Countdown to the non-waiver trade deadline....

Tick-tok, tick-tok. The non-waiver trade deadline for major league franchises is 4pm EDT on Saturday July 31, 2010. So far, no real big names have switched teams except for Cliff Lee. Lee is on his fourth team in less than two seasons. The pitcher started the 2009 season with the Cleveland Indians as the ace of their staff. At the deadline last year, the tribe dealt Lee to the Phillies. The Phillies ended up in the World Series. But once the '09 season was complete, Cliff Lee was on the move again, this time to the pacific northwest and the Seattle Mariners. But just two weeks ago, the Mariners sent Lee to their division rival, the Texas Rangers. Has the trade deadline gotten pathetic??? I think so.

Teams are either buyers or sellers. Most teams who are not in the running for the playoffs this season or are not the top spending teams in the league are sellers. There are only a few teams that are buyers. What is the point in being a fan of a team or a player if they are going to bounce around the league year after year. Typically, this means that they are pretty good. Just like in Cliff Lee's case, he is too expensive for one team to hold onto him for a long period of time. Hence the reason for the Indians to deal Lee a season ago. Realistically, only the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets and Angels have the long term money to keep a player like Lee. Expect Cliff to be moving again this off season.

One of the league's busiest player depot is my beloved Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates have been the team to call on if you are looking for a good, young, cheap up-in-coming player. Since 1994, the Pirates have traded multiple starters and even fan favorites every trade deadline. Will the same occur this season? Maybe not! The Pittsburgh organization have stated that years of trading their best talent year after year is over. To date, management has been true to their word. However, there is still 3 more days and even another month if the player could clear waivers. Only time will tell.

The trade deadline helps good teams and hurts teams that are hurting. Fans of smaller market teams can never get attached to a good player because inevitably that player will not end their career with that team. Cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Kansas City has seen players leaving frequently via trade with little or no immediate return. The current pirate roster has only 7 of the 25 active players that the team drafted. The others have been acquired through trading a veteran. However, finally these players have come up to the big club and are contributing. Fans in Pittsburgh are becoming attached to names like McCutchen, Jones, Church, Tabata, Alvarez, Walker, Duke, Morton and Doumit. Out of those names mentioned, 5 of them were drafted or signed as a non-drafted free agent. Maybe finally, the Pirates and its fans have a team that will remain together for years to come. Just like those division winning days of the early 90's and potentially end the longest ever under .500 losing streak in major league baseball.

The clock is ticking........

The NL Wins!!!!

Finally after years of losing, the National League defeats the American League in the 2010 MLB All-Star Game. Well, it is about time! The National League is often referred to as the "senior circuit" not because the players are older and beyond their prime but because the league was founded and established years before the more "junior" American League.

It is great to see that pure baseball is back on top. The NL beat the AL at their own game, with the DH (Designated Hitter) in play. The DH is what separates the AL, who uses it, and the NL who doesn't. The NL is the pure form of baseball. It is exactly how the game was played over a century ago with all players on the field in the batting lineup. The NL uses more strategy to win ball games. Bunting, hit and runs, situational hitting and stolen bases are more common in the NL while the AL plays for the big hit and homerun to win games.

Now that the NL has home field advantage, maybe my beloved Pirates have a chance at opening the 2010 World Series at the best ballpark in baseball, PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA. Ok, enough day dreaming, the Pirates have had the lowest payroll in baseball for years and haven't seen the playoffs since 1992. The Pirates 2010 payroll is $34,943,000.00 and the highest payroll (New York Yankees), an AL team, is $206,333,389.00 with the difference of $171,390,389.00 which is higher than the second highest payroll (Boston Red Sox), another AL team, by almost $9,000,000.00. It is very clear to see why the AL has dominated the All-Star Game and interleague play for years as the top teams in the AL have All-Star line-ups. However, now that pure baseball is back on top, maybe there is a chance for the teams who play the game the way it was intended to be played.

Beware baseball, the Pirates are coming.