May 21, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) reacts after being doused with water after the game against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium. Trout hit for the cycle in the 12-0 victory. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After a mortal performance in April, Mike Trout has been returning to the form that made him a popular choice as 2012′s American League MVP (but eventual runner up).

He punctuated a hot month of May on Tuesday night by hitting for the cycle in the Los Angeles Angels 12-0 win over the Seattle Mariners. He had five RBI in the win.

Here’s how it happened:

• First inning: Trout strikes out looking on three pitches from Mariners starter Aaron Harang.
• Third inning: Trout hits a one out single to first.
• Fourth inning: The second pitch of the at bat is ripped to right center and Trout gets a triple.
• Sixth inning: Trout doubles into the left field corner with the bases loaded.
• Eighth inning: With one out, Trout homers to center field off of Lucas Luetge.

It was Trout’s first three hit game of the year (and obviously his first four hit game as well). Trout scuffled a bit to start the year, carrying a mere .261/.333/.432 line with him into May. Entering Tuesday night’s game, though, Trout had a .308/.410/.662 line in May, and his outburst against the Mariners upped that line to .343/.434/.757 this month and he’s now sporting a .293/.373/.558 slash line this season.

Trout, at 21 years and 287 days old, is the fifth youngest player to hit for the cycle. Only Mel Ott (20 years, 75 days in 1929), Cliff Heathcote (20 years, 140 days in 1918), Arky Vaughan (21 years, 107 days in 1933), and Cesar Cedeno (21 years, 159 days in 1972) were younger.

All of the questions that build up over the offseason start to get answered. It’s the first page of the story of the season.

April 1, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) throws in the first inning of the game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium.Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

That’s when the key figures emerge. On Monday, the marquee matchup featured the World Champion San Francisco Giants and Matt Cain against the Los Angeles Dodgers and 2011 Cy Young Award winner (and last year’s runner up) Clayton Kershaw. Through six innings, it was as advertised as both pitchers had yet to give up a run.

Cain left after his six, but Kershaw was just getting started. Not only did he homer off of Giants reliever George Kontos leading off the eighth inning, but he went the distance, giving up only four hits (all singles) in a shutout effort. He struck out seven and walked none. If you could draw up the ideal performance for an ace, Kershaw followed every step.

On the other side of the country this afternoon, two other big name stars were getting off to a good start. Bryce Harper crushed two homers – the only runs of the game – and Stephen Strasburg cruised through seven shutout innings as the Washington Nationals took the first step towards another National League East division title.

Justin Verlander could have used more pitch efficiency, but he still got five scoreless innings finished en route to an Opening Day win. He struck out seven. Chris Sale stepped up with 7.2 excellent innings in carrying the bulk of the load in Chicago’s shutout of the Kansas City Royals (and James Shields, the all-in acquisition by Dayton Moore, made one mistake in six innings, giving up the only run of the game). Troy Tulowitzki homered in his first game since last May for the Colorado Rockies. Felix Hernandez left after 7.2 innings for the Seattle Mariners – he struck out eight and gave up no runs.

Apr 1, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Justin Upton (8) (right) reacts with his brother center fielder B.J. Upton (2) after hitting a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fifth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Other faces in new places made a good first impression with their new teams. Torii Hunter had two hits in his Tigers debut. Justin Upton hit his first homer for the Atlanta Braves. Martin Prado, the key piece sent back to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Upton, had two doubles for his new club.

Some stars ended up the victim of circumstance though. Cain’s fine showing was overshadowed by Kershaw, and the lefty’s dominance ran over Buster Posey. Josh Hamilton‘s first game with the Los Angeles Angels saw him get caught in a low-temperature, low-scoring affair, and he struck out twice. Joey Votta ran into Jered Weaver‘s strong six inning start. The irresistible force meets the immovable object – something has to give.

That’s the great part of today. You see the best face the best. Everyone’s tied for first at the start of the day, but once the first pitch is thrown, to season’s story starts to be written.

Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

One area that is notably weak for many teams entering this year’s World Baseball Classic is the starting rotation. In general, pitchers get injured more often than position players and, as a result, are usually treated more cautiously. Therefore, it is no surprise that many organizations are hesitant to allow their pitchers to throw in games that don’t affect the win-loss record of their particular clubs. However, despite the general trepidation, Team USA has managed to assemble quite an impressive WBC starting rotation.

