Rangers still team to beat in the American League? Maybe...maybe not...

Three straight AL crowns for Texas?

The Major League Baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint.  Even the best teams have struggles that can last for weeks.  Back on May 14, I posted a message stating that I thought the Texas Rangers were the team to beat in the American League. Since then, they have remained in first place in their division and have the second best record in the league, but they have wobbled some.

At this point, the Rangers lead the Western Division by 6.5 games and have withstood serious surges from the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics. After a slow start, Albert Pujols (24 home runs, 76 RBI) has been scorching for the Angels, plus the emergence of rookie phenom Mike Trout (.344 average, 21 home runs, 36 stolen bases) has made them an exciting team to watch. Couple that with the A’s remarkable run in July that saw them go from having a losing record to being in the thick of the wild card race and the division has become hotly contested. Also, during this time, the Rangers struggled some. Their inconsistency was mirrored by the sputtering of their best player Josh Hamilton. After a strong start that saw him land on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Hamilton cooled off in June and July.  He hit below .200 during that time, but now appears to be breaking out of his funk. Though the Rangers still are the team to beat in the division, expect it to be quite saucy going down the stretch.

As I mentioned back on May 14, I bought into the Detroit Tigers in the preseason. With their pitching and sluggers Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera, the pieces appeared to be in place. The pieces are still there, but they remain slightly behind the Chicago White Sox in the Central Division. I still believe the Tigers will win this division. There is just too much firepower there. However, both the Tigers and White Sox will make the playoffs.  The second place team will nab one of the American League's two wildcard berths.

In the Eastern Division, the New York Yankees continue to lead, and I do not foresee anybody getting in their way. Yes, I understand the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays continue to hang around. The Yankees have actually struggled somewhat since July 1 (20-16 record), but I do not see a Red Sox/Braves type collapse heading down the stretch.  Simply too much offense for the Pinstripers.

So, are the Rangers still the team to beat in the American League?  I think so, but not as strongly as I felt in May. I cannot shake my Tigers' fixation.  I am sticking with the Rangers right now, but I could flip flop at any time.

A different take on the Alex Rodriguez steroids scandal

I am an unapologetic professional baseball fan.

Despite the efforts of players to cheat the game by using steroids and greedy owners who are dumb enough to give average players bloated salaries, I still love the game.

When a person considers all the scandals the sport has gone through in the last two decades, it is amazing the game remains as popular as it is. Attendance remains high even though the sport has been passed by the National Football League as America's favorite pastime.

Of course, baseball recently received another body blow when New York Yankees' third baseman Alex Rodriguez admitted that he used steroids from 2001-03.

Rodriguez's admission was an especially painful one for baseball's establishment. He was the one they hoped would lead the sport out of the steroid era.

Many of the game's important records that were set in recent years were by players allegedly linked to steroids. An obvious example of this was when Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's all-time home run record. In many ways, that record is baseball's most important achievement.

However, because of all the controversy surrounding Bonds, the celebration of his achievement was muted.

There are other examples. When Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa both pursued the sport's single season home run record in 1998, there was initial jubilation, but that faded after both players were linked to possible steroid use.

These events, among others, stained baseball deeply. This is why Rodriguez's recent confession is so important.

Rodriguez is the game's best player. If he continues hitting home runs at the pace he is now, he will pass Bonds as baseball's home run king. Many viewed him as the person who could sweep the stain of steroids out of baseball's record book.

Until recently, he had not been associated with steroids in any way. However, a test he took earlier this decade was leaked to the media, and Rodriguez admitted that he used the juice while a player with the Texas Rangers.

He said he started taking it after signing his record busting $252 million contract with that team. He said he felt the pressure to perform at a high level every day.

Since then, it has been open season on Rodriguez. He has been criticized in every conceivable way, and the scrutiny intensified when the Yankees reported to spring training last week. I don't envy what he is going through.

Even though he has nobody but himself to blame, I feel a lot of compassion toward him.

This compassion is not based on the fact that he plays for the Yankees. I do not like the Yankees. If the earth where Yankee Stadium is located were to open up and swallow the huge ball park, I would be wearing a smile that reaches from ear to ear.

My compassion is that he made a big mistake and now he has to deal with it in the white-hot heat of the public stage.

Though none of us have probably used steroids, we have all made big mistakes that we hope will remain in our past. Because of that, we need to be grateful that we will not have to go through what Rodriguez will.

The New York media will hound every step he takes. When the season begins, he will play road games in cities all around the country. Can you imagine what the fans in Boston will say? My guess is it will be pretty rough going.

So, even if you don't like Rodriguez, be grateful you are not in his shoes.

The New York Yankees and the power of the golden thong

I am an avid baseball fan. The only thing I enjoy as much as the Atlanta Braves winning is when the New York Yankees lose.

I can't explain why, but it has always been that way. When it comes to sports, I've always been anti-establishment. And to me, the Yankees are the establishment.

This year, the Yankees are floundering and currently reside in last place of the American League Eastern Division. Help may be on the way soon as third baseman Alex Rodriguez and catcher Jorge Posada may soon return from the disabled list.

However, gold thongs could also play a role in their possible resurgence. First baseman Jason Giambi owns a gold thong that he only wears when he is in a deep slump, and he says it helps when he wears it. Teammates Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter have also worn it and say it helped them.

A few days ago, the New York media presented the entire team with gold thongs in an attempt to get the team out of a slump. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't.

They may start hitting better, but they aren't going to win the division. Their young pitching isn't panning out, and they look old and brittle at other positions.

It's going to be the Red Sox year. Bye, bye Yankees...bye, bye.

I'm counting the minutes to the next Hank Steinbrenner explosion.

Hank Steinbrenner should provide us years of quality entertainment

Let me say right up front that when it comes to baseball I am an Atlanta Braves fan, but I have always been a Boston Red Sox sympathizer because of my intense dislike for the New York Yankees.

I just don't like the Yankees style. They are one of those teams that you either love or hate.

In recent years, the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry hasn't quite been the same because owner and team patriarch George Steinbrenner has faded into the shadows because of his age and health issues. George always ran his big mouth and personified all the things I disliked about the Yankees.

Now, his sons have taken more control of the team, and his son Hank seems like a chip off the old block.

He recently had this to say about the Red Sox and their fans:

"Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of (expletive) that is...That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans...Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."

I will give the Yankees credit for one thing. They were the best baseball team of the 20th century.

However, we now live in the 21st century, and the Sox have won two World Series' titles and the Yankees have won zero. The score is 2-0.

Go Sox!