I don’t know if I’ve ever been more excited about a .500 ballclub as I am about the White Sox right now.

It’s been since May 2 when the White Sox were had more wins than losses, and now they are on a five-game winning streak - taking eight of their last 10 -  heading into Kansas City for the first of a four-game set with the Royals. There is no reason to think the streak won’t continue tonight, as Mark Buehrle takes the bump.

So what’s gone right to help put the Sox on track? Where do I start?

Last night, Jose Contreras continued his amazing comeback, throwing eight strong innings, striking out eight Indians, while walking only one and giving up two runs. Since his return from the minor leagues, he’s had one bad start against the northsiders, but has been brilliant in every other one.

My guess is that he wasn’t quite ready to pitch to major league hitters on opening day. He was in great physical shape after recovering from his blown Achilles tendon, but not in good pitching shape. There is a difference.

Contreras has his control back, and that’s critical to his game. Early in the season, he was walking a lot of guys and working behind in the count. Now he’s getting ahead of hitters, striking out more batters and walking a lot fewer. It’s been something to watch. 

When he’s got his best stuff, Contreras is one of my favorite pitchers to watch. I like the way he uses his forkball (don’t you dare call it a split-fingered fastball) to make batters look silly, and he comes at them with different arm angles. It’s a lot of fun to watch.

More importantly, John Danks and Gavin Floyd have come back into form. Danks looked real good in April, and slid a bit, taking a few bad losses. Floyd came out of the gate poorly, but he’s got his groove back. With these two guys and Buehrle, you know the Sox won’t go into long losing streaks.

Scott Podsednik’s contributions cannot be overlooked in this turnaround. After his return to the White Sox, he’s been a real catalyst for the offense. He’s getting on base, stealing, scoring… everything the Sox need in a leadoff man. I didn’t think the lack of a leadoff man would derail this offense back in April, but when I look at what Podsednik has been able to do, I guess I am proven wrong.

By the way, he’s playing his best defense these days, too. When Carols Quentin returns, I’m not sure he will be able to fill Brian Anderson’s shoes defensively, but I am confident he can play a competent center field.

And what can be said about Gordon Beckham that hasn’t been said already? After a slow start, he’s figured out major league pitching, and is really knocking the cover off the ball. It’s hard not to love the way he’s come along. He still needs to work on his defense, but he’s really come around with his bat. And you don’t lose too much defensively when you replace Josh Fields with a Gordon Beckham.

I expect to start seeing a lot more number 15 jerseys in the stands at US Cellular Field in the near future.

There are many others who have stepped up their games on the roster, especially with the bats. The White Sox are now able to score in many ways. No longer do we have to wait for the three-run homer to get into a game. They’ve been doing a good job taking early leads, giving their starters some room to work. The bullpen has been very good all year long, so if this team takes a lead, good luck wresting it from them.

Defensively, this team needs a lot of work. It is their one weak spot. They make too many errors, and give up too many unearned runs. The infield is highly inexperienced and they will continue to give teams extra outs. You just have to hope those extra outs don’t lead to too many extra runs.

Usually a team works into its identity by the beginning of June. Given the White Sox early problems and roster moves, we are now seeing that identity come to fold in late June and early July. Anyone who says the Sox should be sellers at the end of the month is nuts, as we sit three games behind the division-leading Tigers, a lot of baseball ahead of us, and this team finally getting a head of steam.

If you haven’t put your vote in for MLB All-Stars yet, you will soon run out of time.  MLB All-Star voting ends tonight at 11:59PM ET with many close races for the starting positions.  The AL first and second base positions are extremely close with Pedroia and Kinsler fighting it out to the last vote while only 7000 votes separate the two.  While there are a couple of close races in the AL, the NL has large voting gaps at all positions with Pujols and Utley dominating the first and second base positions with 3.6 and 3.5 million votes.  Pujols leads all players in voting.  Make your vote count at MLB.com.

Studyofsports.com is giving away 2 Tickets to the first game at the new Cowboys Stadium between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants on September 20, 2009.  There will be more information coming soon on how to enter for a chance to win.  All updates will be posted on the Studyofsports.com Facebook Group.  If you know anyone that would be interested in entering, tell them to join now!

Not sure how to join?  There are two ways to get there.  Search for www.studyofsports.com on Facebook or click here.

     The Tigers have finished two-thirds of their three-city western road trip.

The only reasons they aren’t 0-6 on it are Brandon Inge’s two-run ninth-inning homer in the middle game at Houston, and Fernando Rodney’s failure to implode in the middle game at Oakland. (Who needs Todd Jones when there’s Fernando?)

