Barry Bonds hasn’t played professional baseball since 2007. He’s facing a federal charges. He’s closer to 50 than 40. Despite all of that, Barry Bonds still wants to play.

Jeff Borris, Bond’s agent, even pointed out the San Francisco Giants as a possible destination for Bonds.

Said Borris to the San Francisco Chronicle: “I know the Giants are dying for power, and they’re in it. They wouldn’t have to look beyond their backyard.”

The chances of the Giants signing Bonds is about the same as the chances that David Eckstein finishes the season with 74 home runs.

Even Bonds’ agent agrees that Bonds signing with the Giants — or anyone else — is unlikely.

“I talk to teams all the time,” said Borris, “but nobody has brought up his name.”

Eventually, Bonds will get too old to even claim he wants to return to baseball. But for the next few years, at least, expect Bonds to openly claim to want to return to the game.

Carl Crawford made one of the best catches in the history of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. In the seventh inning, Crawford raced to the wall and robbed Brad Hawpe of a homer that would have given the National League the lead. Instead, the American League was able to win by a final score of 4-3.

Crawford, who was named the MVP of the All-Star game, says his catch was a first.

Said Crawford: “He hit it pretty good off the bat and I didn’t think it was going to carry that far. I don’t think I’ve ever robbed a home run before, so I picked a good time to do it tonight.”

Jonathan Papelbon of the Boston Red Sox was on the mound when Hawpe smashed the would-be home run. Papelbon agreed with Crawford being honored.

“Obviously, it was a game-changing play,” said Papelbon. “He won MVP because of that play and deservedly so.”

On the season, Crawford is hitting .309 with eight homers, 39 RBIs and 58 runs. Most impressively, Crawford is leading all of baseball with his 44 stolen bases.

Even Crawford’s own manager was impressed with the catch.

“I’ve never seen him do that,” said Joe Maddon, who was the coach of the American League All-Star. “The way he got to the position on the ball was great. And the catch, obviously, was fantastic.”

Here is a video of Carl Crawford’s catch in the All-Star game:

After Manny Acta got fired as manager of the Washington Nationals, the name that immediately popped up as a possible replacement was Jim Riggleman. On Monday, Riggleman officially took over as the Nationals new manager.

Currently, Washington has a 26-61 record — which is good enough for the worst record in all of baseball. After finishing with the worst record last year, Riggleman will have his work cut out for him in regards to changing the atmosphere in the Nationals clubhouse.

Washington’s main problem is their pitching. They’ve given up 489 runs so far this season. Only the Cleveland Indians have given up more runs. The Nationals have actually put 381 runs on the board, which is in the middle of the pack.

Mike Rizzo, who is currently the Nationals general manager, thinks the change to Riggleman could help the ballclub put more wins on the board.

Said Rizzo: “We feel with a different voice and possibly a different feel in the clubhouse that we can have a more successful second half of the season.”

Manny Acta Fired (Image: Zuma Press)

To begin the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Roy Halladay will be on the mound for the American League and Tim Lincecum will be on the mound for the National League.

Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays has recently been the subject of trade rumors. Considering how talented he is, that’s of little surprise. On the season, Halladay has a 2.85 ERA, a record of 10-3 and a WHIP of 1.10. He’s on his way to winning 16 or more games for the fourth straight season.

Lincecum is the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. In 2009, he’s threatening to win the award for the second straight year. For the San Francisco Giants, Lincecum has a 10-2 record with a 2.33 ERA and a WHIP of 1.05. Last season, Lincecum was 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA. At 25, he might be the best young pitcher in the game.

The All-Star game will be played in St. Louis on Tuesday night. Lincecum was selected as the starter by Charlie Manuel, the National League manager. Joe Maddon, the American League manager, selected Halladay.

Josh Beckett is headed to the 2009 Major League All-Star Game. On Sunday, he made sure to leave a good taste in his mouth prior to the break. His complete game shutout led the Boston Red Sox to a 6-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

In his nine innings of work, Josh Beckett gave up only three hits while striking out seven and walking none. Beckett is now 11-3 on the season with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.

Aaron Bates was the hottest bat in the Red Sox lineup. The first baseman had three hits in four at-bats, scored a run and batted in a run.

Beckett will be joined in the All-Star game by fellow Red Sox starting pitcher Tim Wakefield. Beckett and Wakefield are the only two pitchers in the American League with 11 wins.

With the win, Boston improved to 54-34 on the season. They are three games up in the AL East and boast the best record in the American League. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the only team with a better record.