R.A. Dickey

R.A. Dickey, Sensei of the staff. Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

At the top of the rotation is newly acquired Blue Jay’s knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Dickey is coming off a career year, winning the NL Cy Young award, but was also very good even before last season. Over the past three years, Dickey has posted 2.73, 3.24, and 2.84 ERAs while throwing an average of 205 innings per season over that span. In fact, R.A. Dickey’s 2.95 ERA over that span is good for 11th best of all major league starters. While his fielding independent number’s aren’t quite as good (generally an indicator of luck one way or another), it should be noted that fielding independent statistics don’t generally work as well with knuckleballers as they do when evaluating traditional starters. R.A. Dickey is neither a product of luck nor is he a one-hit wonder, he is a fantastic ace for the USA pitching staff. R.A. Dickey should be feared by opposing countries, as his Karate Kid headband in the picture at right clearly indicates.

Gio Gonzalez

Gio Gonzalez, all natural National. Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

What shouldn’t be lost among all the PED allegations around Gio Gonzalez this offseason is that he had a very good 2012, and is more of a 1-a than a number 2 pitcher on this staff. Last season, Gonzalez struck out over a batter an inning and posted a 2.89 ERA for the Nats. The real area of improvement for Gonzalez last year was his walk rate. He went from walking 4.05 batters per 9 to 3.43, and the results followed. Also, Gio’s homerun rate was nearly half of what it was the previous season. Though drastic changes in homerun rates aren’t generally sustainable, improvements in walk rates do generally come with age, so that aspect could certainly be repeated or even improved. If Gio Gonzalez is anywhere close to the pitcher he was last year for the Washington Nationals, he should be a great compliment for R.A. Dickey at the top of this staff.

Ryan Vogelsong

Ryan Vogelsong, started from the bottom. Credit: H. Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Vogelsong, a one-time journeyman pitcher, has turned into a very good major league starter. Before the 2011 season, Vogelsong hadn’t pitched in a major league game since 2006. Since then, he’s had two very good major league seasons for the Giants, with ERAs of 3.37 and 2.71, respectively. He is a guy who fielding independent statistics haven’t necessarily been crazy about, indicating that he may have been on the receiving end of some good luck. However, it’s been two full seasons in a row in which he’s outpitched those numbers, so he should be given some benefit of the doubt. Considering the lack of starting pitching talent among many of the teams in the WBC this year, Vogelsong is likely the best #3 starter in the bunch.

Derek Holland

Derek Holland, presumably “preheating the oven.” Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This is where the rotation for Team USA starts to get a little thin. The good news, though, is that even the better pitching staffs among the other countries start thinning out far sooner than #4. Despite a lackluster 2012, Holland was actually better than league average in 2010 and 2011. The raw talent is there. His fastball averaged 93 mph in 2012 and 94.2 mph in 2011, as opposed to a league average of about 91.6 mph. However, fastball velocity doesn’t tell the whole story about the effectiveness of a pitcher’s repertoire. Last season Holland got batters to chase at pitches outside the zone and also induced swinging strikes at rates below league average, indicating that his stuff might not be as nasty as a quick glance at velocity may have indicated. Still, Holland has been about a league average major league pitcher over the past three years, which equates to a very good #4 starter in WBC terms. It should also be noted that Holland goes by the nickname “Dutch Oven,” giving him a significant advantage over competitors in terms of hilariousness.

Ross Detwiler

Detwiler, most likely after not inducing one of his trademark groundballs. Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The 6’5 lefthander was the 6th overall pick in the 2007 draft, and made his major league debut later that same season. Still, despite being a highly-touted, tall lefthander with above average velocity (92.7 mph average fastball last season), Detwiler doesn’t strike many batters out. Rather than racking up Ks, what Detwiler excels at is inducing groundballs, inducing them last year at a rate of 50.8%. Though not a great starting pitcher relative to some other candidates for the roster, the high groundball rate should play extremely well with the excellent USA infield defense. Like Holland, Detwiler has an awesome nickname, National Det (clever, right?). But also like Holland, Detwiler can’t necessarily measure up to the first three pitchers in this rotation. Still, with the dearth of starting pitching in the tournament overall, Detwiler could very well be the better pitcher in most matchups he finds himself in.

