on the Indians and are now battling for AL Central control. Runners Up: Jared Weaver, SP, Angels, James Shields, SP, Rays.

AL Rookie of the Year: Michael Pineda, SP, Mariners. Pineda has been one of the AL's dominant starters, forming a lethal tandem with Felix Hernandez. Pineda owns a 1.03 WHIP, 2.65 ERA, and 99 K's in 102+ innings. He will be mentioned in Cy Young conversations if he keeps this up. Runner Up: Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Rays.

NL MVP: Jose Reyes, SS, Mets. Reyes is setting himself up to be the first ever Mets player to win an MVP award by leading the Majors in triples with 15, hits with 119, is second in stolen bases with 30, and owns a .352 batting average, good enough for second in the majors. If he hits a single, it becomes a double. Reyes is, the most interesting man in baseball. Runners Up: Prince Fielder, 1B, Brewers, Matt Kemp, OF, Dodgers.

NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, SP, Phillies. What? You expected R.A. Dickey? Halladay is 10-3 with a 2.40 ERA, has 123 K's, and leads the NL in complete games. They will probably rename the NL version of the award after Halladay in a few years. He is the new Greg Maddux. Runners Up: Jair Jurrgens, SP, Braves, Cole Hamels, SP, Phillies.

NL Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel, RP, Braves. Twenty-three saves, a 2.63 ERA, and 1.12 WHIP earn Kimbrel the honor here. He also has struck out 65 in 41 innings. Runner Up: Danny Espinosa, 2B, Nationals.

Trade Candidates

July is almost here and the MLB rumor mill is starting to spin up. If you listen closely you can hear the gears starting to grind. This year things might be a little different. It seems as if some parody has crept into the Major League Baseball landscape making trading partners that much harder to find for teams that want to bolster their roster for playoff push. Even the 32-44 Minnesota Twins have a reasonable shot at making the playoffs right now, or maybe they did before their entire outfield landed on the DL and they lost five straight. Houston, San Diego, the Chicago Cubs, and perhaps the Royals all figure to be sellers when the dust settles. The Mets can go either way, as can the Pirates, Marlins and Dodgers. The White Sox could also look to unload a player or two. Well, let's take an early look at some of the guys who might be moved before or at the deadline.

Ryan Dempster, SP, Cubs. Dempster figures to be one of the few starters put on the market with a proven track record. He can strike hitters out, has shown he can win as a starter (48 wins over the last 4 seasons) and would fit in nicely in just about any needy contenders rotation, especially at the back end. He is 34 years old and holds a player option for next season. He signed a 3-year deal worth $38 million which isn't terrible in today's market for a #2-3 starting pitcher. The numbers are eerily similar to A.J. Burnett, only Dempster used to be a pretty good closer at one point. A team like the Yankees might be looking for pitching help. Phil Hughes is still on the DL, though he is rehabbing right now and cold return in a couple of weeks. Bartolo Colon is on the DL with a leg injury but he hasn't exactly had the best track record in recent years in regards to health. The Yankees have been connected to Dempster once this season, right around the Yankees visit to Wrigley. I would expect Dempster to exercise his right to become a free agent as he looks for one last good contract so he will be a rental player and shouldn't command a ton in prospects. Other potential suitors could be the Cleveland Indians where veteran presence in a rotation filled with unproven kids and Fausto Carmona is needed for a playoff push; the Arizona Diamondbacks whom nobody expected to contend and whose rotation is led by Ian Kennedy, a nice pitcher but not an ace; and the Texas Rangers who might be looking for some pitching help after Alexi Ogando has been getting rocked in his past couple of starts and might be better suited for the bullpen.

Francisco Rodriguez, RP, Mets. K-Rod has been having himself an excellent season so far. Bullpen help always seem to be a number one need of most playoff bound teams and adding K-Rod to either set-up or close games would be a huge bonus, at least in theory. K-Rod has announced he would be willing to set-up for a contender so that automatically put the Yankees in the conversation but I don't see them getting involved. The Yankees already have Rafael Soriano under contract to provide setup help for Mariano Rivera. Instead, I see the Texas Rangers being the biggest suitor for K-Rod. They can have him set-up this year and then move to the closer spot next year while shifting Neftali Feliz to a starting spot. The Boston Red Sox might be another landing spot for K-Rod. The Red Sox bullpen has been pounded by injuries and with the future status of Jonathan Papelbon up in the air the Red Sox might decide to pull the trigger on a deal here.

