Two More Names Revealed on Steroid List

Major League Baseball should approach FOX and start a new reality series based on all the failed steroids tests. After all, there is a new episode almost every week now.

Reportedly the two newest names on the list are David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Manny was no surprise, but David Ortiz?

This is a guy that stated in an interview back in February that any guy caught doing steroids should be banned for a year. You still agree with yourself David?

What horrible thing to hear about if you're a Red Sox fan. The curse was broken in 2004, and both Manny and Ortiz are accused of failing tests in 2003. This definitely taints the 2004 World Series championship considering these two guys were vital pieces in the 2004 team.

You have to wonder how bad this will affect not only Ortiz for the rest of the season, but for the Red Sox as a whole.

It apparently didn't affect them last night as they defeated the A's, and Ortiz hit the game winning home run.

As bad as this looks for the Red Sox, teams like the Yankees have no room to talk. During that same time they had Jason Giambi and now they have A-Rod.

When the remainder of the list is finally released, every team will be affected by at least one steroid user, so don't come down hard on the Red Sox. The curse is still broken and the poor Cubbies still stand alone as the cursed.

MLB Trade Deadline Overview

In just two days this whole mess dealing with the trade deadline will be sorted out. No one could probably need it to get here more than Roy Halladay.

Halladay started what might be his last game for the Blue Jays on Wednesday night and ended up taking only his fourth loss of the season.

Even though Halladay still hasn't been dealt yet, there's still plenty of players who will be suiting up in new uniforms.

Cliff Lee to Phillies

Initially the Phillies were looking to acquire Halladay but obviously a deal could never be worked. Instead they settled for last year's AL Cy Young winner in Cliff Lee (7-9, 3.14 ERA). The Phillies look like the second best team in the NL after this acquisition. They were in desperate need of an ace since Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton have had consistency problems. As crazy as this may seem, there's still a small chance that the Phillies could end up with Halladay and really make themselves the team to beat.

Freddy Sanchez to Giants

This is a great pick up for the Giants who obviously needed to add a good hitter to the lineup that ranks 27th in runs scored in the MLB. Freddy Sanchez is hitting .296 on the season and has a career batting average of .300. It didn't take much to improve this lackluster hitting lineup, but Sanchez definitely did the job and will help the Giants make a push for that NL wildcard.

Matt Holliday to Cardinals

This deal is kind of old news now but it couldn't be left out. Matt Holliday makes the Cardinals a great pick to make a run at the NL championship. Holliday provides some protection for Albert Pujols in the lineup and really makes this lineup pretty good with the bat. The pitching has also looked solid as of late.

Jack Wilson to Mariners

The Pirates definitely look to be scrapping this whole season and looking ahead to the future after they dealt not only Freddy Sanchez, but now Jack Wilson. Wilson's numbers may not be lights out (.267, 31 RBI) but he will provide a lot of veteran leadership for this ball club. The Mariners are a good sleeper pick at pulling out the AL wild card as they're only 6 1/2 games back of the Red Sox coming into tonight. It's not a huge splash for the M's, but it can't hurt them.

Dasher the New Leader for the Blue Raiders

Just two seasons ago, Dwight Dasher stepped in after an injury to Joe Craddock and led the Blue Raiders to four big wins as a true-freshman. Dasher looked like the future of Blue Raider football.

As a true-freshman, Dasher threw for over 1,000 yards, threw nine touchdown passes, and had a quarterback rating of 131.

However, last season was a huge setback for Dasher as he struggled to only complete 17 passes and lost the starting job to Craddock.

Now Craddock has graduated, and Middle Tennessee is once again looking to Dasher to lead them back into the national spotlight. He won't have to wait long to get his opportunity as the opener is against Clemson.

Coach Rick Stockstill said recently at the Sun Belt Conference Media Days that Dasher has changed a lot from last season and that he has all the tools to be a good quarterback.

Even though the overall success of a team never completely rests on one player, Dasher will still play a vital role in whether the Blue Raiders can bounce back from a disappointing 5-7 season.

What makes Dasher so dynamic is his strong arm and his ability to flush the pocket and pick up crucial yards with his feet. He did that plenty of times during his freshman season as he rushed for 530 yards.

Things for Dasher may be a little easier than last season since almost every starting receiver from last season is back again this season.

Guys like Patrick Honeycutt, Malcolm Beyah, and Sancho McDonal all had solid numbers last season.

The top three receivers all had at least 200 yards receiving last season, so there will be plenty of help out there for Dasher.

All the pieces seem to be laid out for Dasher to take over as the catalyst for Blue Raider football, and now he just has to put those pieces together.

