Attention, Media: There's News On The Field, Too!

In case you didn’t know, we’ve got some pretty interesting races going on in baseball this summer. In case you missed it, there are some very intriguing storylines being played out in NFL camps across the country. In case you didn’t know, we’re less than a month away from what looks like it might be an ultra-competitive season in college football.

And you couldn’t be blamed if you did miss these stories. Why? Because we have been distracted by other things this summer, that’s why!

We’re talking about steroids (again). We’re talking about players making idiotic mistakes off the field (Plaxico Burress). We’re talking about whether a convicted felon (Michael Vick) should get another chance after paying his debt to society. We’re talking about a guy who can’t decide if he wants to play or stay retired (Brett Favre). We’re talking about Twitter and Facebook. We’re not talking about what’s happening on the field.

That would be the fault of my friends and colleagues in the media. The Skip Bayless’ of the world won’t stop screaming about cheating in baseball. Websites like Rotoinfo.com have now twice published a rumored list of the 103 players that tested positive for steroids in 2003. Plaxico Burress and his future – both legal and in the NFL are being talked about more than the baseball pennant races right now. Brett Favre and his flip flopping has taken our attention away from Tom Brady’s return from a blown out knee.

And then there’s the Twitter/Facebook controversy that seems to have writers like my friend Jay Mariotti at Fanhouse all hot and bothered.

So, athletes use Twitter and Facebook to get their messages out there. Is that a big deal? So Chargers defensive back Antonio Cromartie hates the food the team gives him during camp. Is that worth the fine they gave him? And, is it really worth spending an hour or two writing a column complaining about it? I sure as hell don’t think so.

The fans don’t spend nearly as much time obsessing about these off field stories as the media does. They do spend time obsessing about how their teams are doing. And the stories on the field are very compelling.

Let’s start in baseball, where nearly every division is up for grabs. The Yankees and Red Sox are going toe to toe in the AL East. The Tigers are trying to hold the White Sox and Twins off in the Central. The Angels haven’t shaken the Texas Rangers in the AL West.

Over in the National League, the picture is a little less murky. The Phillies have the upper hand in the East. The Dodgers are the class of the West. The only division up for grabs is the Central, where it looks like it will come down to the Cardinals and the Cubs. The wildcard race promises to be interesting as well, with the Giants and Colorado Rockies still in the picture.

In the NFL, there are compelling storylines that are beginning to unfold. Tom Brady is back under center with New England – will it make them the team they have been in the past? Jay Cutler is the new man in Chicago – can he lead the Bears back to the promised land? Now that Brett Favre has (for the moment at last) told the Vikings he will stay retired, can a team led by Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels play up to the potential it has on defense and in the running game? And, will this be the year that Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys finally get over the hump?

And then there is the upcoming college football season. Florida’s Tim Tebow will go for his second career Heisman. He will try to cement his legacy as (maybe) the best player in college football history.

Tebow will have plenty of competition for the Heisman. Colt McCoy is going to be in the race. Sam Bradford – who happened to have won the Heisman last season – is going to have something to say about this year’s race. And those three teams – Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma, should be in the mix for the BCS national championship as well.

I’m sure I’m leaving some things out. But at least I’m paying attention to what’s happening on the field. I don’t think a lot of people (outside of the media) really care who’s Twittering and who isn’t. Fans aren’t worried about who is and isn’t using performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball. The average fan cares more about what happening on the field than what’s happening off the field.

That’s the biggest difference between being a fan and being a media person. There are plenty of people in the media who think that they are the watchdogs for the rest of us. That they are looking out for what’s right and wrong in sports. In reality, these media types just want to hear themselves talk and just want to be part of the story as opposed to covering the story.

So, for once, I beg my colleagues to just look at what’s actually happening on the field. Try it for one day (because I know it’s impossible to do it for a week). You might actually find out what a lot of us already know.

That it’s actually fun to be a fan.

Deadline Winners and Losers

The trading deadline has come and gone. Oh, I know the waiver deadline is still about a month away - and I understand more players might get through waivers because of the economy - but I don't think we'll see the kind of movement we saw for the last couple of weeks throughout Major League Baseball.