Next stop is Minneapolis. In the recent past, when the Tigers have needed wins in the Metrodome, all the Twins have had to do is throw their gloves on the field.

Even though it’s only the first week of July, the Twins series can be called must-win. The Tigers, with a three and one-half game lead on the Twinkies, really need two out of three to establish themselves as serious contenders for the AL Central title.

As long as the Tigers stayed in the race, I had thought they would be buyers, not sellers, come the July 31 trading deadline.

They may become sellers out of necessity, that being Magglio Ordonez’ season-long slump and $18 million contract.

On the morning of July 2, Magglio is hitting .260, with three home runs. That’s down from .273 since his return to the lineup a week ago, after a benching that was supposed to recharge the batteries. Even a haircut hasn’t worked.

As his average drops, so does his market value.

If Maggs is traded, better it be sooner than later, to a team outside the division so he won’t haunt them in September. Possibly to a non-contender, for a couple middle-of-the-pack prospects, as part of a favor executed between friendly GMs so he can end his long and productive career positively, playing every day and not sitting.

           Rodney Dangerfield made a career of these funny no respect one liners and jokes; “I get no respect, NO RESPECT I tell ya!”  After observing the latest results in the All Star voting, Brad Hawpe must be wondering if he should exchange his uniform for a tacky suit and neck tie.  Clearly, Hawpe has been ignored by the national media; consequently fans are generally clueless as to his 2009 accolades.

I’m compelled to inform the rest of the baseball world that Brad Hawpe is not only a deserving All Star but is statistically ranked as the number two outfielder in the entire National League. Hawpe’s current average is .331 with 56 RBI’s and 13 home runs.  Only one outfielder in the top fifteen “vote getters” can boast a better average; only two have more RBI’s; and he is in the top five with thirteen home runs.  According to these numbers, Brad Hawpe should be the darling of baseball’s media banter.  Oh but wait; he plays in Colorado.

So where’s the love?  Apparently East of the Mississippi.  Regarding votes, eleven of the top fifteen National League outfielders are from the East and Central divisions; only four are from the West.  The fact that Manny Ramirez is one of the four and is currently number seven in receiving votes gives me one more reason to remove this power from the people!  Nine of the top fifteen are hitting under .300 and four are hitting under .250 and have less than ten home runs.  Really?  These are All Star numbers?  Not if you compare them to Hawpe’s. 

One could argue that the NL West is just not competitive or worthy enough to have media coverage; unless of course the history of your team includes Brooklyn or New York.   Admittedly, the West didn’t look too intimidating going into the 2009 season but let’s give credit where credit is due.  With the exception of the AL East, the NL West has the best winning percentage in baseball at .513.  I should note that the NL East and Central divisions where the “All Star” outfielders are receiving votes have a .457 and .499 winning percentage.  Six teams in the NL have over forty wins; one team from the East, two from the Central and three are in the NL West.  Not only do the Dodgers have the best record in baseball, the SF Giants and Colorado Rockies are one and two in the wild card standings.  Just to review, if the season ended today, three teams from the West would be in the playoffs.  So much for the argument that Brad Hawpe is playing in an anemic division.

One could also argue that Brad Hawpe plays with an offensive advantage given the thin air at Coors Field.  I wonder how long this argument will cost great players in Colorado receiving the respect they deserve.  Contrary to popular belief, Coors Field is not a launching pad.  Since the humidor, home run stats have declined considerably and according to the 2008 season totals, the Rockies’ Coors Field surrendered fewer home runs than these national League Parks:   Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and the Milwaukee Brewers.  Of the fifteen National League stadiums, while Coors Field finished number six on the list of most home runs surrendered, their NL West competitors where the Rockies play a majority of their away games finished thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen.  Brad Hawpe has hit eight of his thirteen home runs away from Coors Field. 

The only conclusion I can draw points to an obvious lack of respect and recognition for what Hawpe has done this year.  The fact that he plays for Colorado compounds the problem.  Although life exists West of the Mississippi, and looking at the facts, I will go so far as to say life abounds out West, the East coast bias is almost impossible to overcome.   Just ask Matt Holliday, Troy Tulowitzki, and Todd Helton.

Brad Hawpe won’t be a starter for the NL All Stars but I firmly expect him to make the roster.  Charlie Manuel would be certifiable if he were to pass on Hawpe particularly with so much at stake.  There is simply no reason to risk home field advantage by choosing players who are popular but lack the proven ability to produce in the current year.  I will hold to my belief that if Brad Hawpe was playing for an Eastern team in either league, based on his numbers, everyone in the free world would know his name by now. 

