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Manny Ramirez was fun in Hollywood while it lasted. As of an hour ago he’s been claimed on waivers by the Chicago White Sox.

Do I like the claim? Not necessarily. It’s because the White Sox are greedy. I don’t think they need him at his price. A perfect fit I thought was Tampa Bay. They tried but their record was too good. It’s not that the waiver system is built wrong, because it’s right. The worst team that sets a claim gets the player.

Now what does Manny do? Use that no-trade clause to go to the windy city or stay in LA? Because, Chicago is -3.5 games out in the AL central, and LA is -5 games out in the NL wildcard hunt. It comes down to preference. Be a designated hitter, which suits him. Or be a hitter and fielder. We all know Manny takes days off. So the DH route makes sense.

Either way, Ramirez is a big chunk of money, with $4.4 million left on his deal. I know the Dodgers would let that go in a heartbeat. He hasn’t brought the same vibe to “Mannywood” like he once did. Maybe a new home is the answer. It’s his preference. Or would he quit on the Sox too?

What can I get out of Stephen Strasburg? That’s what I’m asking myself if I’m in the Washington Nationals organization. A second trip to the disabled list has created a lot of uncertainty. I never thought this would happen after that June 8 domination debut.

Strasburg is on an island. Aside from a few flamethrowers in the majors, nobody is like him. He’s premier and one of a kind.

Never before has he had a workload in a full season over 109 innings. So technically, that’s around 19 games a year. And in today’s game that’s not too much. Did they baby him? I don’t think so.

Workload, pitch counts, pitch selections all that are on high regard. The amount of torque on the arm adds up. That’s evident with Strasburg. Basically he was called up too soon in June. The hype got to him. Washington was battling .500 ball. He did live up, for his first four starts when he set a record for 41 strikeouts. That’s simply unreal. But what now?

My question is: can I rely on Strasburg? Will he continue to suffer? This is an issue. I had to say his name in the same breath as Mark Prior, but maybe it’s proof.

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Tag that as the headline after Roy Oswalt is heading to Philadelphia. Let’s get to the basics of how big of a move this really is.

Oswalt is 32-years-old. In baseball terms, a lot of miles are on his arm. But the Oswalt I know from being a NL central follower is a stud. One who guarantees innings, a low scoring game and strikeouts. Some are already saying this is a bad move for the Phillies, who upgrade pitching but do nothing for the bullpen. I disagree 100%. Because whenever Oswalt is on the mound, he diminishes the bullpen needed. You don’t need a 7th inning guy, or an 8th inning guy for relief effort. He’s a top 15 pitcher in the league. Oswalt carries the load himself.

While his record may be 6-12, it’s because he played for woeful Houston. Line up his stats to anything since 2001 and everything is very similar: era, strikeouts and walks. Three weeks ago he threw a one-hitter. Come playoff time, when the Phillies reach it, he’s a perfect No. 2 guy. He’s already got World Series experience.

This move makes all the difference in the world. In the trade, Philly sacrificed an unproven pitcher in J.A. Happ, not even a top prospect. They won’t owe Oswalt much, $12 million for two years of work. And they’ve won seven straight. It’s full steam ahead now. Good luck putting the boots to Philly.

Joe Mauer had an eye popping game last night in Kansas City. His one homer, seven runs batted in performance was more runs produced than 17 of the 19 teams who played last night. It got me to thinking.

There’s an old adage that if you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em. Kansas City is bad this year. So bad that they’re run differential is -98. But they’re actually not baseball’s worst. What would happen if they had a Mauer type? Quick answer, they’d most likely win. But good luck KC. It’s not happening. Mauer is locked in the Twin Cities until 2018.

Baseball Reference stats indicate that Mauer has a sick career playing in Kansas City. It’s his eighth favorite park to hit in, a .350 career average at Kauffman. He has the second most hits there of any stadium, outside of the now replaced Metrodome. Should I add: most RBI’s, most total bases, second most triples, fourth most runs and fifth most doubles. Kansas City is like his secret paradise.

I know the Royals would never get him, but it’s a fun hypothetical of how good he’d be there if it was his permanent baseball home. He would undoubtedly help put fans in the seats. He’s the type of star KC needs.

