He's good....like really good. I especially liked the taunting the Rams in the last 10 or so yards. Always good for style points.

On Sunday afternoon San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a 7-yard run with just over three minutes to play in a 48-20 win. The touchdown was his 29th on the season, which ranks as the most touchdowns ever in a single NFL season. He broke the record previously held by Shaun Alexander (28 touchdowns in 2005) and he still has three games left to do the unthinkable by scoring more than 30 touchdowns in a season.

Tomlinson has been an offensive force ever since entering the league in 2001 and since 2004 many fans have considered him as one of the top running backs of today. But what he did in 2005, combined with his current jaw-dropping 2006 production and his almost perfect skill set as a runner, has thrust him into the timeless debate of who the best NFL runner ever is.

Now, it is foolish to say at this point he is the best ever at running back to do battle on the gridiron. If he were to have a career-ending injury soon or an injury-riddled remainder of his career he would become another Gale Sayers. He'd be a great talent that could have been the best ever but injuries got in the way.

For many years now passionate football fans have debated who the greatest NFL runner ever is. Is it the big and punishing Jim Brown (1957-1965) of the Cleveland Browns who could run people over and had the speed to score from anywhere? How about Walter Payton (1975-1987) of the Chicago Bears who had the toughness to fight for that extra yardage on every carry and who possessed just enough speed to beat most defenders? One of those two currently sit at the top of most fans lists, and for good reason.

Brown played fullback but was the primary runner. He played in 118 games and never missed a game. He rushed for 12,312 yards and averaged 5.2 yards-per-carry. He scored 106 of his 126 touchdowns on the ground and also was effective as a receiver with 2,499 yards off receptions. Brown was the leading NFL rusher and named All-NFL eight times. He always was named to the Pro Bowl. He was the NFL MVP in 1958 and 1965 and was named the Rookie of the Year in 1957. He surprised almost everyone in the summer of 1966 when, at 30-years-old, he announced his retirement. Had he continued to play and stay healthy there would be no debate. He would be considered by all knowledgeable football minds as the best ever.

Payton, like Brown, was able to take a licking and stay on the field over his entire career. He played in an amazing 186 consecutive games (out of his 190 total games played). Payton rushed for 16,726 yards and averaged 4.4 yards-per-carry. He scored 110 of his 125 touchdowns on the ground and also was very effective as a receiver with 4,538 yards off receptions. Payton was named All-Pro seven times and went to the Pro Bowl nine times. He was the NFL MVP in 1977 and 1985.

But now that Tomlinson has broken the single season touchdowns record to cap six-straight seasons of 1,200 or more yards it is time to acknowledge that we just may be watching history in the making. Right before our eyes we may be seeing the best runner ever to play the game emerge and start to state the case that he should now be part of that "best runner ever" conversation.

It's really not that big a leap to take. In his six seasons with the Chargers he has played 92 games and has missed only one game. Tomlinson has proven, thus far, to be just as durable as Brown and Payton were.

Tomlinson has amassed 8,788 yards on the ground with 4.4 yards-per-carry. At his current pace, assuming he rushes for 1,400 yards each season and adds another 300 yards this season, in the 2009 season he will surpass Brown in career rushing yards and in the 2012 season he will move past Peyton as well.

Tomlinson has 2,871 receiving yards thus far. That is already more than Brown had. The Chargers always have loved to throw to him and he has never had less than 51 receptions in a season so lets' assume he averages 450 receiving yards each season and adds another 40 this season. If this takes place then in the 2010 season he will have more receiving yards than Peyton.

Tomlinson is 27-years old. In the 2010 season he'd be 31-years old. This is usually the point in time where many running backs begin to breakdown. But by then he likely will have enough yardage -- when you combine his rushing and receiving yards -- to be viewed as an equal to Peyton and superior to Brown when just looking at yards gained.

