The Queue > The List

In other Xbox Live-related news, the whole deal is getting a system update in the near future. There's a video preview here that shows off the new features. Chief among them are Netflix improvements and purchasable avatar items.

Personally, I've been trying to get rid of my Netflix membership for months because there just aren't that many movies that I'd like to queue up. Right now, I'm down to seven, but three of those seven won't be released until August 11^th or later. The only reason I justified Netflix anyhow is the instant streaming movies, though I was instantly disillusioned when I was able to look at the list of available streaming movies – only after officially subscribing. The Xbox support is definitely a plus, especially if it continues to improve, but the instant movie selection just isn't that impressive. However, my entire Netflix subscription, which is probably nearing 10 months, was made worthwhile with the discovery of Californication, only made possible with instant movies, Xbox support, and a bored day with Austin. Season 2 comprises two of the DVDs in my queue that have yet to release.

As for the new avatar items, they're about as exciting as the rural Midwest. I did design my own avatar when that option became available but immediately felt as if I'd wasted five minutes of my life. Soon, I'll have the option of paying internet monies just for the opportunity to waste five minutes of my life. I can't say I'm surprised.

I'm not entirely sure what Carson Daly and the Red Sox are doing. I was originally confused by the trade for Adam LaRoche, considering they already possessed two multi-million dollar corner infielders and a multi-million dollar DH who only ever played first base. Did they think it was like the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game where every player bats even if they're not in the field? Now they're looking to get Victor Martinez even though they have a multi-million dollar, All-Star, and captain catcher in Jason Varitek. And if that doesn't work, they're also interested in Adrian Gonzalez, another corner infielder.

So maybe this is what happened: the Red Sox organization leaked the information about Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz being "on the list." I'm sure they'd leak Manny's name just for spite, since he's become a beloved and integral part of the Dodgers since leaving Boston. Perhaps they named Ortiz just so they could get him out of the way, so to speak, clearing up room for their soon-to-be-acquired DHs – who can actually play in the field – without looking like the bad guys for benching fan favorite Ortiz. If this plan works, Big Papi may just Mo Vaughn his way out of baseball while the Red Sox lineup would be pretty well setup for the future, though their pitching future would certainly suffer since they'll probably lose Clay Buchholz in any deal.

It's not a very likely scenario, but it could work in the Sox favor, even if they're not behind it. Either way, it sucks to be an AL East team right now.

QotD:

Which sports franchise has the least room for error?

My take: This is a tough question. I'd like to name a New York franchise, but all of them have made enough errors in the past few years to really invalidate that answer, since they've clearly had plenty of space to err. I'm going with the Cleveland Cavs right now, since they're literally on the clock until LeBron James signs his next, possibly billion-dollar contract after next season.

Come out and play

I'm spending this week in Youngsville, which would theoretically inspire me to blog more often out of sheer boredom. But I'm actually finding I have a lot to do, partially because Bryan is in Raleigh, so I'm hanging out with him four of the five nights I'll be here. I also spent the last two days helping Charles move out of his apartment in Richmond and onto his parents' front porch. It took us two days (and a total of three carloads) because (a) Charles has way more crap than he thinks and (b) we – and by "we," I mean Charles – pack cars like we've never played Tetris before. We – and by "we," I mean Charles – were smart enough to pack the radio last, but we weren't smart enough to record the Tetris theme song on a disc before starting.

Anyhow, Richmond is not my kind of town, Chicago is (just kidding – I've only been through the airport in Chicago, so I have no idea – it's just a song).

When I'm not in or on my way to Richmond, I'm trying to play Wii Sports Resort, which I got on my way into town on Sunday. I've already written a review, and basically it's as fun as the original Wii Sports. (Now you don't have to read my awesome review.)

To be honest with you, Diane, I'm surprised. Specifically, at how well the basketball game works, especially considering it uses only the Wiimote and no nunchuck. If you've played the tennis game on the original Wii Sports, and I'm assuming you have, you know that the main problem with playing a mobile sport with just a Wiimote is that you have absolutely no control over your character's movements. That's still true in basketball, but it didn't stop tennis from being fun, and it doesn't stop basketball from being fun either. Plus, there's a three point shooting competition.

I've been writing about Wii Sports Resort for about two hours now, since I just finished the review this morning, so moving on...

Xbox Live is what I would deem "fully blowing up" during these summer months. Xbox Live release dates are historically tricky to pin down, but here's a brief list of things that have happened or will happen in the recent and immediate past, present, or future:

1. Watchmen: The End is Nigh, Part 2
   
2. The Warriors: Street Brawl
   
3. Marvel vs. Capcom 2
   
4. TMNT: Turtles in Time
   
5. The Secret of Monkey Island: SE
   
6. Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta
   
7. Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection/Dark Corners
   
8. Halo Wars: Historical Battle Map Pack
   
9. NCAA Football 10 Online Franchise
   

Wait, that last one's not happening, but it should be. At any rate, it may be a long time before I need to head to Best Buy again.

