Potomac Nationals mascot Uncle Slam is out for the season. (Scott Ableman)If we haven't seen it all yet, we must be getting pretty close.

The following excerpt is from a press release sent out by the Potomac Nationals (a single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals) updating the status of their mascot, Uncle Slam, who sustained burns during a recent fire at Pfitzner Stadium, their home ballpark.

The Potomac Nationals have announced the following roster move:

Mascot Uncle Slam placed on 60-Day DL (retroactive to 7/4)

That currently puts the P-Nats at zero mascots which is under the Carolina League minimum of one mascot. Uncle Slam will miss the remainder of the season due to the fire at the Pfitz and is recovering but will be fully healthy for the 2013 season. Expect Uncle Slam in 2013 to be new and improved at the Pfitz with a brand new attitude!

Without taking too much fun out of the press release, I suppose we should be one hundred percent clear that the mascot costume sustained burns, not a human being. Otherwise we'd be reading a much less pleasant press release.

Last weekend we brought you wild video of a tarp-gone-wild in Joliet, Ill., that literally swallowed up the Silver Cross Field grounds crew as well as the assisting members of the Joliet Slammers front office. Well, if you can believe it, there was actually a scarier scene at Smokies Park in Kodak, Tenn., on Thursday night as a violent storm with heavy rain and dangerous wind gusts ripped through the area.

Much like their counterparts in Illinois, the Smokies Park grounds crew used sandbags and parked a six-wheeled vehicle around home plate as a means to keep their diamond protected. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do once the strong winds got under the tarp and sent rolling waves across the infield.

Well, except run for their lives, as you'll see at the 41-second mark in the video. But the real craziness begins at the 18-second mark, and it only gets scarier throughout the final 80 seconds. Have a look:

(AP)How effective, and at times dominant, has R.A. Dickey's "violent and unpredictable" knuckleball been this season?

Well, for starters, he entered the history books with back-to-back one-hitters on June 13 and 18 against the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively. He also entered play on Thursday as baseball's first and only 12-game winner (I know wins aren't the end-all, be-all, but we still keep track for a reason), while posting the National League's third-best ERA at 2.15. And on top of all that, the power knuckler helped the 37-year-old right-hander not only receive his very first All-Star game selection, but make him a logical contender to start the game for the National League.

That's the good news.

The bad news?

[Fantasy: Slower velocity doesn't equal poor results]

R.A. Dickey throws such a violent, unpredictable and effective knuckleball, that NL manager Tony La Russa is concerned his fan-voted starting catcher, Buster Posey, will not be able to handle receiving it. His indication being a more defensive-minded veteran, such as Yadier Molina — who has obviously earned La Russa's complete trust in handling pitchers — would be better equipped to handle it, which could motivate him to push Dickey's appearance back to later in the ballgame.

The All-Star rosters have been announced and all 30 teams are reaching the midway point of the 162-game marathon. That means there's no better time to take a look back at what has been a very eventful and historic three months in Major League Baseball. Today, we'll narrow it down to the rookies and take a look at the 10 who have made the biggest impacts during the first half of the 2012 season.

(Presswire)1. Mike Trout — Los Angeles Angels

.340 AVG, .947 OPS, 10 HR, 36 RBI, 22 SB

The 20-year-old outfielder has been a human highlight reel and a spark plug since his recall and insertion into the Angels lineup on April 28. Prior to that date, Los Angeles was 6-14 and struggling to gain traction in the American League West. Since, they are 39-22, and are now positioned to push Texas in the division and compete for a wild-card spot. There's little doubt Trout's immediate impact is a major reason for the turnaround, and his continued development into a superstar will make them a dangerous foe come October.

2. Wade Miley — Arizona Diamondbacks

9-4, 2.87 ERA, 66 K in 94 IP

Arizona's 2008 first-round draft pick started the season on fire, earning the National League Rookie of the Month for April — and he hasn't slowed down much since, helping his squad overcome the struggles of Ian Kennedy and injuries to Joe Saunders and Daniel Hudson. He's an All-Star, and he's currently the odds-on favorite for National League Rookie of the Year, but will have to hold off some stiff competition in the second half.

[Related: Fantasy Baseball: Hitters to pick up this week]

3. Yu Darvish — Texas Rangers

10-5, 3.57 ERA. 117 K in 102.2 IP

Darvish arrived in the United States with plenty of hype, and so far he's lived up to that hype by effectively sliding into the role of staff ace in Texas. The only downside so far is that he will struggle with his command for extended stretches — he's currently third worst among American League starters with 53 walks — but he's also among the league leaders in strikeouts and hasn't been killed by the long ball — only nine allowed — at the very hitter-friendly Ballpark in Arlington.