But there is one career stat about Tomlinson that we have failed to mention. His 29 touchdowns this season has brought his career total to 109 scores. That is only 16 behind Payton and 17 behind Brown. Prior to this record-breaking season he had averaged 16 touchdowns a season. So, if he continues to score at that average then he will likely surpass both Brown and Payton next season. If he averages 16 touchdowns over the four full seasons and scored another three this season he would have 177 career touchdowns at the end of the 2010 season which would put him at No. 2 all-time on the most career touchdowns list. Wide receiver Jerry Rice has 208 career touchdowns and running back Emmitt Smith has 175.

So, as you can see, it is really not that crazy a notion to start talking about Tomlinson being possibly the best runner ever. Many so-called football experts have said that he is the most-skilled RB in every area of the position -- running, receiving, power, toughness, speed, quickness, durability, vision, etc -- that has ever played. If he continues playing and remains durable he likely will be considered the best runner to ever step on the field -- period.

Mauer has finally burst into the national spotlight with his amazing 1/2 season at the plate. To think, a catcher leading the league in batting average at .377. Unbelieveable. Tonight he went 5-for-5 as he continues his jaw-dropping display on hitting.

He also has a product out there to help youngsters learn to hit just like Joe. It is called the Quickswing Baseball Training Aid. I don't know if you can buy stock in this company, but if you can, I'd do it now. I am betting business is brisk and I wonder how many major league players will quietly buy one to help their swings out!

In just 24 days baseball will give us the 77th Midsummer Classic. That's right, the MLB All-Star game is less than a month away. I for one am looking forward to watching the best players in the game come together and do battle. However, as it stands right now, there will be some dominant players missing in the starting lineups for both the National and American Leagues when the first pitch is thrown on July 11th in PNC Park in Pittsburgh and that just doesn't sit right with me.

Here are the top 5 vote getters per position (top 15 OF) as of June 13 (American League) and June 12 (National League) according to MLB.com. After each grouping I will offer some comments, who I voted for and who the fans are overlooking.

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

First Base:

1. David Ortiz (BOS) 915,362

2. Jason Giambi (NYY) 626,289

3. Paul Konerko (CWS) 429,572

4. Travis Hafner (CLE) 364,246

5. Chris Shelton (DET) 274,730

Comments: Ortiz has the most homers and RBI's of the first basemen on the ballot. I really don't have a problem with him starting as he is deserving. Giambi also has hit the long ball well. Personally, I don't think he deserves being the starter because others are more worthy. Konerko got my vote as he has the highest batting average (.317) on the ballot (much higher than Ortiz and Giambi) and only has 2 less homers and 7 less RBI's than Ortiz. Hafner would have been my second choice. Shelton has cooled off a lot after that amazing red hot start.

Second Base:

1. Robinson Cano (NYY) 602,637

2. Mark Loretta (BOS) 535,043

3. Tadahito Iguchi (CWS) 499,643

4. Placido Polanco (DET) 268,728

5. Jose Lopez (SEA) 265,692

Comments: I think the choice here has to be Cano. He's who I voted for. He sports a .332 average with some home run power. Loretta is nipping at Cano's heels and he is not as deserving. The remaining three on the list are all very good players but have not put together a solid enough season to deserve the All-Star start. Us Yardbarkers need to mobilize and get out the vote for Cano.

Third Base:

1. Alex Rodriguez (NYY) 1,067,369

2. Mike Lowell (BOS) 468,031

3. Joe Crede (CWS) 341,224

4. Troy Glaus (TOR) 338,899

5. Eric Chavez (OAK) 311,301

Comments: I fear it is already too late as AROD has undeservingly begun to run away with the starting spot. Sure, he has 15 homers and 49 RBI's. But remember, he's hitting a mere mortal .278. I think Lowell, Crede and Glaus call can make a case for the starting gig. Chavez is not deserving. But my vote went to someone not in the top 5. I voted for Hank Blalock (TEX). He has hit for a solid average, displayed good power and has driven in runs. So when you vote please don't vote for AROD.