QotD:

Which is your favorite Wii Sports sport?

1. Golf
   
2. Tennis
   
3. Boxing
   
4. Bowling
   
5. Baseball
   
6. Archery
   
7. Canoeing
   
8. Swordplay
   
9. Wakeboarding
   
10. Frisbee
    
11. Basketball
    
12. Table tennis
    
13. "Power cruising"
    
14. Cycling
    
15. Air sports
    

My take: Right now, I'm fully digging basketball but mostly because Bryan, Charles, and I spent about an hour last night in some tight and entertaining three point shootouts.

Mass substitutions

The Cardinals have been really busy this trade season. They've already made three trades involving Major League talent: Brian Barton for Blaine Boyer, Chris Perez for Mark DeRosa, and Chris Duncan for Julio Lugo. So far, I'd say that none of the trades have proven too successful. Boyer was optioned to AAA and claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks, DeRosa has a wrist injury that will need surgery in the offseason, and Lugo hasn't played since July 6.

But maybe the best indicator that none of the trades have been satisfying is the fact that the Cards are still trading. Their latest trade, which is still in the works, would send top prospect and third baseman Brett Wallace to Oakland for Matt Holliday.

The Cardinals wanted Holliday in the offseason, and I wasn't sold on the idea then because of the bevy of outfielders that they already had (Barton, Duncan, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker, Colby Rasmus). During this season, though, Tony La Russa has proven to me that he can play and win with what I would call an excess of outfielders, so that's not a major concern for me anymore (except that I have Ludwick in fantasy and this trade would probably limit his time even more).

I'm also a little worried about trading with the A's. GM Billy Beane is pretty notorious for scouting good players, getting the best years out of them, then getting rid of them (Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada). There was a whole book about it. I'm not particularly worried that Holliday's best years are behind him, though this isn't his best year. I am worried that Brett Wallace and the other two players going to the A's (Shane Peterson and Clayton Mortensen) will turn into absolute studs. I think the general opinion is that Brett Wallace will. And he has a good name.

One more minor concern: Holliday's contract is up at the end of the year. I have no doubt that the Cardinals can resign him, considering every player who plays in St. Louis claims to love it. I just hope he doesn't want too much money.

Ultimately, this trade comes down to one thing: the Cardinals are trying to win now.

When I started this blog, I was pretty much against this trade, but I think I've talked (written?) myself into believing in it. Most of my concerns are minimal and have good counterpoints. The Central division is really tight, and the Cards are the only one making moves. If Holliday continues to hit like he has lately (.338 batting average in July), then maybe he'll provide the offense that the Cardinals so desperately need. St. Louis would need a few of their players to start hitting like they have in the past, but if they do then this lineup looks pretty good:

2B Skip Schumaker
OF Colby Rasmus
1B Albert Pujols
3B Mark DeRosa
OF Matt Holliday
OF Ryan Ludwick
C Yadier Molina
P Adam Wainwright
SS Brendan Ryan

QotD:

Friday is the day that Sportscenter replaces their "Top Ten" segment with the "Not Top Ten." In a hypothetical "Not Top Ten," where would Matthew leaving Mark Buehrle on his fantasy bench when Buehrle throws a perfect game fall?

My take: #3. It's funny and dumb, both pluses. But there's no physical injury, so I can't imagine it would earn a one or two spot.

Hello, my name is Brett...

I'm addicted to video games. I'm not afraid to admit it.

Some more than others, though. NCAA Football 10 definitely falls into the 'more' category.

I'd say that by most standards I live a "slacker's life," at least during the summer months when I don't have any young minds to shape. For the most part, I sit around my house and play video games. But in my mind, it's not really slacking off. I usually write about any games I play for the Star-News blog, and if I don't, I can still justify pretty much any video game playing I do because it all increases my in-touch-ness with the industry which I've fully devoted my life to. It's hard to explain to most people, but I don't consider my video gaming to be related to slacking at all.

Usually.

However, since I've been playing NCAA Football 10, I have been slacking the fuck off. It's not like I have many responsibilities right now anyway, but I barely take breaks from this game. It's the sole reason that I haven't blogged for more than a week and am now blogging on a Thursday. I don't even want to pause long enough to write about it for the paper – presumably the reason I got it – and I don't know that I even want to write about it there. (This is probably a more appropriate forum for my "review feelings" about this particular game.) I went to the lake this weekend for a Pig Pass weekend but couldn't stop thinking about getting home to play more NCAA Football 10. Yesterday, one of my college buddies asked me to play Battlefield 1943 with him on Xbox Live. I told him I was too addicted to my game. (He should understand; he's a WoWer.)

