New World #1

I realize that for the average sports fan in the United States, tennis is not a very popular topic. It may not have the flash or recognizable figures that baseball or basketball have. With that said, something will happen next week that deserves some recognition. Roger Federer has been on top of the tennis world for the past 235 consecutive weeks. Thats over four year as the best in the world at one particular sport. Thats over 1600 consecutive days. That is amazing. Next week, however, that will all change. With Federer's first round lost and Rafael Nadal's 32 match (and counting) win streak, the next time the world rankings come out (Aug, 18th) it will be Nadal, not Federer, whose name will be next to #1.

Here's to a great run by a hell of an athlete. It will be very interesting to see how this motivates Federer. As an ocassional tennis fan, the matches between Federer and Nadal over the past few years, particularly in majors, has been something special to watch. These guys are some of the best athletes in the world. If you have never seen these two play head-to-head before do yourself a favor and give it a chance one of these days. You may be surprised at what you see.

Deadline Recap

No Manny was not dealt for Brett Farve, but he was dealt in the closing minutes of the July 31st trade deadline. In case you missed the crazy past 7-10 days of endless rumors and several trades, here is a recap of all the major trade deadline deals that went down.

The big one: Three-Way Deal

To Red Sox
Jason Bay (OF, from Pirates)

To Dodgers
Manny Ramirez (OF, from Red Sox)

To Pirates
Craig Hansen (RP, from Red Sox)
Brandon Moss (OF, from Red Sox)
Andy LaRoche (3B, from Dodgers)
Bryan Morris (AA SP, from Dodgers)

Others of Note:

Marlins acquire Author Rhoades (RP) from Mariners for Gaby Hernandez (AA, SP)

White Sox acquire Ken Griffey Jr. (outfielder) from Reds for Nick Masset (AAA, RP) & Danny Richar (2B)

Yankees acquire Ivan Rodriguez (C) from Tigers for Kyle Farnsworth (RP)

Angels acquire Mark Teixeria (1B) from Braves for Casey Kotchman (1B) & Stephen Marek (RHP)

Dodgers acquire Casey Blake (3B) from Indians for Jon Meloan (RP) & Carlos Santana (AA, C)

Yankees acquire Xavier Nady (OF) & Damaso Marte (RP) from Pirates for four minor league prospects
Diamondbacks acquire Jon Rauch from Nationals for Emilio Bonifacio (AAA, 2B)

Brewers acquire Ray Durham (2B) from Giants for Steve Hammond (AA, SP) & Darren Ford (AA, OF)

Phillies acquire Joe Blanton (SP) from A's for three minor league prospects

Cubs acquire Rich Harden (SP) & Chad Gaudin (RP) from A's for Matt Murton (OF) & three minor league prospects

Brewers acquire CC Sabathia from Indians for four minor league prospects

Ramirez Out In Boston

ESPN.com is reporting that the Boston Red Sox have traded LF Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers as a part of a 3-team trade.

In return, The Red Sox aquired OF Jason Bay from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates recieved 3B Andy LaRoche and P Bryan Morris from the Dodgers. In addition to that the Pirates also recieved 2 prospects from the Red Sox, OF Brandon Moss, and P Craig Hansen.

It seems to me that the Red Sox gave up too much for Jason Bay, while the pirates make out like bandits solidifiing their future by adding the other LaRoche brother at 3B.

Deadline Day is Here!

Latest news as of 9am Thursday morning:

-The Chicago White Sox have acquired Ken Griffey Jr. from the Reds for minor league prospects. This deal is pending Griffey's approval as he has a no-trade clause.

-The White Sox are now targeting A's closer Huston Street according to several reports.

-No news to report on the three team Manny Ramirez trade talks. As of right now the deal looks like this:

Marlins get: Manny Ramirez, a prospect from the Red Sox
Pirates get: Jeremy Hermida, Ryan Tucker, and possibly an additional prospect
Red Sox get: Jason Bay, John Grabow

Reports have the Pirates as the party that seems to be holding this up as they are rumored to want at least one good prospect, possibly one from each team.

-Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Cubs and Mariners are close to a deal that would sent Raul Ibanez to Chicago.

MLB Trade Deadline UPDATE as of 10:30 Wednesday:

-Several sites and "experts"are reporting that the Marlins, Red Sox, and Pirates are talking about a three-way trade that would send Manny Ramirez to Florida, Jeremy Hermida to Pittsburgh, and Jason Bay to Boston. I still won't believe that Manny will be dealt until I see it, but this deal would make sense for all parties.

-The Dodgers are rumored to have inquired several times about Greg Maddux. They could use another starter with playoff experience.

-Jon Heyman is reporting that the Diamondbacks have offered Chad Tracy to the Reds for slugger Adam Dunn. They are still waiting to hear back at this time.

-The Astros have acquired LeTroy Hawkins from the Yankees for a minor leaguer.

-Jarrod Washburn continues to be coveted by several teams, although I'm not sure why. The Yankees still appear to be front runners. The asking price still seems to be very high, which is why this deal was not completed days ago.

More news to follow...

Yankees Make Move

The New York Yankees made their first move of the 2008 trade deadline by acquiring catcher Ivan Rodriguez from the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. In exchange for the veteran catcher the Yanks shipped reliever Kyle Farnsworth to Detroit.

The addition of Rodriguez is a useful on for the Yankees as starter Jorge Posada is out for the remainder of the season due to injury. The 36year old Rodriguez was batting .295 with 5 home runs and 52 RBI this season for the Tigers.

He's Back!

After announcing his retirement in March, Brett Farve is back in the National Football League as a member of the Green Bay Packers (for the time being). Farve faxed his reinstatement paperwork over to the league office on Wednesday making his long anticipated comeback official.

This move puts the Packers in a tough situation. Coach Mike McCarthy as already said that Aaron Rodgers in their starting quarterback and reiterated those comments on Wednesday following the announcement:

"It's obviously the first step in Brett coming back, but we'll deal with that when Brett is reinstated and have a plan for that when he comes back. He'll (Rodgers) be starting all of the games as the starter. We've talked about possibly playing our first group maybe a little longer, and those are things that we'll discuss. The health of your football team obviously factors into that, so that is our plan going into the preseason with Aaron."

It will be interesting to see what the Packers do now. Farve and the Packers have been going back and forth for the past month trying to come to some sort of resolution. Farve has said for the past month or so that he has wanted to return, while the Packers were hoping that he would stay retired. One possible solution would be to trade Farve. The Packers are rumored to have talked to both the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers but it is believed that Green Bay's asking price is far too high.

Artest to Rockets

The Houston Chronicle is reporting that the Houston Rockets have acquired forward Ron Artest from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Bobby Jackson, Houston's first round draft pick in 2009, and a player to be named later.

The acquisition of Artest now gives Houston their own "big three" as he will join all-stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. This move puts Houston right back into the thick of things in a very competitive Western Conference.

Artest, one of the best defenders in the NBA, is most recognized for his fighting incident a few years back as a member of the Indiana Pacers. During the altercation Artest went into the stands where is stuck a fan with a heavy punch. He was later suspended for the remainder of the season.

Angels' Big Day Continues

Just hours after acquiring Mark Teixeira from the Atlanta Braves the Angels nearly capped of the day in style. Angels veteran pitcher John Lackey took a no-hitter into the ninth inning of tonight's game against the Boston Red Sox before having it broken up by Dustin Pedroia, just two outs shy. The Angels went on to win the game by the final score of 6-2. The win marks the seventh in a row for the Angels over the Red Sox this season.

Lackey's near no-hitter would have been the first one thrown by an opposing pitcher at Fenway since 1993. Jon Lester threw a no-hitter earlier this season for the Red Sox.

Teixeira To Angels

Breaking MLB Trade Deadline News—

Accord to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, Atlanta Braves 1B Mark Teixeira has been traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for 1B Casey Kotchman and minor-league Pitcher Stephen Marek.

Just two days before the MLB Trade Deadline, the Angels have now made the first splash in the American League. With plenty of action yet to come, things will get interesting for the next 48 hours...