Heath Bell, RP, Padres. Another closer for a team out of contention, Bell has been consistent over the past few years and might be one of baseballs most underrated closers. Since the Phillies can't hope to pry K-Rod away from the Mets, Bell might be the apple of their eye. Ryan Madson has been filling in very well for Brad Lidge going 15 for 16 in save chances. However, I don't know if the Phillies are better with Madson closing over Heath Bell. Acquiring Bell would enable the Phillies to slide Madson into a setup role (or to place Bell there if they so desire) and strengthen a so-so bullpen. And, if Lidge makes it back there is another reliable arm with playoff experience to add to the mix. The Cardinals could also be in the market for Bell. Currently the Cardinals are relying on Fernando Salas to close their games. He has been good but isn't a known entity like Bell. The Rangers could also be in the mix.

Wandy Rodriguez, SP, Astros. The Astros are the worst team in baseball and figure to be sellers once their ownership situation gets settled. Rodriguez is probably their best trade chip and could command a nice haul of prospects to help rebuild. The Yankees might be in the mix since he represents a longer term option than Dempster and is two years younger than Dempster. The problem is finding out who is running the Astros and dealing with them. The Astros will treat Rodriguez like an ace in negotiations when he is more like #2-3 guy. I don't know if the Yankees would be willing to pay the ransom price for him but with few starting pitchers of value on the market they might have no choice if they don't see any options in the minors.

Michael Bourn, OF, Astros. Speed is reemerging in baseball and few possess the talents of Bourn who is leading the majors in stolen bases. He can hit leadoff and immediately get into scoring position. He has ten steals of third among his 33 stolen bases on the year so he is a threat. He is decednt in getting on base, doing so at a .351 clip so far this season. Bourn would be a boon to just about any team right now with a slim margin of making the playoffs. However, you can forget about the Yankees and Red Sox getting involved, they already have a quite a few good outfielders on their rosters. The Indians have a need in the outfield where Austin Kearns and his sub-.200 average are patrolling the outfield with Shelley Duncan the backup, or vice versa. Michael Brantley is ok as a leadoff guy but doesn't have nearly the speed and dynamic ability to change the game as Bourn does.

Brett Myers, SP, Astros. Diminished velocity and extreme fly ball rate are not exactly formulas for success. Myers has survived due to, well I don't know how he has survived...perhaps lack of options in Houston. Myers is only 30, and is currently sporting a 4.65 ERA in the pitcher friendly National League. His fastball sits around 87 MPH and has served up 1.81 HR/9 this year. To make him even more prohibitive, he is due to earn $11 million next season and can be bought out for $3 million after 2012, or his option can be picked up for a cool $10 million. I really don't see a good landing spot for Myers. The numbers don't add up and the Astros are sure to treat him like the ace he was last year but is definitely not this year. Maybe, if the Astros pick up a portion of the salary and don't ask for a lot in prospects they might be able to find a taker.

Carlos Beltran, OF, Mets. If the Mets decide to become sellers, Beltran would be one of their biggest trade chips and one who might garner the most interest. Several teams in need of some offensive pop could jump into the Beltran pool. Teams like the Twins, Rangers (although they seem set at OF they do have some injury prone OF'ers), Giants, and maybe even the Yankees could put their toes in the water.

Jose Reyes, SS, Mets. Reyes said he won't discuss a contract extension during the season so he is primed to hit the open market. The Mets right now are hovering around .500 and trading Reyes, who is arguably the National League's most dynamic player, would send shockwaves through an already shellshocked fanbase. If the Mets feel they can get better value than the two first round picks in next year's draft then they should bite. Still, Reyes is just a rental player so the chances of finding someone willing to take on a player who has announced he will test the market are going to be slim at that price. The Reyes situation mirrors the Mets season, in or out? Contending or not? Trade or no trade? Perhaps the Mets should hold onto Reyes and get the two draft picks. Or maybe they should trade him. Thankfully, I'm not Sandy Alderson whom I do not envy in this situation.

There are plenty more players out there who could make an impact at the deadline. Jason Kubel of the Twins, Joakim Soria and Jeff Francoueur of the Royals, and Mark Beurhle, Edwin Jackson, and John Danks of the White Sox all could be major chips cashed in by their respective teams. I will revisit this subject later.

Wrist Shots

Hello everyone, my name is Chris and I am addicted to sports. Here are some stories from around the sports world.