The part that I find so addictive is the recruiting. It'd been a long time since I bought a college sports game, so I forgot how much I love that. Depending on what my level of sanity turns out to be, this could point either to a genuine desire to help young students – hence the teaching – or it might point to a repressed and desperate need to get people to like me. Either way, I am totally "into" convincing fake, digitized high school athletes to come play football for my school because it's the best thing for them.

The crazy part is that I haven't even gotten into the new online franchise mode. I knew that this mode was in the works for Madden 10, but was surprised to see it in the earlier release of NCAA Football 10. I told Bryan about it, and he responded with, "Basically it's the mode we've been wanting for NBA Live." (I assume Bryan said that title in italics.) And yes, yes it is. Assuming this online franchise mode works, now is pretty much the time when online gaming meets all of my needs. Welcome to the future my friends.

Other notes:

The Cardinals traded Chris Duncan for Julio Lugo (formally of the Boston Red Sox). I wonder if the Cardinals had Dave Duncan tell his son that he'd been traded. That'd have to be an awkward conversation. I don't mind the Cards trading an outfielder, though I didn't think it would be Duncan. I suppose that was the best option. I can't say I'm all that excited about Lugo because I'd pretty much gotten used to Brendan Ryan at SS. Plus, Khalil Greene looked better during his last stint in the majors. I'm not sold on this trade.

Matthew has continued blogging during my hiatus, which is good because he took a break of his own at the outset of July, and I was afraid that it might have been permanent.

One of my colleagues at the other blog has reviewed the Gears of War 2 expansion "All Fronts Collection," due out next week. Two things: (1) he evidently has better connections than me and (2) next week may be time for some Horde, if I can stop playing football by then.

Comic-Con 2009 starts today. Get you popcorn ready.

QotD:

Will you play online franchise mode with me? If so, which game are you most likely to play it in?

1. NCAA Football 10
   
2. Madden 10
   
3. NBA Live 10
   
4. NCAA Basketball 10
   
5. NHL 10
   
6. FIFA Soccer 10
   
7. Other __________
   

My take: I'm voting for NCAA Football 10 because it's here now, and I'm ready to do this. Four things: (1) I don't know that all of these games will have the mode; (2) they should; (3) I am making this happen, with or without you; and (4) don't say FIFA (Charles).

Why didn’t you eliminate them Albert?

It turns out Albert Pujols is human after all.

Only a human could lose in the second round of the Home Run Derby during a season where he has 33% more home runs than anybody else in MLB.

Only a human could go 0-for-3 in an All-Star game that Bud Selig promises us matters.

Only a human could make a costly error that lead to two runs in a game that was determined by one run and saw the MVP awarded based on defensive play.

Only a human could seem so exhausted and stressed in post-game interviews after losing an exhibition game in the middle of July.

Only a human could have the type of passion and desire that it takes to show up to and perform at those post-game interviews after an exhausting few days that saw him as the center of attention for an entire sport.

In fact, Pujols did everything that we could have asked of him, except play great baseball.

But when the dust settles and this game is ancient history, it probably won't be all that well remembered for the baseball that was played. The Futures Game was rain delayed for over four hours. The HR Derby was a forgettable affair, riding on the coattails of Josh Hamilton's notorious first-round performance in the previous year. The All-Star game itself was more of a platform for Barrack Obama than a baseball game.

There was one great defensive play, but there was also a lot of suspect defense. There weren't even any home runs, and the go-ahead run was scored on a boring old sacrifice fly. The Mariano Rivera versus Brad Hawpe, Miguel Tejada, and Jason Werth bottom of the ninth inning was about as dramatic as a Danny Almonte Little League game.

So, all of the baseball over the past couple days has been pretty forgettable, but maybe this All-Star break won't be remembered for the baseball news that came from the field. Maybe it will be remembered as the All-Star break when Albert Pujols proved that he is human and, in the process, proved that his footsteps are worth following. (Machines don't make great role models.)

Before the game, Pujols offered to be tested for performance-enhancing drugs, saying that his life could be an open book because he has nothing to hide. He even invited doubters to join him in the bathtub.

Obviously, we've heard this sort of spiel before and been burned, by A-Rod, Tejada, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro. But if Pujols is telling the truth – and most people believe that he is – then this All-Star break may have been a turning point for MLB. Not only did Pujols prove that he's human and therefore relatable; he also proved that he is willing to make personal sacrifices – like focus less on his game – for the good of MLB. That's good because baseball may have to put a lot of weight on Pujols' shoulders if it's to climb out of this steroid era.

If the Cardinals do manage a World Series run, they won't have home field advantage, but they will have the greatest player and one of the greatest humans that MLB has seen for awhile.

...I'm a homer.

I wrote a review of Battlefield 1943. It's up now.

QotD:

More likely to make the playoffs: Roy Halladay or Pedro Martinez?

