Kuzul

The baseball world got a dose of disappointing news with word that Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg will need Tommy John surgery.

The now famous ligament replacement procedure has been performed on seemingly a countless number of baseball players. Yet, the surgery is no guarantee.

Since former big leaguer Tommy John had the surgery, superstar pitchers and minor leaguers alike have gone under the knife.  While some have recovered to enjoy lengthy, successful careers, there are a number of hurlers who were never the same after going under the knife.

Here is a look at 10 pitchers who made it all the way back and 10 tougher tales when it comes to the most famous surgery in baseball.

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They are the two words no pitcher wants to hear, but for Washington Nationals phenom prospect Stephen Strasburg, it appears “Tommy John” will soon enter his vocabulary.

The right-hander who took baseball by storm this summer appears headed for surgery, much to the dismay of the Nationals organization and baseball fans alike.

It is a very tough blow for a pitcher that not only the Nationals, but Major League Baseball as well, anticipate will be a star for the next decade.

Here is the latest on the injury concerns regarding baseball’s top prospect.

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The big news that broke yesterday was the indictment of former Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens.

Clemens, currently embroiled in the biggest of all scandals left over from the Steroid Era, was indicted on six different counts, including 15 allegations of “different statements,” all tied to obstruction of Congress.

These indictments will one way or another be the end of the road for Clemens. He will either, somehow, vindicate himself and overcome the charges or be found guilty of the charges and face a lengthy prison sentence.

The latter is a scenario no one wants to face, which is why now is the time for Clemens to come clean and avoid the trouble that awaits in the future.

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Just because it is after July 31st does not mean that trades are prevented from going down. The Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves are showing that by pulling off a deal that will send Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee to Atlanta.

It is a significant move for the Braves who lost Chipper Jones for the season due to an ACL injury and are without a corner infielder.

The deal is not yet finalized, but expectations are that the trade will be finalized over the next 24 hours. When completed, it will be a stroke of intelligent baseball by the Braves, who need a bat for the stretch run while the Cubs begin the process of taking apart a team with highly paid veterans.

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The Little World Series officially begins on Friday with teams from all over the globe seeking Little League glory. Sixteen teams will descend on the hallowed ground of Little League baseball in Williamsport, Pennsylvania with the goal of hoisting the championship banner.

These teams are comprised of the best 11 and 12-year-old baseball players around the world, many of whom we may see again one day down the road in another uniform. If so, it would only continue a trend that has been around for decades–namely Little League World Series players turning into Major League Baseball players.

The pool of those going from the LLWS to the big leagues is shallower than one may expect, but never the less there are 20 players who can say they made the jump better than anyone.

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Monday at midnight is Major League Baseball’s deadline to sign draft picks selected in June’s amateur draft. While nearly all highly drafted players have signed their deals, one very notable player remains unsigned—Nationals pick Bryce Harper.

Harper, considered one of the best prospects in the history of the draft, heads to the deadline with little news coming out of his camp. His agent, Scott Boras, leads the negotiations with the Nationals, who are trying to sign an extremely touted prospect for the second year in a row.

However, it is that other top prospect-Stephen Strasburg-who has come out with some sharp words for Harper.

“If [Harper] wants to play here, he’s going to play here,” Strasburg said Sunday, after pitching five innings in the Nationals’ win over Arizona. “He doesn’t need advice from anybody to convince him otherwise. If he doesn’t want to play here, then we don’t want him here.” (from ESPN.com)

Will Strasburg’s interjection help or hurt the team’s chances at signing Harper, or will his words push Harper away from the table, sending him back to the draft pool for the 2011 draft? Here is a look five reasons going either direction.

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Brandon Phillips’s comments from Sunday served as the catalyst for the brawl that erupted in last night’s game between the NL Central co-leaders. 

It was Phillips who said, “I hate the Cardinals. All they do is b***h and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little b****es, all of ’em.”

That comment, followed by an unwelcome tap of Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina’s shinguards, turned into a face-to-face spat between Phillips and Molina before a bench-clearing brawl broke out between the two teams.

But after the brawl, it was the Reds who limped off the field in an 8-4 loss that cost them sole possession of the division. That may be a gloomy sign for a team that could suffer backlash from Phillips’ bravado.

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Alex Rodriguez entered very rarefied air on Wednesday afternoon when he smacked his 600th career home run in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays.

What is singularly special about the achievement is that not only is A-Rod the seventh man to reach 600 home runs, but he is first infielder to reach the milestone.

That got us thinking about the best power hitting infielders of all-time. There are a few in the 500 Home Run Club and others who aren’t, but the entire group left an impact on the game for being the rare combination of a slugging infielder.

Note: This list only includes shortstops, second baseman and first baseman.

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Finally: New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez has hit his 600th career home run.

After 46 at-bats, including a 0-for-17 streak, without a home run and dwindling production since he hit home run No. 599, Rodriguez made history.

The two-run shot came in his first at-bat on Wednesday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays . A-Rod drove a 2-0 fastball to dead center field and into Monument Park at Yankee Stadium.

Shawn Marcum served No. 600, which came three years to the day since Rodriguez hit No. 500 at old Yankee Stadium.

Rodriguez, who was the fastest ever to hit 500 home runs, is now the fastest to hit 600 home runs, having hit the blast at 35 years, eight days of age. 

A-Rod is the first player to reach 600 home runs since Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th on June 9, 2008. 

A security guard retrieved the ball, eliminating any chance of a standoff between Rodriguez and a fan.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Major League Baseball trade deadline is just over 24 hours away.  In the previous 24 hours, we have seen a number of trades pop up helping contenders get an extra bat or a team get an extra arm.

All the movement has been headlined by the Philadelphia Phillies’ acquisition of three-time All-Star and two-time 20-game winner Roy Oswalt.  But the deal between the Phillies and the Astros is not the only deal that could have a significant effect on the pennant races in both leagues.

There amount of notable trades is still tepid compared to year’s past, but that doesn’t mean a flurry of big names will not be traded before Saturday’s deadline.  Before then, here is a look back and a grade for all the trades already in the books.

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