W. Ross Clites Your City Sports - Cleveland Kent, OHIO--Put the notion of Steven Strasburg in this year's All-Star Game to bed. With his second loss (not much more he can do) he slipped even further in the National League Pitcher Rating rankings. People in favor of Strasburg pitching in the game have stated that "as long as it does not bump a deserving pitcher, he should be there." Well, as I see it, there are about 30 pitchers more deserving. Other people are quick to point out that the National League, desperate for an All-Star victory for the first time since 1996, needs Strasburg to win the game. After watching his latest start against a division-leading Braves team, it is easy to see that he has been pitching on adrenaline and that drug is wearing out. He looked apathetic, tired, possibly even injured. Strasburg was still amazing and did strike out 7 batters, but batters are starting to scoff at the breaking ball and sit on his dead-straight (albeit 100 mph) fastball...

W. Ross Clites Your City Sports - Cleveland Kent, OHIO--The last column of the spreadsheet is the previous week's ranking (red for a decrease, black for no change, and green for an increase... obviously). Pitcher Rating June 23 Leave Comments on my Facebook page or Email Feedback to w.ross.clites@gmail.com

W. Ross Clites Your City Sports - Cleveland Kent, OHIO--Without a doubt, I am going to be that senile grandfather that sits in the corner and traps his grandchildren with inescapable rants about the past. I can almost here them screaming now, "Mom! Grandpa is rambling about the Big Ten again!" I will inevitably be old someday, reminiscing about a simpler time. A time when the Big Ten was not only a collegiate conference, but the only one that could not accurately count. What fun will this new super conference be without the hidden "11" in the text? If the Big Ten adds 3 teams, I motion to call the league "The Big Thirteen" out of principle. The trouble will be embedding that "14" in there somewhere. There is rampant talk about an eager Pac-10 commissioner, Larry Scott, who will add teams at all cost. He evidently has been given the authority to do so from his school presidents. However, there is no reason for him to shake things up without ...

W. Ross Clites Your City Sports - Cleveland Kent, OHIO--The World Cup is days away and that means it is time to start blogging again. You know when a guy is coming out of Mopey/Loser-of-Blog-Contest Semi-Retirement it has to be for something pretty important. A topic in sports so large that it revitalized a will to write. Something that is on everyone's mind, discussed in every living room right now... The NBA Finals? No . The NHL Finals? No. Jim Joyce squashing Armando Galarraga's perfecto? No. Team USA's choice of athletic fashion!  Okay, an interesting way to get back in the groove but I was bored and ran with it. I love soccer jerseys; they are like billboards that run and kick. Not so much in international competition, though. When you take away the sponsors that club teams wear, it is perhaps the most minimal authentic merchandise in sports. People will pay upwards of $100 for what boils down to being a fancy collared, solid colored silk t-shirt with someon...