My take: Pedro.

Front, front, front, front...

8:00 p.m.

I'm going to try another real-time/live blog for the MLB Home Run Derby, but I'm going to try to make this one more coherent than the NBA Draft blog, which (theoretically) means fewer, longer entries for time stamps; better explanations of what the hell I'm talking about; and editing! tomorrow morning or so. That means this blog won't be posted until tomorrow (Tuesday). Not that you'll notice the difference.

Great start to the festivities with David Cook singing some song I'll probably never hear again. When Austin calls an American Idol performance "weak," that's not a good sign. But then, Austin also thinks Boomer sounds like Billy Mays.

8:04

Early predictions from me: Nelson Cruz hits less than seven HRs, nobody hits more than Pujols league-leading 32 HRs tonight, and Chris Berman says the word "back" more than 5,000 times. Not looking forward to that.

8:06

I'm a big fan of the St. Louis All-Star jerseys, so if you're looking for something to get me for Christmas, a Pujols or Molina All-Star jersey would work just fine.

Valid question from Austin: All of the NL players brought bats out for their introductions; none of the AL players did. Why?

8:09

For some reason, Ozzie Smith never closes his jersey anymore. I wonder if that's a side effect of his having played in so many of the celebrity All-Star games over the years.

8:11

I just sneezed and bit my tongue. Austin thinks it's because my mustache was tickling me. So, by the way, Austin, Bryan, Charles, evidently Jason, and I all decided to grow mustaches this week, mostly in honor of the Cardinals' trend of doing that. So far, Austin and Bryan have already given up, Jason usually rocks a full beard, and I think Charles is growing a fu manchu or what some might call the Charles Rainbow. I'm still working on mine, hence the tickling.

8:18

Erin Andrews is introducing eight kids from the Boys and Girls Club who are all paired with one of the batters. In the past this promotion went to Century 21, and the contestants were adults trying to win money for a house. They wore hats. The kids have to wear batting helmets. This could be an uncomfortable few hours for the winner. At least their wearing MLB batting helmets and not Little League helmets with the full face guard.

8:20

First HR: Nelson Cruz to center. He's up to two with a HR off of Big Mac Land and only one out. My first prediction isn't looking good.

A sign from the stands: "Knock out my braces." Wouldn't that be a great headline for MLB: "HR Derby Participant Knocks Teenagers Teeth Out, Still Loses in First Round." I don't know why I'm hating on Nelson Cruz so much. He's already reached seven HRs. First prediction down.

8:26

Cruz finishes with 11 in the first round, hugs Josh Hamilton.

8:29

ESPN aired a really brief piece on Stan Musial with two interview segments with Jack Buck and Hank Aaron. It's nice that they acknowledged him, but it felt like lip service. On a more somber note, it sucks that Musial can't be more involved in the festivities. I don't know if he'll be at the game tomorrow night, but it would be great if he could have a "Ted Williams at the Boston All-Star game" moment.

8:34

Pujols is at the table talking to Steve Phillips, Berman, and Joe Morgan. If it weren't for his accent, it'd be hard to tell that he isn't an everyday announcer. I know it doesn't mean much coming from a die-hard St. Louis fan like me, but Pujols is just a great baseball player. His knowledge of the game is incredible. For the last few years, it seems like the Cardinals surprise everybody with how well they perform with limited talent. Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan get a lot of credit, but Pujols has to be like another coach for them. I don't know how widely circulated this knowledge is, but Pujols specifically moved Yadier Molina's locker next to his so he could mentor him. That's just awesome.

8:42

We're 42 minutes in and only through two batters (Cruz and Prince Fielder) in the first round. According to my cable box, this event is only scheduled for two hours. I'd say the chances of fitting this in are akin to the chances of fitting an NFL lineman in a ride at Disney World.

8:47

Brandon Inge is at 0 HRs and 9 outs. Maybe I should have reserved my Nelson Cruz hatred for him.

He ends with 0, and Austin revokes his Gatorade privileges. (At the end of each batter's turn, some child – I don't care which one – brings the batter a bottle of Gatorade.)

8:49

ESPN is airing more coverage of Cardinals' history. It's making it really hard for me to focus on this blog. This must be what it's like to have to work during March Madness. No wonder there's such losses in productivity then.

8:51

Joe Buck is at the table now. The first questions were about his dad (Jack), but Joe ended those talks quickly. It went a little something like this: "My dad was one of the great guys of the game. He was always around the batting cages and always stuck his hand out to introduce himself to anybody that came up, kind of like this guy, Adrian Gonzalez, who is the best hitter that nobody's ever heard of..." Two things: (1) ESPN's first round coverage has very little to do with the actual first round, considering a guest announcer had to remind them of who was at bat. (2) Joe Buck doesn't seem all that interested in boasting about his dad. They ended the interview with a photo of Joe and Jack, and Joe said, "Please take that photo off the screen." He said it in the interest of self-derision, but it seems like he'd be more excited about remembering his dad's career. Maybe he's just being modest. I don't know.