The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.

Brewers crack Bell: This was a wild afternoon affair at Miller Park that featured plenty of offensive fireworks, especially in the later innings. Trailing 9-2 in the seventh, the Miami Marlins rallied for three runs, and then six more in the eighth, answering Milwaukee's two in their seventh, to tie the game at 11. Jose Reyes then put them in front with a solo homer in the tenth, which set the stage for another Heath Bell adventure.

Well, maybe I shouldn't put it like that, Bell had actually converted 14 straight save opportunities entering Tuesday. He was also one little out away from making that 15, until Aramis Ramirez took him to dead center field for a two-run homer that gave the Brewers a 13-12 victory. The walk-off shot was the sixth of Ramirez's career, and the eighth home run hit in the game. Miami hit five of those and reached double digit runs for the first time all season.

Back to the drawing board: One great start against the Los Angeles Dodgers was not an indication of better things to come for Tim Lincecum. Rather, it was an overwhelming indication of just how awful the Dodgers offense can be without Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Facing a healthy Washington Nationals lineup on Tuesday, Lincecum was flat out torched for a career-high eight runs in 3 1/3 innings, and the Giants could not overcome that early onslaught, falling to the Nats, 9-3.

(AP)Baseball fans who spent the past 48 hours in front of their computer clicking away in hopes of putting of Chipper Jones in the All-Star game via the National League's Final Vote can take a break now — or if they're an Atlanta Braves fan, they can turn their attention to voting in Michael Bourn. That's because the former seven-time All-Star, and everybody's sentimental choice to make one final All-Star appearance before his impending retirement, has been officially named to National League team for the eighth and final time.

Both the Braves and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's David O'Brien broke the news via Twitter late Tuesday afternoon. Jones will be replacing injured Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, who will be forced out of the Midsummer Classic with a hamstring ailment that has twice landed him on the disabled list since May 13. However, Kemp is still scheduled to take part in the Home Run Derby on Monday night.

But the overriding story here in that Jones, who announced his plans to retire at season's end this past spring, will get the moment he so richly deserves, and the moment fans so overwhelmingly desired.

(AP Photos)On Sunday, we told you the Cincinnati Reds were very displeased about the perceived snubs of Brandon Phillips and Johnny Cueto from Tony La Russa's National League All-Star team, and weren't shy about taking their anger and frustration public. Manager Dusty Baker, who has quite a history with La Russa, even went as far as to suggest the former Cardinals skipper was still holding a grudge stemming from a 2010 brawl, in which those two Reds played a prominent role.

The veteran Phillips wisely remained quiet on the subject. Cueto, though, spoke out about his exclusion, and showed his immaturity in the process.

"I see that I have great numbers," Cueto said. "I thought the way I pitched this year, I'd have a chance to go to the All-Star Game. I don't know what happened. I don't if know the manager of All-Star Game is pissed at me because I went out with one of his girlfriends."

That was all on Sunday. On Monday, a clearly irritated La Russa offered his explanation for not selecting the outspoken Cueto, specifically, and it goes as follows:

(Getty Images)At 30 years old, Dontrelle Willis announced his retirement on Monday after his latest attempt to return to the big leagues in the Baltimore Orioles organization hit a wall.

Nearly two years ago Tuesday, our own Kevin Kaduk chronicled the sad story of the then 28-year-old Willis' downfall up to that point in his tumultuous career. Unfortunately, in the 24 months that followed, the D-Train never could get all the way back on the track, lasting only 13 starts with the Cincinnati Reds in 2011.

Willis landed a minor-league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies over the winter, but lasted only three appearances in spring training. He then made headlines after their parting for not being aware that his contract was not guaranteed. One week later, the Orioles scooped him up and assigned him to Triple-A Norfolk to begin the season.

[More baseball: Jay Bruce's miscue for the Reds is the week's game-changing moment]

That's where Willis again made headlines for something other than his pitching. After three relief appearances, he left the team in dispute over his role as a reliever. After the Orioles placed him on the restricted list, Willis filed a grievance (and then withdrew it two weeks later) and basically disappeared for two months.

So yes, towards the end of his wild, crazy professional baseball career, Dontrelle's behavior in and around the game was nearly as erratic as his actual performances.