Team USA’s rotation is very noticeably without the likes of Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, Stephen Strasburg, and Clayton Kershaw. Still, the top two pitchers in the rotation represent the first and third place finishers in NL Cy Young voting last season, and pitchers 3-5 are quality major league starters. In a tournament that includes many staffs made up of lower-echelon major leaguers and developing minor league prospects, this group of USA pitchers is more than adequate. The starting rotation should be a strong point for the USA squad come tournament time.

Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-USA TODAY Sports

The MLB Network’s inaugural “Next Knuckler” competition concluded tonight with the final elimination show of the series. The competition was comprised of five former division one quarterbacks, and was designed to see which one could be taught to throw a knuckleball best in a short period of time. The former QB who would be able to master the knuckler better than his counterparts would receive a spring training invite to Arizona Diamondbacks camp. Former LSU quarterback Josh Booty outlasted former Georgia quarterback David Greene to win the competition and, as promised, a spring training invite.

Josh Booty, though a quarterback at LSU (and briefly in the NFL as well), was no stranger to the baseball diamond. Before playing football for LSU, Booty played baseball in the Florida Marlins organization, eventually spending a brief period of time in the big leagues. However, Booty was a postion player during that stint, and the stint itself ended in 1998.

With very limited pitching experience under his belt, it will be very interesting to follow Booty’s journey through camp this Spring. He has been there before, but in a completely different capacity. In order to be successful this time around, he is going to have to progress an immense amount as a pitcher in an extremely brief period of time. Though it is very likely the “Josh Booty the Knuckler” experiment will ultimately fail, it should still be a whole lot of fun to watch. I know I’ll be rooting for him.

When the Reds host the opener in 2013, they’ll welcome an AL opponent. Image: Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

The Cincinnati Reds, for year and years and year, were the traditional first game started every single season. The Reds lost that honor over a decade ago, but MLB still allows them to open at home each year. What better way to introduce full-season interleague play, then, than at Cincinnati’s Great America Ballpark, where the Reds will play host to the Angles to start the season.

Of course, Houston’s shift to the American League means that for the first time, all six divisions will have exactly five teams each. This will allow for each divisional opponent to play each other 19 times. In years past, divisional rivals would typically play 18 games against one another, but it was anything but uniform in number. Sometimes it would work out to 19 games in a given year and sometimes, like has been the case in the NL Central, two teams would play each other only 15 times. If nothing else, this re-alignment should quiet some of the discord over the unbalanced schedule.

There were a couple big changes announced concerning interleague play. Not only will there be at least one interleague series taking place each day of the season, but the total number of interleague games per team has risen from 16 to 20 for 2013. Instead of a pair of two-week blocks during the season, the games will obviously be much more spread out.

AL clubs will have decisions to make with DH-only types like Aadm Dunn. Image: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE

What this means, however, is that American League pitchers will be forced to take batting practice virtually all season long in preparation for NL foes and it will forced AL managers to play without the DH for an extra couple of games each year. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it is the first step toward a universal designated hitter, at least as far as I can tell. Bud Selig knew his interleague play idea had begun to fizzle and would likely be halted at some point in the near future. To protect it, he forced the hand of new Astros owner Jim Crane, telling him that approval of his bid to buy the club hinged on Crane’s acceptance of a move to the Junior Circuit. Crane accepted, of course, and now there will be an odd number of teams in each league, which forces full-time interleague play.

In 2013, you will hear AL clubs whine about not getting to use a key member of their lineup for 10 games per year because the rules in those games preclude them from doing so. You can call them out for it, but the thing is that they’re right. When the American and National League met each other only during the All-Star Game and World Series each year, the different rules the two leagues used was a novelty. When interleague play began, the DH rule became a bit more cumbersome. Now that interleague play will take place year-round, the issue will become bigger and bigger.

We’ll see 20 games of interleague for each club next season, but what about after that? Will that number increase in 2014? And if so, by how much? Can we expect each team will play 24 interleague games in 2014? Each time that number gets larger, a $15 million per year DH is forced to sit on the bench for an additional couple of games. Eventaully, there will have to either be a universal DH, or they’ll have to eliminate the role altogether, and I see no way the Player’s Union would allow the elimination of 15 big league jobs. One way or another, change to the DH rule is coming.

Mike Scioscia may not know what ails the Angels, but he is the guy to figure it out. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-US PRESSWIRE

The possible dismissal of Mike Scioscia as manager of the Angels has been a hot topic around baseball this past week. Given the struggles of the Angels in 2012, especially after their high-profile additions of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, it is almost inherent of fans and media to question the leadership when a goal is not met.