Shortstop:

1. Derek Jeter (NYY) 1,121,712

2. Miguel Tejada (BALT) 776,442

3. Michael Young (TEX) 293,249

4. Alex Gonzalez (BOS) 249,094

5. Juan Uribe (CWS) 232,635

Comments: Here there really are two players worthy of starting. Jeter and Tejada both have had fine seasons. I voted for Tejada. Both sport high batting averages and RBI totals. Jeter has 13 steals compared to Tejada's 4 and Tejada has 16 homers with Jeter having 5. I chose power over base path speed. I think Young is in the correct spot in the voting. Gonzalez and Uribe both don't deserve to be anywhere near the top 5.

Catcher:

1. Jason Varitek (BOS) 630,657

2. Ivan Rodriguez (DET) 595,132

3. Jorge Posada (NYY) 489,480

4. A.J. Pierzynski (CWS) 370,020

5. Victor Martinez (CLE) 324,575

Comments: What the Hell is wrong with the fans of today? I guess a league-leading .380 batting average only matters if you are in one of the larger markets like New York or Boston or Chicago. I mean seriously, how can people be overlooking Mauer? He's the clear top catcher in baseball and he doesn't break the top 5?!?!?! Unbelievable! And Varitek the top vote getter with that .258 average?!?!?! Pudge Rodriguez should be in the top 5, but the No. 4 or 5 spot is much more appropriate. V-Mart should be in the top 3. This is a travesty! We must mobilize and get everyone we know to vote 25 times for Mauer this week.

Outfielders:

1. Vladimir Guerrero (LAA) 1,115,476

2. Manny Ramirez (BOS) 1,080,426

3. Johnny Damon (NYY) 754,396

4. Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) 677,392

5. Vernon Wells (TOR) 554,409

6. Gary Sheffield (NYY) 466,520

7. Jermaine Dye (CWS) 407,162

8. Scott Podsednik (CWS) 384,119

9. Hideki Matsui (NYY) 362,289

10. Coco Crisp (BOS) 354,181

11. Torii Hunter (MIN) 349,262

12. Trot Nixon (BOS) 323,813

13. Magglio Ordonez (DET) 315,390

14. Grady Sizemore (CLE) 288,314

15. Jonny Gomes (TB) 225,432

Comments: I'm going to start off by saying I voted for Wells (AVG,HR,RBI), Dye (AVG,HR,RBI) and Suzuki (AVG,SB). I am not going to get all upset over who is listed at outfield as there is a lot of good quality talent here but I think Wells and Suzuki's numbers eclipse those of the top three, but VLAD, Manic Manny and Jesus (Damon…my buddies' wife called him that because of his beard in Boston) all play in big markets and benefit from larger fan bases voting for them.

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

First Base:

1. Albert Pujols (STL) 1,442,273

2. Carlos Delgado (NYM) 443,747

3. Ryan Howard (PHI) 352,555

4. Nomar Garciaparra (LAD) 332,668

5. Lance Berkman (HOU) 316,477

Comments: Pujols has already pretty much guaranteed a starting All-Star spot if healthy. He received my vote. All the players in the top five have performed well enough to be deserving to be there.

Second Base:

1. Chase Utley (PHI) 732,592

2. Craig Biggio (HOU) 581,079

3. Jose Castillo (PIT) 284,886

4. Marcus Giles (ATL) 283,313

5. Jeff Kent (LAD) 280,128

Comments: Utley got my vote but it was a tough decision. Ironically, the other guy I was considering heavily was Uggla from Florida and he isn't in the top 5 vote getters. They both have had very similar seasons. Biggio and Kent are classic examples of fans voting for the names they recognize from past seasons and not based off how a player has performed this season. Weeks and Vidro deserve to be in the top 5.

