american league baseball

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Their moms would be proud. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim didn't waste a thing Sunday. Of course, they've been thriftier than a fleet of hybrid cars all year long. No one gets more mileage out of less fuel than the Angels.

If you're an Oakland A's fan and took the time Sunday to watch the Futures game, a minor-league prelude to the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium, you're probably not upset or disappointed over the Joe Blanton trade.

The oddsmakers around the country like the Boston Red Sox' chances to not only repeat as American League East champs, but also to make it to the World Series with a chance to also successfully defend the championship they won a year ago. That's what's being written.

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is more than a baseball feel-good story. He's an old-fashioned success story.He's a guy who came out of high school considered one of the most talented baseball players in history. He had a squeaky-clean reputation off the field to go with his high level of talent on it.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- They met at home plate for a pre-game photo shoot. With multi-hued leis placed gently around their necks, they stood proudly, their chests puffed out a little more than usual as they donned their current colors, those of the Oakland A's and Philadelphia Phillies.

Maybe it took a seven-game losing streak to realize just how good the Tampa Bay Rays' first half really was.

As the summer of love for doomed Yankee Stadium climaxes Tuesday night with the All-Star Game, don't think that you've somehow extracted yourself from the old yard's dense multi-layered history.Soon enough, you'll be reminded that for all its baseball, football, boxing and even papal significance, Yankee Stadium is also where the cure for hemorrhoids was discovered.

The American League East is normally a two-team race between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, who between them have won the division every year since 1997.But this year, add the Tampa Bay Rays. You could make a case for all three teams winning (or losing) the division.THE RAYSWhy they will win:

The folks producing the All-Star Game for Fox on Tuesday night will have an interesting balancing act to perform.On one hand, there will be the focus on Yankee Stadium and the possibility that this could be the last big event in the historic ballpark's final season. On the other, Fox officials know some viewers will be tuning in simply to watch the game.

Major League Baseball's non-waiver trade deadline is still three weeks away, but two deals in the last two days -- Tuesday's that sent Rich Harden to the Chicago Cubs, hard on the heels of Monday's trade that shipped C.C. Sabathia to Milwaukee -- make it obvious: trading season is here.