Jets Name Sanchez Starter

The New York Jets have named Mark Sanchez their starting quarterback. Sanchez, who was drafted fifth overall in this year's NFL Draft, was competing with Kellen Clemens for the starting quarterback job. Clemens has battled before to become the starting quarterback and hasn't been successful. Chad Pennington was able to be the starting quarterback over him after the Jets drafted him in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Clemens also lost out last season when the Jets traded for Brett Favre. Sanchez will start the next two preseason games and start the opener against the Houston Texans on September 13th.

This has to be heartbreaking for Clemens, but I completely agree with the decision of Rex Ryan. In their last preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sanchez struggled against the Ravens astounding starting defense but he showed flashes of brilliance and was able to bounce back from a couple of bad passes. Clemens wasn't so good and he wasn't playing good competition, playing against the bench players. Clemens now has to wait to see if Sanchez struggles and he might possibly get his chance then.

Rangers Win Wild One

The Texas Rangers beat the New York Yankees 10-9 in a wild one in which the Rangers almost lost a five-run lead in the ninth inning. The Rangers went into the ninth inning up 10-5 when the Yankees began to chip away. Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada hit RBI singles that brought the Yankees within 10-7. Robinson Cano hit a single that drove in two runs that made it 10-9. All of this happened with no outs but the Rangers proceeded to get the three outs necessary to close the game out.

These two teams are certainly contenders. The Yankees own the best record in baseball and the Rangers are one and a half game behind the Boston Red Sox for the wild card. These two teams could end up meeting in the playoffs if the Rangers happen to win the wild card and the Yankees stay atop the American League and their division. Joba Chamberlain pitched for the Yankees and he struggled at home. Oddly enough, Chamberlain has been very strong on the road and hasn't been effective at home. This is an important win for the Rangers because they need to keep winning games to make the playoffs.

Burress To Do 2 Years In Prison

Plaxico Burress, former wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants, will be doing 20 months in prison for pleading guilty to a lesser charge in a plea deal. Burress pleaded guilty of attempted criminal possession of a weapon. If Burress had not accepted the plea deal and taken the case to a grand jury, he could've done at least three and a half years if found guilty by the grand jury. Burress instead decided to take a lighter punishment, even though his lawyer Benjamin Brafman said that is still a severe punishment for the crime. Burress will be sentenced next month and will most likely begin his sentence immediately.

Upon learning of Burress' guilty plea and prison sentence, I was saddened by it. This wasn't something that should've been handled this way. New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg made matters worse by publicly stating that Burress would be prosecuted to the fullest extent. His public reaction was made to ensure the people that he is the best mayor for the city in an election year. That ended up hurting Burress. Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau didn't help either by publicly stating that the grand jury will convict him. It was almost as this whole thing was fixed and the grand jury were instructed to indict him.

At the end of it all, Burress was done wrong by the city but there's nothing he can do now. He has to serve the time and hopes he can get back in the NFL when he's released from prison. He'll be 34 at that point, so there will be doubt as to whether he can still play. I believe he still would be able to play at a competitive level. Also, Burress won't face any further punishment from the NFL, which helps him a lot in finding a team quickly after he's released. I'm glad Roger Goodell came to his senses a little bit and decided Burress didn't need any more punishment.

Lee Strikes Out 11 In Win

Cliff Lee of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched an impressive game at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks, striking out 11 batters and only giving up two hits in a complete game. Of the 11 strikeouts recorded by Lee, four of them came against Mark Reynolds, who's among the NL leaders with 38 home runs and 83 RBIs. Lee is now 4-0 in his first four starts with the Phillies with a 0.82 ERA. This is similar to last season, when C.C. Sabathia was traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Milwaukee Brewers. He went 4-0 in his first four starts as well. Lee was traded by the Indians to the Phillies just before the trading deadline.

Lee is certainly proving that he belongs on a contending team. When the Indians were in the ALCS in 2007 against the Boston Red Sox, Lee wasn't among the starting pitchers who were successful in their run. He had a monstrous year last season en route to a Cy Young award. I believe the Phillies are ready to contend with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals to repeat as NL champions and World Series champions. They have a front line starter who can win ball games in the playoffs, and the Phillies lacked that before they got Lee this season.