8:56

Meanwhile, Gonzalez finished with only two HRs, and the first two double-digiters are looking pretty solid, which is what I was expecting before the night started with two of those in a row.

8:58

I just noticed that all of the All-Stars are wearing hats that say either "A" or "N." I'm a fan of the jerseys, but not the hats. I think they wear BP jerseys during this event, so I'm guessing each player will wear his own team hat tomorrow night.

9:03

ESPN has a new feature called "Ball Track." (I just use Austin. Hey-oh.) Boomer keeps saying that it uses "Super Doppler." I can't tell if that's a serious thing, or if he's just taking a bad joke too far like he usually does.

9:07

So far this event has been less than spectacular. Maybe Josh Hamilton spoiled us last year. ESPN's coverage could be better. My favorite part so far has been the little kids on the field, both shagging flies in the outfield and the players' kids around home plate. The kids in the outfield are just making asses of themselves, sliding for balls specifically to steal the catch from other kids and such. The kids around home plate are just cool.

9:09

Bryan just got home from class, and Austin validated my last comment: the Derby has pretty much sucked. ESPN has been advertising this as the most exciting night in baseball. Firstly, I'd disagree with that anyhow, but if it's true, then baseball is in trouble.

9:11

ROY candidate Colby Rasmus was just in a Gatorade commercial (which I can't find online) about walk-off HRs being "G."

9:17

We've relegated the HR Derby to the bottom screen, and we're going to watch the last few episodes of season one Californication, so I'm going to end this blog for now.

QotD:

Do you care about the MLB HR Derby?

My take: Last night's got a little more interesting after I quit this blog, so I feel bad about that. There was a "swing off" between Pujols, Mauer, and Carlos Pena, the final round was pretty close, and Prince Fielder hit a 503' shot. I'm not close to as interested as I used to be, though.

The winning pitch

No blog Wednesday because I was on the beach. So sorry.

I'm writing this blog while watching Cubs/Cards on WGN. This isn't going to be a live/real-time blog, but I might make reference to the game, so I thought I'd give you a heads up. It's a four-game weekend series, so I'm pretty stoked.

This week was full of sporting news, but I was most interested in the Roy Halladay trade talks because (a) he's on my fantasy team and (b) I don't think this trade's a possibility. I'm going to go through each league and explain why.

AL East

(Albert Pujols is such a good base runner. He just tagged from first on a pop fly to right because he knew that the Cubs' right fielder was going to throw home to try to get Schumaker.)

Usually the Yankees and the Red Sox would be the first teams to look to in a situation like this, but there's no way the Jays trade Halladay within the division. That'd be like the Packers giving the Vikings Brett Favre's phone number. While I'm here, I'm surprised that Halladay is on the block at all. Toronto has had a surprisingly good season; I can name twice as many of their players this year than I could last season because a lot of their players are having career years. Two problems: they play in the American League East, and they play in America North.

AL Central

We've already determined that the Indians are dealing, not improving. So, pending a three- or four-team deal involving a mid-1990s UNC men's basketball player and multiple draft picks, Cleveland won't be involved. KC won't do anything because, let's face it, two great players at a time is way too many for the Royals. The other Central teams – Minnesota, Chicago, and Detroit – are all in play. It's hard to believe that anybody in Detroit is spending money right now, and I have to assume that Toronto would only trade to save money. (Halladay's making $14.25 million this season.) The White Sox could use some pitching help, but I'd guess they wait out this Bartolo Colon thing first. As for Minnesota, trading for a big-time player like this just isn't their style. They're like the China of the MLB: they don't really accept outsiders, they have a lot of home-grown talent, and they only let that talent out when it's beneficial to the entire organization.

AL West

Oakland is 11.5 games out. Seattle is in the running, but they have a pretty good staff with King Felix and Eric Bedard (fresh off the DL). LAA could be a serious contender, considering they don't seem afraid to spend money and Jered Weaver leads their pitching staff in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. That'd be like upgrading your Bat Signal from Robin to Batman, so I could see that happening if the Angels are willing to give up the prospects. Texas, as usual, could improve their pitching staff, but I don't think the Rangers cared about starting pitching since Nolan Ryan left. If they can lead their division with Kevin Millwood, Vincenta Padilla, and three guys I've never heard of, then I don't think they need to add pitching.

NL East

The NL East is by far the worst division in MLB, thanks in part to the 25-59 Washington Natinals, er... Nationals. The only teams to consider are the Marlins and the popular choice for Halladay's landing spot, Philadelphia. (Pujols has a triple and a home run. The cycle is only downhill from there.) The Marlins problem – other than their history of dealing rather than picking up star players – is that their best prospects are already on their team. I don't think the Marlins would necessarily want to trade away players on their major league roster. As for the Phillies, we'll have to see what they decide about Pedro Martinez, who they watched pitch again today. Considering they're in the NL East, the addition of Pedro, along with the eventual return of Brett Myers, should be enough for them to contend in and/or destroy their division.

