Opinion

As we hit the 81 game mark over the Fourth of July weekend, I started thinking about the season so far. It has certainly been interesting. There are plenty of new developments in the 2010 Major Leagues: Parity is at an all-time high and pitching is more dominant than ever. Meanwhile, The Yankees have the best record in baseball and the Red Sox aren't too far behind them. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I have a few random thoughts on the current baseball season:

-Interleague is alive and well-
Some don't like it, but I love it.

What in the name of Babe Ruth is Jason Heyward doing on the National League All-Star squad? Were the voters drunk when they voted or what?

Did he make the starting team because of his stellar performance? Don't make me laugh, eh.

Let's look at his numbers for a minute. Currently, he is ranked 74th in the NL in batting with a .251 mark. That's impressive, yes?

He is 42nd in the league with 11 HR and 31st in RBI with 45.

The season's midway point has technically past, so that means that the trade deadline is fast approaching.  Cincinnati clings to a two-game lead over St. Louis today.

The big prize in the trade market this year is Cliff Lee.  The Reds must get in on this action.  I know Lee could leave after the season, but it will be worth it. 

Let me break it down for you.

It's starting to become a distinct possibility that by the time the July 31st MLB trade deadline rolls around, the Angels will be in the seller, and not buyer, position. And to be completely honest, it might be in the franchise's best interests to be sellers.

With five games remaining before the All Star break, the Halos will play one more in Chicago and then fly into Oakland to face the always tough Athletics. Texas, on the other hand, will play today in Cleveland and then finish up against the Baltimore Orioles.

It's the same conversation, just a different year.

Every season, virtually every Major League roster has players deserving of All-Star selections that get left on their sofas for the weekend.

This year, the Padres pitching staff may be the most distinguished of the All-Star snubs.

The Padres have the best record (49-34) in the National League and boast the best team ERA (3.05) in the NL by a long shot (St. Louis is next at 3.28), yet couldn't command enough respect to land a pitcher on the roster.

Terror gripped Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas when a fan fell 30 feet from the upper deck while trying to catch a Nelson Cruz foul ball Tuesday night.

Eyewitness accounts of the fall, which was not caught on video, say the middle-aged Texas fan fell from the Club Concourse section. As he fell, he tried to grip the railing of the Suite Section one level down before finally landing on the field level section below.

During his pre-game interview on Tuesday, Dusty Baker made the statement that the Reds and Mets are very similar ball clubs.

He elaborated by saying both clubs have the ability to score a lot of runs in a hurry.

They also play "all 27 outs." This took me a second to realize he was actually speaking about an entire series, which I felt was a nice compliment.

I can't believe I am actually going to write this, but Dusty actually made me stop and think for a second.

This was the year that the Pirates were supposed to climb out of the cellar. Which is to say that they were supposed to be better than at least one other team in the National League Central.

But after a decent start, that hasn't happened.

The Pirates do have a nice record (9-3) in the season series against the Chicago Cubs.

Under different circumstances, the Cubs might be in the cellar and the Pirates ahead of them. As was the case in 2006.

It has been a sub par year for several Yankees in 2010 so far, but two major weapons for the Bronx Bombers are starting to return to form.

Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira have had a fantastic past couple of weeks and are showing glimpses of their former selves.

A-Rod had been driving in runs, but his power numbers were way down and it looked as if he might never regain his power stroke.

However, ever since that road trip to Arizona and L.A. he has proved the doubters wrong.

Hopefully, after tonight, Johan Santana likes the National League a little bit more. While he has not found nearly as much success in the NL as he had in the AL with the Minnesota Twins, Johan tonight realized that the easiest way to win is to do it all yourself.

Santana provided the hitting and the pitching, en route to a Mets 3-0 win over the Reds.