I still don't believe the Phillies have enough for the Cardinals or Dodgers. The Cardinals have probably the two best pitchers in the NL in Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. The addition of Matt Holliday has certainly helped, as he has been playing well alongside Albert Pujols. The Dodgers have fallen as of late, but they have a good front line starter in Chad Billingsley themselves. They also have a good hitting lineup, just like the Phillies even though the Phillies lineup is better. The Dodgers got perhaps the best hitter in the game in Manny Ramirez, however, so it's going to be real interesting come playoff time.

Favre Un-Retires Again

Brett Favre flew to Minnesota on Tuesday morning and was taken to the facilities of the Minnesota Vikings, where the paperwork was completed and Favre signed a two-year deal worth $25 million. Just like that, Favre comes out of retirement again. According to ESPN sources, Favre will be immediately inserted as the starter in their preseason game Friday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Quarterbacks Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson, who were in a quarterback competition, are now backups. Favre will also play his former team, the Green Bay Packers, on October 5th in Minnesota and November 1st in Green Bay.

This has gotten to an extremely annoying point now. Favre has clearly done this, knowing all along that he wanted to play for the Vikings this upcoming season. Favre did not want to go through a whole training camp. Training camp is over at the end of the month, and we're passed the halfway point of the month, so all Favre has to do is get in games and play, which is unfair to all the players who are putting in the work in training camp. Favre thinks he's above everyone in the NFL, and the Vikings are dumb to want him because he doesn't necessarily care about the players.

This is very unfair to Rosenfels and Jackson. They came into training camp thinking they were going to battle for the starting quarterback job. All of a sudden, it isn't a competition anymore. A man who may not be better than the both of them doesn't even have to work hard to get the spot. Favre automatically gets the spot. Also, how does this make the Vikings any better with him as their quarterback? Rosenfels did a decent job as the Houston Texans quarterback last season and Favre tanked the final couple of games to cost the New York Jets a playoff spot. I truly believe Rosenfels is a better quarterback than Favre at this point and he should be the starter.

Strasburg Agrees To Deal Before Deadline

Stephen Strasburg, who was the #1 pick in the 2009 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals, has finally signed with the Nationals shortly before the midnight deadline. Strasburg agreed to a four year deal worth $15.1 million. Strasburg has now received the highest MLB contract after being drafted. In 2001, Mark Prior got $10.5 million from the Chicago Cubs after they drafted him. The deadline for Strasburg and the Nationals to complete the deal was August 18 at 12am. They got the deal done just before that.

I cannot understand why Strasburg and his agent Scott Boras are commanding that much money. Strasburg has now put the pressure on himself to perform well for a team who looks lost and looks like they won't be going anywhere for a long time. Once Strasburg gets a chance to pitch at the major league level, he will be picked apart by the media if he doesn't have many strong games. He has a lot of upside. He has very good control and his fastball goes over 100mph. However, Strasburg has to get it done at the major league level, where it's much different than at the college level.

Bolt Sets 100M Record

Usain Bolt of Jamaica set a record for the fastest time ever at the 100m, completing the race in 9.58 seconds. This is the third time Bolt has set the record in the 100m. He previously set the record the first time with a 9.72 time and then broke that with a 9.69 time. Bolt continues to shine after his impressive performance in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Tyson Gay of the United States came in second with a 9.71 time, which is a record for an American performer in the event.

Bolt, along with swimmer Michael Phelps, are continuing to perform at a high level. Gay's performance was pretty good as well. His time would've been the world record had Bolt not broken the record the first time. Last summer in the Olympics, some people felt Bolt was disrespecting his opponents and the sport by celebrating before the race was even finished. Others welcomed it because track and field needed a spark with all of the mess involving Marion Jones and the lack of a star in the sport.

I believe track and field is a sport that has been suffering, not because of the Jones situation with performance-enhancing drugs however. I believe track and field lacks the American superstar that gives the sport more viewers. In the late 1990s, Jones was a dominant track and field star and was beating almost everyone. Michael Johnson was doing the same in the mens competitions. He was constantly winning all of his track meets and that is why it was getting recognition in the United States. Now, there isn't that star in America that brings American viewers.