NL Central

Every team in the NL Central should be interested in Halladay, except for the Pirates. Considering the Cubs are on the block themselves, I doubt they make any major moves before the deadline. Milwaukee is another possibility considering Ryan Braun just called out their pitching staff and management, but I don't know what they could offer, since their best prospects are batters, and Toronto probably wants some pitching in return. I don't see the Reds spending the money. I go to Matthew for my Astros news, so I'll let him explain why that won't happen, but I'm guessing it won't. As for the Cards, they've made their move, and they tend to go after low-end pitchers, letting Dave Duncan turn yesterday's hamburgers into today's sloppy joes. On the plus side for St. Louis, Halladay has already proven he can grow a mustache.

NL West

Arizona and San Diego are out. The Rockies don't really need pitchers, since they can just put balls in humidors, instead. The Giants have already hit the league maximum for former Cy Young winners on one team, so Bud Selig would have to veto any trade that sent Halladay there. The Dodgers don't really have to do anything. They could use a starting pitcher, but it's probably not worth it to them since they really just have to stay the course.

Bottom line: I don't see Halladay moving anywhere. Besides, he's only 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in his three starts since coming off the DL. Who would want that?

QotD:

Another old-school Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game is coming to Xbox Live Arcade in about two weeks, presumably with full online four-player co-op. Will you play it with me?

My take: I can't. I am me.

Collecting stars like Mario

I've been struggling today to come up with a blog topic, but I've finally decided to do what should be a quick write-up about the MLB All-Star rosters, particularly how the rosters relate to our fantasy league. This will probably be a boring blog for anybody who isn't in our fantasy league, but I feel like about half of my few readers are, so I'm playing the odds.

By the way, I'm typing this blog on our TV, for some reason. I'm also going to try to incorporate a table into this blog, so that could be awesome or disastrous.

One other note before I get to the rosters: I wrote a piece about some Fallout 3 DLC for the Star-News blog. You could read it, if you like.

NL Roster

Starters

Position	Player	Fantasy Team	Fantasy Points	Notes
C	Yadier Molina	Free Agent	281	Yadier was probably voted on more for his defense than his offense, which limits his fantasy league value. Despite that, he's one of the more consistent offensive Cardinals this year.
1B	Albert Pujols	What?What? In the butt....	All of them...	It's pronounced POO-holes. Pujols already cleared 1,000 F-points (1083), and is more than 300 points ahead of the next guy (Justin Morneau).
2B	Chase Utley	Team Huffman	596	Utley is only behind the AL starting 2B in F-points. Solid choice
3B	David Wright	Team Manley	419	Wright is batting .326 (9th in the NL) and has 20 SBs. Those are probably All-Star numbers, but they don't help all that much in our power-driven league.
SS	Hanley Ramirez	Port City Randy Johnson's	722	Hanley is quietly putting together a solid fantasy season and is currently 3rd in our league in F-points.
OF	Ryan Braun	BS's THE BENIS	643	Bryan could not be more pissed about having Braun on his team. He's very tradeable. Also, there's a pitcher named Ryan Braun on KC. I learn all sorts of weird stuff while writing these blogs.
OF	Raul Ibanez	Port City Randy Johnson's	628	Ibanez hasn't played since June 17th, so this is a bit of a surprise, but at least it's not Manny.
OF	Carlos Beltran	What?What? In the butt....	481	Hasn't played since June 21st. See last note.

