Baseball Overview: Going Back To Normal

A quick look at the standings will tell you there are still some surprises, the token teams who are ruining the predictions of gas bags and know-it-alls.

The Baltimore Orioles remain the most suprising of all surprises this season.

Arguments could have been made for the White Sox (as was herein prior to the start of the season) and perhaps even the Arizona Diamondbacks, who aren't doing it just with the trades and free agent signings, but also with downfall of the Giants and the tetchiness of the Dodgers and Padres. The D'backs even have a future.

But the Orioles, who were to open the season brutally against their AL East opponents, were expected to be out of the race by Memorial Day. Instead, the beat their richer brethren early and what makes them the real poster children for the unexpected is that the injuries didn't demoralise them.

After losing their cleanup hitter, Sammy Sosa and their best defensive player in Luis Matos, the Orioles haven't really slowed down much, if at all. They took two out of three from the Twins and then split a 4 game series at the Chicago White Sox to keep themselves ahead of the pace in the AL East.

And why should they not have, after all. Perhaps it was all supposed to play out this way from the beginning. After all, Baltimore closed the 2004 season by winning 20 of its final 33 games -- a record not so dissimilar to its record through its first 33 games this year wherein they've won 22.

But the pressure is building and it will take alot more suprises this season if the Orioles would have a prayer of keeping ahold of this lead. Already the Red Sox and Yankees appear to have woken out of their early doldrums.

The Sox have lost a pair to the A's but have still won 10 of their last 15. The rest of the month will be interesting as the Sox will host the NL East leading Atlanta Braves, then travel to Toronto for a 3 game series, the Bronx to face the Yankees and close out the month against the Orioles at home.

The Yankees, of course, after much handwringing and tears of joy from the fans who hate them, are looking more like the Yankees again, have gone on a season-high 8-game winning streak and now sit back at .500, 5 and a half games behind the Orioles. That's from feasting on the AL West, whom they've won 10 of 15 from.

All this while, Jason Giambi became the second Yankee of the season to have a beer thrown at him which leads the Major Leagues.

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The Padres appear to have finally woken out of their early season slumber and can do Archie Bunker's Army a big favour by putting it to the Braves this week.

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Meanwhile, an inter-division trade between the Phillies and Nats is already paying off for the Nats as phormer Phillie Marlon Byrd had three hits and three RBIs in his debut. The Phillies got Endy Chavez in a swap of centerfielders.

Beerleaguer notes that the trade is a "clear a case of two players in need of a career-saving change of scenery. The fact that two divisional rivals swapped 27-year-olds at the same premium spot should indicate the hopelessness the Phils and Nats felt."

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Raise your hands if you had Clint Barnes leading the Major Leagues in hitting.

Frankly, you've got to wonder when Eee-Chee-Row is going to make his push.

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If you like history mixed with your baseball, have a look at Amid the Civil War, baseball was a balm, via Balls, Sticks and Stuff.

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Nice to see Pedro shortlisted as free agents Booms.

No surprise here that Adrian Beltre is a bust. The Dodgers must be proud.

HOOPS

Is Dwayne Wade dominating the NBA playoffs or is Dwayne Wayne? Picking up some of the slack created by Shaq's bum thigh, Wade averaged 31.3 points for the series on 54 percent shooting, while pulling down seven rebounds and dishing eight assists per game during the recent sweep of the Washington Wizards.

Meanwhile, in the other Eastern Conference matchup, Rasheed Wallace's big mouth may have done more good than harm for a change. Wallace "guaranteed" a victory in Game Four and the Pistons evened the series with Indianapolis, 2 games each now going back to Detroit.

Over in the West, The Mavs continued to surprise by evening their series with the Suns 2 games each despite Steve Nash's 48 points.

Even the indelible Super Size Me Sonics managed to even their series with San Antonio at two games apiece.

Only the Wizards failed to make their series interesting, failed to even win a game.

My predictions stay steady on, Spurs-Pistons final.