And let’s face fact; at 62-60, 9.5 games out of first place in the American League West and 4.0 games out of the Wild Card hunt, goals obviously have not been met. At this rate, they will miss the postseason for the third consecutive season, the first such time it has happened under the Scioscia regime.

However, to place the blame at the feet of Scioscia would be misguided at best. This is a team that has failed expectations on quite a few levels. Pujols got off to a slow start. Jered Weaver threw a no-hitter, then wound up on the disabled list after his next start. Dan Haren has not been himself and has fought injuries. Ervin Santana has gone back to doing his best Bret Saberhagen impersonation, following up a solid campaign with a complete meltdown. And that does not even include the 3 months it took to find someone in the bullpen capable of closing a ballgame.

But for all their struggles, the Angels have enjoyed some success and a lot of that points to Scioscia making things work around the issues. He has done a masterful job dealing with his overcrowded outfield and designated hitter spots, finding a starting role for Mike Trout and keeping the hot bat of Mark Trumbo in the line-up while also giving Kendry Morales enough at-bats to remain effective now that he’s healthy.

No, this is a team that simply did not play up to expectations, but is certainly capable of more. Scioscia’s stellar track record at the helm is more than deserving of the chance to weather a bump in the road. With a 1128 wins and a career winning percentage of .546, Scioscia has lead the Angels to 5 division titles, 1 American League pennant, and 1 World Series championship. He has won two American League Manager of the Year awards. Additionally, Scioscia three former lieutenants, Bud Black, Joe Maddon, and Ron Roenicke are manning the helms in San Diego, Tampa Bay, and Milwaukee, and have enjoyed success of their own in doing so.

That said, it goes further than Scioscia’s accomplishments as a manager. Who would the Angels look to replace him with? Terry Francona’s name has been brandied about, but given his exit from Boston and the reasons behind it, Francona’s next managerial job will not likely come by replacing another established manager. Maddon would be the top choice, but his life in Tampa Bay is good and he is nearly untouchable. Do you go to a guy like Dave Martinez, Ryne Sandberg, or Joey Cora to replace a guy like Scioscia?

No, you do not replace Scioscia after 2012. You give him and this team a chance to gel. You fill the holes at third base, catcher, and the bullpen. Then you give them the 2013 to prove their mettle. If they fail, then Scioscia is gone; his course run and his message lost.

But Mike Scioscia is not the kind of guy to let that continue to happen in Los Angeles. He built a culture of winning for the Angels, and he is not about to let that change.

Looks like Red Sox fans will see a lot less of Carl Crawford this season. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE

As a position player, the surgery will sideline Crawford for the next 6-8 months, putting him in line to return to the team in time for the season opener in 2013.

For Crawford and the Red Sox, this is the end to another disappointing season for the high-profile acquisition from 2011, one in which saw him not make his season debut until July 16th after later wrist surgery and then the discovery of the elbow ailment.

His time in Boston has been derailed by ineffectiveness at the plate and an inability to stay healthy. A prominent signing from the last regime in Boston, Crawford is in the second season of a 7-year, $142 million contract with the Red Sox. During the first two years of the deal, Crawford has played in exactly 161 games, putting up the following stat line:

While most of his peripheral stats are in lines with his career norms, his lack of ability to get on base consistently and the near-complete loss of his speed on the base paths have been a stark reminder to fans that Crawford is not the player Boston thought they were getting. An odd signing to begin with, Crawford’s inability to perform to his high standards have made him a target of fans looking for reasons to why the current rendition of the Red Sox is failing so badly.

Maybe the surgery will do wonder in bringing back the Crawford of old and maybe it will make the last five years of his contract worth more than the first two. But fans in Boston are not holding their breath any longer, and it is almost impossible to see a way that Crawford could ultimately succeed in their eyes.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson, upon hearing the news of Cabrera’s suspension, offer his opinion that the punishment for such action ought to be considerably stiffer. “I don’t have an exact number,” Gibson said. “I think it should be a minimum of a year (for a first positive) and after that it should just be banned.”