Pitchers

Position	Player	Fantasy Team	Fantasy Points	Notes
CL	Heath Bell	Sherwood Forest Sherricks	308	The first of my three closers going to the game (thanks to the somewhat arbitrary ordering of this list). 1st place in the NL with 23 saves (on a 35-46 team – that's almost 66% of their wins).
SP	Chad Billingsley	BS's THE BENIS	400	A bit of a surprise as the 7th best SP in our league. Somehow Bryan really lucked into some great SPs.
CL	Jonathan Broxton	Saratoga Redsox	398	The highest rated RP in our league. Gave up 4 runs last night, earning his second blown save of the year.
SP	Matt Cain	Sherwood Forest Sherricks	351	Cain is facing Josh Johnson tonight in a clash of two All-Stars. It's even more interesting because Bryan owns Johnson, and we're facing each other this week.
CL	Francisco Cordero	Dallas RoughRiders	214	Spider-Man: "Everybody gets one." The Reds might have sent my 1B Joey Votto instead if he hadn't missed time with anxiety issues.
CL	Ryan Franklin	What?What? In the butt....	245	I'm surprised a Cardinals closer is in this spot considering the job was up for grabs at the start of the season.
SP	Dan Haren	BS's THE BENIS	472	Should have been the second best Arizona pitcher. Damned Brandon Webb injury. And yes, I'm bitter.
SP	Josh Johnson	BS's THE BENIS	381	Again, Bryan's pitching staff is unreasonably good. He has 4 of the top ten SP in our league. Number 10 is Javier Vazquez, who wasn't selected to the All-Stars.
SP	Ted Lilly	Dallas RoughRiders	303	Spider-Man: "Tell 'em Peter." Peter Griffin: "Apparently everybody gets one." Lilly is 8-6 with a 3.32 ERA. Not spectacular.
SP	Tim Lincecum	Team Huffman	629	Has the haircut of a 15-year-old. Pretty much the Albert Pujols of pitching.
SP	Jason Marquis	Sherwood Forest Sherricks	236	I picked Marquis up today after learning he's an All-Star and that he's starting tonight.
CL	Francisco Rodriguez	Team Manley	254	He's the second guy on this list named Francisco. He should lose points for that.
SP	Johan Santana	Dallas RoughRiders	351	Santana was the first pitcher taken in our draft and the only one selected in the first round, but he's only ranked as the 14th best SP.

Reserves

Position	Player	Fantasy Team	Fantasy Points	Notes
C	Brian McCann	Saratoga Redsox	322	McCann is behind 9 other catchers in our league, including three that are currently free agents.
1B	Prince Fielder	Port City Randy Johnson's	715	Three of the top four players in our league are first basemen.
1B	Adrian Gonzalez	Port City Randy Johnson's	513	Jon hasn't had Randy Johnson on his team since May 1.
1B	Ryan Howard	BS's THE BENIS	640	Howard hasn't hit a home run since June 20th against Baltimore.
2B	Orlando Hudson	Saratoga Redsox	507	Hudson is 1 for his last 28 ABs and is worth a whopping -17 during that stretch (since June 26).
2B	Freddy Sanchez	BS's THE BENIS	418	The Pirates are one of the worst franchises in professional sports. Remember when their best player was Kris Benson?
SS	Miguel Tejada	Saratoga Redsox	469	Possibly one of the most dishonest players in MLB.
3B	Ryan Zimmerman	BS's THE BENIS	390	Most of his points came during the early days of the season. He's hit 2 HRs since May 23rd.
OF	Brad Hawpe	Saratoga Redsox	539	Prevented Jason Marquis from being an "everybody gets one" All-Star. Sixth in the NL with a .327 batting average.
OF	Hunter Pence	Dallas RoughRiders	422	The only player from "The Trade" to make the All-Star team – thanks to Evan Longoria beating out A-Rod for the AL starting 3B spot.
OF	Justin Upton	What?What? In the butt....	496	Outscoring brother B.J. by 101 points on the season. I drafted Justin but decided to drop him early in the season. Now I have B.J. who has outscored Justin by 99 points in the last 15 days, which is about how long I've had him on my team.

AL Roster

Starters

Position	Player	Fantasy Team	Fantasy Points	Notes
C	Joe Mauer	Dallas RoughRiders	517	Currently trails reserve catcher Victor Martinez by 18 F-points, but he missed all of April and is batting .389 thus far.
1B	Mark Teixeira	Dallas RoughRiders	621	Has one of the hardest names to spell in professional sports.
2B	Dustin Pedroia	Team Manley	440	D-Pads is the second highest rated 2B on Holly's team, behind new St. Louis Cardinal and sometimes second baseman Mark DeRosa. Top-rated second baseman Ian Kinsler is in the Final Vote.
3B	Evan Longoria	Saratoga Redsox	535	Top-rated third baseman. Follow-up from last note: DeRosa is the third rated 3B, sixth rated 2B, and 25th rated OF.
SS	Derek Jeter	Team Huffman	441	Follow-up from last two notes: Ben Zobrist (who I'll get to later) is the second rated SS, third rated 2B, and tenth rated OF. Jeter is 4th amongst SS, but he is a Yankee, which really helps in All-Star voting.
OF	Jason Bay	Dallas RoughRiders	606	Matthew, a.k.a. Dallas RoughRiders, is 2-11 on the season despite having at least a third of the AL's starting lineup (pending the announcement of the starting pitcher).
OF	Ichiro Suzuki	Team Huffman	497	Leads the AL in batting average at .362. Surprisingly only trails Jeter in All-Star appearances by one, despite having played six fewer years.
OF	Josh Hamilton	Team Manley	218	Another questionable selection. Fewest F-points for All-Star position player and starter on the year. Only played in 35 games so far; last appearance was in May.

