[MLB TRADE DEADLINE] Rumored 3-way deal sends Manny to L.A., Bay to Boston. Griffey confirmed to ChiSox.

The full version of the 2008 MLB Trade Deadline Breakdown is coming soon. Early Editions are available at the Acropolis homepage.

Last-minute deals and rumors:

- The Red Sox, who failed to work out a deal with the Marlins earlier today, have sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to SI.com. Further speculation is that a three-way deal sent Jason Bay from Pittsburgh to L.A., and then immediately over to Boston for Man-Ram, this reported by ESPN.com. The Pirates, presumably, loaded up on prospects. MLB.com reports to the contrary, that the trade died right at the deadline. It is confirmed that Bay did not wind up in Tampa with the Rays, as was rumored earlier.

- Ken Griffey Jr. was dealt by the Reds to the White Sox. Griffey to the Sox has been rumored just about every season since 2003, but no such talk was reported this year. A surprise move, but as a lifelong Junior fan, one I have been waiting on far too long. I now want a Cubs/White Sox World Series.

- Some notable names that appear to be staying put: Oakland’s Huston Street and Justin Duchscherer, San Diego’s Greg Maddux, and Colorado’s Brian Fuentes (as a fantasy owner of Manny Corpas, this comes as very disappointing news).

More to come.

The 2008 MLB Trade Deadline Breakdown (Early Edition II)

The Full Edition of the 2008 MLB Trade Deadline Breakdown is complete! View it here.

We are less than four days away from the 2008 MLB trade deadline, but the deals keep coming, as this year’s deadline continues to live up to the hype as the most active in recent years. Let’s get you to the latest deals.

For the previous Acropolis 2008 MLB Trade Deadline Breakdown Early Edition, click here.

Yankees Get:
OF- Xavier Nady
LHP- Damaso Marte

Pirates Get:
RHP- Jeff Karstens
RHP- Daniel McCutchen
RHP- Ross Ohlendorf
OF- Jose Tabata

The Yankees have been red-hot as of late, and have played themselves back into the AL East race. Coming into the deadline, GM Brian Cashman had two goals: get a solid right-handed bat and a left-handed reliever. He accomplishes both in one deal. Nady is having a career year (.330, 13 HR, 57 RBI), and provides far more reliability than recently signed righty Richie Sexson. Marte is one of the league’s best southpaw relievers. Filling in for injured Pirates closer Matt Capps, Marte notched 4 saves while allowing just three hits over the two-week span. He won’t close in New York, but he will be the number two guy in the pen behind Mariano Rivera. Marte is likely a rental, unless the Yanks choose to pick up his $6 million option at season’s end. Nady’s contract runs through 2009.

The 2008 MLB Trade Deadline Breakdown (Early Edition)

The Full Edition of the 2008 MLB Trade Deadline Breakdown is complete! View it here.

 

The MLB Trade Deadline Breakdown is how I got started writing on the Internet, 10 years ago. Like Peter Gammons, this is one of my favorite times of the year. Last year was the first that I did not publish a Trade Deadline Breakdown since I began in 1999. Being the baseball nerd I am, I could not allow another July 31 to pass without providing the most complete, concise and convenient recap of the notable deadline deals you don’t have to pay money for (though you are welcome to do so). The Acropolis blog allows me to break the detailed report into smaller, easier to read sections. With big trades taking place weeks before the trade deadline, it was time to get started on the 2008 edition.

 

Why the New Yorker cover is just what Obama needed to ‘Fight the Smears’

Barack and Michelle Obama, standing in the middle of the Oval Office, fulfilling every far-fetched rumor circulating the Internet. There is an American flag burning in the fireplace, above which sits a portrait of Osama Bin Laden. Barack is dressed in Muslim attire. Michelle has an AK-47 strapped on her back. The two exchange what Fox News’ E.D. Hill calls a “terrorist fist jab.” This is the cover of the latest New Yorker magazine.

Both the Obama and McCain campaigns have shown their strong displeasure with the cover. But there is a significant silver lining for Obama. In fact, this cover could earn Obama more independent and conservative voters than his recent “move to the middle” speeches.

Living in the Deep South, I can assure you all of the ridiculous Obama e-mail rumors are alive and well. Otherwise intelligent people tell me all the time about how Obama is a Muslim who was sworn in on the Quran (that was actually Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison). They tell me Obama does not pledge alligance to the flag, he even turns away and lowers in head in defiance. He does the same during prayer, so I heard. He doesn’t wear a flag lapel because he is a closet terrorist who hates our country (his middle name is Hussein, you know). He and his wife even use a secret terrorist signal, seen used by other prominent terrorists here:

Tony Snow 1955-2008

Here we are again. Another face in political media has passed away far too soon. Former White House Press Secretary, television and radio host Tony Snow died Saturday from colon cancer. Just weeks earlier, Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert died of a heart attack. Both journalists were only in their fifties.

Snow was an anchor for Fox News, hosted a conservative radio show, and served as a conservative analyst for CNN. I knew him only as a White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush, and talking about that role in subsequent interviews after stepping down from the post.

You could tell by watching Snow field questions that he enjoyed playing the game with fellow reporters. He knew the tactics that would be used against him; he came from that world. He was a master of ducking and dodging questions, finding holes in questions… he drove reporters nuts, and scolded them when they weren’t giving him enough of a challenge. He was unique in his role: Snow often took the liberty bred in him as an opinion journalist to move beyond his briefing and put his own angle on the talking points of the Bush administration. This sometimes got him into trouble, but made C-SPAN worth watching (well, how about “tolerable?”)

Point is, Snow was quick on his feet, moreso than anyone else I can think of. He was intelligent, and one of the few personalities firmly entrenched on one end of the ideological scale that I enjoyed listening to.

Tony Snow, Tim Russert, Jim McKay – we have lost enough journalists for one summer.