Since the All Star Game has been played, we can still wear white for another few weeks but it really is now universally considered to be the second half of the major league baseball season and it looks like we are definitely in for some thrills and chills along the way. Such as: Will the Baltimore Orioles or the Toronto Blue Jays or the New York Yankees be able to catch the suddenly faltering Tampa Bay Rays? Yes, the Bronx Zombies have a shot. Can Aaron Judge pitch? That might help. No reason for Shohei Ohtani to get all the attention. Boston has a winning streak going but that’s what happens when you play Oakland/Vegas. Baltimore is looking more legitimate all the time. I favor the Jays because they have Brandon Belt and my favorite announcers outside of San Francisco, Dan Shulman and Buck Martinez. That’s a good reason, right? Like the Rays, all that is lacking for the Jays is a good yard to play in with. like, grass. How can we get rid of Rob Manfred, man? I mean, what a piece of work this guy is! The mayor of Oakland,Sheng Thao, responded to his Snidely Whiplash remarks about her fine city by asking for and receiving a private meeting with the commissioner last Sunday in Seattle. She presented A’s owner John Fisher’s mouthpiece, I mean Manfred, with bound copies of a report on all of the hoops that Oakland officials had agreed to jump through in order for the A’s to stay where they belong–for him and all 30 team owners to see as proof that serious attention was being paid to the heir to the jeans fortune’s demands. Two days later, he went right back to the same blatantly dishonest gripes about Oakland not wanting the A’s. That behavior gave me a great idea. Manfred could be made Donald Grump’s running mate (Mike Pence is busy)! Grump and John Fisher are so alike! They are of the I was born rich so why can’t I get more?ilk. And Manfred is on television a lot. Perfect! The pants on fire ticket.

It really is a bummer that Mike Trout has joined Aaron Judge and Edwin Diaz on the nasty injury list and with Anthony Rendon hurt again too What will happen with Ohtani now that the Angels’ goose is in the oven? Every team wants him and he needs a solid contender to play for. He would look good in a Giants uniform but it’s more likely that the Dodgers, Yankees, or Mets will win the auction. Then all it will take is for the Saudis to buy the A’s and move them to Qatar and I can stop caring altogether and take up pickleball.

The Cincinnati Reds have become another fun story and we wish them and their capable manager David Bell continued success. Somebody has to win that division. The American League Central has the same issue but my money ($1.38) remains on Cleveland.

We have been liking the faster pace of the games but it would help even more if they eliminated the replay review. Sorry, it’s good to “get it right” but maple syrup in January is quicker. Put a clock on that stuff too.

Two more gripes and then I’ll hose down the infield. One is those “city connect” uniforms. Some are okay, but, other than yet another bid for money from sales of ‘gear” I can’t figure out why they’ve done this. And have you noticed the advertising patches on uniforms? Yuck, pretty soon they will catch up to pro soccer. Two, attention ESPN, Fox and everybody else broadcasting baseball: I’m looking for an athletic contest, not a talk show. Most of these are great athletes. I really don’t give a damn what they have to say, especially while they are playing. Can you imagine Bob Gibson or Will Clark wearing a microphone on the field? Nope, but Yogi might have been fun. In the slow pitch league I once played in, one guy had a great shirt. On the back of the shirt were these words: SHUT UP AND PLAY BALL.