New kid on the block

Major league debuts are always a good time, and we've had a whole lot of exciting ones this season. Enter, Jeremy Hellickson. The 23-year-old right-hander has been clamoring for a shot at the big leagues all season while posting some rather gaudy numbers at Triple-A Durham. On Monday against the Twins, he got that shot. Hellickson fired seven innings of two-run ball and struck out six batters to earn a win in his first appearance with the Rays. He was optioned back to Durham immediately after the start and will only be recalled as a reliever -- if he's recalled at all -- but keeper league owners got their first taste of what's to come and it sure went down smoothly. Like most of Tampa's youngsters, he will be a major factor in fantasy leagues for a long time to come.

I watched this game, for being only 23 years old he seems to have a lot of poise. The really good part is that he is not afraid to go inside and challenge the big boys. Add this kid to the Rays already great young staff in the years to come they will be tough.UC157Larry

Thriple Crown????

Elite sluggers racing toward Triple Crown

It's been 43 years since a hitter claimed the Triple Crown -- will 2010 be the year to end the drought? With the 81st All-Star Game in the books and the second half under way, four sluggers remain in contention to lead their respective league in batting average, home runs and RBIs. It's no surprise that each plays on a team making a serious playoff push. Amid a monster offensive campaign, first baseman Miguel Cabrera is perhaps the strongest candidate, driving in runs in bunches and batting well above his .313 career mark as the Tigers battle the Twins and White Sox for AL Central supremacy. Left fielder Josh Hamilton's unbelievable June -- during which he compiled a .454 average, nine homers and 31 RBIs -- propelled the Rangers to a sizable lead in the AL West, and little has changed since. Albert Pujols is once again posting MVP-caliber numbers in St. Louis, but he may not even be the best first baseman in his division this year; the Reds' Joey Votto has emerged as an elite player, hitting for both average and power as Cincinnati and the Pujols' Cardinals slug it out down the stretch. UC157Larry

Home Run Derby

last week's action is any indication of how tonight's Home Run Derby is going to go, then the action should be spectacular -- even without the likes of Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder and Josh Hamilton.

Provided you turn the volume down on the remote, of course.

Why do I say so? A total of 243 homers were hit across the majors last week. The Chicago White Sox hit 16, with Carlos Quentin hitting six. The Blue Jays also hit 16 homers, which should come as no surprise.

Four other players hit five homers last week, including Adam Dunn, Matt Holliday, Buster Posey and Jayson Nix.

As a result, some outrageous totals could be seen across H2H leagues. My team hit a season-high 19 homers (thanks to Dunn and Posey). Senior Editor George Winkler went up against a 29-homer barrage (thanks to Dunn, Holliday and Lance Berkman).

It serves as another reminder that we're not totally re-visiting the "Dead-Ball Era" quite yet. It has always been my belief that home runs and RBIs are the keys to a fantasy championship. Now is the right time to make sure you have enough power reserved for the second half.

As for tonight's derby, I'll take Holliday. As for Tuesday's game I will take the American League winning it in the ninth with David Price the winning pitcher and Evan Longoria the MVP. With the exception of the comments on the All Star Game the rest is from Fantasy Source. UC157 Larry

All Star game fast approaching

Lost in the shuffle of a billion All-Star snub articles, Rays closer Rafael Soriano has quietly put together a fantastic first half this season. Through 32 appearances and 22 save opportunities, the Dominican-born rigthy has a 1.42 ERA, a 0.76 WHIP and 21 successful saves. He's not fanning batters at the ridiculous rate that we saw last year in Atlanta, but 28 strikeouts against 5 walks is not half-bad. Soriano was traded to Tampa Bay this offseason after controversially accepting arbitration from the Braves and has been a lightning bolt at the back end of the second-place Rays' bullpen.

Suspended Carlos Zambrano should take some of the big bucks and enroll in a anger mangement class. Or better yet look for a different line of work. I hope that your favorite teams have done well the first half of the baseball season. Strange game has been on TV, everyone kicking a white ball around, some games going for 90 minutes without a score. I have been told golf is boring. Take care out there. UC157Larry

Rays problems

On the front page of AOL this morning it showed B.J. Upton being held back when he was confronted by Evan Longoria. This was regarding his trotting to get the ball hit in the gap in the Sundays game against the Diamondbacks. This writer thinks it is about time that one of the players put him in his place. It isn't the first time that he has loafed. There have been numerous times that he may have beat out a grounder hit it the infield. Granted he makes some nice catchs in centerfield. But only because he plays so shawllow. He is not hitting his hat size. For you old time Yankee fans, does anyone remember Billy Martin. It would have been shame on Upton. I think it is about time for Joe Maddon to realize that changing the lineup every day is not getting it done. I don't think Jackson would have gotton that no-hitter if Crawford had of been in the line-up. Yeah yeah I know he was in the lineup when that guy from Oakland, Dallas something or other. What a strange name for a man, much less a baseball player. Ha, ha I am outta of here. UC157 Larry

The Rays

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays socked it to the San Diego Padres 5-3 Thursday afternoon with a cadre of players who earned their stripes – and a manager who found a most creative way to fire up his team in getting the boot.