Some say that Mauer’s numbers have dropped considerably just by going to the new Target Field. And it does show by his stats. They wouldn’t dip at Kauffman though. Hey Minnesota: Is Alex Gordon + Zack Greinke + Kila Ka’aihue + Aaron Crow enough? ☺

Don’t kid yourself, but the New York Yankees will get even better this offseason. Let’s go ahead and call it a Bronx Reunion. That’s when Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia will be back together, this time in pinstripes.

It was somewhat of a shock last week when Lee, the most attractive trade deadline piece, was shipped to Texas. We all saw New York as a destination, who were offering their best prospect in Jesus Montero to Seattle. But Texas matched the Yankees offer and Seattle couldn’t refuse. Think Lee cared where he went? I doubt it. He’s a guy who’s so easy come, easy go, that he will play for anybody. I love his demeanor and the way he carries himself.

Reports said the move to the Yankees was about done. Just thinking about Lee and CC Sabathia again in a rotation is scary. Absolutely. These two aces, very different in their style, pitched the Cleveland Indians to the ALCS in 2007 alone. They very rarely ever need to be bailed out by hitting.

When this does go down, and it will trust me, Lee will get a big contract. The Yankees may even be in the talks of a possible three-peat in 2011. Lee may not get 7-years at $161 like Sabathia, the biggest pitchers contract ever. My guess is in December when the Yankees will wrap up their own Christmas present. Money can buy anything.

All it takes in baseball to win is timely hitting and timely pitching. It builds momentum. Baseball is a what can you do for me now game.

Another win for the Cubs today has me looking up. Is this team done? To some extent no. But other ways, yes. An upcoming schedule of Cincinnati followed by San Francisco, St. Louis, San Diego and Atlanta is ridiculous. That might be the toughest 17 day stretch in all of baseball. Each of these teams are at or near first place contention.

But writing this as a Cubs fan, of course I admit to always, and I mean always, believing. It’s culture to us.

You can just tell that by how this team looks and how this team is playing since the All-Star break that something is clicking. Six wins out of ten. What if Aramis Ramirez was hitting in May instead of July? Would this team be 10 games back of first place? One player can usually make a team. Just look at St. Louis with Albert Pujols or Minnesota with Justin Morneau. Chicago can beat anybody just by the look of their lineup when healthy.

The Cubs can become sellers if they want since the trade deadline is in eight days, but the fans, and I, wouldn’t be happy to see a guy like Ryan Theriot or Sean Marshall go. Or they can stay put, stick with the current team and fight to end the year around .500 ball. It’s not whether this team will make the playoffs because they won’t. This team won’t see first place in the NL Central. But things can become interesting if they play like they should. This team is likable.

Whether or not Lou Piniella was in his final year of his contract, he wasn’t going to be brought back in 2011.

Piniella came in to overhaul a team and bring light back to earth. And he did a good job in winning back-to-back NL Central Division titles in 2007 and 2008. Add a second place finish to last year. That’s not a bad run. Actually, a hell of a run. It just doesn’t seem like Piniella has done that well.

I thank him for getting us there, but the post season collapses hurt, a lot. And that’s all that matters. Arizona and Los Angeles put us to bed rest.

Thing is, the Cubs have stunk this year. Aside from just rolling off 8 of their last 13, this team has been stuck in the ground. You could blame the front office moves, out of reach for Piniella to fix. He needed depth, and didn’t get it. The worst thing to happen to Piniella was letting Mark DeRosa walk out, his most versatile player.

Many fans have lobbied for this team to be blown up. And I’m right there. What I really want to hear is this team admit it’s bad. Aramis Ramirez was meant for 2003-2005, not 2010, as is the rest of the team. Carlos Zambrano, Derrek Lee. This is a then team of years past.

So when the Cubs are 42-52 and 10.5 games out of the division, Piniella announcing his retirement is just a sign of the times. This puts hope into next year already.

Go ahead and speculate, but there’s three guys, and three guys only who should be considered for the Cubs managerial job next year.

