The first 2--3 weeks after the All-Star break bring back renewed energy for players (often a short term benefit), trades as some teams "buy" and some "sell", in some cases teams have detemined to modify rosters with cutting older players (they only have to swallow half a year now), bringing up prospects who are shining. It has brought some strange happenings from my view....

...the White Sox obtain Brett Myers from Houston then promptly announce that he won't be the closer..huh?  Clearly, he was brought in for the back-end of the pen. Let the current young bullpen gun, Addison Reed, work the 8th until he sorts out things (or until CWS are out of the race). He has been roughed up lately ergo Myers is purchased...why not give the highly paid Myers the responsibility of closing?

....The Cardinals really can't find a place for Alan Craig. He's a wonderful hitter but is a mediocre 2B, weak at 1B and passable in the OF. His real fit is as a DH. With more Intra-league games next year, he'll be more valuable to the Cards.

....It's amazing what a long resume and a big salary can get you. Upon dumping Myers, Houston brings in Francisco Cordero. Cordero has been "moved" twice in 6 months now (Reds & Toronto). He's way past his prime-ERA is 5.6 this year. Can't see what Houston is getting other than a headache.

I thought the NYY obtained Ichiro to get on base. Then...they bat him 8th in the lineup?

Do you feel this way also?....The Cards do have the highest batting average and most runs scored in the National League but.....it sure doesn't feel like it to me. We score tons one day and 2 or 3 the next day. I think our leadoff batter sets the tone. When Rafi was going strong, the Cards scored early and often. Since Jay has slumped, we've struggled

Some people just don't make it easy......Zach Greinke sure has made himself tough to trade. Heck..the guy is earning $13.5 mil but that doesn't help him, or others like him, dealing with the large crowds. Mil shot their wad for last year and now they'll have to deal Greinke and look ahead. Look for Texas to jump in here. They have a deep pen with injuries healing up and could tolerate the 6-inningitis of Greinke.

Trending downward...

.....Michael Cuddyer....arrived in Colorado this year after 11 years in Minnesota. Known as a reliable RBI producer, most observers expected his power numbers to really escalate in the thin-air of Colorado.  He just completed a home stand of 4 for 22, is hitting .186 in RISHP w/2 outs for the season. His .266 avg  and 12 HR are OK but I think that at 33 years of age he's on the down side of his career.

.....Nelson Cruz...one of the TX sluggers in the heart of their lineup. He's struggling! His .263, 11 HR, OPS .748 for the year and his difficulty of late with breaking balls is a genuine concern for the Rangers. Remember, last week I pointed out that Michael Young has also slowed down at the plate. So, despite having a chummy stadium, these Rangers have some concerns at the plate.  btw.. Cruz is listed as 32 years old....I have my doubts of that age so maybe..Fr Time is tapping him on the shoulder.

....Jose Reyes, coming off the 2011 batting championship, is in the .260-.270 range. When I watched him, he doesn't seem to have much urgency in his play. Seemed complacent to me.  This 50 point drop in batting average is following a career trend. The other 2 years he hit well over .300, the sagged the following year. Sounds like contract years followed by big contracts to me.

...John Lester is now 5-8 after being bombed yesterday. His 5.46 ERA is outrageous. What's happened to him?  Sure, he's a slow starter but he really has only thrown a couple strong games all year. He was 81-41 coming into this season and he's in prime of career at 28!

A  player making a "name" for himself this year while under the radar....

...Trevor Plouffe-1st round pick of Twinkies in 2004..now in 3rd MLB season...very versatile (has played 2B, SS, 3B, OF) has belted 18 HR and owns a OPS of .851

Does anyone really think that Carp is coming back?

Ron Santo = Ken Boyer

I remember Timmy McCarver coming up as a speedy 17 year old catcher for the Cards in 59. He was a CBC-Memphis grad (as was teammate Phil Gagliono). He didn't become a starter until 1963. He played on many championship teams in his 21 year career and was usually behind the plate-running the game. He was solid MLB player with a .272 lifetime avg and a long-time announcer. He's been around for decades announcing with both generations of the Bucks. Congrats to him on his induction to the HOF.

Outside MLB for a moment.......

My favorite line (which was used frequently) during the Tour deFrance commentators was " This non-commercial segment is brought to you by...."

The Tour, which has hooked me after being introduced to it by my one of my sons, is the ultimate team sport. The team determines prior to the beginning of the race who will be the "star" of the team. All the others work basically as a windbreaker to provide this star with the stamina to go onward and upward. The final day ride through Paris is cool. Bradley Wiggins won the tour (he was in 1st place for the last 8 days)!

Those bunkers in the British Open look like bunkers used in warfare to me!  Even the highly talented pros struggle with some of those holes. Ernie Els plays without a lot of fanfare but his British Open victory was a real nice "charge" from behind.

The NCAA sanctions are harsh-justifiably so in most areas. The only one that really smacks of revenge to me is taking away the wins. The Paterno family has already suffered with their family name becoming synonynous with cover-up. Brett Musberger was very upset with the restrictions. He feels that the NCAA should focus on the two major areas of abuse--payments to players and academic irregularities. He feels that those areas enhance the performance of the team and should be closely regulated by the NCAA. Musberger doesn't think that these egregious actions improved the play of the team and that they should be handled by the court system. His toughts make a lot of sense to me. One final bit of irony... Paterno is being punished for his cover up and  yet while removing his statue...it was also covered up!

PrepcastsU just concluded covering the 3-game Championship Series of the Metro Collegiate League. The Dodgers win the title for the 2nd straight year and now head for Toledo for the National Tournament. This wooden bat league has some terrific baseball and has gone largely unnoticed for a long time. Congrats to Marty Stein and Bob Totterer for their efforts, energy and time in leading this league.

OK...Mizzou football is showing that they aren't intimidated at the SEC pre-season meeting. There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence. Personally, I wish they'd wait until they beat Georgia before talking. In the SEC East, I see several teams that Mizzou SHOULD handle and be bowl bound. The SEC gets bids to more lucrative bowls so Tiger Brass will be smiling in December.

                      PRASTS SPORT

   If you want weekly reminders of the Flash, let me know at   bryan@prepcasts.com

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