Opinion

The home stretch of the 2010 MLB season has arrived as division races heat up and teams begin to make their run at baseball glory. So in anticipation of these final weeks here are nine reasons to love this sport, one for each inning.

1. No Time Limit

Despite being home to the all-time home run king, the Atlanta Braves have never been known for their ability to hit the ball out of the park. They are somewhat better known as the "Anti-Yankees," if you will. They have country accents, less money, and very little power, but they have still found ways to to win.

As the season heads into its final month and a half, and the playoff races really start to heat up, oftentimes the wild card races shape up to be the most interesting part of the final few weeks of the season. That leads me to wonder: would Major League Baseball benefit from adding a second wild card in each league?

The fact of the matter is, it is far harder to reach the postseason in baseball than in any of the other three U.S. major sports, with not even a third of all baseball teams reaching the playoffs.

As news broke on Aug. 7 that the Boston Red Sox had signed Carlos Delgado to a minor league deal, I thought it was a great move. This is a potentially high rewarding transaction with very low risk.

Delgado could fill some holes as All-Star first basemen, Kevin Youkilis, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn muscle in his thumb. 

Although Delgado is 38 years old, he appears to be healthy and in great shape, and he's hungry to win.

The Oakland A's played the biggest game of the season tonight against the Seattle Mariners. Now, some would say it's way too soon to talk about big game especially since it's only August 9, but with a young team like the A's, any time the team has a chance to make ground on the division-leading Texas Rangers, it's a big game. 

It's August 10th 2009 and rumors are beginning to circulate that an AL team has placed a waiver claim on Blue Jays outfielder Alex Rios. In this day and age, putting a player on waivers is not unusual. There is simply no downside for the team, as the player can be pulled back if a trade cannot be agreed upon, or dumped on a claiming team. But Rios is a special case.

"I don't know which is more discouraging, [the Braves' defense] or Chickens."
--EB White

Okay.

Maybe I took some creative liberties with that EB White quote (he was really talking about literature).

And maybe that wasn't as funny as I thought it would be when I googled "discouraging quotes."

And maybe I am just too lazy to get rid of what is becoming an introduction full of incessant rambling.

New York Mets management could learn a lot from the Seattle Mariners. Yes, the Wilpons should be looking out west for a better model of how to run their organization. I am aware that the Mariners are 42-70 and are currently 22.5 games out of first place, but their organization is being run correctly.

It's no secret that Mark Prior has talent.

That's never been a problem for the one-time ace. It's been injuries that have plagued the Southern California native.

So, why would any team be interested in the former flamethrower?

If you're St. Louis Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, you should. Not because the Cardinals lack starting pitching. Far from it.

It's rare that you read anyone advocating for a .167 hitter to return to the lineup, but in the case of Brandon Wood the Angels should give him another chance.