Great Writing

From time to time, I like to post videos of commercials that I feel are truly written well. Here's one that I feel merits a post. It's a new (somewhat) Old Spice commercial. The marketing/writing package is just brilliant.

Going Yard

Heading into the All-Star break, it's interesting to look back at the first half of the season. There's been some ups and downs, some surprises, and hey, we've already seen one no-hitter. Two key trades have taken place with the home run hitting CC Sabathia to the Brewers and Rich Harden to the Cubs. With the addition of these two pitchers, the N.L. Central race just got a little tighter, and my pick for the N.L. Wild Card just got a little more solid.

But what about the home run hitters? Ryan Howard leads the major leagues with 28 HRs, but hasn't done much else, hitting .234 and has another league leading 129 strikeouts. Howard won't be heading back to this year's home run derby.

Who will be?

1. Lance Berkman - Houston Astros 22 HRs
2. Ryan Braun - Milwaukee Brewers 23 HRS
3. Justin Morneau - Minnesota Twins 14 HRs
4. Josh Hamilton - Texas Rangers 21 HRs
5. Evan Longoria - Tampa Bay Rays 16 HRs
6. Grady Sizemore - Cleveland Indians 23 HRs
7. Dan Uggla - Florida Marlins 23 HRs
8. Chase Utley - Philadelphia Phillies 25 HRs

No Yankees will be putting on a home run show for their home fans at Yankee Stadium. I'm not complaining.

Who will win?

Great question. The feel good story of this years derby is that Josh Hamilton is having a 71-year-old pitch to him. His name, Clay Counsil. He coached Josh's older brother Jason in American Legion summer ball, but never had the chance to coach this year's RBI leader. Hamilton will advance, but he won't win the derby.

Ryan Braun obviously has the gusto to do it, but will fail to advance out of the first round.

Justin Morneau, the last addition to the field and the player with the least amount of home runs, may come in looking to turn some heads and bust out a few dongs. My guess is that he comes up short as he did in last year's derby.

What about Evan Longoria? The kid should win rookie of the year. My gut tells me that his glove is better than his bat, and he'll also fail to get out of the first round.

Grady Sizemore. Guy is a player. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he edges out Uggla by one or two to go to the semis.

Dan Uggla went on a tear a few weeks ago. He was out for 11 games because of an ankle strain but made a decent return. He finally hit a home run on Sunday against the Dodgers. He hadn't hit a home run in close to a month. He's got something to prove. But won't quite get the job done to advance to the semis.

Chase Utley is legit. Being a former second baseman, I love guys who can play the two-bag and bring some wood to the plate to match. Utley goes to the final but will lose in a close race against Berkman.

Lance Berkman is a hitting machine. The lefty has one of the smoothest swings in baseball. He's got a point to make. He's competed in this competition before, and wants revenge from losing to Miguel Tejada in 2004 in front of his home crowd at Minute Maid Park.

Semi-Finals: Lance Berkman, Chase Utley, Grady Sizemore, Josh Hamilton.

Finals: Lance Berkman vs. Chase Utley.

Winner: Lance Berkman

This year's derby doesn't have as much draw as others, only the fact that it's taking place at Yankee Stadium which gets demolished at the end of the season. However, the story that Josh Hamilton brings with him will definitely be something to watch.

Shout out: Jason Donald was the starting shortstop for the U.S. team in the Future's Game on Sunday. The U.S. only had three hits against team World, one of them collected by Donald. Donald is an Arizona Wildcat, and you can bet he's looking to take over once MVP Jimmy Rollins hangs 'em up for the Phillies. Nick Hundley, also a Wildcat, made his major league debut on July 4th for the San Diego Padres. Kid is a catcher who can do great things as long as he brings his bat with him to the dish. Watch for both of these players in the future.