Time Waster: Yankees fan sings us a tune

Just in case you needed another reason to hate Yankee fans, here you go:

Video thanks to Big League Stew

Pudge traded to New York

The Yankees acquired 14-time All-Star and catcher Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers on Wednesday in exchange for right-handed reliever Kyle Farnsworth. The Yankees were in need of a catcher due to Jorge Posadas' decision to have season-ending surgery on his throwing-shoulder. Rodriguez is having a rough year offensively, by batting .295 with five home runs and 32 RBIs in 82 games this season. A career .302 hitter, the 37-year-old catcher is in his 18th Major League season. Nonetheless Pudge is a huge upgrade from the catching tandem of Jose Molina and Chad Moeller. Farnsworth, 32,is having a decent season posting a 3.65 ERA in 45 appearances.

The Yankees will remove Chad Moeller from their roster before Wednesday's game to address their bullpen needs, probably by promoting a reliever from the minors. Rodriguez is expected to be in uniform on Thursday as the Yankees meet the Angels to open a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Teixiera trade coming soon

Espn reported Monday night that the braves are making it aware that Texiera is available for a trade. They also said that if any deal was to happen the braves would want a top first baseman in return. With the current injuries to Chipper and Hudson, the Braves front office finally came to their senses. It took half the team going down with serious injuries, but they finally stuck the proverbial fork in this season. With these guys out they simply can't compete with anyone other than the Nationals, and they will not resign Big Tex next year, so they might as well stock their farm system, and get a first basemen in return.

The Diamondbacks seemed most likely to get Teixeira but they refuse to part with Conor Jackson and GM Jerry Wren is not taking Chad Tracy in his place. The two sides simply cannot match up. The teams most likely to get Teixeira according to a National League source; are the Rays, Yankees, and Angels. The Yankees would probably give the Braves the best offer as they have the money to resign Tex and it would not be a rental situation. Wren also seems willing to be patient until receiving the best available offer for Teixeira, whose career splits indicate he could make a difference for a legitimate playoff contender. In the 54 games he played after being acquired by the Braves at last year's trade deadline, Teixeira hit .317 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs. His career statistics during the second half of the season include a .295 batting average and a .947 OPS.

AL East All-Stars

In a season where the Rays have emerged as a title contender, relegating the once-powerful Yankees to third place, the Red Sox have the division lead at the break. It should be a tight race, as New York probably will not go away quietly. Boston should get Ortiz back soon, and the major question will be can Tampa stay in the race? Toronto and Baltimore have looked good in stretches, but look for both of them to fold in the second half.....Without further ado, the AL East All-Stars.

Starters:

C- Dionar Navarro, Tampa Bay. (.310, 4 HR, 35 RBI, 76 Hits, 25 R)
1B- Kevin Youkilis, Boston ( .314, 15 HR, 63 RBI, 103 Hits, 56 R)
2B- Dustin Pedroia, Boston (.314, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 124 Hits, 67 R, 9 SB)
3B- Alex Rodriquez, New York (.312, 19 HR, 53 RBI, 87 Hits, 53 R, 13 SB)
SS- Derek Jeter, New York ( .284, 5 HR, 42 RBI, 100 Hits, 52 R, 5 SB)
OF- Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay ( .270, 8 HR, 47 RBI, 99 Hits, 62 R, 23 SB)
OF- Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston ( .269, 5 HR, 27 RBI, 87 Hits, 60 R, 35 SB)
OF- J.D.Drew, Boston( .302, 17 HR, 55 RBI, 84 Hits, 63 R)
DH- Aubrey Huff, Baltimore( .284, 18 HR, 59 RBI, 99 Hits, 53 R)

Six of the nine position players made the actual Mid-Season classic. Navarro has hit over .300 all season, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Youkilis and Pedroia have been hit machines for the BoSox. Arod has still hit 19 HR's despite injuries, as he barely gets the nod over potential rookie of the year Evan Longoria. Jeter has had sort of a down year, but the other SS's in the division are pretty weak. Ellsbury leads the league in steals, while Drew has been huge with Ortiz out with an injury. Carl Crawford finally gets to play for a winning team, and if he hits for a higher average in the second half, Tampa Bay will be dangerous. One suprise here is Huffzilla, who has been a steady run producer in Bmore.

SP- Roy Halladay, Toronto (11-6, 2.71 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 121 K's, 7 CG)
SP- Jon Lester, Boston ( 7-3, 3.38 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 82 K's, 2 SHO)
SP- James Shields, Tampa Bay( 7-6, 3.83 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 100 K's, 3 CG)
SP- Mike Mussina, New York ( 11-6, 3.61 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 68 K's)
SP- Scott Kazmir, Tampa Bay (7-5, 3.04 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 91 K's)
RP- Mariano Rivera, New York ( 4 Wins, 23 Saves, 50 K's, 1.06 ERA, 0.64 WHIP)
RP- Jonathan Papelbon, Boston ( 3 Wins, 28 Saves, 51 K's, 2.43 ERA, 0.96 WHIP)
RP- George Sherril, Baltimore ( 2 Wins, 28 Saves, 43 K's, 4.08 ERA, 1.41 WHIP)

Halladay is a warrior, and is truly a throwback with 7 complete games in an era where pitchers simply do not go deep into games anymore. Lester pitched a classic no-hitter against the Royals, and apparently I'm pretty stupid for dropping him from my fantasy team. Mussina has been a suprise in the Big Apple, and Kazmir and Shields have been studs for Tampa Bay. Shields pitches a lot better than he fights, as evidenced by this clip:

There are some very good closers in the division, as Rivera and Papelbon are among baseball's best. Sherrill has faded a little, but still is at the top of the league in saves.

Bench:
Ramon Hernandez, C, Baltimore
Jason Giambi, 1B, New York
Brian Roberts, 2B, Baltimore
Jason Bartlett,SS, Tampa Bay
Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay
B.J. Upton, OF, Tampa Bay
Johnny Damon, OF, New York
Manny Ramirez, OF, Boston
Daisuke Matzuzaka, SP, Boston
Josh Beckett, SP, Boston
Dan Wheeler, RP, Tampa Bay
B.J.Ryan, RP, Toronto
Shaun Marcum, SP, Toronto
Jesse Litsch, SP, Toronto
Scott Downs, RP, Toronto

This is where it gets a little difficult, specificly with the quotas of each team getting a certain number of team members. All of Toronto's East all-stars are pitchers, as they have generated little to no offense. Litsch and Marcum have had solid years behind Halladay in the rotation. Beckett has not been as good as last year, but should pick it up in the second half. Wheeler has been very good for the Rays as the main set-up man.

Up next, the AL Central All-Stars, where I will try to table my hatred for the White Sox and be as objective as possible.