Baseball's Second Half

I don't know about you, but I am enjoying this baseball season immensely. There has been drama (no hitters, perfect games, many walk-off victories), controversy (perfect games that should have been), and surprises (Reds, Padres in first place).

Here are some questions I look forward to being answered:

1. Can anyone beat the Yankees? I am in the Yankee hater category, but I just have to tip my hat to them. They ALWAYS find ways to win. I think winning the division, even as difficult as it is, will be almost a lock. The World Series, however, may not be so easy.

2. Can the Braves, Reds, and Padres stay in first place all year? Very good question. As I write this the Reds are now in a close second. I think they are the least likely to make it, though this small market lover would be very happy to see it. The Padres pitching gives them a chance to stay there. The problem is they are in the best division in baseball and three other teams there are also good enough to win it. The Braves are becoming a better all around team each day. That doesn't bode well for this Mets fan, or for the Phillies. Speaking of them, we haven't seen the last of them. For the past several seasons, they have been playing their best ball late in the season.

3. Who will be this year's Rockies, Astros, Twins? There always seems to be a team counted for dead that just wakes up suddenly and surprises everyone by making a late season run. The White Sox have already done that. We'll call it a pre-all star run. Otherwise, I really don't see it happening. If anyone, maybe the Brewers? Cubs? Both are teams that should be much better than their current records.

It should be an exciting few months. Let me know what you think : )

King James

Ok, I haven't written something here in almost two months. So what is the blockbuster subject I write about? To be ironic, a sport I care little about. That would be NBA basketball.

To jump on the LeBron bandwagon, I just have to laugh at the Cleveland owner's reaction. How can he not have known (as any sports fan in the world did) that LeBron was not coming back to Cleveland? And knowing the current free agent structure of the NBA and sports in general, how could he be so bitter that LeBron left?

Don't get me wrong, I am a bit disappointed too. Living here in Buffalo NY, I have a soft spot for Cleveland and any small market team in any sport. It is sad that they really didn't have a chance to keep a star celebrity in a town that doesn't have any other super-star names to look up to. I would have loved to see a championship won there with Lebron James as the central figure in doing so.

However, life goes on in the sometimes cruel 21st century sports world. Instead of being bitter, I believe the Cleveland owners need to just realize the way it is, and be thankful for all LeBron James brought to their team and its city and fans. Hopefully their opportunity and success will come in the future.