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It's been a rough week for Pirates GM Neal Huntington and Mets GM Omar Minaya (that's him, right). Huntington is taking a beating, here included, for continuing to destroy the value of his collectors set of genuine Pittsburgh Pirates by taking them out of the wrapping and trading them off individually. Minaya didn't need any questionable trades to draw criticism, just questionable judgment in calling out a New York writer in a press conference.

So in the interest of fairness, we turn to Keith Law for some good words on the two of them. All right, saying he's surprised Minaya hasn't been fired and questioning the Pirates' ability to judge talent isn't exactly glowing, but there's some positive in there.

We've spent considerably more time over the last couple of months talking about the Pirates than their basement-dwelling peers like the Royals and Orioles, but they just make it so easy. After all, an inability to field a competitive team is one thing -- Elgin Baylor made a nice living out of it -- but trading away a potential contender over the course of two seasons? That takes a certain something special. Surely, Pirates GM Neal Huntington deserves to be ranked ahead of Royals GM Dayton Moore for chutzpah alone.

The latest to leave the fold were shortstop Jack Wilson, second baseman Freddy Sanchez and pitcher Ian Snell. And look, this whole rebuilding thing might work, even if SportsNation isn't buying it. The haul for Sanchez was Tim Alderson, the Giants' No. 4 prospect according to Baseball America, and the guys at USS Mariner, who are right more often than they're wrong about these things, weren't thrilled about how much Seattle gave away for a good defensive shortstop in Wilson and an enigmatic pitcher in Snell.

But even if Alderson, Jeff Clement, Lastings Milledge and Andrew McCutchen are the second coming of the "We Are Family" Pirates, the franchise has a serious credibility problem. Just ask SportsNation blogger Fairsoldier50, who says it's time for Huntington to buy a cabin in the woods.

• Sanchez makes it close, but voters say Nate McLouth still best player dealt this season.
• Is there hope for baseball fans in Pittsburgh? Vote on state of the Pirates.
• Is Neal Huntington the worst GM in baseball or a secret genius? Rank them all.
• Groups: I'm not a fruntrunner; I'm a Pirates Fan! | Pittsburgh Pride | The NL Central

If the American public had the kind of faith in the auto industry's brands that SportsNation has in the St. Louis Cardinals, well, maybe Hyundai wouldn't be reporting record profits. Come hell, high water or Miguel Tejada, voters refuse to doubt the power of Pujols.

A little more than a week ago, the Cardinals were 49-42, held a 2½-game lead on their closest competition in the NL Central and were the pick of 60 percent of SportsNation to win the division. Fast-forward to the present, and they've gone just 2-4 in the interim, including a sweep at the hands of Tejada and the Astros, and watched three teams close to within two games of the lead. And now 65 percent of voters are picking them to win. If they get swept again, this thing might be unanimous.

Looking at each of the four top contenders, SportsNation blogger pacersfanatic33 admits he's among those who underestimated the Cardinals' pitching entering the season and suggests acquiring shortstop Julio Lugo from the Red Sox isn't necessarily a minor trade.

If only the Pirates were so lucky. The Bucs actually won Wednesday -- in dramatic fashion, no less -- but the bigger news of the day came when the team traded yet another regular player, Adam LaRoche, for seemingly marginal return. Next up? Probably Jack Wilson and even Freddy Sanchez. It's not exactly a crushing condemnation, but SportsNation isn't buying that the team has a plan. The verdict is that the franchise is bad for baseball.

• Will the Cardinals lose the lead for even a day? Vote on the NL Central.
• Thursday's chat: Steve Phillips at 3:30 p.m. ET
• Groups: St. Louis Cardinals Nation. | Redbirds Nest | Houston Astros Baseball

• Rankings: Which team is MLB's best?

We hate to ruin your Monday with talk of philosophy, SportsNation, but have you noticed that fans in Pennsylvania are ensnared by a kind of Yin/Yang duality when it comes to baseball?

On the one hand, you've got the Phillies. World Series winners in 2008, the Phillies are blessed with a wide array of talented players. Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins form one of the best double-play combos in baseball, while Ryan Howard seems to be on pace for near-record numbers of home runs. Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino anchor the outfield, while Cole Hamels looks to have a long career leading Philadelphia's starting rotation. The team has won eight straight and 13 of their last 14 games. It's no surprise that they're atop the NL East as the second half kicks off. SportsNation has them winning the division easily.