Alex Rodriguez smashed two home runs for the New York Yankees on Saturday, however those two homers weren’t enough for the Yankees to beat the Los Angeles Angels. In a slugfest, the Angels powered their way to a 14-8 victory.

In the top of the first inning, Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run blast off of Jered Weaver. Rodriguez hit another homer in the top of the 8th.

But the story was the overall production from the Angels lineup. Bobby Abreu and Mike Napoli each had three RBIs, while Gary Matthews Jr., Howie Kendrick and Brandon Wood knocked in two RBIs apiece.

After the slow start, Weaver pitched well enough to improve his record to 10-3 on the season. He went six innings while allowing four hits, two walks and three earned runs. He also struck out nine batters.

The win improved the Angels to 48-37, while the Yankees dropped to 51-36.

Alex Rodriguez didn't quite do enough (Image: Zuma Press)

A couple years ago, Jeff Francoeur looked like a player on the verge of becoming a superstar with the Atlanta Braves. The home grown outfielder had 29 homers and 103 RBIs as a 22-year-old in 2006.

But now at 25, Francoeur has struggled for the last year and a half. On Friday, the Braves decided to go in a new direction. They traded Francoeur to the New York Mets for Ryan Church.

On the season, Francoeur is hitting .250 with five homers, 35 RBIs and 32 runs. After hitting 29 homers in 2006, his power numbers have dropped considerably. In 2007, he hit 19 homers. In 2008, it dropped to 11 home runs.

Church, like Francoeur, hasn’t lived up to expectations this season. The 30-year-old is hitting .280 with two homers, 22 RBIs and 26 runs. Considering that he has 12 homers, 49 RBIs and 54 runs last year in only 90 games, much more was expected from him this season.

With the Braves (41-44) and the Mets (40-45) both struggling in the NL East, this trade was made in hopes of adding a spark to their lineups before it is too late.

David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays is considered one of the best young pitchers in baseball. However, recently he has struggled on the mound. On Thursday, Price shrugged off his struggles and pitched six strong innings as the Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays by a final count of 3-2.

David Price - Tampa Bay Rays (Image: Zuma Press)

In his six innings, Price gave up six hits, one walk and one earned run while striking out seven and evening his record at 3-3. In three of his previous four starts, Price had given up at least five earned runs. For the season, the 23-year-old left-hander has a 4.70 ERA.

The big hit for the Rays came in the fifth inning with Carlos Pena knocked in two runs with a double to put Tampa Bay up 3-1. Adam Lind had an RBI in the seventh but the Jays weren’t able to score any more runs.

The Rays are now 47-39 on the season. While they have one of the best records in the American League, the bad news is that they are behind both the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

Also in the AL East, the Jays are now 43-44 and nine games back in the division.

At 42, many thought Tim Wakefield’s days of being a capable starting pitcher were over at the beginning of the season. Think again. Not only is Wakefield pitching well, he’s pitching well enough to be named to the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

On Wednesday, Wakefield showed exactly why he’s an All-Star. In six innings of work, Wakefield struck out eight batters and gave up three earned runs to win for the 11th time this season. The knuckleballer has an ERA of 4.14 and a WHIP of 1.38.

Wakefield has a chance to set a career-high in wins. In 1998 and 2007, he had 17 wins. Last season, he had a record of 10-11.

His 11th win of the season came over the Oakland A’s. With their 5-4 victory, the Red Sox improved their record to 51-33. Oakland dropped to 35-48 with the loss.

The next time you see Wakefield on the mound will be win he’s pitching for the American League.

Roy Halladay, who may very well be the best pitcher in baseball, has been placed on the trade market by Toronto Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi. Halladay, who has a no trade clause in his contract, doesn’t seem upset about the possibility of being traded.

Said Halladay: “I want to stay, but I think it’s a situation you have to evaluate. I’m really not at that situation just yet. If something does come up, you weigh your options at that point. I hate to put the cart in front of the horse and start saying ‘Do I want to do that?’ I think you just evaluate the situations when they come.”

Where could he be headed. Here are a few Roy Halladay rumors about his possible destinations:

Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have the hitting to win a World Series, however their pitching needs a lot of help. Halladay could answer a lot of questions.

Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are looking for starting pitchers all around the world. They have even gone to the Dominican Republic to take a look at Pedro Martinez.

Boston Red Sox
Although they probably have enough prospects and talent to get him, the Red Sox may opt to instead hold onto their young studs.

New York Yankees
If there is a big name on the trade market, you just know the Yankees will be interested. Like with the Red Sox, do the Yankees want to trade their minor league talent for Halladay?