Pitchers

Position	Player	Fantasy Team	Fantasy Points	Notes
CL	Andrew Bailey	Port City Randy Johnson's	223	I had to look at Oakland's depth chart to figure out what position he plays. Possibly the least relevant All-Star.
SP	Josh Beckett	Saratoga Redsox	392	The only Boston Red Sox player on the Saratoga Redsox.
SP	Mark Buehrle	Dallas RoughRiders	232	Suspected Sammy Sosa of steroid abuse.
SP	Zack Greinke	Port City Randy Johnson's	607	Surprise of the season. ERA is right at 2.00 right now.
CL	Brian Fuentes	BS's THE BENIS	227	Bryan's best relief pitcher this year. I'm running out of things to say.
SP	Roy Halladay	Sherwood Forest Sherricks	461	Fourth ranked SP despite missing about two weeks of the season. Was evidently best Pujols trade bait of the year. (Jackling will have to verify that.)
SP	Felix Hernandez	What?What? In the butt....	422	The only Hernandez on a fantasy team in our league.
SP	Edwin Jackson	Port City Randy Johnson's	326	Only 6-4, but has a 2.59 ERA and 93 Ks in 114.2 IP.
CL	Joe Nathan	What?What? In the butt....	282	Second RP drafted (in the sixth round). Ranked 3rd for RPs.
CL	Jonathan Papelbon	Sherwood Forest Sherricks	227	First RP drafted (also in the sixth round). Ranked 11th for RPs.
CL	Mariano Rivera	Sherwood Forest Sherricks	259	I own four of the top 11 RPs in our league, three of which are going to this game. David Aardsma is ranked fourth, but isn't an All-Star.
SP	Justin Verlander	Saratoga Redsox	427	Tied for most earned runs (43) among top ten pitchers with Josh Beckett, also on the Saratoga Redsox.
SP	Tim Wakefield	Free Agent	225	Oldest player ever to make first All-Star team.

Reserves

Position	Player	Fantasy Team	Fantasy Points	Notes
C	Victor Martinez	BS's THE BENIS	535	Only 4 for 47 since June 20.
1B	Justin Morneau	BS's THE BENIS	749	Second best player in our league. Should probably be starting over Teixeira.
1B	Kevin Youkilis	What?What? In the butt....	434	Ranked 18th amongst first basemen behind Final Vote candidate and potential snub Carlos Pena.
2B	Aaron Hill	Port City Randy Johnson's	522	Not surprisingly Jon leads our league in players who play in Canada (2). He's tied with Bryan.
SS	Jason Bartlett	BS's THE BENIS	419	One of two Tampa Bay SSs on the All-Star team, along with Ben Zobrist.
3B	Michael Young	Team Manley	403	Teammate of Final Vote candidate and potential snub Ian Kinsler.
OF	Carl Crawford	Team Huffman	551	Leads MLB with 41 stolen bases, which are worth a paltry two points in our league.
OF	Curtis Granderson	Port City Randy Johnson's	463	Lead-off hitter with 18 HRs on the season.
OF	Torii Hunter	Team Manley	587	Leading Holly's team in F-points.
OF	Adam Jones	Dallas RoughRiders	481	Clearly robbing my boy Matt Wieters of his first career All-Star appearance, just kidding.
OF/IF	Ben Zobrist	Sherwood Forest Sherricks	563	Leading my team in F-points. Probably my new favorite player. Didn't have a starting job at the beginning of the season.

Here's the final tally (which could have been easier to determine if I'd built these tables in Excel instead of in Word):

Dallas RoughRiders: 9 All-Stars (3 starters)

BS's THE BENIS: 11 All-Stars (1 starter)

Team Huffman: 5 All-Stars (3 starters)

Team Manley: 6 All-Stars (3 starters)

What?What? In the butt....: 7 All-Stars (2 starters)

Sherwood Forest Sherricks: 7 All-Stars (0 starters)

Port City Randy Johnson's: 9 All-Stars (2 starters)

Saratoga Redsox: 8 All-Stars (1 starter)

Free Agents: 2 All-Stars (1 starter)

QotD:

AL Final Vote:

1. Chone Figgins, LAA, Team Huffman, 421 F-points
   
2. Brandon Inge, Detroit, What?What? In the butt...., 476 F-points
   
3. Ian Kinsler, Texas, Dallas RoughRiders, 657 F-points
   
4. Adam Lind, Toronto, BS's THE BENIS, 572 F-points
   
5. Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay, Team Manley, 539 F-points
   

NL Final Vote:

1. Christian Guzman, Washington, Free Agent, 248 F-points
   
2. Matt Kemp, LA Dodgers, Team Huffman, 528 F-points
   
3. Mark Reynolds, Arizona, Saratoga Redsox, 470 F-points
   
4. Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco, Port City Randy Johnson's, 502 F-points
   
5. Shane Victorino, Philadelphia, Team Huffman, 524 F-points
   

My take: Ian Kinsler and Pablo Sandoval.