On the other hand, behold the majesty of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They haven't won a World Series since 1979, which isn't a terribly long time to go without a championship, but their regular season record is most concerning. the team hasn't had a winning season since 1992, going through seven managers in that timeframe. They have seemingly finally realized the futility of their situation, and have begun selling off what few assets they have. Jason Bay was traded in 2008. Nate McLouth left earlier this season in a controversial deal. Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez (whom SportsNation touted as the Pirates' midseason MVP) rejected supposedly low-ball contract extensions, and may be traded shortly. Pirates fans have seen rebuilding plans fail before. Will this time be any different?

• Who is the Phillies' best position player? The answer may surprise you.
• Ryan Howard recently reached 200 home runs, but SportsNation thinks he's not even half done.
• Groups: Die Hard Phillies Phans | I'm not a frontrunner: I'm a Pirates fan!
• User sethsz3 thinks the Phillies will easily take the NL East, but sees them losing to the powerhouse Dodgers.

We're poised on the precipice of the second half, caught between the cold reality of the first half of the season and the limitless potential of the second half. We're ... bored. Seriously, the Triple-A All-Star Game is all we get today? Couldn't the Nationals and Pirates play at least? It's not like their rosters are exactly swamped with All-Star Game obligations.

A practice round from the British Open? A midweek NASCAR race? Give us something.

It's the slowest day in sports, but that does give us the chance to look back and look ahead. We've been surveying SportsNation for the best each team had to offer before the break. Some of these votes are closer than the Minnesota Senate race, but the leaders as of Wednesday morning are as follows:

National League Team MVP
Dodgers: Andre Ethier
Phillies: Raul Ibanez
Giants: Tim Lincecum
Cardinals: Yadier Molina (non-Pujols)
Rockies: Brad Hawpe
Brewers: Prince Fielder
Marlins: Hanley Ramirez
Astros: Miguel Tejada
Cubs: Derrek Lee
Braves: Brian McCann
Reds: Brandon Phillips
Mets: David Wright
Pirates: Freddy Sanchez
Diamondbacks: Dan Haren
Padres: Adrian Gonzalez
Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman

• Who will lead the NL in home runs, batting average, wins, steals and RBIs?
• 83 percent: Dodgers will win the NL West.
• 61 percent: Cardinals will win the NL Central.
• 71 percent: Phillies will win the NL East.
• Midseason reviews: NL West | NL Central | NL East | NL Cy Young

Fix some instant coffee and toss a Toaster Strudel in the pop-up toaster (don't worry if you cut yourself slicing open the packet; there's penicillin for that). Feel ecologically guilty for spraying aerosol deodorizer to cover the smell when you burn the breakfast and remember to get some change to feed the parking meter.

Just another morning of things you wouldn't have been able to do the last time the Cubs and the guy to the right, Mordecai Brown, won a World Series in 1908.

As suggested earlier, SportsNation was pretty optimistic about the Cubs back in early April. In addition to a top-five ranking after the first week of play, voters said they had the National League's best starting rotation, headlined by Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden and Ted Lilly.

By the end of May, the bandwagon was moving like rush-hour traffic on Michigan Ave., but at least 47 percent still thought the Cubs were playoff material. A month later, with Milton Bradley melting down again, things hadn't improved.

• Doom and gloom aside, some optimism for Cubs and Brewers.
• SportsNation's advice to Pirates fans: Abandon all hope.
• Who is the Cardinals' second-most valuable player? Vote on the NL Central.
• More midseason reviews: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL West | NL East
• Groups: Cincinnati Reds Fans | ASTROS FOREVER | Chicago Cubs haters

• Rank all 30 teams at midseason.

As the saying goes, the more things change, the more the Cubs struggle to find .500. At least, that's how we learned it. And by "we," we mean anyone born since 1909.

With the baseball season pausing for its official midpoint at the All-Star Game and its less official one in the firing of the Nationals manager, consider how SportsNation sized up the field after the first week of the season.