I’ll end with a parting thought; it’s time for Major League Baseball to review the dynamics of the All Star game.  If fans are given the right and the freedom to choose their favorites, then remove the stakes and allow it to remain as a popularity contest.  In that case fans can vote to see their favorites without any harm being done in end.  On the other hand, if the stakes are high, and I think we can agree that gaining home field advantage for the World Championship qualifies, then give the managers a reasonable shot at fielding a team that is worthy of what is at stake.    

The Ottawa Senators find themselves at a crossroads this summer, with several key decisions lingering around to be made. What happens this summer will significantly impact what the team will look like next season, and into the future.

Dany Heatley

First of all, the most pressing issue for General Manager Bryan Murray is to deal with the Dany Heatley situation. He may not like the hand he has been dealt, but keeping Heatley on this team would be poison in the dressing room. For all his huffing and puffing in the press about keeping him if the offers aren’t there, Murray has no choice but to deal Heatley, even if the team is forced to eat the $4 million bonus due July 1^st.

Meanwhile, the Sens must also find a corresponding first line winger who can make up for the scoring that will be lost with Heatley’s departure. Whether or not this is done through a trade or free agency is up to Murray. A free agent like Mike Cammalleri, Alex Tanguay, or even Marian Hossa would look great on Jason Spezza’s wing, but if Ottawa wants to make an offer they certainly won’t be alone.

There are a few trade options out there, but none would represent a replacement for the numbers that Heatley is capable of putting up. One rumour has Heatley going to the New York Rangers for Michael Rozsival ($5 million cap hit) and Nikolai Zherdev ($3.25 million), but that’s not a trade to be particularly excited about. In my opinion, one player that the Sens should have their eye on is Jonathan Cheechoo from the San Jose Sharks; a team that has been rumoured to be among the suitors. He’s a former 50-goal scorer who has seen his production and role with that team decline over the past few years. The curveball is that he’s only 28 years old; maybe playing alongside Spezza could rejuvenate his career?

Second line centre

Time and time again, the Senators have tried to slot Mike Fisher into the second line centre position, and it never seems to work out. Fisher is a fantastic player, but he really belongs on the third line. Meanwhile, it appears that the pickup of Mike Comrie at the deadline last year was a tryout of sorts for that spot on the team, except that he managed to suck his way out of contention with 3 goals in 22 games and a -7 rating.

Again, depending on how the Heatley situation pans out, the Sens will likely be looking elsewhere to fill this hole. There are a few free agents veterans who might fit in there, such as a Brendan Morrison or a Robert Lang, but the pickings are thin enough that Murray may be forced to look to a trade. With Alex Auld and Pascal Leclaire already under contract for next season, restricted free agent goaltender Brian Elliott could be a good asset to move for this purpose.

Number one defenseman

Ever since Zdeno Chara, and to a lesser extent Wade Redden, left Ottawa the team has lacked a true number one on the blue line. Filip Kuba, Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenckov are all solid players, but you won’t exactly be hearing their names in any Norris Trophy talk.

This is the thorniest of the problems outlined here, as the team is constrained by both the salary cap and the eight (!) defensemen already under contract for next season. Bryan Murray is currently shopping Jason Smith and Alexandre Picard, and if anyone had any interest in taking Christoph Schubert off his hands he would trade him for a pile of ice shavings.

 Never mind the fact that he ALSO wants to make room on the roster for last year’s first round draft pick, Erik Karlsson. If Murray can clear the logjam on the Ottawa blue line and somehow get a true star there, you mind as well give him executive of the year. Maybe I’m being a little optimistic though…but there’s always Michael Rozsival right?

   It was part of my summer routine as a ten-year old growing up in southern Iowa.  I waited each day in anticipation of the arrival of the afternoon Des Moines Register.  I would turn to the sports section and check the box score of the previous day’s Milwaukee Braves’ game.  I had become a Braves’ fan as a first- grader when our teacher turned on the radio in the classroom to listen to the 1957 World Series.  Milwaukee defeated the favored Yankees and I was hooked.

So on July 3, 1963 when the newspaper came I had been a passionate baseball fan for several years.  I  fingered through to the sports page and located the box score of my beloved Braves.  My heart sank.  They had fallen to the Giants 1-0.  I looked closer.  The game had gone sixteen innings.  I read the recap.  Warren Spahn and Juan Marichal had amazingly both gone the distance.  Willie Mays had ended the marathon with a home run, the only score of the game.  I knew this was special and determined not to forget it.  I never have.

