July 16th Power Rankings

The All Star break is done and we can finally get back to playing Baseball (its amazing that three days feels like a month). Looking at the first half the top 3 and bottom 3 teams are clear, but the rest is a mess.

In the Words of the Joker. And....Here....We......GO....

No.	Team	Last Week
1.	Red Sox 57-40- After getting swept by the Rays, they have battled their way back to first place in the AL East. This is the best team in Baseball from top to bottom and deserve the number 1 spot.	2
2.	Angles 57-38-They cant stop pitching the ball. The AL West will be over by September 1.	4
3.	Cubs 57-38- Rich Harden? Didn’t they learn anything from Mark Prior and Kerry Wood? If he stays healthy they will be playing late in October.	1
4.	Rays 55-39- Are they spiraling out of control? I think with the pitching they have they aren’t, but I am less confident than I was two weeks ago.	3
5.	White Sox 54-40- Danks is a stud and Konerko coming back will help the offense. They are a good team and well managed, but do they have enough pitching to hold of the Tigers?	10
6.	Twins 53-42- Justin Morneau is the MVP of the AL in the first half, but they lack pitching to keep up this pace. However this team always does and may just prove me wrong.	6
7.	Brewers 53-43- Wow! The Milwaukee Brewers making trade to acquire players! Great move getting Sabathia…now just comes signing the hefty lefty.	9
8.	Mets 51-44- They are on fire winning 9 in a row. Jose Reyes was the biggest All-Star snub and the MVP of this team in the first half. They need to acquire a corner outfielder to make any noise in October.	14
9.	Cardinals 52-43- With the acquisitions of Harden and Sabathia by their rivals they seemed to have missed the bus.	8
10.	Yankees 50-45- Matsui and Damon are out for a while and there are two teams ahead of them. Mark my words today…The Yankees will miss the playoffs!!	7
11.	A’s 51-44- I give tons of credit to Billy Beane for realizing they are not a World Series team and trading Harden.	5
12.	Phillies 52-44- Playing .500 is not going to get it done in the NL East. They have another run in them with those hitters, but I can’t stress the lack of pitching enough.	12
13.	Tigers 47-47 – I may have gotten a little too excited last time making them 11th with a sub .500 record, but I still love this team. Verlander will carry them in the second half.	11
14.	Rangers 50-46- What a performance by Josh Hamilton at the Derby. He, along with Young, Kinsler and Bradley make up a scary lineup. If not for the Rays, this would be the team to talk about in the AL.	15
15.	Marlins 50-45- Surprisingly they have hung around with the Mets and Phillies, but that won’t last.	16
16.	Blue Jays 47-48- Roy Halladay is as close to old school as MLB has these days. They are 12-9 since Cito Gaston took over, but losing Veron Wells again is going to hurt them.	20
17.	Diamondbacks 47-48- Webb and Haren will carry them to 81 wins and an NL West title.	17
18.	Dodgers 46-49 - They have played better of late, but lack the big hitter in their lineup to catch the snakes.	22
19.	Orioles 45-48- Even though they are in the cellar, it has been a nice first half overall for Dave Trembley’s team.	13
20.	Braves 45-50 – OOOOOOOOH OOOOOH OOOH OH (Tomahawk Chop) NOOOOOO NOOO NO NO PLAYYY OFFFFFFS (Tomahawk Chop).	18
21.	Reds 46-50- Junior’s run at Sosa and the top 5 of the HR list is the only excitement in Cincinnati this summer. Too bad he won’t be playing there for too much longer.	26
22.	Pirates 44-50- Jason Bay sees the light at the end of the tunnel to get out of Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers can’t come soon enough.	19
23.	Astros 44-51- Lance Berkman is chasing a Triple Crown, but they are in dead last. It will be a long road back to the World Series for this franchise.	24
24.	Royals 43-53- As expected, playing AL games again has brought them back to Earth. Their only goal in 08 is staying out of the basement.	21
25.	Rockies 39-57- Trading Matt Holliday would be a huge mistake. They will play better in the second half, but no magical run this year.	27
26.	Indians 41-53- Great trade dealing C.C who they were not going to sign anyway. Matt LaPorta is going to be a star for years to come.	23
27.	Giants 40-55 – They are only 6 back, but they are going no where. Tim Lincecum is having a Cy Young year and will be among the best pitchers in the game for many years.	25
28.	Mariners 37-58- Great move cutting Riche Sexson. I bet the Super Sonic-less fans in Seattle are excited to see who is next.	30
29.	Padres 37-58- For some reason I hate this team and their ugly uniforms and hope they lose 100 games	29
30.	Nationals 36-60-…	28