2010 MLB Trade Deadline Central

Phillies Acquire Oswalt
The Astros finally traded their ace, Roy Oswalt, to Philadelphia in exchange for lefty J.A. Happ, and prospects Jonathan Villar and Anthony Gose. The Astros then promptly sent Gose to Toronto for first base prospect Brett Wallace. Oswalt (6-12, 3.42 ERA) joins a Phillies rotation that already includes Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels and gives the defending NL champs a boost in their NL East race with the Atlanta Braves. For the Astros, this was the right move to make as it seems as it will finally jump start the rebuilding process that they have long needed to begin. Happ, who finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting last season, is coming off a forearm injury earlier this season, but should be integral in the Astros' rebuilding. Wallace, the 27th ranked prospect by Baseball America coming into this year, should eventually replace the aging Lance Berkman at first base.
Rangers Get Cantu
The Texas Rangers have acquired infielder Jorge Cantu from the Florida Marlins in exchange for minor league pitchers Evan Reed and Omar Poveda. Cantu fills a hole for the Rangers at first base, and may also play a little second base because all-star Ian Kinsler just got put on the DL.
Yankees Acquire Berkman
The Astros continued their rebuilding by trading franchise first baseman Lance Berkman to the New York Yankees in exchange for prospect minor league pitcher Mark Melancon and infielder Jimmy Paredes. Berkman, who is Astros' all-time leader in on-base percentage and slugging percentage, heads to New York and should be an option at first base and as DH as the Yankees chase their 28th championship this October.
Padres Trade for Tejada
The San Diego Padres have acquired veteran infielder Miguel Tejada from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for AA pitcher Wynn Pelzer. Tejada (.269, 7 HR, 39 RBI) adds offense to a light-hitting Padre lineup as they push toward the playoffs.
Twins Acquire Capps
The Minnesota Twins have acquired all-star closer Matt Capps from the Washington Nationals in exchange for catching prospect Wilson Ramos and pitcher Joe Testa. Capps (3-3, 2.74 ERA, 26 saves) will take over the closer's role for the Twins, who have been without Joe Nathan for the season because of Tommy John surgery, have used setup man Jon Rauch at closer so far this season, and while he has pitched well, Capps has better stuff and should be a better fit for the Twins in the AL Central race.
Dodgers Acquire Lilly
The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired lefty pitcher Ted Lilly and shortstop Ryan Theriot from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for second baseman Blake Dewitt and minor league right-handers Kyle Smit and Brett Wallach. Lilly (3-8, 3.69 ERA) will join the Dodgers' rotation as their fifth starter as L.A. tries to make a playoff push.
Cardinals Land Westbrook
St. Louis bolstered its starting rotation today by acquiring pitcher Jake Westbrook from the Cleveland Indians. The three team day sent outfielder Ryan Ludwick from St. Louis to San Diego. The Cards also get minor leaguer southpaw Nick Greenwood from San Diego, while the Indians get AA pitcher Corey Kluber from San Diego. Westbrook should fit in to the back of the Cardinal rotation which Jeff Suppan struggling.
White Sox Get Jackson
The Chicago White Sox have traded for righty Edwin Jackson from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league pitchers Daniel Hudson and David Holmberg. Jackson, who recently threw a no hitter for Arizona, fills a hole in the rotation left by Jake Peavy, who has gone down with an injury.
Dodgers Add Dotel
Los Angeles adds reliever Octavio Dotel from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for pitcher James McDonald and minor league outfielder Andrew Lambo. Dotel, who was closer for Pirates, should add depth to an already strong Dodger 'pen.
Yankees Acquire Wood
New York adds bullpen help by getting Kerry Wood from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for a player to be named. Wood, 33, was 1-4 with 6.30 ERA in relief for Indians this year.
Rangers Acquire Guzman
Texas further shores up its infielding, acquiring Cristian Guzman from the Washington Nationals in exchange for prospect right-handed pitchers Tanner Roark and Ryan Tatusko. Guzman can play either middle infield position and also a little outfield and will be useful bat to have on bench.
Yankees acquire Kearns
The defending champs have acquired outfielder Austin Kearns from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for a player to be named. Kearns (.268, 8 HR, 43 RBI) adds another corner outfielder to the Yankee bench.
Updated 7/31 10:18 P.M.

Manchester United Overwhelms MLS All-Stars

In front of 70728 fans at Houston's Reliant Stadium, Manchester United flexed their muscle against the MLS All-Stars, winning the 2010 MLS All-Star Game handily 5-2. The crowd, which was the fourth highest attendance in U.S. professional sports all-star history, witnessed Man U jump on top in the first minute when Federico Macheda capitalized on a give away in the back and scored past L.A. Galaxy goalie Donovan Ricketts. Just 10 minutes later, Macheda would score again on a corner, making it 2-0. Hometown Houston Dynamo striker Brian Ching would make it 2-1 on a header off a free kick in the 64th minute, and would later assist on another MLS goal to former Dynamo teammate and current Toronto FC star Dwayne De Rosario, but the Red Devils organization and poise in the second half was too much, as Darron Gibson, Tom Cleverley and Javier Hernandez each scored spectacular goals to put the game away. See full highlights below.

