Opinion

My two favorite sports when I was growing up were Baseball and Soccer. Today, I went the extra mile. I simultaneously watched the Braves game and the World Cup Final.  After both were over, I realized I was happier while concentrating on a game that the Braves were losing than watching the Championship game.

Similar to past lists why Baseball is better than Football, I composed a list why the MLB is better than FIFA.

1. MLB Umpires are better than FIFA Refs.

This morning, I logged into Twitter and saw on the top of my news feed that legendary Yankees announcer Bob Sheppard had died at the age of 99.

Although I just started getting into baseball a year or two ago, I felt saddened by this loss.

The Mets were in dire need of a win today. The Braves threatened to sweep them, and increase their lead to six games over the Mets heading into the All-Star Break.

The Mets, especially Johan Santana, made sure that didn't happen. Santana tossed seven shutout innings against the Braves, and the Mets actually scored some runs for him. It was a great game all-around, and it's a good note going into the All-Star Break. 

Whether it was Rafael Furcal's sizzling bat, Jonathon Broxton's overpowering pitching, or Andre Ethier's clutch hitting, the boys in blue performed exceptionally throughout the first half of their season.

However, numerous injuries and continual struggles within the pitching staff have obstructed their consistency.

It's difficult to determine whether the buzz generated about their chances to contend in the NL are too hasty or totally warranted.

A multitude of factors will contribute to the Dodgers' goals ultimately coming to fruition.

With the exception of tonight's Cubs-Dodgers game, the first half of the baseball season is over. That means it's time to hand out awards and look ahead to the second half.

Who are the MVPs, Cy Youngs, Rookies of the Year, and Silver Sluggers in each league? Which teams are the favorites to win their divisions and wild card races, and which teams will offer the biggest competition to the favorites?

Check it all out here in a Major League Baseball first half review/second half preview.

American League MVP:

The Midsummer Classic consists of three events: All-Star Sunday, the Home Run Derby, and the All-Star Game. Each event is a joke. The MLB, which is arguably the best and most successful league in the US, has by far the worst All-Star Game and related events out of the four major sports. 

(Note: Some think the NFL Pro Bowl is the worst, but the NFL really can't do anything to change it. Given the rigor of the NFL season, it has to take place after the Super Bowl, and that's why it's not as popular as the NFL would hope.)

When Chris Tillman was demoted for the second time in his career on June 22, he had the feeling that he just didn't belong with the ball club.

Whether his teammates felt the same way or not, Tillman's numbers certainly showed that his thoughts weren't unwarranted.

At 0-3 with a 8.40 ERA, Tillman seemed to be having trouble translating his success with AAA Norfolk to Baltimore and he was struggling to figure out exactly why the gap in performance existed.

However, Saturday's start against the Texas Rangers was a sign that all of that might be a thing of the past.

It is without argument Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis should be on the American League All-Star team when the game takes place on Tuesday night in Anaheim.

But Youk was snubbed for the third time earlier today and will find himself watching the game at home on his couch instead of lacing ‘em up with his fellow American Leaguers.

First came his omission by the fans, coaches, and MLB officials when they selected the original team.

With the Mets having lost the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, they still are in need of another starting pitcher.

Losing the last two games to the Braves and falling to five games out of first place and two back in the wild card race have made this need even more obvious.

With the Mets having lost the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, they are still in need of another starting pitcher. Losing the last two games to the Braves and falling to five games out of first place and two back in the wild card race have made this need even more obvious.