Braves Beat Phillies

The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 as Phillies closer Brad Lidge blows another save. The Phillies went into the bottom of the ninth inning up 3-2 when the Braves were able to score two runs from Garrett Anderson scoring from Lidge's error and from Omar Infante's game winning RBI single. This is eight blown saves on the season for Lidge. When the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, Lidge didn't blow a save the entire season. The win is important for the Braves to stay close to the Florida Marlins and the Phillies in the NL East race.

The Phillies will be in trouble if Lidge continues to struggle like this. They have a good offense and they have gone out and gotten quality pitchers such as Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez. Their pitching has been the problem this year, and the bullpen has been a problem as well. I don't necessarily think it's time to find a new closer however. I think the Phillies should rest him and let him clear his head. Then he can close once he's good enough to go.

Vick Signs With Eagles

Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. The first year of the deal is for $1.6 million and the second year is an option for $5.2 million. Vick has been in prison for his role in a dogfighting ring and he has been in bankruptcy court coming up with ways to get out of debt. This two year contract definitely helps because he's getting NFL millions. The Eagles already have their quarterback in Donovan McNabb but he's been injury prone the past couple of seasons. However, it isn't clear what role Vick would have in the offense.

I think this is a good signing for the Eagles because at least they know they don't lose much if McNabb was to get hurt. However, Vick hasn't played football since the 2006 season so he could be very rusty. This doesn't bode well for McNabb. McNabb has never been secure in his place as the starting quarterback. This past season, he was replaced by Kevin Kolb in the middle of a game against the Baltimore Ravens for poor play and there was speculation as to whether it could be the end of the road for McNabb.

I think McNabb's job is safe but anything can happen. In the 2006 season, McNabb got hurt and Jeff Garcia came in and filled in well. He even played much better than McNabb in leading the Eagles to the divisional round where they lost to the New Orleans Saints by a field goal. After the season, there was rumors that McNabb's mother was bittersweet to see the Eagles succeed without McNabb. McNabb even demanded a reworked contract after his late season success this past season to ensure that he was safe with the team.

Pedro Gets Win In First Start

Pedro Martinez has pitched his first game in the major leagues since September of 2008, and got his first win as well with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies defeated the Chicago Cubs 12-5, mainly from a lot of help from the offense. Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez hit home runs in the win, and they were up 12-1 in the fourth inning. Martinez pitched five innings, giving up three runs and striking out five batters. Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija pitched three and a third innings and gave up seven runs in the loss.

This was Pedro Martinez's first start since last September, when he played the Cubs as a member of the New York Mets. Martinez was decent in his first start, even though he was helped out by the offense of the Phillies. Martinez has room for improvement and he has a month and a half to improve. The Phillies want him to be more than serviceable, especially in the playoffs. Martinez does have a World Series ring with the Boston Red Sox and has three Cy Young Awards.

The Phillies got Cliff Lee in a trade deadline deal to shore up their starting rotation. By starting Martinez, the Phillies demoted Jamie Moyer to the bullpen, who wasn't thrilled about it. If Lee, Martinez, and Cole Hamels can sharpen their games for the playoffs, then the Phillies could be right back in the World Series. However, I don't think Martinez will be effective. He'll be just as good as he was with the Mets the past couple of seasons, and the Phillies will end only relying on Lee for wins.

Tulowitzki Gets Cycle

Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies completed the cycle in the Rockies 11-5 win over the Chicago Cubs. Tulowitzki drove in seven runs in the game as well, and got his triple in the seventh inning to complete the cycle, already hitting a home run, single and double. He ended up having five hits in the game. This is the sixth cycle of the Major League season. The other five that have cycles this season is Orlando Hudson of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer of the Minnesota Twins, and Melky Cabrera of the New York Yankees.

