A lot can happen in sports when you ignore your blog for 22 days. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect this to happen once I started working. It’s really Amanda’s fault. Not really. I just like to place blame. It’s mine, I’m lazy. Lets go through a quick run through of what’s happened:

Kevin Love and OJ Mayo traded: Memphis is terrible. Really bad. Why are they tanking 4 months before the season even begins.

Brett Favre’s hard-on for Brett Favre: I fully support Aaron Rodgers and Brian Brohm’s right to put Favre out of his misery.

The MLB All-Star Game: Best in my lifetime.

The MLB Home Run Derby: Josh Hamilton

Federer v. Nadal: Classic.

Seriously, Brett Favre, just go away. Please. Go back to Mississippi. Start a neighborhood rec league. Just go away.

James Posey goes to the one team other than the Celtics that doesn’t bother me (The Hornets).

Alright, I’ve had enough looking back. Lets look to the right now. And that’s baseball. Our current playoff matchups:

AL:

LA Angels v. Tampa Bay Rays
Chicago White Sox v. Boston Red Sox
(I don’t think that has changed)

NL:

Chicago v. Arizona
New York Mets v. St. Louis Cardinals

You’d probably be surprised if I told you that the LA Angels were tied with the Cubs for the best record in baseball. They’ve very quietly put together a great year, behind AL Cy Young candidate Francisco Rodriguez’s 38 saves. I do not, however, think that they are the potential AL Pennant Winner. I just don’t see their lineup producing in the playoffs, unless Vladimir Guerrero remembers how to hit.

At this point, I don’t see the Rays making the playoffs which opens the door for the Twins, Tigers, Yankees, or Rangers. I really think that despite their terrible start, the Tigers are going to stay in the fight.

In the NL, I see the Brewers overtaking the Cardinals, who have to stop playing well, right? Right? I still think that the Phillies are better than the Mets and also think a dark horse is going to win the NL West (i.e. not the Diamondbacks or Dodgers). Let’s look at the West for a moment:

1. Arizona 47-48
The Case For Them: 2 solid aces (Webb and Haren).
The Case Against Them: An awful, anemic offense incapable of scoring runs.

2. Los Angeles 46-49
The Case For Them: Deep Starting Pitching, Chad Billingsly’s emergence as an ace.
The Case Against Them: An anemic offense (not quite awful) usually incapable of scoring runs.

3. San Francisco Giants 40-55
The Case For Them: The most dominant starter in baseball (Tim Lincecum), the development of Fred Lewis, a solid closer.
The Case Against Them: Their lineup may actually be worse than the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. That’s saying something.

4. Colorado Rockies 40-57
The Case For Them: Unlike everyone else, they can hit, especially once they get fully healthy again.
The Case Against Them: Very little starting pitching.

5. San Diego Padres 37-59
The Case For Them: There isn’t one beyond maybe Jake Peavy.
The Case Against Them: There’s plenty.

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the Giants are going to win this division. Yes, the San Francisco Giant. They are currently 7 back of the Diamondbacks. Look, no team is going to win this division with a record above .500. The Giants are a hitter away, in my opinion, from being the best team in this division. Keep a look out for it.

I’ve neglected to hand out my awards on schedule, so lets just call this the midseason edition.

AL MVP: This is a race between JD Drew (unbelievable), Evan Longoria (Matt Minton gets angry), and Francisco Rodriguez, Ian Kinsler, and Josh Hamilton. Drew has been great since June 1. Longoria helped change the tide for an entire franchise and was an All-Star in his rookie year. Rodriguez has closed out all but 19 of his team’s victories. Ideally, I would give this award to the best overall player, who would be either Kinsler or Hamilton. But the Rangers are in 3rd still in the AL West. It’s tough. I’m going to give it, right now to JD Drew, despite the fact that that sentence makes me want to rip my eyes out. He’s filled in for an injured David Ortiz and helped to keep the Red Sox afloat. His numbers are great on a first place team. Kinsler and Hamilton, offensively, are better, but their team is not.

NL MVP: This is not much easier. No one Chicago Cub has risen above another. Albert Pujols has had a great year, as usual. Ryan Braun is on the surge to win this award. I want to give this to Lance Berkman, but the Astros are a last place team. Then you have the Phillies (Utley and Howard). Pujols gets this because without him, how awful would his second place team be?

AL Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria. That is all.

NL Rookie of the Year: Geovany Soto. That is all.

AL Cy Young: Francisco Rodriguez. As great as Cliff Lee has been, there’s precedent here (Eric Gagne in 2002). Give it to the dominant closer.

NL Cy Young: Edinson Volquez v. Tim Lincecum. I give the nod to Lincecum because of how dominant he has been without all the walks that Volquez has.

AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon.

NL Manager of the Year: Fredi Gonzalez. The Marlins are still right there.

The next time we’ll come around, we may start talking some college football. Maybe even some FCS. Contain yourself, Minton.