Does the punishment fit the crime for Cabrera? Many say no. Image: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

The game has certainly changed since Baseball first began drug testing in the early 2000s. Slowly, the vast majority of the players with any ties to the Steroid Era have faded away. There are a few, like Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees and Jason Giambi of the Colorado Rockies that remain active and, for the most part, have suffered no major consequences despite their admitted use of performance enhancers. Reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun was busted, like Cabrera, for higher than normal testosterone levels, but the public outcry has quieted considerably over the past six months.

I will say that in the current sports climate, as we get further and further away from the “loosey goosey era,” as A-Rod famously called his time taking PEDs, it makes more sense than ever to re-visit the Collective Bargaining Agreement and work toward increasing the punishment for those caught offending.

Times have changed. Or, at least we hope they have. In the mid-to-late 90s, steroids and HGH were all over the game. If you believe what you read in Jose Canseco‘s books or the Mitchell Report, the number of users in baseball was anywhere from 35-75 percent of the players, maybe more. However, when you talked about a level playing field, chances were back then that if the hitter was juicing, the pitcher might have been as well. Sounds pretty level to me.

These days, we’d like to think that the issue is mostly behind us. We hope the game has been cleaned up. The drug testing program authored by Major League Baseball suspends first-time offenders for almost a third of the season and second-time losers miss well over half the year. That said, maybe Gibson is right when looking for stiffer punishments, because the baseball watching community doesn’t seem to have the same anger toward PEDs as we once did. Maybe that’s because we’ve come to accept the game’s past. Maybe we feel that the problem is largely eradicated already, or maybe we just stopped caring what these athletes do to their bodies.

There is one vocal group of fan that is bothersome to me, however, and those are the ones wondering why there isn’t vitriol heaved at our athletes who get caught drinking and driving or those who abuse their wives and girlfriends. Where is their 50 game suspension, the mob asks. Certainly, the use of PEDs in a game is far less offensive than the crimes listed above. Of course, those acts, ones that endanger the life and well-being of others, are far more reprehensible. But in the context of sports, what Melky Cabrera did is near the top of the list when it comes to worst offenses. Part of that is due to the league having to wait for due process before handing out punishments for off-the-field crimes, and part of it is what’s been collectively bargained. Bud Selig may not have the authority to suspend players for non-baseball transgressions, but he does have the authority to punish for use of banned substances.

I won’t dive headlong into whether or not substances classified as performance enhancers actually do enhance performance in any significant way. I have read studies that certainly indicate they don’t, but I also understand that regardless of their effectiveness, the rules say those substances are banned. As a result, if you’re caught using them, you must suffer the consequences.

But the more I think about it, the more i agree with Gibby. Athletes must be held accountable for their actions and Major League Baseball must do everything they can to protect their brand. There are still players desperate enough to try to beat the system. Maybe, just maybe, losing an entire year for a first offense would be enough to convince the players that the risk isn’t worth the reward.

John Parent is the Senior Director of Human Resources for the FanSided Network. He can be reached at john.parent@fansided.com or via Twitter @JohnJParent.

The Cure Baseball is more than the color pink. It's an organization truly committed to cancer research. (US PRESSWIRE)

Alex Paluka founded The Cure Baseball in September 2011, almost ten years after his mother passed away from breast cancer in 2001.  Baseball was always in his blood, but after his mother died, Alex used the game to cope.

“The game never told me to be sad, to stop being sad, to move on, to remember the good times. It simply just continued being the beautiful game that it always had been,” remembered Alex.

Baseball has always meant so much to so many different people in times of crisis.  During war, this country often turned to its pastime for comfort.  During times of unthinkable tragedy, the game offered a welcome relief.  And on an individual level, baseball allows those whose families are ravaged by a disease with no cure to find comfort.  The simple sound of a ball hitting a leather glove or an emphatic strike call by an umpire can wash away the pain.

Alex knew from the time of his mother’s passing – when he was just 14 years old – the importance of baseball in society.  He just didn’t know how big a role he would play alongside baseball in the future.  ”Baseball plays a huge role in today’s society. When I think of the impact of baseball in the culture we live in today I am reminded of the Mets game that was played as the first sporting event in New York City post 9/11.”

Post-9/11 baseball is the most readily available example of the healing properties a simple game can have.

“I remember watching that game in my living room in Wisconsin; my mom was sick and dying, cancer had filled her body and the simplest of task were monumental for her to complete. I remember mom saying that it’s interruptions [that bring] pure happiness that (like this Mets game) allow for people facing horrible situations to simply smile and forget for a period of time.