I am surprised at the amount of cycles being hit this year. Six seems like a lot, considering the degree of difficulty it is to get all four kinds of hits in one game. I'm impressed with Tulowitzki's cycle because he also had seven RBIs. He was turning his hits into runs. Four of his hits produced RBIs in the game. The only hit that didn't was his triple in the seventh inning. Once you're able to produce runs with quality at-bats, then you are certainly helping out your team in a big way.

The Rockies win pushes their record to 62-50. They are surprisingly contending for a playoff spot behind the Dodgers, and they're fighting with the San Francisco Giants also for a Wild Card spot along with other teams from other divisions. This is a complete turnaround from the time they fired Clint Hurdle earlier this season. Things like that tend to work sometimes. In the 2003 season, the Florida Marlins fired Jeff Torborg and replaced him with Jack McKeon 38 games into the season. The Marlins went on to win the World Series against the Yankees in the same season. This could work out for the Rockies.

Six Inducted Into Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony took place today, with six people being inducted in Canton as the class of 2009. Receiver Bob Hayes, offensive lineman Randall McDaniel, defensive end Bruce Smith, linebacker Derrick Thomas, defensive back Rod Woodson, and owner Ralph Wilson were the six inducted into the Hall of Fame. Hayes, who used to be a receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, and Thomas, who was a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, were posthumously honored. Thomas died in the middle of his career in 2000 and Hayes died in 2002.

Thomas, Smith and Woodson are three players I remember from my young days watching football. I certainly agree with Smith and Woodson being inducted because they had long careers and both of them certainly dominated defensively. Smith has 200 career sacks, which is the all-time career sacks record. Woodson has returned 12 interceptions for touchdowns in his career, the all-time record as well. Woodson helped every team he played on and helped the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders to Super Bowl appearances. He came out victorious with the Ravens while losing with the Steelers and Raiders.

Thomas, on the other hand, did not merit being in the Hall of Fame, in my opinion. Thomas was a very explosive linebacker. Thomas was part of the good Chiefs teams in the 1990s that was always making playoff appearances. However, his career only lasted 11 years, which isn't much for me as a defensive player. He was also a pass-rushing threat at that position. He holds the record for most sacks in a single game with seven, but that's pretty much all he did. I look for being a run stopper and being able to make tackles and pursue offensive players in the open. He didn't necessarily do that to a high degree.

Yankees Stun Sox In Classic

The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox for the second straight game after losing the first eight. However, this game was not as convincing as the pounding they put on John Smoltz in Thursday's 13-6 win. The Yankees ended this game in the 15th inning, off of a two-run home run that gave the Yankees a 2-0 win. Josh Beckett started for the Red Sox and he was great, just like Yankees starter A.J. Burnett. Burnett and Beckett were teammates with the Florida Marlins 2003 team that won the World Series against the Yankees.

This is a huge win for the Yankees because they get at least a series split and they make the series a little bit better for themselves by being able to win a game in which Beckett pitched. The Red Sox continue to slip in the standings, now falling four and a half behind the Yankees in the AL East division race. The Red Sox need to pull it together soon or they probably won't be in the playoffs altogether. Right now, they're the front runners for the wild card race but the Texas Rangers are close behind.

In the 2006 season, the Yankees played a five game series against the Red Sox in August of that season and ended up winning all five games. That put the Yankees far ahead of the Red Sox in the division race, and the Red Sox never recovered. The Red Sox missed the playoffs altogether that season, and they fell behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the division as well, finishing third in the division. The Red Sox are in danger of this happening again, which they cannot afford at this time. They play the Yankees in Fenway Park in two weeks but by that time, it might be too late if they get swept by the Yankees.

Yankees Get First Win Against Red Sox

The New York Yankees beat the Red Sox 13-6, beating them for the first time in nine tries this season. The Yankees had lost their previous nine, also including their final matchup last season, to the Red Sox. However, the Yankees were able to put some runs on the board against Red Sox pitcher John Smoltz. Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, Jorge Posada and Mark Teixeira were able to hit home runs for the Yankees in their rout. Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain didn't pitch that well, but Smoltz's horrible day got Chamberlain off the hook.

