White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper has guided his staff to a 3.57 ERA this year, the second-lowest in the American League. AP Jon Heyman's Mailbag Got a question or comment for Jon? Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Jon Heyman on Twitter

First-half Heroes (Non-player edition)

1. Attanasio, Brewers owner.

2. Don Cooper, White Sox pitching coach. He has a knack for taking pitchers who are underperforming elsewhere, especially hard-throwing pitchers, and getting the most out of them. John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Matt Thornton are three of his better pupils this year.

3. Dave Trembley, Orioles manager. Sure, the O's have finally settled into last place. But this team was supposed to be a threat to lose 110 games. He sets the right tone.

4. Zduriencik, Brewers scouting director. Nobody's drafted better over the past five years. If teams looking for a GM don't consider him, they are making a mistake.

5. Dave Duncan, Cardinals pitching. Should make this list every half of every year. The miracle worker has a rotation of four former relievers and late free agent signee Kyle Lohse performing superbly. Even as the highest-paid pitching coach in the game ("it's high,'' says one major league official, believed to be about $500,000), he's still probably the most underpaid man in the game.

6. Ron Gardenhire, Twins manager. The loss of Johan Santana, Torii Hunter, Matt Garza, Carlos Silva and even former general manager Terry Ryan has not stopped the Twins from doing their usual thing, which is to play baseball the right way and prove everyone (me included) wrong.

7. Dave Magadan, Red Sox hitting coach. If Kevin Youkilis is any indication, Magadan's one of the better hitting coaches in baseball.

8. Jerry Manuel/Dan Warthen, new Mets manager and pitching coach. This is more like last-month heroes. But they've got the Mets to within a half game of first place in a hurry. Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez look like new men.

9. Rudy Jaramillo, Rangers hitting coach. Everyone on Texas has All-Star numbers. He's got to be one of the very best in his business.

Fundraiser for Casale

A fundraiser is being held tonight for ex Red Sox Jerry Casale, who recently suffered a stroke and has hit some rough times. The Boston Blowhards group is hosting the fundraiser at Professor Thom's in Manhattan (219 Second Ave., between 13th & 14th streets) Monday night from 7-10 p.m. After his career ended, Casale, beloved by those who know him and a long-time cancer fundraiser, opened Pino's restaurant in Manhattan, boldly featuring a mural of Fenway Park over half the restaurant walls. The benefit will help defray medical expenses. There's no cover charge, but there's a VIP room that charges $50 for admission.

Is A.J. untradeable?

The Phillies have discussed A.J. Burnett, who shut down the Yankees on Sunday but has been up and down this year. While Burnett's value originally was said to be hurt by his ability to opt out of his $55 million contract and make himself a free agent, one GM said the real problem is actually that he may not opt out, but do the opposite and force an acquiring team to pay him the remaining $22 million over two years. "No way is he opting out,'' that GM said. "I'd stay as far away from that contract as possible.'' So it's not impossible the Jays could be stuck with Burnett.

The Phillies also have talked about Erik Bedard, who also isn't Sabathia, or even Rich Harden, who was recently dealt from the A's to the Cubs. Plus, Bedard is said to be hurt at the moment. Ex-Phillie Randy Wolf would appear to be another option for them.

Around the Majors

• The ultra-talented Harden's value was severely diminished by the fact that he's rarely healthy. Chad Gaudin was sent along with Harden as "insurance'' in the likely even that Harden goes down. Young pitcher Sean Gallagher is already off to a nice start in Oakland. And as one competing GM said, "It may look like the trade tilts in the Cubs' favor. But don't ever bet against Billy Beane.'' The same goes for his trusty assistants, David Forst, Billy Owens and the rest of the Oakland brain trust.

• The fourth player that will go to Cleveland in the Sabathia trade is said to be a "key piece,'' and not just some throw-in. It will come from an undisclosed list Cleveland's holding. Third baseman Taylor Green could be a possibility, and scouts seem to like him. Another name that's been mentioned, outfielder Lorenzo Cain, is said by one scout to be "just a guy who can run.'' If that's the choice, it sounds like an easy one: Green.

• Gagne could be on the verge of going from "Game Over,'' to career over.

• Richie Sexson was awful playing for the hometown Mariners. But even Mariners people could see him thriving elsewhere. In any case, he's a bargain at $190,000 for any signing team. The Yankees look like the best possibility.

• Che-Hsuan Lin, of the Red Sox's Class A Greenville Drive, homered in the Futures game Sunday and drew some boos, apparently from Yankees fans. But the most impressive performance had to have been turned in by A's prospect Henry Rodriguez, a right-handed pitcher for the Class A Stockton Ports. Rodriguez hit 101 mph on the radar gun, according to the Yankees' scoreboard.

• Reese Havens, the Mets' No. 1 draft choice, has been unable to throw due to arm discomfort. He's been only DHing so far at Class A Brooklyn and could be a candidate for surgery. The rumor is that another team that worked out Havens, a second baseman by trade, liked his potential as a catcher and had him take tens of throws from behind the plate, possibly causing the arm pain.

• Here's hoping Jose Canseco's former lawyer Rob Saunooke can recover the $342,000 that's been awarded to him when Canseco tried to avoid paying lawyer fees. And here's hoping the new mouthpiece isn't expecting much from a man who still thinks the world owes him plenty. Maybe Canseco can stage another boxing match like the one he had with former Philadelphia Eagles player Vai Sikahema. Sikahema knocked out Canseco in one round, and I'm betting Saunooke, a large man himself, could do the same.

• Bobby Murcer, the Yankees great who died Saturday at 62, was a childhood hero who was just as nice in person as any kid could have hoped.