About Time: Roy Oswalt to the Phillies is a done deal

As you've probably heard by now, it is official. Roy Oswalt(notes) has waived his no-trade clause and agreed to bring his pitching talents and $11 million of Drayton McLane's money — though sadly not Oswalt's Mike Scott-era throwback uniform — to the Philadelphia Phillies.

In return, the Houston Astros will receive starting pitcher J.A. Happ(notes) and minor league prospects Anthony Gose (an outfielder) and Jonathan Villar (a shortstop). Houston general manager Ed Wade will receive a fruit basket from grateful Phillies fans as this might qualify as the best move he ever made for the Phillies — even counting the time he was Philadelphia's GM.

So what to make of this deal?

So long as we resist the urge to make the easy Cliff Lee(notes) comparison and view the move in a vacuum, it's a good one for the Phillies. Add Oswalt to Roy Halladay(notes) and Cole Hamels(notes) and they arguably have the best top-three starters in the National League. As long as their offense can stop being inconsistent and return to its explosive self, they have a solid shot at their third straight NL pennant.

As for the Astros, this trade doesn't smell quite as nice when you consider that Oswalt was their most attractive tradebait and the haul they came away with was less than stellar. Then again, Oswalt didn't make things easy for the team to create a fierce market during his drawn-out soap opera of a trade demand. Wade had a lot of roadblocks to work around.

Now that this deal is complete and the top-three starters — Oswalt, Cliff Lee and Dan Haren(notes) — are off the trading block, it looks like we're in for a somewhat sedate deadline as it approaches on Saturday afternoon. Get ready for plenty of Adam Dunn(notes) and Ted Lilly(notes) speculation.

A-Rod and Mac make Forbes' list of most disliked sports figures!!! WOW

I thought that finally winning a World Series title and staging fewer weird magazine photo shoots would soften Alex Rodriguez's(notes) image with the public.

Same goes for Mark McGwire admitting to and apologizing for his PED use last winter.

But the world is an unforgiving place sometimes, as evidenced when both men still placed in the top 10 of the "Most Disliked People In Sports" survey recently conducted by Forbes.com.

McGwire is sixth on the list, while A-Rod checks in at the eighth spot. Their company includes a dog fighter (Michael Vick), a serial adulterer (Tiger Woods), a guy who drew a gun on a teammate (Gilbert Arenas) and a guy accused of rape before charges were dropped earlier this spring (Ben Roethlisberger).

Check out the whole Forbes.com survey here

I'm not a big fan of either ballplayer, but it seems unfair to group them with the above crowd, especially when none of the NFL's banned-substance suspendees — or the more selfish and unapologetic Manny Ramirez(notes) — are anywhere to be found among those most deserving of scorn. McGwire doesn't earn as many points as he should for his fight to prevent child abuse. And I've often thought that A-Rod's public image is a simple product of his ineptitude when dealing with superstardom and Scott Boras' ability to get Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks to bid against himself back in 2000.

That's not to say that I don't understand that both players have turned themselves into lightning rods after making the decision to use PEDs to boost their stats. But those are actions that should lump them in with the other listed figures like Al Davis, Jerry Jones and Terrell Owens ... not with the crop whose moral failings had an actual impact on others.

Better luck next year, fellas.

Yahoo

Obama watches Strasburg set record, White Sox win, Wave go by!!!

Washington Nationals rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg set a record during another masterful performance. And the Chicago White Sox scraped their way to an 11-inning victory, winning for the eighth time in nine games.

But the biggest winner at sold-out Nationals Park on Friday night?

[Photos: President Obama takes in a ballgame]

President Barack Obama (right, in White Sox cap).

Not only did he get to witness Strasburg with his own eyes, and he saw his White Sox win, but he also sat stoically — and righteously — as the rest of the stadium foolishly did the Wave. Including at least one of his own daughters. Hah! Silly humans!

Here's indisputable photographic proof of the president's good sense.

Of course, the slightly bigger news was, again, Strasburg. He struck out 10, giving him 32 for the season, to eclipse a record set by Houston's J.R. Richard for most K's in his first three career starts.

In September of 1971, Richard struck out 29 out of the chute for the Astros. Reality could never quite keep up with Richard's legend. Strasburg does not lack for hype, either.

Ozzie Guillen's impression: "I think he's the best pitcher in the National League."

Mixed reaction greets Manny Ramirez's return to Fenway!!!

In the end, Manny Ramirez's(notes) return to Fenway Park on Friday night went as I thought it would: Some people cheered, some booed and a few looked completely unmoved.

As for the man himself, Ramirez did not offer a tip of the cap or a wave as he approached the plate in the bottom of the second inning, perhaps because it seemed like the moment did not require a response. The whole scene then ended as quickly as it began with Ramirez lining the first pitch for an out to center field. No real drama, though the Red Sox did make an effort to set the stage — at least somewhat — for their former slugger.

From the Associated Press:

"In the middle of the second inning, the Red Sox played a video on the scoreboard of Ramirez highlights. Set to the R.E.M. song 'Superman,' it showed him making diving catches, receiving his Series MVP trophy, posing at the plate after hitting a home run and, of course, opening the door to the Green Monster.

Ramirez will likely DH all three games during this interleague series, so a mid-inning potty break in the Monster seems unlikely. The good news is that the famed left field wall was not left wanting for a visit from a formerly beloved player now living in exile.

Yes, that was Roger Clemens sitting in the seats atop the Monster. When it rains, it pours, I suppose.