Four Years

Today my blog, The Sports Scene, turns four years old. What began in 2006 as a way of relieving boredom during the summertime has turned into so much more. From the great success this blog had on AOL (350 posts, 51000 visitors, #4 ranked blog), to the amount of viewers it has had since I moved to Blogger in March of last year, I would like to thank my readers for coming back. I've been amazed that I've had visitors on Blogger from not only the United States and Canada but also overseas in India, South Korea, and Russia just to name a few. Anyway, once again, thank you to everyone and continue to visit, comment, and email, and look for another great year in superb sports coverage.

Louis Oosthuizen Wins British Open

In a truly dominating performance, little known Louis Oosthuizen ran away with the Claret Jug at the 139th British Open at St. Andrews Golf Course in Scotland. Oosthuizen, who came into the championship as just the 54th ranked golfer in the world, seized the lead midway through the second round Friday, and never faltered, blowing away the field to win by seven shots, finishing at 16 under par. The 27-year old South African's first major came on the same day as Nelson Mandela's 92nd birthday and moves him up to 15th in the golf rankings.

"To win an Open championship is special," Oosthuizen said. "But to win it at St. Andrews ... it's something you dream about."

Oosthuizen's closest competitor ended up being Lee Westwood, who finished second at a major for the second time this year, with the first being at the Masters. But the final result was never really in doubt on Sunday, as Oosthuizen matched his playing partner Paul Casey shot for shot as Casey trailed by four coming into the final round. However, when Oosthuizen knocked in a 50-foot eagle at #8, and Casey triple bogeyed #12, Oosthuizen held an 8 shot lead with 6 holes to go.

"Nobody was going to stop him," said Casey. "He didn't miss a shot today. I don't know if he missed one all week. That was four days of tremendous golf."

NBA Free Agency

In addition to LeBron, Wade, and Bosh joining Miami, other notable free agent signings in the NBA this offseason include:
Hawks Resign Johnson
The Atlanta Hawks resign star guard Joe Johnson to an insane 6 year, $119 million deal.
Nowitzki Returning to Dallas
Mavericks relocked forward Dirk Nowitzki to a 4 year, $80 million deal.
Boston resigns Pierce, Allen
The defending East champion Celtics resigned all-star forward Paul Pierce for 4 years, $61 million and shooting guard Ray Allen to two years, $20 million.
Bulls Sign Boozer
The Chicago Bulls have plucked all-star power forward Carlos Boozer from the Jazz, signing him to 5 year, $76 million contract.
Knicks Get Amare
While striking out on LeBron, New York did land all-star power forward Amare Stoudemire for 5 years, $100 million, reuniting Amare with his former head coach Mike D'Antoni.
Warriors Acquire Lee
The Golden State Warriors acquired all-star power forward David Lee via sign-and-trade with Knicks worth 6 years, $80 million.
Grizzlies Resign Gay
Memphis resigns its star forward and leading scorer Rudy Gay to 5 year, $82 million contract.
Suns Get Childress, Turkoglu
In separate trades with the Atlanta Hawks and the Toronto Raptors, Phoenix reloads its front court with Josh Childress, who played in Europe the last two seasons, and Hedo Turkoglu, respectively. The transaction resulted in sixth man Leandro Barboso and center Dwayne Jones heading to Toronto.
Rockets Resign Scola, Lowry, Add Miller
In addition to resigning restricted free agents Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola earlier in the week, the Rockets finally got a backup center to Yao Ming today, signing veteran center Brad Miller to a three year, $15 million contract.

2010 MLB All-Star Game Recap

Behind outstanding pitching, the National League finally broke through last night to defeat the American League in 80th MLB All-Star Game from Anaheim, California 3-1. It was the NL's first win in the midsummer classic since 1996, and first time the NL will have homefield advantage in the World Series since the "This One Counts" campaign started in 2003.

Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann won MVP honors, driving in all three NL runs with a double in the 7th inning. That was all the offense needed on a night in which the NL pitching starting with Colorado's Ubaldo Jiminez and ending with Los Angeles' Jonathan Broxton held the mighty AL lineup to just 6 hits and 1 run. The only AL-run came courtesy of a sac-fly from the Yankees' Robinson Cano, after the Dodgers' Hong-Chi Kuo threw a grounder down the right field line with no outs in the fifth inning.

In a year of outstanding pitching in baseball, including two (almost three) perfect games and several no-hitters, it was just for the pitchers to dominate the All-Star game.

