Lance plays the team game; MLB trade deadline looms

Lance Armstrong fell back to 4th place overall in the Tour De France today, losing ground to leader Alberto Contador and the Shleck brothers (Andy and Frank). I gotta admit, I'm not as disappointed as I thought I'd be. Here's why:

Lance has proved he can still race. He has proved he can still contend for the grandest cycling title in the world. He's proved he can still ride through the ridiculous crowds surrounding the mountain passes in the Alps (see picture). And most importantly: He has proved he's a team player.

If Contador was on another team, we may be witnessing a tremendous battle between himself and Armstrong during these final few stages. Lance is a great competitor, and he undoubtedly would take a shot at catching the yellow jersey if the current bearer was not one of his teammates. However, Lance recognizes that this is not his tour.

Alberto has earned this Tour victory. He has been superb in the Alps during the past week, and has shown that he is one of the sport's elite climbers. Lance knows this. Lance knows what a tremendous rider Contador is. And for Lance, he knows that his role this year is to escort his teammate to the 2009 overall title.

As for next year, that may be a different story. There is speculation that Lance may be headlining a new American team to compete at the Tour De France in 2010. That will certainly be a shock to the cycling world if it happens, and will undoubtedly create tons of drama during Le Tour in 2010.

- The Major League Baseball trade deadline is just over a week away, and the biggest name still being thrown around is Roy Halladay. Will he get traded? Or will he stay with the Blue Jays? (To be honest, I think the Blue Jays are beyond idiotic to consider trading the ace of their staff...but thats a story for another day).

Here's what I think will happen with Halladay: He'll end up in Philadelphia. The Phillies reportedly have the prospects to satisfy Toronto's asking price, and the Phils need another top-notch pitcher in their rotation.

Think about the teams with two-headed monsters at the top of their respective rotations - the Giants (Cain and Lincecum), the Yankees (Sabathia and Burnett), the Cardinals (Carpenter and Wainwright), and Mariners (Hernandez and Washburn...and even Bedard) just to name a few. All of these teams are competing for a playoff spot, and they all very well may end up playing in October.

If the Phillies land Halladay, they'll have one of the best combos in the game with Cole Hamels headlining their rotation. If the Phillies land Halladay, I gotta say they are my pick to win (and repeat) as World Series champs.

Think about it - they'd have Halladay and Hamels putting up K's and W's all over the place, Ryan Howard jackin' HR's, and Chase Utley and Shane Victorino bolstering the lineup. Scary stuff if you ask me.

I'm out for now. Stay tuned for more updates as the trade deadline approaches and Le Tour heads into Paris.