In my mind it is the greatest pitching duel of all time.  It involved two future Hall of Famers pitting their elite mound skills against each other.  What made that battle even more intriguing was that Spahn was 42-years old.  He was 11-3 at the time of the game and on his way to his thirteenth and final 20-win season as he would finish 23-7.  The 25-year old Marichal was just entering his prime.  He came into the game 12-3 and would post his first 20-win campaign going 25-8.

The high-kicking hurlers were two of the best that season.  They turned out to be two of the best ever.  And, for that night, in that game, for those innings, it’s doubtful that two pitchers have ever been better.

Although Spahn and Marichal were largely in control, the epic nature of the game was threatened at several points.  The Giants got a runner to third in the second inning but couldn’t plate him.  In the fourth, Norm Larker tried to score from second on a Del Crandall base hit but was thrown out at the plate by Mays.  In the top of the seventh, Milwaukee lost a runner on a botched hit-and-run play.  It cost them the potential winning score when Spahn followed with a double that just missed clearing the fence.  In the bottom of the frame the Giants got two runners aboard but failed to push them across.  It looked like the game might end in the bottom of the ninth when Willie McCovey hit a towering blast over the right field foul pole.  But the game continued when first base umpire Chris Pelekoudas ruled it foul.  And in the fourteenth, Spahn escaped a bases loaded jam with no damage.

After the ninth, Giants’ manager Alvin Dark wanted to pull Marichal but the young Dominican hurler resisted.  He didn’t want to leave “while that old guy was still on the mound.”  Dark continued his efforts to talk Marichal into turning the game over to the bullpen as the game wore on into extra innings, but the Giants’ ace would have none of it.  Both pitchers were determined to finish what they had started.

The July 2 game ended at 12:31 a.m. the next day when Mays stepped to the plate with one out and drove the first pitch he saw beyond the Candlestick Park outfield fence for a game-winning home run.  It was finally over.  The pitch was a screwball that Spahn would say “didn’t break worth a damn.”

Marichal had allowed eight hits, striking out ten, walking four, and throwing 227 pitches.  Spahn had given up nine hits, whiffing two, issuing one intentional pass (to Mays, ironically), and using 201 pitches.  Each team had 55 plate appearances.

Pitching legend and former Giant great Carl Hubbell was in the press box at Candlestick that night.  In his prime, he had thrown 18 innings of shutout baseball to beat the Cardinals 1-0.  But Spahn’s feat as the oldest player in the major leagues that season prompted Hubbell to remark, “He ought to will his body to medical science.  The world should be told what the man is made of and how it all got together like it did.”

Thinking back to that box score brings back rich and valued thoughts of a bygone baseball era.  It’s a game worth being held as a treasured memory.  In this era of high salaries and low pitch counts there won’t be another like it…ever.

     With the 32^nd pick of the NHL draft, the Red Wings selected Landon Ferraro, a 5′11″, 165 lbs. center from Red Deer of the WHL. This season, Landon played in 68 games and had 37 goals, 18 assists and 99 penalty minutes. NHL Central Scouting had him ranked 18^th on the list of North American skaters.

Ferraro’s father, Ray, scored 408 goals in an 18-year NHL career and is now a hockey analyst for TSN. Landon’s stepmother, Cammi Granato, led the U.S. women’s hockey team to a gold medal at the 1998 Olympics.

The Hockey Writers web site describes Landon as, “having wheels - as evident by his winning the fastest skater event at the Top Prospects Game’s Skill Competition. Other than his skating, Landon’s hockey smarts and hard work make him a solid NHL prospect, even setting bloodlines aside. The young Ferraro also knows a thing or two about scoring.Like many young offensive players, he needs work on his defensive play.” They also compare him to Boston’s burgeoning superstar David Krejci.

“His father was a great hockey player,” said Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill. “Landon’s an offensive, skilled player. He’s got a chance to have real upside to his game.”

Jesse Wallin is the head coach for Red Deer and a former Red Wing’s defenseman. Nill and Wallin conversed over the phone a lot about Ferraro. “To have a connection where you have a coach who knows how we play, it helps calm your fears that you’re picking the right player,” stated Nill. “Landon doesn’t play exactly like his father, who was known as the “Big Ball of Hate” during his career.”

“My dad was a little fiery when he played and he’s like that at home, too,” Landon said. “I have a fiery side. I took a couple penalties this year, but I’m a lot more reserved. I can hold my emotions better than he can.”

The Wings selected Ferraro after moving out of the first round. They traded their 29^th pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for an extra third-round pick.