For the most part, teams are set. They will go to battle with the players on their rosters as we speak. So it's time to take a look at who won, who lost, and who gambled now that the shopping season has come to an end.

We'll start with the biggest gamble - and that would be the White Sox dealing four prospects to San Diego for Jake Peavy. I know that Kenny Williams is looking at the future - one that includes Peavy for another couple of years - but he also says the deal should put the Sox into the playoffs.

Yes, Chicago is within striking distance of Detroit, but Peavy isn't going to be available until the end of August. The Sox have to hang in until Peavy is able to help. They have to make sure the Tigers - who dealt for Jarrod Washburn - don't pull away. They have to worry about the Twins as well.

If Peavy is able to help this year, then obviously the White Sox are winners. But, if Peavy isn't able to contribute until 2010, then at least for the short team, Williams' gamble wouldn't have been worth it.

Here are my winners from the trading season (in no particular order):

* St. Louis: Yes, I know the Cards gave up multiple prospects to bring Mark DeRosa and Matt Holliday to town, but they are clearly going for it now. The Cubs are clearly not what they were a year ago. The Brewers are within striking distance, but their pitching will likely wind up being their Achilles heel. I know some fans are unhappy that the kids were sacrificed, but prospects don't always pan out. The Cards brought known quantities into the fold - quantities which will probably put this team into the playoffs.

* Philadelphia: Did the Phillies need to make the Cliff Lee deal to win the NL East? Probably not. But they needed to do it if they wanted a realistic chance to repeat as World Series Champions. The fact they didn't have to give up J.A. Happ and Kyle Drabek makes the move even better.

* Boston: Sure, Roy Halladay would have been great, but Victor Martinez isn't a bad haul by any stretch. He can catch - which will take some pressure off of Jason Varitek. He can play first as well. His bat is exactly what the doctor ordered - and like the Phillies - they didn't have to give up the farm to get him.

* Detroit: Washburn gives them another starter as they try to hold off Chicago and Minnesota in a tight AL Central. Seattle asked for the moon from other teams (reports say Manny Parra and top prospect Alcides Escobar was what they wanted from Milwaukee), but if you believe those who would know then the kids the Tigers shipped to the Mariners weren't of the same caliber.

* Dodgers: They were involved in the Roy Halladay talks. They were said to be talking about an Adrian Gonzalez deal with the Padres. In the end they sent two prospects who weren't in their plans for Baltimore's George Sherrill. Joe Torre's bullpen just got a lot better, and the combination of Sherrill and Jonathan Broxton is one that will scare a lot of teams in the NL.

Now, my list of losers:

* Toronto: Not dealing Roy Halladay will come back to haunt J.P. Ricciardi. Halladay's value will go down in the off-season because teams aren't desparate to land that one guy that will put them over the top. And, if you think his value will go up as we get closer to next year's deadline - think again! Why would a team give up mutliple prospects when they can sign Halladay for free a year from now?

* Cleveland: Mark Shapiro dealt two of his best players. He might have gotten some future stars in return, but we won't know for sure for a couple of years. In the meantime, the Indians might wind up being as bad as they were before their resurgence in the 1990's.

* Cncinnati: Let's see, you're ten games out in your division and you are a buyer??? Scott Rolen is having a nice season, but he's not the Scott Rolen of old. He's an expensive player who doesn't have the power he used to. I have no idea what Walt Jocketty was thinking here.

* Pittsburgh: Will the last guy out of PNC Park please turn out the lights? The Pirates play in a gorgeous ballpark. Too bad the team is minor league. There is no reason whatsoever to watch these guys right now. Or next year. Or 2011. Maybe even 2012.

* Washington: When you talk about losers in MLB, no list is complete without the Nationals. Even if you understand why Nick Johnson was dealt (and I do), they have made so many mistakes over the last few years that they are MLB's ultimate losers. Now the Stephen Strasburg watch can begin in earnest.

So there it is. The winners, losers, and biggest risk of the shopping season. Enjoy the stretch drive!