This is a big win for the Yankees, but it only gets harder the rest of the series. The Red Sox will send Josh Beckett to the mound tomorrow and will also send Jon Lester to the mound later this series. However, the Yankees offense has been clicking and it can continue against the Red Sox staff because there isn't one strong starter who is guaranteed to get a victory for them. Beckett is their closest to it, but he doesn't necessarily possess the control of his pitches to dominate games.

The Yankees will send A.J. Burnett, C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte in this series to the mound. They are all capable of pitching well, but have also had their struggles. Burnett has been good this season, but not against the Red Sox in two meetings against them this season. Sabathia hasn't been strong lately, and Pettitte is a little inconsistent. The rest of the series could go either way, but the Yankees have a three and a half game lead on the Red Sox in the division so three straight wins by the Red Sox will still leave them behind. The Yankees, however, will like to create some distance between themselves and the Red Sox.

Manning Agrees To Extension

Eli Manning, quarterback of the New York Giants, has agreed to a contract extension that pays Manning $97.5 million over six years. Manning and the Giants were in negotiations for quite some time but they were now able to get a deal done. $35 million is guaranteed for Manning, which makes him among the highest paid players in the NFL now. Manning is now being paid more than his older brother Peyton, who some regards as the best quarterback in the NFL. Eli Manning's deal keeps him with the Giants until 2015.

The Giants made a good move by locking up their franchise quarterback for the future. However, I don't think he's worth more than Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, the two best quarterbacks in the NFL. There are going to be some doubters and people are going to try to name other quarterbacks better than him. Manning has been able to do very well managing the offense and making plays as the quarterback, and that's why the Giants want to keep him much longer.

It is clear that Manning isn't better than his brother Peyton or Brady. However, many have said quarterbacks like Drew Brees, Jay Cutler and Ben Roethlisberger are better than Manning. I strongly disagree. Brees has certainly put up better numbers, but Brees can explode for five touchdown passes one week, and then throw four interceptions the next. He is very inconsistent and has only led the New Orleans Saints to the playoffs once in his three seasons. Cutler has only played one good season and he wasn't even that good anyway. He had the Broncos with a 8-5 record and ended up losing the final three to lose the division to the San Diego Chargers. He is also inconsistent. I would have to say Roethlisberger and Manning are evenly matched. Roethlisberger's playoff performances and regular seasons have never really been good, as he has relied heavily on the defense to get the job done. However, he did have an impressive final drive in Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals.

Burress Indicted

NFL wide receiver Plaxico Burress was indicted by a grand jury on three weapon counts for the incident in November 2008 where he shot himself in the leg in a Manhattan nightclub. Burress was with the New York Giants from 2005 to 2008, where he had three productive seasons. He made the Super Bowl winning catch in Super Bowl XLII against the New England Patriots in February 2008. He got a five year contract extension before the start of the 2008 season. The season had its rocky times, with him being suspended for two weeks early in the season and with the nightclub incident. He is currently without a team after being released by the Giants in April.

I expected Burress to be indicted, but I think Burress should've been applauded for pleading his case before the grand jury and showing remorse about the situation. He was still indicted because of the aggressiveness that the mayor showed immediately after the incident and the aggressiveness of the district attorney to prosecute Burress to the fullest extent. Now Burress is going to have to try his luck in a trial and his hopes of playing in football is dashed for this upcoming season.

I want Burress to be acquitted of the charges because of one thing. Burress did not shoot anyone in this incident, nor did he have any intent on doing so. The city of New York is trying to make an example of Burress and Bloomberg is doing this in an election year, which is unfair to Burress. Bloomberg needs to focus on his own issues insteading of using this unfortunate incident to be re-elected. I believe anyone who was in Burress situation, with no criminal record and no harm to others, shouldn't be charged, not just Burress.

Cabrera Gets Cycle in Yankees Win

New York Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera hit for the cycle in the Yankees 8-5 win over the Chicago White Sox to avoid a four-game sweep. It was the first cycle for the Yankees in 14 years, when Tony Fernandez hit for the cycle against the Oakland Athletics in 1995. In the second inning, Cabrera hit a three-run home run. He hit a double in the fourth inning and hit an RBI single in the fifth inning. He needed a triple to complete the cycle, usually the most difficult to get. He did it in the ninth inning when the ball sailed over Jermaine Dye and he raced in for the triple.