The Lightning used that pick to draft Carter Ashton, son of former Wing Brent Ashton.

  The New York Islanders selected John Tavares number one and Tampa Bay Lightning GM Brian Lawton strolled to the podium and selected Victor Hedman, from Modo and WJC in the Swedish Elite League. Hedman is 6′ 5″, 211 lbs and shoots left.

The Bolts made the right pick!

Here is the official press release:

The Tampa Bay Lightning have selected Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman with the second overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Executive Vice President and General Manager Brian Lawton announced. The pick marked the first time in franchise history Tampa Bay made a second overall selection. The Lightning rookie spoke to WHNZ-AM 1250 just following his selection. “It’s a great city, great arena and from what I have seen it was a great experience. The organization has been great to me. I’m looking forward to making progress with Tampa and to meet the players, said Hedman.

“Victor’s addition to the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight immediately makes us a better team,” said Lawton. “In addition to his enormous size and great skating ability, he brings the Lightning a heightened maturity level for someone his age because of his two years of pro experience in Sweden. He brightens up our weakest area and we look for him to be a defensive anchor for a long, long time in Tampa.”

Hedman, 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, was rated as the top European player and one of the top three players overall available in the draft according to NHL Central Scouting. He spent the 2008-09 season with MoDo of the Swedish Elite League where he earned Rookie of the Year honors as an 18-year-old. Hedman recorded seven goals and 21 points for MoDo in 43 games. He ranked second on the team, first among defensemen, in plus/minus rating with a plus-21 and was second among defensemen in points (only behind former NHL player Mattias Timander).

A native of Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, Hedman represented his country in each of the previous two World Junior Championships, winning the Silver Medal twice. During the 2009 tournament he recorded two assists and had a plus-4 rating in six games as Sweden fell to Canada in the Gold Medal Game. In 2008, Hedman was named to the tournament all-star team after recording an assist and a plus-5 rating in six games. He also played for Sweden at the 2008 World Under-18 Championships, recording a goal and four points in four games.

Hedman has spent the majority of the previous two seasons with MoDo, playing in the Swedish Elite League. During his two-year professional career there he has amassed nine goals and 25 points with a plus-22 rating in 82 games. He also played in five post season games with MoDo in 2007-08, recording one goal.

With a population of less than 55,000, Hedman’s home town has a rich hockey tradition. Current and former NHL stars Peter Forsberg, Markus Naslund, Daniel and Hentrik Sedin and Niklas Sundstrom all hail from Ornskoldsvik.

The Lightning were awarded the second overall selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft at the NHL Draft Lottery on April 14, 2009. At the lottery the New York Islanders won the first overall pick while the Colorado Avalanche were assigned the third overall pick.

Hedman is the first player in Tampa Bay franchise history to be chosen second overall. The Lightning have chosen first overall three times (Stamkos 2008, Lecavalier 1998, Hamrlik 1992) and third overall twice (Svitov 2001, C. Gratton 1993).

The Lightning rookie spoke to WHNZ-AM 1250 just following his selection. “It’s a great city, great arena and from what I have seen it was a great experience. The organization has been great to me. I’m looking forward to making progress with Tampa and to meet the players, said Hedman.

       Les oursonceaux - The Bear Cubs - came to town no doubt feeling pretty good, after sweeping the Indians at Wrigley. Three days later, les petits calins du quartier Nord (the North Side Little Darlings) were reminded that brooms can have straw on the other end as well, and left Detroit owners of a three game losing streak.

On Tuesday night, in a perfectly played game of baseball as lovely and frameable as the Mona Lisa, Ryan Raburn gave the Tigers a 4-3 walkoff win with a two-run pinch homer. (Cubs’ radio announcer Ron Santo: No! No! NO!!!!!)

On Wednesday night, Kosuke Fukudome, representing the tying run with two out in the ninth, stood there like the house by the side of the road and watch strike three go by. (Santo: oh NO . . . oh, JEES . . . )

Ramon Santiago and Magglio Ordonez homered on Thursday afternoon, and Raburn singled in two to give the Tigers a lead they never surrendered. (Santo: oh MAN . . . (sigh) . . . )

After each game, Tigers TV showed broken-hearted Cubs fans, their expressions as puppy-dog mournful as Derek Jeter’s each time the Yankees are eliminated from post-season play.

The Tiger partisans respectfully watched them trudge out of Comerica, knowing the drive down I-94 to Chicago would be a long and sad one. They watched warm in the glow of a six-game winning streak against teams whose home towns are on Lake Michigan (Milwaukee and Chicago), a 41-31 record, and a five game lead in the AL Central.

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