Golf's Identity Crisis

Raise your hand if you knew the name Keegan Bradley before this weekend. Don't worry, you're not alone if couldn't pick the PGA's most recent major winner out of a lineup. With one total tour victory coming in, the rookie became the latest in a long line of obscure players to take home trophys over the past couple years. In fact, Bradley became the seventh straight first-time major winner when he edged fellow unknown Jason Dufner at the PGA Championship on Sunday. The question everyone is now wondering: Is this anonymity the new norm in golf?

The Hall Comes Calling

There's simply no place on earth like Cooperstown. The upstate New York town may be tiny, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in history. It's claim to fame is the Baseball Hall of Fame. If you're a fan of "America's Pastime" it's gotta be on your bucket list. The location is kind of off the beaten path (there are no cities of note within an hour), but those that make the trek, like I did in February, are truly rewarded. This weekend, thousands flocked to Cooperstown to help usher in a new trio to the ranks of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2011 includes players Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven as well as GM Pat Gillick. It's tough to describe in words what the three did for the game, but after the jump, I'll try to do them justice.

Flipping Fields

It's a marathon, not a sprint. The Major League Baseball season is not for the faint of heart. From March to November, encompassing nearly three-quarters of the calendar year, baseball is all about the long run. So, you can't blame fans if they fall into mid-summer lulls while waiting for the playoffs to heat up. The All-Star game is a nice temporary pick-me-up, but the biggest way to add spice to the season is the trade deadline. At this point, it's clear which teams are going to be buyers and sellers. With the deal D-day just a week away on July 31, it's time to speculate where some of the big names in the game will be moving. Let's countdown the top candidates who could be switching jerseys come August.

1.) Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies, SP- One position that every team can never have enough of down the stretch is a starting pitcher. No SP has GM's salivating like Ubaldo Jimenez. With the Rockies looking like playoff long shots, Jimenez has a great shot of swapping cities. Colorado has said that they will definitely be looking at offers for their ace. Although it will likely be extremely costly to acquire last year's breakout pitching star, that won't stop big market teams from offering up the farm for him.

MLB Power Poll

We're in the dog days of summer and the main focus in the world of sports is on baseball. After a huge turnover in the last edition of the MLB Power Poll, week three is much more stable. At the top, it's the same first five lineup. As we roll down the list though, we see some newcomers join the party. Injuries also play a major part this week. Let's see where the shakeups affect the latest Top 10.

Top 10

1.) Boston Red Sox [1] (43-28)- The heat hasn't cooled in Boston. Fresh off a Stanley Cup Championship for the Bruins, the Red Sox have given the "nation" more to cheer for. After taking 2 of 3 from the 4th ranked Brewers, the BoSox have now won five straight series dating all the way back to May. One dark mark is young flamethrower Clay Buchholtz landing on the DL with a back strain.
2.) Philadelphia Phillies [2] (45-28)- Smoothing sailing for the Phillies this month. It's almost become expected for the Phils to go streaking and sure enough Philadelphia has won eight of 10. What makes their consistent winning even more impressive is that they haven't even really started to hit. Philly's ranked 20th in the league in batting average (.247).

Future's So Bright...

Rory McIlroy didn't need shades to show the world that he has the potential to be the next superstar of the PGA.  Rory roared out to a huge early lead in the second major of the year and never looked back. When all was said and done on Sunday at The Congressional Golf Course in our nation's capital, McIlroy had turned in the best score ever posted at the US Open. A brilliant -16 performance gave McIlroy the first major championship of his young career. It also helped erase some of the ugly memories of the 22-year-old's meltdown at the Masters earlier this year.