these baseball players have no neck.

Feeling pretty good right now about my decision to stick with Liriano in my fantasy league...not to brag, but I also started Edwin Jackson tonight...17 innings of combined brilliance...

Liriano's no hitter is similar to one AJ Burnett had years ago when he was with the Marlins. I think Burnett had something like 9 walks in that game, and Liriano only had 6. Great defense helped Liriano and the fact his defense behind him put up a number of double plays. Plus, that play by Valencia definitely saved the no hitter.

^ Agreed...I started watching in the 6th inning and saw quite a few well hit balls off the bats of White Sox hitters...both pitchers - Jackson and Liriano - have great stuff but they're too inconsistent to put it all together...

I just saw on Sportscenter how Liraino's game was only the 13th best pitched game this season....or something like that.

Still...a no hitter is a no hitter. Always cool in my book. I'd rather pitch a no hitter that was the 13th best pitched game of a season than the best pitched game of a season that isn't a no hitter.

Giants are apparently considering trading for Jose Reyes...please no!

As my favorite Met, I really want him to stay. I also understand that he isn't and can kinda understand why. If he can maintain this years production year to year, he'd be worth it. But his track record has not supported that and I can understand why a cash needy team like the Mets would be wary of giving him such a deal. So while I will objectively understand when he is traded, it will suck.

And if he goes to the Giants, the Rockies division rival, it will suck that much more. Wherever he goes I want to be able to root for him and him being in SF will make it hard.

I do think SF would be a perfect landing spot for him though. I think that ballpark, like Citibank Field, is ideal for him.

I wonder what the asking price for him would be? Obviously Posey is off limits, but I'm sure someone like Bumgarner and/or Belt would be part of the deal. Although, with Davis at 1b, i'm not sure if they would want Belt back.

Reyes is a free agent at the end of this season, I bet Belt would be off limits too. I think a deal for Reyes would center on one of the starting pitchers.

I gotta believe the Mets have their eyes on pitcher Zach Wheeler, the Giants top pick in the 2009 draft...anything less would be pointless...

I was really pulling for him but it seems like he might be done. Too bad.

Don't know this Zack Wheeler prospect but I'd personally prefer see the Mets get someone MLB ready over a pitching prospect. Mets history of developing pitching prospects is less than stellar. But I could definitely see it being a prospect like Wheeler being the return for Reyes.

It only took 5 weeks for Eric Chavez to get placed on the DL. This time it's for a broken toe. He's definitely can be classified as the walking wounded. Every year he gets injured.

^ I'm surprised he played five weeks without injury...Chavez and Scott Rolen: Two 3Bs whose careers have been decimated by injuries...I remember back when Rolen was dubbed the "next Mike Schmidt" and Chavez was to be Oakland's next great power hitter...

rolen has good career numbers
285 average. like 300 homeruns. i think he used to steal 15 bases a year. he is and has always been awesome defensively

Holy shit, how does Brad Hawpe have a regular everyday MLB job? Fucking brutal error to break Heath Bell's consecutive save streak tonight.

I guess they're given the E to Headley, but any 1B worth his weight in salt makes that play.

And this guy is filthy:

There's no way that the Giants are going to give up on Belt OR Wheeler for Reyes, who is sure to want a 3-yr deal after this year. It'd be a rental and they won't give up the future for that.
They're just figuring that Tejada will come around and if he doesn't, then Brandon Crawford is ready, defensively, to make the jump.

Reyes is going to want more than 3 years and he will definitely get it.

I'm expecting him to market himself around the Crawford type deal with the added bonus that he's a SS. With the year he's having he might be able to get someone to do such a deal, overlooking the fact that he hasn't been able to play to this level on a year to year basis yet (while Crawford had). I don't know if he matches Crawford's $150 million but I do think he tops $100 million.

And I would think SF will be one of his biggest suitors. I think if they do trade for him they do so with a window to sign him to an extension before making anything final.

i would love to see the giants get this guy to play leadoff. one guy mentioned belt and that is out of the question because the mets kind of have ike davis tearing the cover off of the ball right now. maybe wheeler and neal and that would be a good trade. if the giants signed reyrey of course. if the giants dont get him then i would like to see the angels make a play for him

Re: the earlier Rolen refutation: he had Mike Schmidt-level talent, but wound up as a garden variety 300 HR guy who goes on the DL every time he stubs his toe or cuts himself shaving...the guy's a giant pussy as most Cards and Phillies fans will agree...

EDIT: Speaking of third basemen, I've run out of reasons to dismiss Bautista's production as a flash-in-the-pan or a blip in a previously sub-par career...helluva player...

Personally, I don't think Reyes is worth a $100 million contract. If a guy can't hit 35 home runs and get 110 RBI year after year and carry a team on his back for long periods of time then he shouldn't be paid that kind of money. Besides, David Wright is the Mets best player and I don't think he's making that kind of money. I'm sure some team will throw Reyes that kind of money but eventually they will regret it.

Jose Bautista = Luis Gonzalez

^ That's a good comparison. but I wouldn't be surprised if Bautista has more staying power...he seems to get better every year...how many years did Luis go bonkers w/ the HRs before his career shit the bed and died?

For his entire career, 18 seasons, Gonzalez only had 2 30 home run seasons. Last year was the first year Bautista hit more than 16 home runs in a season. Last night on Baseball Tonight, Bobby Valentine said Bautista is the best player in baseball right now. I'm not ready to give him that title. I want to see how he finishes this season before I can put him in the upper echelon.