MLB Power Rankings: Week 15

1. Yankees (61-38): My preseason pick to win the World Series finally claims the top spot in the rankings, and it only took 99 games to get there. Nonetheless, the Bronx bombers have picked the perfect time to get hot. Last week: 3

2. Dodgers (62-37): The Dodgers are still the team to beat in the National League, but with the Cardinals acquiring Matt Holliday earlier this week, things aren't so certain now. However, this lineup is still good from top to bottom. Last week: 2


3. Red Sox (58-40): The tables have turned somewhat since the last time they played the Yankees, and they better keep their fingers crossed that they can continue to dominate the series, otherwise a wild card will be the best these guys can hope for. Last week: 1



4. Phillies (57-40): The Phillies need Roy Halladay otherwise they're just a first-round exit waiting to happen. Teams with good starting rotations win games in the playoffs, and the Phillies are average at best. Joe Blanton has gotten a lot better as he hasn't recorded a loss since June 24. Last week: NR


5. Cardinals (54-38): A big win against the Dodgers tonight and a huge acquisition of Matt Holliday has me thinking the Cards are now the second best team in the NL. Finally some protection in the lineup for Albert Pujols. Last week: NR



Almost In

Rangers (55-42): The Rangers are a solid team. Unfortunately they play in the AL, which will at least have two or three good teams miss the playoffs.

Angels (58-39): The record looks great, but there are a couple of things that's keeping them out of the Top 5. One, they can't seem to beat the Rangers this season, and two, their starting pitching is horrible. Even if they win the AL West, which is possible, they won't go anywhere in the playoffs until the pitching is figured out.

Dropped from the rankings: Giants (52-46), Angels (58-39)

Phillies Desperately Need Halladay

Even though the Phillies were recently on a 10-game winning streak, they still haven't looked like likely contenders to make another trip to the World Series.

They are currently the top prospects in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, and they could really use him.

The trade deadline is July 31, so there is still plenty of time for this deal to go through. Many sources have already said that Halladay will no longer be a Blue Jay after this week.

As likely as it seems that Halladay is leaving Toronto, a deal just can't seem to be agreed upon with the Phillies. The latest offer from the Phillies has been declined by Toront according to sources from both teams.

By signing Roy Halladay, the Phillies would be right up there with the Dodgers as the top dogs in the National League.

The lack of consistency within the starting rotation is one major reason the Phillies have been so streaky this season. Even after the 10-game winning streak, both the Braves and the Marlins are within five games.

There are still some other possible places Halladay could go, including the Dodgers. If Halladay goes to the Dodgers then I say we just go ahead and crown the Dodgers champions now.

However, it's still not set in stone that the Blue Jays will see an offer that they like and send Halladay packing.

The Phillies have to do everything they can to get Halladay and keep pace with the Dodgers.

Hey Favre, It's Really Getting Old

When Brett Favre came back to the NFL and played for the Jets, I couldn't blame him that much.

It's understandable for a player to second guess his retirement, and get that desire to put back on the uniform and go do battle on Sundays. However, this whole saga with Brett Favre being "conflicted" about whether to come back or not is so beyond ridiculous that I've lost a ton of respect for him.

It wasn't enough that Favre held the Packers organization hostage two years ago, but now he's doing it again to ironically the Vikings.

Vikings training camp is just a week away and Favre still hasn't confirmed whether he wants to come back or not. He's basically blackballing the Vikings organization because he knows they desperately need a quarterback and that they'll wait for him even if it's a day before the first game.

Can you imagine how the other quarterbacks must feel, especially Tavaris Jackson who will likely be the starter if Favre doesn't come back.

If Favre does come back, Jackson and the other quarterbacks can kiss a competition for starter goodbye, because Favre will be the starter.

Many of the Vikings players have even told ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols that they want Favre to return, but that they should have had an answer by now and they're ready to move forward.

I hate to break it to you, Brett, but the NFL doesn't revolve around you and neither should the Vikings. You're past your prime and you're no longer even a top five quarterback. You need to bow out gracefully, if that's even salvageable at this point.

Buehrle Joins Elite Club Among Pitchers

Mark Buehrle did what the Giants' Jonathan Sanchez couldn't do less than two weeks ago. That was pitch only the 18th perfect game in baseball history.

What makes this achievement even more significant than it already is is that he pitched a perfect game against the Rays, which are statistically one of the better hitting teams in the majors.

There's another thing that makes this game eerily similar to Sanchez's no-hitter, and should've been perfect game, just two weeks ago.

It took another breathtaking catch in the ninth inning to save the perfect game, just like Aaron Rowand had to do to save Sanchez's no-hitter. This time the hero in the outfield was Dewayne Wise, a defensive replacement.

Wise's catch was a little bit more impressive than Rowand's catch as he stretched his glove over the fence to pull back in a home run.

This is what makes baseball America's pastime. Because of jaw dropping stuff like that, to say the least.

As rich and fertile as baseball history is, there were only 17 perfect games coming into this game, and two almost occurred in as many weeks. Sorry Juan Uribe, but you blew that for us!