World Cup Final

Netherlands vs. Spain 2:30 PM ET ABC
All-European final once again, with #2 vs. #4 in the world. Two of the top scorers in this world will be facing each other with Holland's Wesley Sneijder and Spain's David Villa. However, the game will be won in the midfield and in the back. Ultimately, the strength of the Spanish defense in the back with Carles Puyol and Gerald Pique and in the midfield with Xavi and Andres Iniesta will control the pace and possession for much of the game. The Dutch can only hope to also play solid defense, with help from midfielder Mark Van Bommel and hit Spain on a counterattack with Dirk Kuyt providing the service. Although history is against the Spanish, who lost their first game, they are the stronger team and will walk out of Johannesburg with their first World Cup.

My Semifinal record: 2-0

LeBron James: Miami Bound

In a decision announced on a one-hour special on ESPN, reigning MVP LeBron James decided to leave his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio and join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami for the upcoming season. Although the terms of the deal are yet to be worked out, LeBron, Bosh, and Wade will work for less than the max-contracts in order to try to win a championship together in South Beach. "I can't say it was always in my plans, because I never thought it was possible," James said. "But the things that the Miami Heat franchise have done, to free up cap space and be able to put themselves in a position this summer to have all three of us, it was hard to turn down."

Well, you have to give it to the guy. He really wants a ring, and no matter how much this move will hurt his legacy on not being able to win a title in his home or without a champion like Wade's help, he put that behind him and made the move. This move does not make the Heat an instant title contender, as they only have four signed players at the moment (the big 3, plus Mario Chalmers), and it will be interesting to see what role players Miami can sign with limited cap space left.

Through all of this, you have to feel for the city of Cleveland, though. With all that city has gone through in terms of sports' heartbreaks from The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, and more recently losing Cy Young winners CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, LeBron was all the championship-starved city had along with the horrid Indians and Browns franchises. And now he is gone.

World Cup Semifinals

July 6
Uruguay vs. Netherlands 2:30 PM ET ESPN
Gutsy win for Uruguay to beat Ghana in the quarterfinals, and I think Suarez's red card, while did save the game for them will eventually cost them today. The Dutch are coming off huge upset of top-ranked Brazil and Wesley Sneider's team should have enough firepower to take out the last non-European team left.
July 7
Germany vs. Spain 2:30 PM ET ESPN
Well, a rematch of the Euro 2008 final and what a game this looks to be. The youthful Germans disposed of unorganized Argentina 4-0 while Spain edged Paraguay 1-0 in the quarters. David Villa is on fire for the Spanish, who have looked stout defensive throughout the tournament, while the Germans and Miroslav Klose have taken advantage of defensive lapses by opponents to score four goals in consecutive matches. It's a true pick 'em match but I'll go with the Spanish experience in the back and Germany's loss of Thomas Müller as the difference maker.
My Quarterfinal record: 2-2

Nadal Wins Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON- Domination. #1 in the world Rafael Nadal won his second Wimbledon championship today over #12 Tomas Berdych in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 for his eighth career major title, tying him with Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Fred Perry and Ken Rosewall for seventh all-time. Nadal held serve and broke Berdych four times to win a swift 2 hour, 13 minute match in which the final result was never really in doubt.

Nadal's win at the All-England Club comes just a month after winning the French Open, and a return to top form after a difficult 2009 season in which Nadal missed Wimbledon due to injury. "After not an easy year for me, to be back at my favorite tournament of the world and to play well another time, and not only play well [but] to finish with the trophy, is amazing for me," he said.

For Berdych, who was in just his first ever Grand Slam final, the loss comes at the end of a great tournament in which he knocked off defending champion Roger Federer as well as #3 Novak Djokovic to reach the final. But Nadal was just too strong for him today. "I think the biggest difference between us was that when he got a chance, he just took it," Berdych said.

World Cup Quarterfinals

July 2
Brazil vs. Netherlands 10 AM ET ESPN
#1 vs. #4 in the world, but the Dutch have looked shaky at times this World Cup at the back, and Brazil should capitalize if they do again.
Ghana vs. Uruguay 2:30 PM ET ESPN
The Black Stars did well capitalizing on defensive lapses by the United States to advance, but Uruguay's great defensive poise and the outstanding play from forward Luis Suarez will be too much for the final African team.
July 3
Argentina vs. Germany 10 AM ET ABC
The youth of the Germans took out the old English, but can they beat Diego Maradona's Argentinians and Lionel Messi and let the pressure of the tournament get to them? We shall see, but this will certainly be a fun match to watch.
Spain vs. Paraguay 2:30 PM ET ABC
The Spanish looked solid in eliminating Portugal in the round of 16, especially at the back in holding Cristiano Ronaldo's side goal-less. Paraguay similarly failed to score against Japan, and only advanced on penalty kicks. Their inability to score will end their run here, with striker David Villa and the Spanish attack on form.
My Round of 16 record: 6-2