Plenty to watch in the second half.(Closer)

Can you believe we're halfway through the season already? One thing we can look forward to is the tight races.

The sexiest division, of course, is the A.L. East with the two big ones doing their things. The Yankees and Red Sox are like E.T.--they're from another planet. They only compete with each other. They are the only teams built to win every game, with no apparent weaknesses. Don't worry about the Boston defense. They play like that just so you'll tune in. It's like a plot twist halfway through to keep you interested. As those teams grind through the season, they find ways to win. In the end, it will be those two against the world.

As for the rest of the world, the N.L. Central, of which I'm proud to say I'm a part, has to be a good story liar baseball. The entire division, including the Brewers and Pirates, is playing respectably. Yes, the Astros got Carlos Beltran, but the Cubs and Cardinals--and even my own Reds--have a more ominous lineup. But it all comes down to pitching, as everyone knows, so the teams that have it will be there in the end.

How would this year have turned out if both the Angels and A's were healthy? The A's are my surprise of the year so far, but again, considering the importance of starting pitching, how could I have not seen them doing well? They won't lose many in a row. The White Sox have made early trade deadline news by getting--what else?--pitching. Freddy Garcia can dominate, and because he'll be a free agent, there's plenty of incentive to dominate. Hats off to the Twins. Despite the front office dismantling the bullpen, they're still in it. Joe Nathan has dove well as their closer, and Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones continue to run down all balls in the outfield. And how about the Tigers? I guess one guy can make a difference, if that guy is a future Hall of Famer with the swagger of a champion. Pudge Rodriguez got them over the hump to be competitive. Now watch Alan Trammell and Kirk Gibson lead them to the next level.

With all the good, there has been a little bad. It's never been worse in Montreal. Those guys travel more than Samsonite. Please, for the love of the game, give northern Virginia the OK to start making season tickets available. And what about the fans in Kansas City? Ownership decides the whole team is on the market even after it did so well last year. The 1919 Black Sox players got banned for life for throwing the World Series, so there must be a penalty ...