-Rangers forward Sean Avery recently came out in support for gay marriage. Hockey agent, Todd Reynolds took to Twitter to announce his support against it. Personally, I think both men are correct in airing their opinions. Reynolds didn't get crazy and did support equality among all people but believes in the sanctity of marriage. Personally, I don't see how this makes ESPN but it did. I think both men are entitled to their opinions and as long as everything remains civil I don't see why either should be crucified for their beliefs.

-There is a story circulating around Detroit and on NY's sports talk radio station WFAN about a possible trade between the Tigers and Mets. The trade, from what I am understanding, is David Wright to the Tigers for Max Scherzer, Austin Jackson, and Brandon Inge. If I'm the Mets I do the deal. Now before you get upset, hear me out. I know Wright is the face of the Mets franchise but he is not as good as Reyes, who is the real spark plug of the Mets offense. Wright is a good player but its the following numbers that scare me about him: 113, 113, 115, 118, 140, 161. Those are Wrights strikeout totals from 2005 to 2010. They have gone up every year. Another number that causes me concern: 72, 66, 94, 94, 74, 69, the number of walks for Wright during those same years. His batting average has also taken a nose dive during that span. Beginning in 2005 Wright hit .306, then .311 in 2006, .325 in '07, .302 in '08, .307 in '09, .283 in '10 and is currently batting .241. Something isn't right. This year he currently has 38 K's and 22 BB's in 35 games. The Mets need to ask themselves is Jose Reyes a better player at 29 than Wright at 28? Look at who is currently performing and who is not. Sure, Reyes is hurt a lot more than Wright but when Reyes is on the field he is one of the most exciting players in the game. With no big shortstops coming up in the free agent market (aside from Reyes), over the next couple of years the Mets need to ask themselves, can they afford to let Reyes leave via free agency or do they try to re-sign him and trade Wright, or keep Wright and trade Reyes for a reduced price? If I'm Sandy Alderson I trade Wright, especially if I can get that package from Detroit plus an extra prospect.

-It was nice to see Yankee fans give Melky Cabrera some love in his first game back to Yankee Stadium since the 2009 World Series. He was traded as part of the Javier Vazquez deal that offseason. He was included in the roll call which was classy.

-I am finding the NBA Playoffs to be exciting, but, and this kills it for me, I can't stand the officiating in the NBA. Stars get away with murder. They can travel, foul, and basically do anything they want. This makes it unwatchable for me.

Well, that's it for tonight. Be safe and enjoy the sports!

Drag Bunts

-Francisco Liriano threw one of the ugliest no-hitters in the history of baseball. Liriano walked six and struck out only two, throwing only 66 of his 123 were strikes. That's 57 balls! One man, Juan Pierre, actually raised his on-base percentage from .307 to .321 by walking three times! Liriano emerged from his no-hitter with a 6.61 ERA. Oh, the weird world of baseball!

-Phil Hughes is reporting feeling better after getting a cortisone shot back in April. Wait a minute, I thought Phil wasn't complaining of any pain...so why the shot? Following his saga is like following information from the White House and other government organizations regarding the bin Laden takedown. What the hell is actually going on? Whatever it is, it was reported by Kim Jones that he is out another 6-8 weeks. Not good news, but at least its better than him having something seriously wrong with his arm.

-The Texas Rangers signed twenty-three year-old Cuban defector Leonys Martin to the second largest contract ever given to a Cuban defector, a five-year major league deal worth $15.5 million. The largest contract ever given to a Cuban? That would be the Reds' contract with Aroldis Chapman which was a six-year $30.25 million deal.

-On a sports card collecting note, if there is no football this season, will there be football cards issued? And if there is no football and players can't sign contracts, what does this mean for rookie cards of the players just drafted?

-Blake Griffin unanimously won the NBA Rookie of the Year. He is the first unanimous choice since David Robinson won it in 1990.

-According to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com, the San Francisco Giants have looked into acquiring Mets SS Jose Reyes. Nothing is close to be being done as these were just internal discussions. One thing is for sure, the Giants anemic offense surely needs a boost.

-When the Knicks picked up point guard Chauncey Billups' $14.2 million option I couldn't help but wonder if it is just so the Knicks can dangle his expiring contract in a trade. Billups may have been a slight upgrade over Raymond Felton but injuries caused him to miss 3 of the 4 games in the playoffs but the Knicks need to ask themselves whether or not Billups, 34, will be able to hold up over a full season and still be effective for a playoff run. I think Billups is still a good point guard with boatloads of experience and his expiring contract is worth more to the Knicks as an expiring contract than a trade chip.

-Jesus Montero is currently leading the International LEague in batting average with a .373 AVG. Think the Yankees could use that?