Baseball has been that game for so many people. Baseball has been that interruption in which allows us to forget life’s problems and lets us be happy.”

Three months after talking with his mom about baseball’s role in society and in their own life, Gail was gone.  But the foundation had been laid for Alex.  Baseball could change a life.

As Alex chased a dream of playing baseball professionally, he found himself in Upstate New York playing for the Utica Brewers, a summer team part of the then-Eastern Collegiate Baseball League.  His dreams of a professional career had not yet panned out, but he first got a taste for giving back while playing for the Brewers.

“I was playing for the Utica Brewers in upstate New York. I had been in Utica for about 2 weeks when I got this urge to give back to the community which welcomed us into it for the summer.”  The opportunity would soon present itself.

Alex heard about two local mothers who were both battling breast cancer.  ”I met with our general manager and came up with the idea to do a benefit game that would raise money. During the days I would work at my summer landscaping job, then before games I would go around to neighborhoods, local businesses and other organizations and sell tickets to the game, ask for donations and try to raise as much money for these families as I could.”

His first taste of giving back was a success.  ”We held that actual game and ended up raised about $3,500.00 for each family. The day, the game and the event left a feeling inside me that would be simply leave a mark on my life for the rest of my days. I knew this was the start of something special. This was the beginning of The Cure Baseball.”

The wheels were in motion, but Alex still had to get his idea off the ground.  How could baseball influence cancer research.  How could a game change people’s lives?  He already had seen it happen – in his own living room and in the community of Utica, New York.  Now, he had to apply the concept in a wider reach.  If baseball could help two mothers through a summer game, it could help so many more.  That much was clear.

“Researching the nonprofit world and developing a business plan took 14 months. The Cure Baseball was introduced to the public in late September of 2011. But why I started The Cure Baseball isn’t because I want to hold onto something that was lost, but rather to use baseball to give back to people who may never think that a game could help them heal.”

Alex’s plan began to take shape.  He had experienced the joy of helping people in need while playing on a summer college league team.  He applied that same concept when developing The Cure Baseball’s model.  A traveling team made up of college players would play nothing but exhibition benefit games.  The games would raise money for cancer research.  People are generally good and want to help.  They just don’t often have an easy outlet to do so.  Paying to watch a baseball game could be that outlet for so many people.

“The goal is to use baseball to show people who are suffering [through] cancer that there is a team out there fighting for them on and off the field. Starting next summer we will field a collegiate summer team which will travel to different collegiate summer leagues and teams, playing games that raise support and awareness for all types of cancer.,” Alex explained.

The Cure Baseball isn’t just about playing games.  They are about raising awareness and raising money.  Alex hopes to get the donation side of things moving with runs, events, and online donations.  ”We’ve had 5K run/walks, we’re currently running a campaign called The Intentional Walks Campaign where people pledge any amount of dollars or cents for each intentional walk issued in major league baseball. (www.intentionalwalks.com)”

Last season, there were 1,231 intentional walks issued.  ”If 500 people pledged five cents per intentional walk last season we would have raised $30,775.00 and each individual donation would have been $61.55.”

When the games do get underway next summer, Alex has a plan in place for spreading the donation money.  He will make sure a person from the community who has been affected by cancer receives an unrestricted donation.  He will also make sure some of the larger donations go to cancer research centers affiliated with the schools in which players on the team attend.

“Stemming from all these efforts, more and more research is able to be funded and executed, and that is where the cure for this horrible disease is going to be found,” said with the type of confidence that makes it hard to disagree with him.  ”People are dedicating their lives to save others, these are the true heroes.  Although we never meet these researchers, we must acknowledge their efforts.”

And it all starts with a plan.  The Cure Baseball has a plan to continue growing, not in size, but in donations.  The more awareness the organization is able to spread through the joy of baseball, the bigger influence they will have on the horrors of cancer.  A simple game can have such a profound impact in the world.

“As we continue to grow and gain supporters and followers our team will only get stronger, and our ability to change lives affected by cancer will grow astronomically. I want to be able to give more grants to more researchers each year we’re around,” Alex said.

There is never a shortage of researchers willing to search for a cure for cancer.  However, there are always monetary limitations.  For example, the National Cancer Institute spent $631.2 million on breast cancer research in 2010.  It wasn’t enough, but the scientific community is making progress, and they need continued donations.

