PM ET All-Star shortstop's work ethic came from hard-working father By Bill Ladson / MLB.com

Reviewing team and individual stats and rankings for the surprising St. Louis Cardinals in the first half of the 2008 season.

Minnesota's Justin Morneau wins trophy, but it was Josh Hamilton of Texas who put on a dynamic display with 28 long balls in the first round.

Missing the All-Star Game is a disappointment for Kerry Wood, but ensuring the friction blister on his right index finger is healed when the second half opens Friday is more important to him. ''Of course it's disappointing,'' said Wood, who had the

first half - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Toons Joe Chudicek, Editor papers in Education Customized RSS Feeds Grading the ' first half By TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, July 15, 2008 The following is

1. Nate McLouth -- He went from Nate Who? to an All-Star in three months. 2. Productive bats -- It's not a reprise of the Lumber Co., but the Pirates have ranked among the NL leaders in practically every key offensive category. 3. Veteran leadership --

TEMPE, Ariz.?Never mind that Major League Baseball?s current season is barely half through, McFarlane Toys is already thinking ahead to next year by announcing its planned starting lineup of MLB Sports Picks figures for 2009. Scheduled to debut

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Collaborating with the Natural Resources Defense Council and Sims Metal Management, Major League Baseball sent more than a hundred Green Team volunteers through Central Park all day Saturday and late into the night. The

After acquiring Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox before the 1920 season, the New York Yankees set out to build a stadium. They bought 10 acres of land in the Bronx in 1921 from the estate of William Waldorf Astor for $675,000. Two years and $2.5 million

In Prospect Pulse, Ben Badler compares Giants farmhands Tim Alderson and Madison Bumgarner, and explains the improvements that Angels center fielder Peter Bourjos has made this season.