Third Base:

1. David Wright (NYM) 661,184

2. Scott Rolen (STL) 664,412

3. Morgan Ensberg (HOU) 375,651

4. Miguel Cabrera (FLA) 352,951

5. Chipper Jones (ATL) 347,546

Comments: Wright and Cabrera both have had awesome seasons, but Wright got my vote because he has hit more homes and stolen more bases than Cabrera while hitting for a high average. Cabrera's .346 average really should have him No. 2 on this list. I can understand Rolen being No. 2 and Morgan Ensberg being on the list but I feel Atkins deserves to be in the top 5 more than Jones does.

Shortstop:

1. David Eckstein (STL) 540,237

2. Jose Reyes (NYM) 489,781

3. Edgar Renteria (ATL) 483,639

4. Jimmy Rollins (PHI) 426,532

5. Omar Vizquel (SF) 293, 628

Comments: I was surprised to see Eckstein leading the voting. Don't get me wrong, he has hit for a strong average. But when you compare his other numbers up against some of the other guys he just doesn't deserve to be the starter. I can understand Reyes and Renteria being in the top 3 and No. 5 is a good spot for Vizquel. But Rollins average is not high enough to warrant him being in the top 5. The guy I voted for was Lopez (CIN). He has hit for solid average (.281) and power (7) and has stolen quite a few bags (20). I think his all-around offensive game makes him deserving of the top spot….or….at the very least….a top 5 spot.

Catcher:

1. Paul Lo Duca (NYM) 631,896

2. Mike Piazza (SD) 528,110

3. Yadier Molina (STL) 450,995

4. Brad Ausmus (HOU) 360,412

5. Brian McCann (ATL) 321,463

Comments: People seriously need to open their eyes. McCann is hitting .352 and has displayed some power. I voted for him and others should as well. He is clearly the most deserving guy. Lo Duca has been a solid catcher, but is not deserving of the starting spot. Sure, Piazza has hit 8 dingers, but what else has he done? HELLO. WAKE UP PEOPLE. Molina is hitting a paltry .214. Ausmus has had a good season. This one is fixable. Lets get the vote out for McCann.

Outfielders:

1. Andrew Jones (ATL) 813,990

2. Ken Griffey Jr. (CIN) 761,091

3. Carlos Beltran (NYM) 737,830

4. Alfonso Soriano (WAS) 736,907

5. Jim Edmonds (STL) 574,133

6. Jason Bay (PIT) 555,764

7. Bobby Abreu (PHI) 527,356

8. Barry Bonds (SF) 408,579

9. Aaron Rowand (PHI) 401,802

10. Carlos Lee (MIL) 401,503

11. Adam Dunn (CIN) 304,364

12. Pat Burrell (PHI) 261,501

13. So Taguchi (STL) 250,433

14. Jeff Francoeur (ATL) 250,375

15. Xavier Nady (NYM) 246,067

Comments: I voted for Soriano, Holliday and Bay. Holliday deserves to go as he is hitting .347 with 14 homers and 49 RBI's. But he is getting no respect by not even cracking the top 15. Jones is not hitting for a high enough average to be a starter. The same can be said about Griffey Jr. Soriano's 24 homers and 17 stolen bases to go along with a solid .289 batting average make him deserving of a starting spot. Bay has 19 homers to go along with a .299 average and that is enough to make him a good top 3 choice and it would be nice for him to start in front of his home crowd.

MY FINAL PLEA:

I ask everyone here at Yardbarker to mobilize as a group and to get as many people as possible to vote 25 times for the following players: Cano (2B), Mauer (C), Suzuki (OF), Wells (OF), McCann (C), Soriano (OF) and Bay (OF).

Also, I want to hear your thoughts on all of this. So, as always, feel free to reply with your comments. Lets get a discussion going on this that hopefully will be entertaining up until the All-Star game.

Remember, you have until June 29th to vote!

It seems that White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen is once again the top story in Chicago. Not for how he goes about managing his baseball team, but rather, once again, for his actions and the uncensored words that flow from his mouth.

On Wednesday in Texas the game against the Rangers was very interesting. In the 2nd and 4th innings White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski was hit by Rangers starter Vicente Padilla. Both benches were warned after the second beaning.

