NL Central

As the Chicago Cubs celebrated the 100th birthday of Wrigley Field on Wednesday, Cubs fans around the country will rejoice in the fact that they have...well, something to rejoice.

Although the team hasn't won a World Series since they began playing at Wrigley Field in 1916, fans of the team are optimistic that a championship may very well be on its way to Chicago's North Side in the near future.

This season was expected to be a very solid step in the right direction for the Chicago Cubs.

However, this season hasn't given much reason for optimism yet on the North Side. There have been several players, including many in the bullpen, that have disappointed so far. That being said, there have been just as many players who have gotten off to good starts. 

A division cannot be won for a team in April, but it can certainly be lost. Such is the case for the 2014 Pittsburgh Pirates, who fell to 9-14 and 7.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. 

After reaching the World Series last season, the St. Louis Cardinals have decided to extend the contract of general manager John Mozeliak.

According to Major League Baseball on Twitter, the two-year extension means that Mozeliak is now contracted through the 2018 season:

We're still in the portion of the season when you have to be careful about taking anything at face value—especially with performances that seem out of character.

On that note, here's me telling caution to take a hike so I can say this: You might want to take the Milwaukee Brewers seriously as NL Central contenders.

At the beginning of every Major League Baseball season, hope springs eternal. That is, of course, until the first couple weeks of games are played.

Once that grace period is up—a period that has been all too short for Cubs fans in recent years—it's interesting to take a less emotionally charged look at the team. After all, many players on teams will fall short of lofty expectations while others will put on performances that nobody saw coming. 

After a stellar 2013 season in which they went 94-68 and won the National League Wild Card Game, the Pittsburgh Pirates appear to be on track for another great season in 2014. 

Backed by the big bats of Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez and Russell Martin, the Pirates have a dangerous lineup that can power their way to the top of the standings throughout the season. 

The Cincinnati Reds have a very important series coming up against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Reds are 3-6 on the young season, and the Rays come into the series at 5-5 in a tie for first place in the always-difficult AL East.

The Reds need something to turn their season around, and this series presents them with a golden opportunity to either pull within two games of .500, or even things up at 6-6 by the end of the weekend.

After winning the NL Central Division in 2011, the Milwaukee Brewers and their faithful followers commenced on a steep downward spiral that nearly transformed into a harrowing free fall.

The team spent portions of the 2013 season in the NL Central cellar, which meant it was actually playing worse than the hopeless Chicago Cubs. 

The return of Ryan Braun from an historic 65-game suspension hadn't gone the way anyone associated with the Mliwaukee Brewers outfielder had hoped. Blame it on nerves, or a nagging thumb injury, but whatever the case, the former MVP hadn't looked good through the first week of the 2014 season.