By JIMMY D / Fantasy Sports

The arrival of August means three things to Jimmy D.

NHL training camps open soon, NFL preseason kicks off and the first baseball trading deadline is in the rearview mirror.

Monday marked the non-waiver deadline with the Phillies, who retain wildcard aspirations (talk about living in a fantasy world), the most active team.

But the injury wire and the trades-not-made wire was just as lively as baseball gears up for October with trades now.

Phillies

Bobby Abreu takes his shrinking power numbers and ballooning salary numbers to Broadway, where the RF will take up some of the offensive slack for the surging Yankees. It removes the panic to rush injured Gary Sheffield or Hideki Matsui back to the lineup in New York and opens up a regular gig for David Dellucci in Philly.

Cory Lidle, who has thrown four consecutive quality starts, also moves to New York, while rehabbing Randy Wolf – who got rocked Sunday – gets to earn more starts in the Philly rotation.

The Phils also shipped off David Bell to Milwaukee and New Brunswick bullpen specialist Rheal Cormier to Cincinnati, neither of which merit much fantasy analysis.

Brewers

Speaking of the Brewers, the questionable acquisition of Bell wasn’t their only curious deadline move. Fearing they could not re-sign Carlos Lee, but feeling they still have a chance at the NL wildcard, they peddled Lee to Texas for slumping Kevin Mench and one-time closer Francisco Cordero.

They traded guaranteed production in Lee for hoped-for production from Mench. Cordero’s arrival pushes Derrick Turnbow to a set-up role for now, but Jimmy wouldn’t ditch Turnbow, especially if you run a keeper league.

Cordero has slumped badly since his 49-save breakout season a few years back.

Alfonso Soriano will not go anywhere.

Cardinals

Ronnie Belliard’s value just went up, as St. Louis peddled Hector Luna to Cleveland for the 2B. For starters, he could get into the two-spot in the order ahead of Pujols, Rolen and Co., meaning his run total should increase dramatically. Playing on a playoff-bound team also increases his value – if he performs well – for the dumb-dumbs in your league who will offer more in trade to acquire him.

Orioles

Speaking of dumb-dumbs, Baltimore remains the baseball address of Miguel Tejada, despite a strong offer from Houston. The Astros offered Roy Oswalt, Morgan Ensberg and Adam Everett, but Orioles boss Peter Angelos apparently vetoed that deal.
Astro management was peeved. Oriole fans should be too.

Dodgers

Always hungry for offence, the Dodgers picked up useful Wilson Betemit from Atlanta on the day Nomar Garciaparra went on the DL for the umpteenth time. One step forward, two steps back for Dodger Blue.

Danys Baez goes to Atlanta, presumably as a set-up man, but when the closer is Bob Wickman, you might get promoted to closer pronto. Willie Aybar also moves east and it’s a good thing for Atlanta with Chipper Jones hitting the DL on the weekend.

It means Aybar should get innings as the Braves hope for a miracle and a wildcard berth.

Rangers

Kip Wells, who was shaky at best in four starts after a long rehab stint but good in his past three, was plucked by the Rangers. If the Rangers bats come alive at all, there should be decent run support for the Kipster, making him a worthwhile pickup on waiver wires.

No Hall for Pete

Ironic during Jimmy’s recent week in Vegas that Pete Rose was in town.
On the same weekend that Bruce Sutter became the latest inductee to baseball’s hall of fame (and a much debated one at that) in Cooperstown, N.Y., old Pete was half a world away – figuratively and literally - at the World Series of Poker.

Baseball’s career hits leader wasn’t playing poker, just flogging autographs to as many people as possible for as much money as possible. And hanging around the periphery of gambling, the thing that has cost him so much.

Other leaders in their respective professions were making the rounds at the World Series of Poker. There was Ron Jeremy, star of The Surreal Life and other screen classics, trying his luck at the poker tables.

Starlet Shannon Elizabeth of American Pie fame and Brad Garrett from Everybody Loves Raymond were also there. They had about as much luck as two of Jimmy’s poker-playing pals – Dean Stone and Poker Dave Harrison – who got busted out early and did not come home with hundreds of thousands of dollars.

JPoole@Herald.ca

Jimmy D