To start off the seventh inning Guillen sent rookie relief pitcher Sean Tracey into the game and the batter he faced was Hank Blalock. Tracey threw two inside pitches to Blalock before he grounded out.

When Blalock grounded out Guillen slammed a water bottle to the ground and promptly removed Tracey from the game. Then Guillen was seen in the dugout yelling in Traceys' direction and Tracey pulled the collar of his jersey over his head.

In a story on MLB.com it states "when Guillen was caught screaming in the dugout by television cameras from the Texas broadcast, he was not yelling specifically at Tracey, who was removed from the game after one hitter. Instead, Guillen was vehemently stressing that the White Sox have to stick together and stand up for each other at all times."

Un huh. And if you believe that line of crap I have some ocean front property in Arizona to sell you.

It's obvious that Guillen had told the youngster to go in there and bean Blaylock in retaliation for the earlier beanings and the pitcher failed to complete his assignment.

Need more circumstantial evidence?

On Wednesday after the game as Tracey was packing his bags for a return trip to the minors veteran reliever Cliff Politte counseled the youngster.

Then on Thursday Politte spoke to the media about the issue....which....probably was not the brightest thing to do. In the MLB.com article some of his quotes were:

"It's a tough situation," Politte explained. "He was called to do a job and it didn't work out. When the manager calls you in to do something, you do it. This is the guy that runs the team, and if he tells you to jump off a bridge, you have to think about it if you want to stick up here and play.

"You feel bad for the kid because he doesn't know better and didn't know what he should do after the first pitch. I just told him to keep his head up. He's a young kid who really didn't know any better. I'm trying to pat him on the back a little bit, even though he messed up."

Ummmm....what job was it that Tracey was called upon to do that did not work out? He got the out. Hmmmm...can't be that. Gee, I wonder what the job was? (hint: for the sarcasticly challenged readers here I should say I am using deep sarcasm).

At this point it is pretty easy to read between the lines on the issue. Guillen sent Tracey in to bean Blalock in the seventh inning. The kid missed on the first two pitches and then gave up trying to bean the batter and got the out. Guillen went nuts in the dugout and now Tracey is being sent to the minors.

Oh sure, the organization party line is he was the guy going to be sent to the minors after the game anyways. But if you believe that than I am sure you believe that Bonds really didn't know he was using steroids.....because....well....that is what he claims. So it must be true.

Now, are beanings a part of the game? Yes.

Have managers in the past told their pitchers to bean someone? Yes.

Did the White Sox have every right to bean a Ranger? Yes.

But, that beaning should have come against the next Ranger batter after the second beaning. You do not wait until three innings later to do it.

Also, you do not let your temper get to you and publically embarass one of your players like that.

Speaking of letting your temper get to you....here are some more classic Guillen statements on the matter:

"I'll tell you one thing, if Padilla hit me twice, right now I'd be in the hospital or I'd be dead," Guillen said. "But I will fight. I will fight. When you get hit like that, that means there's something wrong. You don't go from pitching a great game to hitting the same guy twice.

"Padilla wasn't throwing inside. Padilla hit the man because he wanted to hit the man. He knows, the manager knows, baseball people know. Padilla can't say he wanted to hit him because he'd get in trouble.

"Everybody knows he hit him," Guillen added. "If that situation happened to Ozzie Guillen, right now I'd be bleeding with a broken nose."

Ok, now I'd like my fellow Yardbarkers to chime in on this issue. I want to hear your thoughts one some things.

1. Is it ok in baseball for managers to instruct their players to bean someone or should that just be left up to the players to decide?

2. Do you think Tracey was sent to the minors because of this issue or was he already headed there like the organization claims?

3. Do you have a problem with the way Guillen conducted himself?

4. Do you think that Padilla intentionally beaned Pierzynski once, twice or just had bad control on those pitches?

5. Is Guillen nuts?

6. If you were put in the same situation as Tracey what would you have done?

This is a must see video clip of a Red Sox batboy taking out a fan who is loose on the field. Apparently security was not close enough to deal with this issue and none of the players were doing anything so the batboy did!

