NBC Sports has some midseason awards, and some nice things to say about Voltron...

When the Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds announced a three-player deal last Dec. 21st, it raised a few eyebrows, but the word ‘blockbuster’ wasn’t exactly being thrown around.

But that deal could have the most impact in terms of postseason awards than any in memory. Edinson Volquez arguably was the best pitcher in the National League in the first half, and you can make a strong case for Josh Hamilton as the American League Most Valuable Player in the absence of a dominant performer on a likely playoff team.

Throw in minor-league pitcher Johnny Herrera, who went to the Reds along with Volquez, and you have a deal that has turned into an exchange of emerging stars, even though nobody knew it at the time. A look at the award winners after the first half:

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Andy Phillips is back. The Mets DFA'd him on Tuesday. (They needed a spot starter after the doubleheader against the Yanks Friday.)

Andy did not clear waivers; the Reds claimed him. He is expected to be with the team in time to play in tonight's game.

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Ten years ago today, Bubba Crosby became a pro baseball player, when he signed with the Dodgers. He was a first round draft pick (number 23 overall), and got a million bucks for signing on the dotted line. He was seen as a five-tool player, and many were surprised he fell as low as he did. Baseball America picked him as the 12th best prospect in the nation, the 6th best college prospect, and the #1 college outfielder.

Alas, his pro career did not unfold as expected. With the recent news that Bubba has retired, and the current excitement over the new batch of draftees, I decided to look back at the Class of '98, and see how they did.

Well, at least Bubba made it to the big leagues. Eight of the 1998 first round draft picks (just over one-quarter) did not. Some didn't make it past A-ball.

The number one pick that year was Pat Burrell. The Phillies have to be happy with that pick. He was in the majors and producing only two years later. Number 2 was Mark Mulder, another good pick.

At number three, we have...Corey Patterson. Hmmm. Gotta think the Cubs would pick someone else if they got a do-over.

At number four, we have Jeff Austin. He did reach the majors, but had a short and not terribly impressive career. The Royals eventually traded him (with Brian Shackelford) to Cincinnati for Damaso Espino and Alan Moye. The Reds released him a year later.

At number 5 was JD Drew, a good pick by the Cards. He was playing with the big club that very year.

At number 6, the Twins picked Ryan Mills. He didn't make it to the big leagues.

Numbers 7 & 8 are a couple of familiar names: Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez.

At number 9 was Sean Burroughs (called "The Bachelor" - because he could only hit singles). He was seen as a disappointment, and seems to be out of baseball now.

At number 10 was one of the most interesting picks: Carlos Pena. I guess you could call him a late bloomer. He seemed to be a dud. He was traded and released by several teams, including the Yankees (who badly needed a first baseman at the time). He had to settle for a non-roster invite to Rays spring training in 2007, his age 29 year. But he played so well he not only made the team - they signed him to a 3-year, $24 million contract the next year. (I have to wonder if they'll regret that. He seems to have fallen back to earth this season.)

As for the rest of the list...there are some familiar names (Jeff Weaver, Brad Lidge, Kip Wells, CC Sabathia), as well as many that aren't exactly household names. (Like the Yankees' pick, one Andy Brown, who basically played A-ball for the Yankees for seven years.)

I guess this is what they mean when they say there's no such thing as a can't-miss prospect. I wonder if they're any better at judging talent now than they were 10 years ago. A brief glance at other years suggests not, but it's a very small sample size, given that it's too early to tell how the more recent draft years will shape up.

SCRANTON / WILKES-BARRE, PA - APRIL 10, 2008: Yeah, yeah. This is way late. I meant to post it earlier, but I had a lot of stuff to catch up on after playing hooky three days in a row to go to baseball games. Then I had a trip to the midwest. (Which was really cool. I heartily recommend the new dinosaur exhibit at the Carnegie.)

So here I am, posting a game report two months after the game. Many of the players I saw in this minor league game have since been called up (some have been called up and sent down and called up again). But hey, mas vale tarde que nunca, and all that.

I got a seat in the same section as the previous two days - third deck, right above first base. I asked for the seat in the first row on the end, though I figured it wouldn't matter; I expected the section to be empty again.

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Ryan Freel has a strained right hamstring and will be placed on the 15-day DL. According to John Fay, this probably means Corey Patterson will be called up. (There's no need to for him to spend two weeks in the minors if a player on the 25-man roster is being put on the DL.)

Ryan Freel is headed for the DL with a strained right hamstring.

"He heard something pop," Dusty Baker said.

Freel being out probably mean Corey Patterson will be back. With Ken Griffey Jr. hurting, the Reds need an outfielder. Patterson is on the roster. I know that won't be a popular choice. But there aren't any alternatives. Norris Hopper still can't throw. Chris Dickerson is on the roster, but he's hitting .253 with 44 strikeouts in 154 at-bats.

As you've probably heard, fan favorite Jeff Keppinger is headed to the DL after fracturing his knee by fouling a ball off it. According to Wikipedia, he's done this before.

In 2005, Keppinger again excelled in Norfolk while hitting .337. He was poised to return to the majors in June when Kazuo Matsui was injured, but bad luck struck when Keppinger fractured his kneecap around the same time as Matsui. The injury not only prevented his return to the majors but ended his entire 2005 season.

According to Baseball Cube, Kepp played 62 games in 2005. That means he missed more than half the season when he fractured his kneecap last time.

