Seven Cubs in the All-Star game and more baseball..

Thrilled to see the red, white and blue well represented in the All-Star game for the first time in awhile gets me excited about what might become of the season. The Cubs players chosen for the most part were well deserving of their bid. Soriano has been hurt, but is one of the top three NL outfielders and Fukudome, struggling of late, has still had a decent season. I am happy for Geovany Soto, who is the hands down favorite to win the ROY, and glad to see that a player from the Cubs' farm system has panned out. Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood were well deserving of their All-Star bids and have really been the anchor to the team. What makes more sense to me though is that the team with the best record in the National League throughout the first half of the season is well represented. If the game truly means something and determines home-field advantage then the teams fighting toward winning the World Series should be well represented. The Tampa Rays are not well represented and should be. They are the story of the season and are just flat out good. There is talks they could get Matt Holliday....scary. Speaking of scary, Sabathia to the Brewers scares me. Milwaukee was on top of their game by getting him this early. He will make two starts before the All-Star break and then another two before the trading deadline. Having four more starts than other deadline pitchers means this trade will have more impact than any other. The Cubs are talking about dealing with the A's for Rich Harden. I have always been a fan of Rich Harden, but two things scare me;Hardens arm and Billy Beane's brain. There is no doubt the Cubs will have to pay the price for Harden. If he stays healthy it could be worth it, but Beane will take a good portion of the Cubs' future for an often injured arm. My prediction: I still believe the Cubs are deep enough to win the NL Central but I believe this move puts the Brewers as the favorites for the NL Wild Card with Sheets and Sabathia being the two best pitchers in the National League.