A's become an easy sell

July 20, 2008

In or out? Buyer or seller?

Recent columns

• Phil Rogers' midseason baseball awards

  July 17, 2008

  Baseball fans who double as numerologists don't need to be told about the wonders of Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler. The Texas Rangers' duo has been to the 2008 fantasy baseball season what Joel and Ethan Coen were to the Academy Awards.

• Long All-Star night worth remembering

  July 17, 2008

  NEW YORK — There's no clock in baseball but there is one at Yankee Stadium. It read 12:47 when Scott Kazmir started to warm up for his All-Star Game appearance.

• All's well that ends AL

  July 16, 2008

  This time it means something.

• Hendry a star searcher

  July 15, 2008

  NEW YORK — Eight isn't enough for Aramis Ramirez. He believes the Cubs' All-Star roster extends beyond the players who will be introduced with their National League teammates on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.

• Simply a star searcher

  July 15, 2008

  Eight isn't enough for Aramis Ramirez. He believes the Cubs' All-Star roster extends beyond the players who will be introduced with their National League teammates on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.

• Getting run of the House

  July 14, 2008

  NEW YORK — Chris Getz had himself quite a day.

• Getting run of the House

  July 14, 2008

  Chris Getz had himself quite a day.

• Sabathia deal provides hope of parity

  July 13, 2008

  It's always significant when a reigning Cy Young Award winner is traded. But there never has been a trade like the one that sent CC Sabathia from Cleveland to Milwaukee, and — begging the indulgence of the most provincial Chicagoans — if it's a new trend, it will be good for the sport.

• Sabathia's debut as Brewer a big deal

  July 9, 2008

  No, that didn't take long.

• Phil Rogers' column On baseball

  July 7, 2008

  ST. LOUIS — Looking like the cat that ate the canary, Lou Piniella sat behind his desk in the visitors' clubhouse Sunday and downplayed the significance of a 16-hit attack that had just pulverized the St. Louis Cardinals.

• Money can't buy All-Stars

  July 7, 2008

  Talk about embarrassing All-Star snubs.

• Only July, but it's still a big win

  July 7, 2008

  Looking like the cat that ate the canary, Lou Piniella sat behind his desk in the visitors' clubhouse Sunday and downplayed the significance of a 16-hit attack that had just pulverized the St. Louis Cardinals.

• As usual, La Russa finds a way

  July 6, 2008

  ST. LOUIS—Tony La Russa's decisions are generally better than most. So, for that matter, are his teams.

• As usual, Cards' La Russa finds a way

  July 6, 2008

  Tony La Russa's decisions are generally better than most. So, for that matter, are his teams.

• More Cubs than Sox likely to be All-Stars

  July 6, 2008

  There are three kinds of All-Stars every season: the truly deserving, the ones who go based on name value and the ones who are having All-Star seasons but get squeezed off the team for one reason or another, usually either the fan vote or the rule requiring every team to be represented.

• American is beautiful in interleague scuffles

  June 30, 2008

  Jim Leyland never looks happy, but you would imagine his creased, weathered frown is starting to turn upside down. Ron Gardenhire, among other American League managers, is practically giddy after a steady diet of National League competition.

• American is beautiful in interleague scuffles

  June 30, 2008

  Jim Leyland never looks happy, but you would imagine his creased, weathered frown is starting to turn upside down. Ron Gardenhire, among other American League managers, is practically giddy after a steady diet of National League competition.

• Cubs' pitching starting to look shaky

  June 29, 2008

  Lou Piniella, a full-time manager and part-time oracle, issued a proclamation late Saturday afternoon.

• As bosses go, these are keepers

  June 29, 2008

  When Bill Bavasi finally was kicked to the curb as the Seattle Mariners' general manager, it didn't take long for the Kevin Towers rumors to surface. It never does.

• Cubs pitching putting damper on all-Chicago World Series dreams

  June 28, 2008

  Lou Piniella, a full-time manager and part-time oracle, issued a proclamation late Saturday afternoon.

• Phil Rogers on Baseball

  June 28, 2008

  Kosuke Fukudome finally played a game at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday. Judging by some of the monstrous swings he took, it was a big day for him.

• What if Fukudome had landed on South Side?

  June 28, 2008

  Kosuke Fukudome finally played a game at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday. Judging by some of the monstrous swings he took, it was a big day for him.

• Sox pitchers tough enough to survive at Cell

  June 27, 2008

  Thick skin. Hard coconut.

• White Sox grin, bear U.S. Cellular—hitters love it

  June 26, 2008

  Thick skin. Hard coconut.

• Patterson's pop quite the bargaining chip

  June 23, 2008

  So even Eric Patterson has a little pop?