Alex understands the incredible amount of money it takes to fund the research necessary to one day eradicate all cancers.  ”I want to increase our personal donations every season we play. I want our team to be able to draw the biggest crowds for the teams we visit in order to reach the highest number of people, and all this is made possible by a game, the game that so many of us grew up watching, playing and dreaming about.”

From the dirt fields of the local parks to the Major League stadiums with all their glitz and glory, baseball is the same game.  But The Cure Baseball makes it more.  The Cure Baseball is taking our National Pastime and applying it to our nation’s most devastating disease.

If you’d like to get involved, be sure to check them out online, on Facebook, and on Twitter @thecurebaseball.  More importantly, donate to cancer research, support the Intentional Walks program, and come out and see some baseball next summer.

Do you remember that scene in the very beginning of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, on one where the candy man is singing to the kids as they wait greedily below the ladder for him to heave more candy in the air? Well, picture Billy Beane, the Athletics general manager, standing on that ladder looking down on all the other esurient general managers in the game, waiting for Beane to start tossing over some of the excess pitching he’s hoarding in Oakland and remember this:

It is good to be Billy Beane.

All teams should have the luxury of having an excess of outstanding starting pitching and have the problem of having to try and fit them all into the puzzle while being in the playoff hunt. With a starting rotation that currently features Bartolo Colon, Tommy Millone, Jarrod Parker, Travis Blackley, A.J. Griffin, the A’s have the lowest team ERA in the American League. Furthermore, not a single one of the starters has an ERA north of 3.88.

But as I said, the A’s have the unfortunate problem of having to juggle the rotation, as they have Brandon McCarthy (6-3, 2.54 ERA) due back from the disabled list shortly, and both Dallas Braden and Brett Anderson could be heading out on rehab assignments in the coming week. The true conundrum rests in who becomes expendable and who brings the A’s the most value.

Could Brandon McCarthy be on the move at the trade deadline?

Colon easily becomes the most expendable. Aside from holding the highest ERA on the team, he is also signed to a relatively inexpensive contract that expires at the end of the season. With the young arms the A’s currently have on the roster, Colon will not be coming back in 2013.

The same could almost be said about McCarthy. In his two seasons with Oakland, McCarthy has been solid to say the least. Of course, the problem with McCarthy has been keeping him on the mound, as he’s made at least three trips to the DL with shoulder issues, including twice this season. He is arbitration eligible at the end of the season and despite his injury issues, should still see a raise over his current salary of $4.275 million.

Anderson and Braden are a different story. Anderson is signed for the remainder of this season and next. Oakland holds club options for 2014 at $8.0 million and 2015 at $12.0 million. Braden is signed for this season, but will is also arbitration eligible after this season and next, essentially meaning he is still under club control for the next two season. However, Braden is coming back from shoulder surgery and Anderson from Tommy John surgery.

Oakland is winning and has put themselves into the playoff picture on the backs of their pitching staff, but their offense has been absolutely dreadful. They rank dead last in batting average, 28th in OPS and runs scored, and 27th in RBI. Needless to say, they need some help on the offensive end.

That is where the Boston Red Sox come into play.

The Athletics are getting a measly .527 OPS out of the shortstop position and a .547 OPS out of their third basemen. With the emergence of Pedro Ciriaco and the availability to go to Jose Iglesias if they choose to, the Red Sox are more than capable of making Mike Aviles available and could build a package around him. Aviles would bring an immediate upgrade with the bat (.261, 10 HR, 48 RBI, .696 OPS) and could be slotted in at third base or shortstop.

The Red Sox could build a package around Aviles, third base prospect Garen Cecchini, and outfield prospect Brandon Jacobs. Of course, if Boston were to include two of their top 10 prospects in Cecchini (who becomes expendable because of Will Middlebrooks) and Jacobs (who is behind both Bryce Brentz and Jackie Bradley on the depth charts), the Red Sox are more than likely to try and chase a better return than either Colon or McCarthy, Boston will likely want to be in on bidding on Millone, Griffin, or Parker, which means they’ll need to include one of their higher end pitching prospects like Anthony Ranaudo, Brandon Workman, or Drake Britton. Matt Barnes would be completely untouchable.

Needless to say, there is room to make a deal here, and Boston and Oakland would seem to be an ideal pair. Whether they can find common ground would come down to who needs what more; the A’s and offense or the Red Sox and pitching.

I have a feeling that the Red Sox would be on the wrong side of that bargain.