The Angels are done and Tim Salmon ain't happy about it. If I understand these quotes correctly, Salmon doesn't think GM Bill Stoneman has surrounded Vlad with enough big bats in the lineup and isn't surprised that he was plunked by Boston's Manny Delcarmen because of it.

"I love the way these guys won the division manufacturing runs," Tim Salmon said. "But why did we win the World Series? We won because Scott Spiezio hit a home run. We did not win because Scott Spiezio hit a single."

The D-Backs are an impressive 71-54, but their pythagorean record (which is based on run differential) suggests they should be 60-65. Hmmm, something tells me a late-season collapse or first round sweep may be in store for Arizona.

AllCubs picks the NL position player that should start this year's All-Star game. Fan voting will have a say in things, but based purely on production, there would be some familiar faces missing from the lineup, namely one Albert Pujols.

The Twins always have a good bullpen and this year is no different. Neshek has 34 K's in 28.2 innings and has only walked 10. Remember when Byung-Hyun Kim was a dominant reliever? That's what Neshek looks like, only bettet.

Let the debate begin. Reyes gets more press playing in the Big Apple, but his numbers are very similar to those of Ramirez. Reyes is an absolute monster on the basepaths, but Reyes might swing a bigger bat. Who would you rather have?

If you just read the boxscore, the first thing you'll notice is Kyle Lohse's complete game shutout of the Pirates, but the real story of the game was Ryan Freel's nasty collision with Norris Hopper. Freel was down on the ground motionless for several minutes before an ambulence came on to the field to take him off. Griffey replaced him. I haven't heard an update on his condition yet, but you can expect at least a 15 Day DL stint.

Jeremy Accardo has officially taken over as closer for the Toronto Blue Jays. In you case you don't know much about him, here are his 2007 stats to date.

18 IP, 0 ER, 19 K's, 5 Hits, 9 BB

HE'S GOOD! If by chance he's still available, pick him up.

Fake Teams also discusses the A's and Marlins Closer situation.

Thus completing the grossest trade ever. The Marlins rid themselves of the worst pitcher in the majors in Julio and get an equally overhyped, but slightly more effective pitcher in Kim.

I actually like what the Marlins did here. If they use Kim properly, he still has a lot of value. I wish they would just put him in middle relief, but he'll probably get a chance to start. Out of Colorado and in one of the better pitcher's parks in the league, Kim could a solid, innings eater in Florida.

By far the best part of last night's Mets/Giants game. Bengie fouled a ball into the stands and Rickey Henderson caught it, took a few bows, autographed it and gave it to a kid sitting close to him. Man, that guy loves baseball.

Last week, the Athletics acquired Chris Snelling, a former Mariners prospect whose fall from grace began a few years ago after multiple knee injuries. As the USS Mariner points out, Snelling isn't going to be the guy that brings a championship to Oakland, but his acquisition by the A's highlights the differences between how the Mariners and Athletics both do business. Billy Beane is one of the best GM's in the game. Bavasi...not so much.

Not that it's the right move, but at least Brett Myers' transition to the bullpen makes a little more sense now than it did a few days. Evidently, Gordon's sore right shoulder has been a problem all season long, dating all the way back to Spring Training.

Myers is again fantasy relevant. He might have a shaky outing or two in the early going, but he's likely to become one of the best closers in the NL over the course of the season. Allowing a pitcher with his stuff to air it out for an inning at a time should make for some dominant outings.

If you get pissed every time a player jogs to first base, then you should read this article. The Baseball Desert has a few quotes from Alex Cora in which he discusses his role with the Sox.

If only every guy in the majors thought this way (the calling Francona "Tito" thing withstanding).

Last week, 40 year old John Smoltz signed a three year contract extension with the Atlanta Braves. Beyond the Boxscore compares him to other past 40+ year old pitchers and projects Smoltz' value through 2010.

Since tickets to a game are as expensive as almost anything else a Lower/Middle class family can buy, this makes sense. The plan is the first of it's kind in Major League Sports.

Not only is Brad Wilkerson far from reaching his potential, he's going to have a tough time staying in the majors at this rate. If you're not familiar with the Ranger Rundown, they often provide very in depth analysis on Texas player performances. Here, they look at Wilkerson's plate appearances from 2001-2005 vs 2006.

Long story short, he's swinging at a higher number pitches and missing at a greater clip than ever before, a recipe for disaster.