Random Observations: Baseball Edition

The All-Star Break is fast approaching, and there are plenty of storylines to watch in Major League Baseball. So in the words of the great San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist Scott Ostler, here are my deep thoughts, cheap shots, and bon mots on our national past time:

---Manny is back, and so is his temper. Ramirez nearly got himself tossed in San Diego on Saturday after screaming at umpire Sam Holbrook after a close call at first base, and yesterday in New York he did get himself ejected after he threw his elbow bad toward home plate umpire John Hirschbeck. In the case of the Hirschbeck incident, Manny had a right to be upset at the call. But his explosions of anger have been laughably lame. Manny is clearly trying way too hard to prove that he really cares.

---After losing to the hated blue 8-0, can the government bail out the Mets?

---Jerry Manuel's team has looked sloppier than a Carl's Jr. double cheeseburger in the field this season. Somebody needs to tell the Mets that they are in the midst of an important baseball season and are not supposed to be filming footage for a blooper reel.

---Vote for Pablo! Vote for Pablo! Vote for Pablo!

---Pablo Sandoval sure has an awesome sense of timing. A day after being named a candidate in the All-Star Final Vote, Sandoval belted his first career grand slam at AT&T Park to help lead the Giants to victory over the Marlins. You gotta love the Kung Fu Panda!

---Randy J0hnson was placed on the disabled list this week after suffering a shoulder sprain in Sunday's start against the Astros. Hopefully, the Big Unit will make a speedy recovery back into the San Francisco rotation, as he is a very important part of the Giants pitching staff. However, I'm not that worried. It doesn't appear to be a severe injury, and my Giants have more than enough pitching to continue to win games. Everybody knows about Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, but here's another name to remember: Ryan Sadowski. The Big Sadowski is 2-0 with a 0.00 E.R.A. in his first two stars in the major leagues. He goes again today as the Giants look to sweep away the Marlins. Go Giants!

---The beauty of baseball is that teams have a chance to redeem themselves immediately in the aftermath of a painful loss. Case in point: The Cincinnati Reds. After getting embarrassed by the Phillies 22-1 on Monday night, Dusty Baker's team bounced right back the next day and beat the Phillies.

---Call me crazy, but I would much rather lose 22-1 than lose 4-3 on a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. Blown saves are much harder to swallow than blowouts.

---Great news for Cubs fans: Derrek Lee appears to be the Derrek Lee of old. The slugging first baseman is once again putting up huge numbers, keeping the Cubs in the hunt in the wide-open NL Central.

---Ryan Braun, just keep quiet. The Brewers' All-Star left fielder created quite a stir this week as he publicly criticized his team's pitching staff. This angered GM Doug Melvin, and was a major distraction for the slumping Brewers. Does Braun have a right to be frustrated? Absolutely. But expressing his frustration in such a blatantly public manner is simply classless.

---Chien-Ming Wang is injured. Yankees fans are celebrating.

---Sorry, but Wang has been god-awful on the mound this year. If I were a Yankees fan, I wouldn't be too worried about Wang's injury.

---If I were the Boston Red Sox, I'd be a little concerned about their slim margin over the Yankees. The Red Sox have dominated the Yankees in head-to-head contests this season, winning all eight games against their ancient rivals, yet they only have a one game division lead over New York. The Red Sox should be worried, and the Yankees should be thanking their lucky stars.

---Kudos to the Red Sox fans for giving Nomar Garciaparra a well-deserved standing ovation in Nomar's long-awaited return to Fenway Park. It's been six years since Garciaparra donned a Red Sox uniform, and in that time he has played with the Cubs, Dodgers, and now the A's, but he will forever be remembered as one of the all-time great shortstops in Red Sox history. Sox fans, a passionate and knowledgeable lot, should be applauded for giving Nomar such a classy and gracious welcome.

---Garciaparra came up with Boston in the era of great shortstops, competing with Derek Jeter in New York, Alex Rodriguez in Texas, Miguel Tejada in Oakland, and Omar Vizquel in Cleveland. In a group that impressive, it is easy to get overshadowed, but Garciaparra was every bit as good as his counterparts. In the wake of two Red Sox World Series championships since Nomar's departure, many forget that Garciaparra was once the face of Boston sports.

---Rumor has it that the Toronto Blue Jays are looking to trade Roy Halladay. Halladay, one of the very best pitchers in the game, would be a great fit on anybody's team. On "ESPN First Take" this morning, Skip Bayless suggested that Halladay may be traded to either the Yankees or Red Sox. If GM J.P. Ricciardi does indeed send Hallday to Boston or New York, it would be one of the dumbest front-office decisions in baseball history. Halladay would make the Yankees or Red Sox the instant favorites to win the World Series, and Ricciardi would be crazy to assist his division rivals in such a big way.