With another week of baseball to base our judgments off of, it is becoming clearer who the best teams are and which ones will struggle this summer. This week?s edition has breakdown of action live from the seats, a look at two players going opposite directions and a final look at the anniversary of Jackie Robinson. Robinson Remembered Jackie Robinson was a great player who helped the Brooklyn Dodgers win a World Series in 1955. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1947 and the National League MVP in 1949 and made six All-Star teams during his Hall of Fame career. These achievements now fill baseball history books, but they do a disservice to Robinson when stated alone. Robinson also broke the color barrier in baseball sixty years ago on Sunday and along with the Dodgers organization, played a progressive role in breaking down racial barriers that had fractured this country. He didn?t want the extra attention of being a national symbol, but he received it anyway because he deserved it. The role he played in the game of baseball during his playing days and after can?t be sufficiently portrayed in these or any other words, but it can be seen in our daily lives and interactions with the people around us. Baseball though hasn?t seen the growth of black baseball players expected from this movement, but like Robinson found out, this singular act goes far beyond the diamond. Cabrera white hot early Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera has long been thought of as one of the top young talents in baseball. As a 20-year-old, he hit a World Series home run off of Roger Clemens and from there, his career was expected to take off. It did just that with his average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage all rose in the next three full seasons that saw him never hit less than 29 home runs or drive in at least 112 RBI. However, something was missing in his desire for the game and his ability to take over a team. People just wanted more. So far in 2007, they have received just that in 11 games of action. He is hitting .410 with four home runs and 13 RBI. The average and RBI are league leaders in the National League. Cabrera is in a division with heavy third base talent from New York?s David Wright to Atlanta?s Chipper Jones and Washington?s cornerstone in Ryan Zimmerman, but with this hot start to go with his first three full seasons, Cabrera is quickly becoming number one on this list and many others around baseball. Lidge demoted in Houston He compiled 104 saves for the Houston Astros and helped stabilize a bullpen which struggled to adjust to life after Billy Wagner. However, that wasn?t enough for Brad Lidge to keep his job as the closer for the Houston Astros. Some feel he hasn?t fully recovered from giving up the moon shot to Albert Pujols in the 2005 NLCS. Others think his stuff just isn?t as sharp as earlier in his career because of past heavy work loads. Whatever reason you feel for Lidge?s downward trend, the facts are a proven closer is now in middle relief and could be had for the right price. The best situation for everyone involved would have been to have kept him as closer to keep his confidence up, but since they didn?t, the Astros should decide whether they want to go forward with Lidge. If they don?t, trade him now and let both parties go forward for future success because having Lidge pitching in the sixth inning is bad for both Lidge and the Astros. A?s-Yankees Breakdown A great series took place in Oakland this past weekend with each game being decided by one run and the A?s taking two of three from New York. I was at the Saturday night game that saw the Yankees win 4-3 in 13 innings and here is what I observed in the ballpark: The A?s have some offensive problems on the roster this year. They dearly miss the power from Frank Thomas and while they do have proven bats like third baseman Eric Chavez and designated hitter Mike Piazza, this is a line-up that features nine .265 hitters without the ability to score easy. Yankees? third baseman Alex Rodriguez is in a great groove right now. It appears the game is moving so slow for him right now, which means he is staying on pitches better this year and is calmer when making plays in the field. Watch out for continued success for A-Rod the rest of the year. A?s shortstop Bobby Crosby isn?t right yet. He had great promise when he was called up to replace Miguel Tejada, but injuries have derailed his career to this point. He looked clumsy at points in the field and his bat appears to have no pop. Douglas Benton can be reached at [email protected]