My thoughts on the clip:

1. Very nice tackle. Maybe he can play linebacker for the Vikings?

2. He'll likely get some cash from the players for that hit.

3. Man, you just have to laugh when the news woman remarks "is there really a Boston player named Coco Crisp?" Priceless.

This article is totally spectulative. I am not drawing from any news reports or anything other than the logical thoughts bouncing around in my head. Much like the Babe calling his own homer by pointing to the fence in the 1932 World Series, I am making the call that the Twins will be making these moves. So keep that in mind as you read on.

The Twins currently are trailing Detroit by 11 games and Chicago by 9.5 games. Thats a ton of ground to make up on one team, much less two teams. It would be a shocker if they were to catch one and it is almost out of the question they will catch both.

The coaching staff has not given up, and have (finally) inserted Liriano and other young talent like Bonser into more prominent roles in the place of either overhyped talent (Lohse) or falling apart talent (Silva). But the Twins simply are too far out to do anything.

It is too early for the front office to make any moves, but come July and as the trade deadline starts getting a bit closer as we enter the heart of the summer you better get ready to start hearing some rumors flying involving many Twins players.

There already have been rumors of Lohse burning his final bridge with the organization and also of Hunter or Stewart heading to the Yankees to plug some holes in their outfield. This is just the beginning.

The players that will be gone are:

Kyle Lohse (SP) - His inability to pitch effectively and his temper and lack of respect for the organization has FINALLY eclipsed his projected untaped talent. He's due a new contract in the offseason and the Twins will not be bringing him back. Pitching is hard to come by and some club will give just enough to the Twins this season in a trade.

Percent Chance Of Happening: 99 Percent

Torii Hunter (OF) - He is one of the best fielding players in the game today by far. He's a class act on and off the field and a great face for the franchise. And when he's hot at the plate, he's red hot. But unfortunately most of the time he's not hot at the plate. At best Hunter is a .265 hitter with good power numbers and very good speed on the basepaths. Likely a No. 7 hitter in a lineup. All of this does not add up to a $12 million player. And if the team picks up the 2007 option on his contract, that is exactly what they will be paying him. Tight-fisted owner Carl Pohlad will not be forking out that kind of cash. So, the logical conclusion is the team will trade him. He has a limited no-trade clause in his contract which perodically allows him to select fives teams that he can veto trades to. At the publication time of this article those teams would be the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Cubs, Devil Rays and Tigers. Many fans have said that Hunter reminds them of the late Kirby Puckett roaming centerfield. Once he is gone Denard Span will be the man roaming out there and we'll be saying he reminds us a bit of Hunter.

Percent Chance Of Happening: 90 Percent

Shannon Stewart (OF) - Stewart has been a huge part of the offense ever since his arrival via trade. He is a disciplined hitter who is a great table setter at the top of the order. The problem is he is 32 years old and he is becoming injury prone. He will be a free agent at the end of the season and his eventual successor is already in the everyday lineup. Jason Kubel has shown he is finally ready for a full-time gig in the majors and that makes Stewart expendable. Once Stewart returns from injury and shows opposing teams he is healthy and once again in a groove he will be moved.

Percent Chance Of Happening: 99 Percent

Carlos Silva (SP) - He FINALLY had a good start on June 15th. He does have a $4 million team option for 2007 but the way he has pitched this season and the young arms in the minors on the fast track to the majors (Baker, Perkins, Garza) leads me to believe that if he can string together a few quality starts that teams will start contacting the Twins about his availability.

Percent Chance Of Happening: 75 Percent

Lew Ford (OF) - Ford simply is not an everyday outfielder, but he thinks he is one. Cuddyer has played very well this season and with Kubel and Span the future at outfield for the Twins another team likely will offer enough for the Twins to trade away Ford.

Percent Chance Of Happening: 70 Percent