The B/B Podcast - NBA Conference Finals, the Sad State of Baseball in the City of Los Angeles and the Best Players Still Available in NFL Free Agency

By - Kris Fletcher & Tim Swift

In this week's edition of The Bleacher Briefings podcast, we dissect the conference finals in the NBA playoffs, break down the sad state of Major League Baseball in the city of Los Angeles, and discuss the best players still on the market in NFL free agency!

Photo by: Brandon Wade

- NBA's Final Four Set: The hunt for the Larry O'Brien Trophy is down to four teams, with the Spurs, Grizzlies, Pacers and Heat still in contention for professional basketball's ultimate prize. Can Memphis repeat previous playoff success against San Antonio? Does Indiana have any chance at knocking off the defending champs? We answer these questions and more in our NBA postseason chat.

- Down and Out in Beverly Hills: Baseball is currently in a bad way in the city of Los Angeles, with both the Angels and Dodgers playing horribly a quarter of the way into the season. What's the deal with Josh Hamilton? Are Albert Pujols' best days behind him? Can Matt Kemp get back on track? Is Josh Beckett done? Can either club rebound and salvage some form of respectability out of this year? Hear our take.

- Best Left on the NFL Open Market: With Dwight Freeney now heading to San Diego, the list of quality free agents still available is beginning to dwindle. However, there are several guys on the market that could have a big impact on a team if they're put in the right type of situation. We'll tell you who.

Plus:

We discuss coach Frank Vogel's comments in regards to the upcoming series between his Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat, and share our thoughts as to why Miguel Cabrera doesn't get the type of attention he deserves from the media and fans of Major League Baseball!

MLB Quarter-Season Power Rankings

By - David Dysart

Now that the Major League Baseball season is a quarter of the way in, what better time to give our first power rankings of the year?

Photo from: mlb.com

There's little point in ranking teams early on, because you don't know how new veterans will react, who will go through the dreaded sophomore slump, and what rookies will tear the cover off of the ball. Had we done this a month ago, the list would have looked entirely different.

Let's get started.

1. St. Louis Cardinals (28-15) - The Cardinals have been paced by stellar pitching from their starting rotation. They are No. 1 in baseball with a 3.19 ERA. St. Louis leads the league in shutouts with 7, and they have found their closer in Edward Mujica. He already has 12 saves and has yet to blow one. Shelby Miller is a front-runner for NL ROY and NL Cy Young, posting a 5-2 record and a 1.40 ERA. When it counts, the hitting is there; best in the game with RISP. Specifically, Matt Holliday is batting .588 in that category. If the Redbirds continue to get timely hitting and great starting pitching, they will be tough to beat in the National league.

2. Texas Rangers (29-15) - They lost Josh Hamilton to the Angels. Neftali Feliz is out. Alexi Ogando is out. Matt Harrison is out. Yet they currently have the best winning percentage in baseball. Needless to say, that's pretty impressive. They are top-10 in nearly every major offensive category, and have done it against some pretty damn good pitching. They just let Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez have it this weekend, shelling them to the tune of 13 earned runs and giving Verlander the earliest exit of his career in the process. Mitch Moreland started slow but has come on of late, hitting .289 with 10 homers and 22 RBI. The Rangers just keep winning, and will continue to do so the rest of the year.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks (25-19) - One name: Paul Goldschmidt. If you don't know who he is, you will by the end of the season. In my book, he's the leading candidate for NL MVP, hitting .333 with 12 home runs and 35 RBI. Another NL ROY candidate comes in the form of crafty left-hander Patrick Corbin. He is 6-0 with a 1.52 ERA. These are two of the main reasons why Arizona is in first place in the National League West. They lost their closer, but they still have a proven one in Heath Bell. Kirk Gibson has the boys in the desert playing some great baseball. Don't expect that to change anytime soon.

4. Cleveland Indians (25-17) - Yes, Cleveland has found their way into the top-5 of our power rankings. The Indians, who on Sunday improved to 17-4 since April 28th, are 7-1 this year against former Cy Young winners. They've knocked off Felix Hernandez, R.A. Dickey, David Price, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Bartolo Colon and Justin Verlander. Simply put, the Tribe has went through the best pitchers the American League has to offer and, continue to smash the ball around the yard. I don't think it's that big of a surprise that they are hitting the ball well with the additions of Mark Reynolds, Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher to the lineup. However, what is surprising is the type of starts that they are getting from the pitching staff. Masterson, Jimenez and McAllister are all putting together nice seasons. The bats are not going to cool off that much, so as long as they continue to pitch well, the Indians should keep rolling.

5.  New York Yankees (27-16) - With half of their payroll on the shelf, New York is leading the AL East. Guys like Lyle Overbay, Travis Hafner and Vernon Wells are thriving in pinstripes. Curtis Granderson just came off of the DL, and is looking to get his season going. Is there a level of expectation, or feeling of producing, if you will, that makes guys turn it around when they wear pinstripes? It certainly seems that way. Doesn't hurt that Robinson Cano has been in the zone as well. One of the AL MVP favorites, Cano is hitting .295 with 12 home runs and 31 RBI. That is a pace for 45 and 117 through 162 games. With Tex coming back soon and old man Pettitte, the Yankees should be able to stay atop the division. A lot of talent in the East, though, so we'll see.

Much Respect For Ronde Barber

By - Tim Swift

Last week, after a stellar 17-year run, Tampa Bay Buccaneers star cornerback Ronde Barber decided to hang up his cleats.

After being selected in the third round of the 1997 draft, the University of Virginia product went on to be a model of consistency in the NFL, starting in 232 out of a possible 241 games. He was also a 5-time Pro Bowler and a 3-time All-Pro.

Photo by: Getty Images

Many scouts saw potential in Barber back in the day, but believed his 5'10, 185-pound frame wouldn't be able to stand up to the new order of physical 6'3 wide receivers entering the league. Amazingly, 15 defensive backs were taken ahead of him in the '97 draft, including names such as Torrian Gray and Michael Booker.

Detractors of Barber will say that he was a "system corner" and could not have thrived outside of the Tampa-2 scheme. But while that variation did hide some of his flaws (not being able to cover some receivers deep), it also highlighted many strengths, like his ability to get pressure on the quarterback and play physical at the line of scrimmage.

Barber's breakout year came in 2001 when he had 10 interceptions, 24 passes defended and 69 tackles, and he walks away from the game with a total of 42 picks, 28 sacks and 1,231 tackles to his credit. He is also the only cornerback in league history to accumulate over 40 interceptions and 25 sacks in a career. But perhaps the most impressive statistic attached to Barber is the fact that he did not miss a game over his final 15 years.

The moment that fans will probably remember most about Barber was his interception to seal the 2002 NFC Championship Game. At the time, the Buccaneers led 20-10 and were trying to hold off the Eagles, who were in the red zone with under 4 minutes remaining in the game. Barber picked off Donovan McNabb and returned it 92-yards for a touchdown, in what is possibly the most iconic play in Tampa Bay history.

The Bucs embarrassed the Oakland Raiders a week later for the franchise's only Super Bowl title.