This is a big accomplishment for the Yankees and Cabrera. The Yankees haven't seen a cycle in 14 years, and they've gotten four championships and countless division titles since. However, this was a very important win for the Yankees because they were in danger of getting swept by the White Sox in four games. They started the second half of the season on a roll and this series brought them back to reality. They still had a division lead to protect and losing this game would've put the Boston Red Sox back on top of the division.

The Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 18-10, completing the three-game sweep of the Orioles and putting them a half game behind the Yankees in the AL East division. The Yankees and Red Sox play next weekend as well, so that series should go a long way in determining who gains control of the division. The Red Sox have beaten the Yankees all eight times this season, so it's important for the Yankees to get a series victory for their psyche and to potentially keep the division lead.

McCutchen Homers 3 Times In Win

Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit three home runs in their game Saturday against the Washington Nationals, propelling them to an 11-6 victory. He drove in a career-high six RBIs, which has been a short career since this is his rookie season. McCutchen only had three home runs on the season coming into the game. After the game, he doubled his home run total to six home runs. This was the first time in Pirates history since 2001 to hit three home runs in a game. Aramis Ramirez did it that year in a game against the Houston Astros.

This is one of the highlights of another disappointing season for the Pirates. Overall, McCutchen has probably been the only highlight and bright spot of this Pirates team so far. McCutchen has shown tremendous speed since taking over for Nate McClouth in center field. McClouth was traded earlier in the season to the Atlanta Braves, clearing the way for McCutchen. The Nationals, the team McCutchen helped the Pirates beat, haven't been better. They own a major league worst 32-72 record and could be break the 1962 Mets record of 120 losses in one season.

The Pirates actually weren't doing that bad earlier in the season, when they had their full compliment of players. However, they've decided to make questionable trades and the Pirates fan haven't seen a commitment from the front office to turn this team into a winning team. They traded Jason Bay, their best player last year, to the Boston Red Sox. This year, they traded McClouth, who was their best player. They also traded Nyjer Morgan to the Nationals, Freddy Sanchez to the San Francisco Giants and Jack Wilson to the Seattle Mariners.

Trade Deadline Deals

The MLB trading deadline was at 4 pm on Friday and a couple of teams made moves before that deadline. The Boston Red Sox were the most active team before the deadline, acquiring Cleveland Indians catcher Victor Martinez and Atlanta Braves first baseman Casey Kotchman. In the trade with the Indians, the Red Sox traded Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price for Martinez. Also, Jake Peavy of the San Diego Padres was traded to the Chicago White Sox for four young pitchers. Peavy was traded to the White Sox earlier in the year but Peavy had a no-trade clause in his contract where he controlled his trade destinations and he did not waive the clause to go to them.

In other deals, Jarrod Washburn of the Seattle Mariners was traded to the Detroit Tigers, Scott Rolen of the Toronto Blue Jays was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, and Orlando Cabrera of the Oakland Athletics was traded to the Minnesota Twins. The player that got the biggest attention during the time before the trade deadline was Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay. He ended up staying with the Blue Jays after they didn't find an offer that was suitable for them.

The Red Sox were very aggressive in getting themselves two good hitters in Martinez and Kotchman. However, it will be hard to get playing time for both players, who were quality starters with their previous team. Martinez is a catcher and can also play first base. Jason Varitek is currently their catcher and Kevin Youkilis is their first baseman. Kotchman is a first baseman so he will also be behind Youkilis and Martinez possibly. This wasn't a good deal, logically, because it can make both players unhappy.

The White Sox have put themselves in a position to win the AL Central with their move acquiring Peavy. Mark Buehrle has been the only reliable starter for the White Sox. John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Jose Contreras have been disappointments, but the White Sox have hung around in the division race. The Tigers acquiring Washburn was also good because they now have a quality starter behind Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson to stay atop the AL Central. The New York Mets were probably a team that should've made a move to come back in the NL East race. Now, their season is all but over.