• Manuel, Riggleman finally get another shot at managing

  June 22, 2008

  Jerry Manuel needed five seasons to get a second chance. That's a long time to wait, but Jim Riggleman would have taken it. He needed nine seasons to escape the managerial graveyard.

• 5 years later, Hendry's deal for Ramirez sheer genius

  June 21, 2008

  When July 23 rolls around, we would recommend a moment of silence at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

• Guillen makes right moves with Danks

  June 21, 2008

  Kosuke Fukudome took an outside pitch the other way, lining a single to left field. There was one out in the sixth inning, and this was the first hit John Danks had allowed since the second inning.

• Class act Griffey deserves shot at big stage

  June 15, 2008

  Ken Griffey Jr. hit his first 600 home runs playing for only two teams. Will he move to a third after nine seasons in Cincinnati and 11 in Seattle?

• Class act Griffey deserves shot at big stage

  June 14, 2008

  Ken Griffey Jr. hit his first 600 home runs playing for only two teams. Will he move to a third after nine seasons in Cincinnati and 11 in Seattle?

• Next save could be biggest

  June 8, 2008

  Nothing scares scouting directors and general managers more than the thought of investing huge money in high school pitchers.

• White Sox need a minor-league miracle

  June 3, 2008

  Brad Eldred is 27 and a mountain of a hitter. He is listed at 6 feet 5 inches and 275 pounds, and he's leading the Triple-A International League with 52 runs batted in—15 more than the heralded Jay Bruce had when Cincinnati promoted him a week ago.

• Home where wins are

  June 1, 2008

  Root, root, rooting for the home team is especially rewarding this season.

• Historic season looms for Chicago baseball

  May 28, 2008

  As Lou Piniella relaxed on the bench last weekend in Pittsburgh, his Cubs were leading their division. This was more of a relief than a surprise.

• Lester, Davis stellar after their bouts with cancer

  May 25, 2008

  Seldom has a no-hitter prompted more smiles than the one by Boston's Jon Lester.In the case of Arizona's Doug Davis,the mere act of starting a game was enough to bring a level of respect beyond what is generated by striking out hitters or driving in runs.

• MLB takes second look at instant replay

  May 22, 2008

  Geovany Soto could have saved his breath. So can you if you have been screaming for Major League Baseball to plug into the possibilities of instant replay.

• Slugger's sizzling streak keys Astros' turnaround

  May 18, 2008

  Enter the usual suspects. The Houston Astros have joined the St. Louis Cardinals as surprise guests near the top of the National League Central.

• Even in loss, Greg Maddux shows why he's great

  May 16, 2008

  Ping, ping, ping.

• Sun finally shining on Rays

  May 4, 2008

  Joe Maddon quietly passed out T-shirts to his Tampa Bay players recently. The focus of the shirts is a cryptic phrase: "9+9=8."

• Cardinals on an early roll

  May 1, 2008

  For a quarter-century now, one of the cardinal rules in Major League Baseball has been that you never let a Tony La Russa team pick up steam.

• Ben Sheets must step up for Brewers

  April 30, 2008

  Some seasons start a little late, or at least should start a little late.

• Frank Thomas takes his power to Oakland

  April 27, 2008

  Long before the New York Yankees gave Jason Giambi a $120 million contract, he was the Oakland Athletics' most popular player. General manager Billy Beane let Giambi walk over his insistence to get a no-trade clause in his contract.

• Phil Rogers' weekly baseball rankings

  April 21, 2008

  1. Diamondbacks (Last week's ranking: 1): Their fast start has been the result of pounding teams, not winning close games. They're on pace to outscore the opposition by 459 runs over 162 games. The lineup has produced at least four runs in 15 straight games. The starting rotation has been almost as good, with Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and Micah Owings a combined 10-0.

• Cubs' return to playoffs under construction

  February 13, 2008

  It was a cold January night, and the Cubs' starting shortstop had something to do.

• White Sox try for turnaround in '08

  February 13, 2008

  Nine players.

• Yankees’ pitching woes may cost Torre

  April 30, 2007

  A lack of starting pitching almost got Joe Torre fired last October, when the Detroit Tigers knocked around Mike Mussina, Randy Johnson and Jaret Wright in the first round of the playoffs. The same problem-occurring with a reshuffled cast of character-again threatens to end Torre's remarkable 12-season run in the Bronx.

• White Sox Triple-A skipper Shines razor-sharp

  July 5, 2006

  Evaluating?

• Examination of bats proves little

  June 5, 2003

  About halfway through ESPN's two-hour, "Say It Ain't So-sa," special, the broker who owns the authenticated bat that Sammy Sosa used to hit his 498th career home run, did something remarkable. He and another man held the ends of the bat while a third man used a hand saw to slice through the barrel.

• No need for Sosa to cheat

  June 4, 2003

  Talk about overkill.