C. Trent has post worth reading, though it was written before the Janish callup became official:

Keppinger had an x-ray taken Tuesday night and Reds manager Dusty Baker said the doctors told him it wasn't as bad of a break as it could have been. Keppinger will have an MRI taken on Wednesday. Still, he is expected to be put on the disabled list and miss a substantial amount of time.

I don't think this is the same kind of knee injury Sea Bass has. It sounds more serious. Maybe the fact that Kepp continued to play for a couple of innings after the injury means it's not that bad. But it sounds to me like they are preparing to go without Kepp for a long time.

Trent also has some quotes from Dusty on Janish:

Janish, 25, is one of the best fielding players in the Reds minor league system and with a 1-for-2 performance in the Bats' victory Tuesday night raised his batting average to .293. He also picked up two RBIs and now has 20 on the season.

Baker said he liked what he saw of Janish in spring training.

"He's a good one, so if he's the one, we’ll have to find a way to match him up with the guys he best suits and Jerry the other ones. It's nice to have guys who can play multiple positions," Baker said. "(Janish) is a slick fielder; he's a big-time slick fielder. He's got some sock in his bat, especially on the high fastball. He's got good speed and it’s a good example of what we've got in the organization."

John Fay lays out the possibilities for a replacement. He says A-Gon is nowhere near ready, and probably won't be for quite awhile. And he thinks Valaika is a possibility. But the most realistic scenario is Hairston and Janish battle it out until one wins the job.

Fay points out that many doubted Keppinger would ever be a big league player. I'm not sure why. He's hit well throughout his minor league career. Not much power, but infielders don't have to hit like Barry Bonds.

Janish has not hit that well in his minor league career, though he's been raking this year, after a slow start. He will provide a very solid glove at SS. I hope Dusty gives him a chance.

I was not expecting Jay Bruce or Andy Phillips to be called up. The Reds need a shortstop. Hairston can play SS, but he needs a backup, and there isn't one. Bruce can't play SS (and since he's a lefty, I doubt they'll convert him ;-). Andy Phillips played SS for the Alabama Crimson Tide, but was soon moved down the defensive spectrum by the Yankees.

I thought they might call up a disposable player, like the Gay Porn Star last year. The fact that they didn't suggests they are expecting this to be a long-term situation.

And if neither Janish nor Hairston step up? If the Reds still think they have a chance, they might trade for a SS. If not, they may as well let Janish try to figure it out.

Oil hit another record high today, as did gasoline. Lately, it seems like it's news when crude oil doesn't set a new record high. It's about $125/barrel now. Only three or four years ago, OPEC was claiming their "target range" was about $25/barrel. They're a little off. Like, about $100 off.

Man, it looks like it's going exponential there. Makes you wonder if peak oil is here.

Whether we're at peak oil or not, it seems clear that we are now in an era of permanently higher oil prices. Which also increases the cost of food and other goods, since it takes energy to produce and transport them. Some experts are predicting gas will be $7 a gallon by the end of this year.

But if you think your fuel bill is bad...what about sports teams, that have to travel all over the state, even all over the country? USA Today has a special report on gas prices today, including an article on how it's affecting sports, from high school to the Hall of Fame.

 

Bill Papierniak, general manager of the Daytona Cubs of the Class A Florida State League, says the average round trip for his team is 200 miles. Teams may have to attract more fans to offset fuel costs, he says.

The Buffalo Bisons take $2 off the price of tickets for fans who take the Metro Rail train to the ballpark. The number of fans taking the offer is up 10% this season.

"It's the cost of gas," Bisons general manager Mike Buczkowski says. "It's also the rising costs of everything making people look for discounts."

The Bisons, who also play in the International League, take buses to Rochester, N.Y., and Syracuse, N.Y. They fly to Durham, N.C., and Richmond. Buczkowski says the cost of travel is up 15% from last season, which was up 15% from 2006.

"It's a concern," Buczkowski says. "We try not to pass that on to the customer because in the minors we are all about value."

Ticket prices already are set for the season, Richmond assistant GM Bill Blackwell says, "but of course in the supermarket green beans can go up every day."

Says Baldwin: "Everything we do is oil-based. The giveaways at the ballpark are plastic and that's oil-based. Hats aren't, but I have to put them on a boat, airplane or truck. So there's some derivative of an oil byproduct in everything."

(Actually, hats probably are oil-based. The ones they give away are likely at least partly synthetics, which are petroleum products.)

Some people actually think we'll have to relocalize sports. I doubt it will come to that, at least any time soon, but teams could have a lot of trouble offsetting higher fuel costs by attracting more fans, when the fans are also struggling with higher prices. People are already buying smaller cars and trying to unload their SUVs. They're moving closer to work. And when all else fails, they're paying the higher fuel and food costs by running up their credit card debt. Food banks are running out of food, because more people are asking for help while fewer people are donating food.

You're doing fine, you say? Great! Then you can help others less fortunate. Tomorrow, Saturday, May 10th, is Stamp Out Hunger Day. Postal workers will be collecting food for food banks all across the U.S.A. Gather up a few non-perishable food items (no glass containers, please), put them in a bag, and leave it out for your letter carrier. You can hang the bag from the mailbox or put it on the ground beside it. They'll pick it up and deliver it to a local food bank.