-The Pittsburgh Pirates currently lead the Majors with 11 road wins. Yes, you read that correctly. However, they are tied for the least amount of home wins with 4.

-Has Derek Jeter actually hit the ball out of the infield this year? I know he has but it feels like it was 3 years ago. So far, he only has 2 extra-base hits, is batting .250 and has a paltry .308 OBP. Not exactly a true leadoff hitter by any stretch.

Well, that's it for tonight. Have a great night.

Around the Leagues

Is there any reason to watch golf now that Tiger Woods isn't going to be playing in any major tournaments?  I won't be tuning in so let me know how it goes.

LaTroy "Home Run" Hawkins still has a job.  My God, this is getting ridiculous.  Why can't GM Brian Cashman just admit he made a mistake on Hawkins like every other reliever he has acquired via free agency or trade.  Face it Cashman, between Farnsworth and Hawkins, Cashman's mistakes are killing the Yankees.  I know there the Yankees can get better production out of some of their AAA players.  It also looks like Cashman is finally owning up to those mistakes as David Robertson was recently called up.  Robertson has been absolutely amazing in the minors.  Hopefully, those stats translate.

I just witnessed Jose Reyes do one of the most childish things I have ever seen.  On a routine play, Reyes fielded the ball cleanly and fired to first.  The throw was a little wide to the right of the bag, drawing Carlos Delgado off the bag.  Delgado, then missed the ball as he tried to tag Melky Cabrera before the ball was in his glove.  The ball rolled into the dugout and Cabrera went to second.  Reyes then threw his glove down on the ground with such force that his sunglasses also went flying.  The error was on Delgado and here is Reyes showing up one of his teammates.  Good job, Reyes.  And you wonder why the Mets seem to be playing under their level?  Maybe Willie Randolph was lucky getting fired when he did.  Maybe Delgado will break Reyes in two as the kid deserves.  Time to grow up Reyes.  Maybe the Mets should finally admit the kid isn't a team player and trade him to rebuild a farm system that looks like 1980's George Steinbrenner got a hold of it.  The Mets will never win with a kid like that.

What are the Rangers doing with Sean Avery, Brendan Shanahan, and Jaromir Jagr?  Why are these guys not re-signed?  What is Glen Sather waiting for?  Sean Avery has been a charge to the Rangers, on both ends of the ice.  The treatment he has received from the Rangers has been awful and almost criminal.  

The fact that Jagr is not re-signed is also a mystery.  Jagr has been a model citizen since coming to this team, doing everything asked of him.  He is deserving of a contract and respect from the Rangers.  If the Blueshirts wait much longer he will be gone.  It feels like Sather is pushing these guys out the door.  The only problem is, there is nothing he can bring in the door that equals these guys.  Oh, and if things aren't bad enough, Martin Straka just jumped ship and returned to his native Czech Republic to play.  Think he knows something?

A message to Jeremy Shockey:  Shut up and play.  I am sick of your whining.  You want to be traded because you don't like the way the Giants treated you?  Are you kidding me?  I thought you were a man.  I thought you were a leader on this team?  Guess not, huh?  You are showing you are not about the team but rather about you and only you.  The Giants don't need that attitude.  Eli proved he can play very well without you.  If only you could just shut up, do your job, stop yelling every time you don't get a pass thrown your way, and hold onto a pass when it is thrown your way, then the Giants could have one of the best passing attacks in the game.  But you, Mr. Shockey, don't care about that.  Grow up or get out.

I love how all of a sudden Danny Ainge is getting all the credit for this Boston Celtics revival.  Like it takes a genius to know Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are great players!  Give credit where it is due, to the players and Doc Rivers.

I loved how Knick fans booed their team selecting Danillo Gallinari.  I could almost feel the collective groan.  I bet the only thing they could think of was Frederic Weis.  Only time will tell if they're right.

Good job by the Nets on draft day.  They dump Richard Jefferson's contract on the Bucks for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons.  Yi was a disappointment for the Bucks, a team he didn't want to play for from day 1.  Yi should give the Nets some boost in the frontcourt.  Trading Jefferson, one of the better players to ever put on a Nets uniform, sets the Nets up for 2010 cap room, something the crosstown Knicks can only dream about.  You know who becomes a free agent in 2010?  LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Josh Howard all can opt out of their contracts.  Think the Nets are setting themselves up for a run at one or two of these guys?  How does Chris Bosh and LeBron James sound in Brooklyn?  Kudos to the Nets for at least trying.