MLB Trade Deadline: Winners and Losers

What a day. I woke up extra early (3:30 am, to be exact) so I could stay on top of the trade deadline. What a waste of time to see that the only "MAJOR" trade was an aging Ken Griffey Jr, and that was about an hour later.

Needless to say, I've been a grouch all day long, and have pretty much not helped any with the fact that I'm still feeling the ill effects of a cold that some of my other co-workers passed along.

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With the MLB Trade Deadling come and gone, it's time to announce the three Big Winners and the three Big Losers from the drafting game:

THE WINNERS



They only needed one trade to set themselves as the best TEAM in baseball. Picking up 1B Mark Teixeira gave them a bigger bat and a better glove at first base. While the Braves didn't lose here in getting Casey Kotchmann, the Angels definitely improved. And more importantly, the best 1-2 punch in baseball now resides in Anaheim with Vladimir "Vlad The Impaler" Guerrero and Mark "Tex Mex" Teixeira".

Some people may question the move because they already had a big lead in their division (see the NY Mets 2007 for why you should never settle for a big lead), but they are looking ahead to competing with the rest of the best in the AL. Great move.



Although they didn't make the blockbuster deal for a superstar player, they picked important role players to fill voids. With Hideki Matsui out of action in LF, they picked up Xavier Nady from Pittsburgh, while in that same move picking up Damaso Marte to give them a solid left-handed middle reliever. And if that wasn't enough, days after C Jorge Posada was deemed inactive for the rest of the year, they made the decision to go after 14-time All-Star Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers, getting rid of strong, yet erratic right-handed reliever Kyle Farnsworth.

I've said all along that it doesn't take an all-star lineup to win championships, which explains why the Yankees haven't won a championship in a while. But, these moves put the Yankees in the right direction.



No, I'm not making them a winner just by getting Manny, although the trade did give them a big boost. But, they also made some quality trades beforehand, picking up SS Angel Berroa, former Rookie of the Year, to help out their middle infield defense, and picking up 3B Casey Blake, which was great timing because Nomar Garciaparra is out indefinitely with injury.

With the D-Backs doing little to nothing to help their team, and the rest of the division at a stand still, look for this move to send the Dodgers to another NL West crown.

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THE LOSERS



For a team that is tied for second in their division and is in a big hunt for the Wild Card, they sure did NOTHING to help their cause. All they did was trade away a veteran middle reliever, and didn't pick up any help. Granted, they got help from within with Chris Carpenter returning the other night, and more help down the road with Adam Wainwright, but they could've helped themselves out instead of staying put.



Maybe it's because this franchise is still considered "small market" and they have never been in the position of possibily being a buyer to help improve their odds of winning a division crown, but could they have at least done something? Let's see, Arthur Rhodes, Jason Bay, all went elsewhere. Couldn't lure away Jose Guillen or Raul Ibanez from their respective teams. Great job doing nothing. Just watch the Yanks cruise right past everyone to the top.



No, they didn't get put in the losers category because they traded Manny Ramirez away. I mean, yes, their team isn't as good, and yes, the batting order isn't so fearsome now. But, don't you think with all of the trash and distractions that Manny was causing over the last week that the Red Sox were having a hard time dealing with it?

The bigger problem for Boston is this: Outside of this move, they did nothing. Their bullpen has been dicey, and instead of making a move to improve it, they traded away one of their younger talents. Yeah, offense is good, but if you can't hold on to a lead, it's worthless, just ask the Denver Nuggets and the Texas Rangers.

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"Rocket" Rod calls in from Oahu to say he is extremely excited about the trade which got his team a big time hitter in Manny Ramirez. He also makes sure to note that Bobby Brown is going to be at the Pipeline on Saturday. Yeah, THAT Bobby Brown. The drug addict who married Whitney Houston. Glenn Medeiros is opening for him.

What a day of trades!

Not too many people expected this to happen, but the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pick up 1B Mark Texeira from the Braves in exchange for 1B Casey Kotchman and a minor league hurler.

This definitely makes the Angels the best team in baseball. Consider this lineup with switch-hitting Teixeira and the power righty Vladimir Guerrero, to go along with speedster Chone Figgins. I think we have found an early World Series favorite.


Meanwhile, the NBA offseason just got more interesting, with the Houston Rockets picking up defensive specialist Ron Artest from the Kings. Now granted, Artest isn't just a defensive kinda guy, he cal also score.

I still don't think this really helps put the Rockets over the top, however. Shane Battier was their starting SF for the most part, and he is a defensive specialist who has range from beyond the arc. Artest is a little more athletic, but I still don't believe this gets the Rockets past the first round. And, maybe more importantly, I think Ron Artest still has the potential to be a headcase.

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Tomorrow on the show, we'll be talking to Rocket Rod Pacheco to preview the state Canoe Racing Championships at Keehi Lagoon. I'm going to try something different tomorrow. I plan on taking video of the in-studio interview and putting it online later on. I'll let you know how that goes and you may see that here tomorrow afternoon!

When should we start talking about "The Perfect Game?"

In the past three days, we have had two instances of so-called "near perfect games" between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves (oh, and both times, the Braves were on the short end of the stick).

On Monday, Hiroki Kuroda had a perfect game through the first seven innings before being broken by the first batter in the 8th, Mark Texeira, with a double.

On Wednesday, Derek Lowe had a perfect game through six innings before being ended by a Gregor Blanco base hit.

During the "Tuesday Night Confessional" with me and a group of well-versed sports fans out in town, we talked about this very thing, and I asked the question: "When is it okay to start telling people that there is a perfect game in the works?"

One person said, "going into the Ninth inning." But the majority, myself included, said after the 7th.

See, I could be sarcastic and tell you that after the 1st inning, ANY pitcher could have a "perfect" game. But, a perfect game isn't really impressive until after the 7th. Once you start going through the order a third time around, and still get everyone out, then I can be impressed.

So, shame on you ESPN, for telling me that a perfect game was going after 6 on Monday. And shame on you for wasting a "BREAKING NEWS" crawl on the TV Screen telling me Lowe's perfect game was foiled after 6 innings. Tell me about it when it starts sounding really impressive.