Prior to the game, skipper Joe Maddon and five of his starting players donned ’70s-style striped stirrup socks of navy, light blue and white ordered by equipment manager Chris “Westy” Westmoreland – anything to change their recent run of misfortune and six losses in the previous seven games. I can recall wearing this type of leggings. Except mine were cut higher on the back of the heel. Does anyone remember the big long white socks that went on before the outer socks with the strips. If this catches on with the Rays maybe it will have the same effect that the mohawk had when it seemed to put them on a roll. However nothing can replace the Dodger Blue. Now if my Dodgers could now put a whippin on the ole pin stripsUc157 Larry

How about this for a "tip"

(June 16) -- Taxi driver Don Pratt said he took it with "a pinch of salt" when a longtime customer said she would "look after" him in her will. But the salt took on a very sweet taste when he learned she meant exactly what she said -- to the tune of $370,000.

Pratt, 65, spent 20 years taking Mary Watson on countless shopping trips around her home in Cornwall, England, and she had always been a good tipper.

But he said he couldn't believe it when a call from Watson's lawyer confirmed she had left him the biggest tip possible: her entire estate, including her house and her savings.

"She was a very nice lady, always very generous. We would always have a good chat while I ferried her around," Pratt said, the British media reported today.

And although she had told him, "When I pass on I'll look after you," Pratt said he had "no idea she was going to leave me a fortune."

Watson, who died this year at age 86, moved into a home for the elderly a few years ago in Northampton, in the English Midlands.

The two "lost contact completely," Pratt was quoted as saying in London's Daily Mail, but Watson stayed true to her word.

Pratt, a cab driver for 30 years and a father of four, said the money will enable him to retire, but he won't stop driving.

"We want to go around England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland -- to start with, anyway."

Pratt said he was not sure how Watson's family felt about the will, but a spokeswoman for the care home in Northampton said, "She didn't have any close family to speak of," and that "there was a whole side to her life we didn't know about."

She added: "It's a very generous thing to do and he obviously had a great impact on her life. He must have been a very good driver."

Good, and now able to take as many cab rides as he might like.

Oh my!!!

Today is the first time in 51 days that the Tampa Bay Rays have not had sole possion of first place in the Eastern division of the American League. Also the Celtic's have taken a commanding lead in the NBA Finals. They are going back to Los Angeles for game's 6 and 7. No folks it is not a typo, I said 6 and 7. In closing this is the first time that my Los Angeles Dodgers have been swept by the Angels at Dodger Stadium. I do believe that is a long time. Also does anyone care to respond on the crappy umpiring that has been going on in the MLB. Jim Joyce at least admintted he made a mistake. UC157 Larry

Only in LA

This writer has probably been in this parking lot if it is near the bars in Santa Monica, CA. When I was young that is.
Most drivers have experienced the downer that is discovering a parking ticket on their windshields.

But a quick burst of four parking tickets? You'll have to ask KTLA reporter Gayle Anderson how that feels.

Anderson was doing a segment on the best cars for summer road trips from a Santa Monica parking lot. The cars were lined up, and, according the folks who work at the lot, the television station hadn't paid for the spaces like they said they would.

So they called in the Santa Monica Police Department, which ticketed the cars, one by one, as the live TV cameras continued to roll.

Bemoaning this heavy-handed treatment, a KTLA station official told Asylum that the news team had "done this type of shot at that parking lot before and always settled up before they left."

He added that the station would have had no problem paying the parking fees -- or the parking tickets -- but was baffled as to why the parking attendant decided to call the cops, and then the police decided to issue the tickets on live television. UC Larry

Fun Time

Hi folks. Just a little information about the sporting news of Tampa Bay. My Rays, yes my Rays have a 4 game lead in the Eastern division. Over that other team, the New York Yankees My Dodgers got there steak stopped at 9 last night. The Rays hitting attack had been slowed down but seem to have come out of their drought, even thought they have been winning. Pitching and defense. But unless you have been under a rock they whipped up on the Yankees last night 10-6. That was surprising considering that they played at the new Stadium in New York. I have to admit it is a very nice place to play. But for over a billion it should be. Oh yeah the Los Angeles Lakers are up 2-0 in the Western conference finals. Stodimire of the Suns maybe shouldn't have run his mouth so much in calling them "lucky". Who was that who being lucky is just as good as being good. I can't think of anyone who would care but my co-writers team, the Boston Celtics are up 2-0 in the Eastern conference finals. Have a fun day and be careful out there.