1. Florida Marlins
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Toronto Blue Jays

At least the Nationals were properly slotted at No. 30. Congrats on getting that gig, Jim Riggleman. Now the Cubs, Marlins and Braves are fighting for wild-card relevancy, hoping a division leader stumbles, and the Blue Jays are listening to offers for Roy Halladay.

• A Mariners fan, blogger Dawgman0387 gets a little excited about the team's winning record at the break and starts throwing out terms like "World Series run." But hey, with a top three like Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn, maybe he's on to something.
• Things aren't quite as rosy for the Reds. SportsNation blogger xubugg pleads for more "patients" at the plate. We're guessing that's supposed to be "patience," but when it comes to Dusty Baker's lineup experiments, you never know.
• We're all a little worse off having an All-Star Game without "Kung Fu Panda," but a Giants blogger upset that the so-nicknamed Pablo Sandoval won't be in St. Louis takes out his frutrations on the frauds that he feels are the Philadelphia Phillies.

• Vote on the biggest snub and other All-Star topics of the hot variety

When it comes to All-Star selections, Keith Law thinks fans failed like a 24-year-old in Rookie Ball with poor plate discipline (too early on a Monday for sabermetric humor?). Then again, SportsNation's occasionally cantankerous guru thinks managers and players didn't fare much better in picking the reserves and pitchers. But until Law is established as baseball's supreme overlord, we're stuck with the current system.

There are 23 first-time All-Stars this year, including Yadier Molina, the first of the Molina brothers to make an appearance (leaving them just 18 Grand Slam titles and two Super Bowl titles shy of the Williams sisters and Manning brothers). The rookies also run the gamut, from 42-year-old Tim Wakefield to 21-year-old Justin Upton, who was born the year before Wakefield was drafted by the Pirates.

And if that doesn't make you feel old, consider that Tim Wakefield debuted for the Pirates in 1992 on a team that also included pitcher Dennis Lamp, who was born six years before Kevin Bacon.

• SportsNation can't pick if it should be allowed to pick the All-Star starters
• No surprise that AL is the overwhelming early All-Star Game favorite

We get that it's nice for fans of the Nationals and Pirates to see their team's jersey at the All-Star Game. But instead of actually using a roster spot on someone from one of those teams, even with the addition of yet another roster spot, we have a simple suggestion

Let fans vote to see which actual All Star who would otherwise have been snubbed should wear that team's jersey during the game. Everyone wins. The best players make the game, and for at least one night every year, Pirates fans get to see what it's like to cheer for a real star in the second half of the season.

Not buying it? We're just ahead of our time. In the meantime, Freddy Sanchez or Zach Duke will probably represent the Pirates in St. Louis, but we're asking you to size up which players most deserve to start.

• Vote for your American League team | Vote for your National League team
• SportsNation claims it values first-half performance over star power

When do you give up on a franchise? It's a simple question, but that doesn't necessarily mean it has an easy answer for baseball fans in Pittsburgh these days.

The city has championship teams in the NFL and NHL, and while there's some rebuilding to do without DeJuan Blair, the University of Pittsburgh basketball program gives hoops fans something to look forward to in the winter. What the Steel City doesn't have is a competitive baseball franchise. And while the folks running the show say they're trying to change that, should Pirates fans -- or the remaining players -- believe it after Tuesday's pair of trades makes it four starting outfielders dealt since the beginning of last season?

• SportsNation blogger SteelCityKing1982 says Pirates ownership is living up to the "irate" part of the team's nickname and can't understand trading away Eric Hinske and Nyjer Morgan to the Yankees and Nationals, respectively.
• Also a fan of all things Pittsburgh, blogger TheKidSero was on board with trading away Nate McLouth earlier this season but is dumbfounded at breaking up the Andrew McCutchen-Morgan combo in the outfield.
• Blogger Godlike_82, a Yankees fan, chimes in that while he's comfortable in his team's position, he's worried about the game in general when teams like the Pirates, Royals and Nationals continue to struggle on the cheap.
• Groups: I'm not a frontrunner; I'm a Pirates fan! | Pittsburgh: City of Champions
• Chat: Ask Baseball America's Jim Callis about the Pirates' farm system at 2 p.m. ET