1. Ryne Sandberg
2. Bob Brenly
3. Joe Girardi (the man for the job)

Perception = reality. Look at the New York Yankees roster and you’re sold. Top to bottom, it’s stacked with the veterans and the up and comings, a potent mix for down the stretch in baseball. Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, C.C. Sabathia, they’re all money. It’s hard not to buy into them. The perception of them being a great team is just so true. They are.

With the All-Star Game over, and teams back on the road for more series, I’m here to calculate some second half predictions. Because as we all know, it’s not how you start but how you finish. I’m feeling self-righteous. Will my perceptions turn into reality? Let’s get this underway:

1. The Boston Red Sox will finish with the third best record in baseball, but will miss the playoffs.
2. Ubaldo Jimenez will not win National League Cy Young for Colorado. Josh Johnson of Florida will.
3. The Cincinnati Reds will miss the playoffs, faltering on getting any decent pitcher during the trade deadline.
4. Adrian Gonzalez will be the biggest name dealt at the trade deadline as San Diego collapses in the National League West.
5. Josh Hamilton will win the triple crown, the most recent hitter in baseball to win since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.
6. Stephen Strasburg will win National League Rookie of the Year, with 15 wins and 141 strikeouts.
7. The Houston Astros will finish as the worst team in baseball, five years removed from their 2005 World Series.
8. The Atlanta Braves will win the National League.
9. The New York Yankees will win 105 games, and be crowned back to back World Series Champions.
10. The Chicago Cubs will blow it up. Joe Girardi will walk away from the New York Yankees for the Cubbies after back to back rings.

Well that was a fun All-Star Game. I wish I could say my Cubs were in contention to benefit from the home-field advantage come October and World Series time. But we’re having an abysmal year. There’s not much else to say.

But if there’s a bright spot or something looming, it came in front of all baseball fan’s eyes. Marlon Byrd, the Cubs representative, cut the tension in last nights 81st annual Mid-Summer Classic by one of the smartest, most exciting plays I’ve seen in a while on the diamond. It wasn’t a web gem. You wouldn’t oooh and ahhhh. It was what you call being “baseball smart,” which is sometimes overlooked in the game.

Bottom of the 9th, Toronto’s John Buck was up to bat with David Ortiz on first. He hits a lazy popup to right field, one you want to dive for and make that incredible catch if you’re the right fielder. Byrd was indecisive. Dive or play the hop? He knew Ortiz’s positioning, between first and second, and he was waiting for the balls result. Byrd let it drop, corralled it in his glove, and threw a seed into second base for a force out. At the time, I gave a quiet fist pump, like Byrd in the picture.

So while I thought Marmol deserved to be the Cubs representative, Byrd turned out being the true All-Star, especially in this game. I can’t forget his aggressive and bold base running on Brian McCann’s three-run double that was enough for the game. Byrd was all out. I’ve honestly never been impressed by him until now. He hustles and plays the game the way it should be played. And thanks to him, Chicago has a little life.

Two unhittable pitchers will take the mound tonight in the 81st annual All-Star Game. Seeing David Price and Ubaldo Jimenez start the game will be a must-see. It should be a fun one in Anaheim. Something’s itching me to say the National League will actually win, for the first time in 13 years. Believe me.

I know there were a lot of snubs. Joey Votto got in by last vote. For Andy Pettitte, it required someone else to be injured. But the tale to the halfway point of the 2010 season is pitching. It’s as if the pitchers have gotten their revenge on hitters from the steroid era. Will pitching be the story tonight? Yes.

On paper, both of these teams are insane. If this was a team of its own, book the World Series. But what stands out to me is the youth. Price and Jimenez are first timers. As is Clay Buchholz. You can tell the future of baseball is tonight on the center stage.

There’s just something about looking at the National League pitchers over the American League. The starteres are fantastic. It’s hard to argue with the two starters who are leading their leagues in wins. But by the time you add Josh Johnson, Roy Halladay, and Tim Lincecum, the NL gets the AL in depth. Lincecum just not starting the game and coming out in relief is scary enough. That speaks depth.

I foresee a low scoring game, something like 2-1. By that, it will feed to the emotions of the viewer. The late innings are always fun when it gets competitive. If the NL can pitch to the expectations and keep the AL off the bases with Carl Crawford, tally up a win.