Major League Chance: Can MLB take advantage?

In 1994 Major League Baseball suffered not just a minor setback, the oldest professional sports league in America suffered a schism. The infamous baseball strike of 1994 was mainly focused on salary caps, and collective bargaining agreements, but the league, its commissioner, and players' association allowed the unthinkable, unforgivable, to happen. The World Series had to be cancelled. The ultimate baseball championship series, the pinnacle of baseball, never happened.

Now, here we are almost two decades later, and the MLB sits in a fortuitous position. Of the Big 3 (the three most popular professional sports in America) it is the only league that is not locked out! Here come these big words that swirl all over the media outlets these days; lock-out, collective bargaining agreement, work stoppage. But let's call it what it really is, millionaires complaining about splitting billions of dollars. But the MLB is now at the top of the heap. A perfect opportunity for the league to mend fences, and rebuild the bridges it burned 17 years ago, and gain back the popularity that it lost when we, the fans, lost the 1994 Fall Classic.

How does the MLB take advantage of this? Here's a few suggestions from a baseball junkie...

1. The Mid-Summer Classic: The 2011 season is approaching its half time. The All-Star game that, in my mind, is the best, most competitive, and most interesting All-Star event out of all professional sports. Now that the winning league of the game gets home field advantage in the World Series we get to see players show up to try and win, and not just hob knob with players and coaches from around the league. We still wont get the top starting pitchers going deep into the game, but we are getting at least the best two or three innings from the best starters in the leagues. Baby steps...
2. Home Run Derby: What can be better than watching the biggest, strongest hitters trying to hit the ball a country mile? Guys that actually can hit the ball a country mile! The home run derby event is easily the most entertaining All-Star event to watch, and as a former college baseball player who had three career home runs, I envy their seemingly effortless ability to hit the ball 450+ feet. 
3. Surprise!: Every year there always seems to be that one surprise team that gets our attention, (see 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, and 2010 San Francisco Giants) but this year there are multiple surprises around the big leagues. 
1. Cleveland Indians: Here is a team that leads the American League Central only a year after finishing the season 69-93. A hodgepodge of young up-and-comers all over the field, and some veterans who have battled injury this team might be overachieving, but they seem to have found a bona fide super star in Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop. And their bullpen, dubbed the #BullpenMafia, has a microscopic ERA, and closer Chris Perez (@ChrisPerez54) has converted 20 of 21 save opportunities.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates: Ok, so they are not leading their division, but only a game and a half back in the National League Central, the Bucco's have never been over .500 this late in the season since the 1990's. They boasted the worst record in baseball last year (57-105) yet have positioned themselves this season to fight for a chance to play in October. An even younger mix than the team above, this team is a product of years of finishing in the cellar, and stockpiling young talent. Here's hoping Andrew McCutheon takes the All-Star snub as a chip on the shoulder and leads his team to the playoffs. 
3. St. Louis Cardinals: This would not have been a surprise when spring training started, but the fact that they lead the NL Central despite the amount of injuries (to key players, no less) is a complete surprise. When Adam Wainwright suffered a season ending elbow injury coming out of camp critics wrote them off. Then ace Chris Carpenter went down with a groin injury, and "the Machine" Albert Pujols was thought to be lost for 6-8 weeks with a wrist injury. Certain doom for the Red Birds. Their three best players all went out with injuries, but the team stayed the course and has managed to live up to their lofty pre-season expectations sitting atop the NL Central at the half-way point.
4. Arizona Diamondbacks: This team was the second worst team in the major's last year, just a notch ahead of the Pirates at 65-97. But former big leaguer Kirk Gibson has his team just two games behind the defending World Champions in San Francisco. The NL West has been notorious for low scoring and pitching, but the D'Backs are finding ways to get clutch hits, and timely pitching from a slew of promising young arms. Oh, and by the way, they are hosting this years All-Star Game. Could it be scripted any better than D'Back # Justin Upton coming up with the game winning hit to give the NL (and maybe the Desert Snakes) home field advantage in the World Series? Just sayin..
4. Division Races: The races for the playoffs are the closest they have been at the midway point in years! No team in any division has greater than a 4 game lead. 
• AL East: Fierce rivals, payroll juggernauts, and superstars galore have the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox separated by only a game and a half. This is the race that figures to only intensify mostly due to the fact that each teams roster could be an All-Star team in iteself...My Pick- Yankees
• AL Central: The upstart Indians have come back to Earth, and are now in a knock down, drag out battle for first in the central with the Detroit Tigers. With the Indians only up a game at the midway point this division figures to go to whichever team gets hot in August. In the end this could become the closest race in any division. My Pick - Indians (I know, say it...homer!)
• AL West: Last years World Series runners up, the Texas Rangers have a half game lead on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. If the Rangers had played to their abilities all year they might have a much larger lead, and don't look now but the Mariners are just hanging around only three games back. My Pick- Rangers
• NL East: This is the largest lead in any division. The Philadelphia Pitchers, I mean Phillies, have a four game lead on the Atlanta Braves. The most dominant pitching staff in baseball has been just that, and if their bullpen doesn't completely implode, I don't think this race will get much tighter. My Pick- Phillies
• NL Central: If, and it's a big IF, the Pirates can remain in contention this could become the race to watch. The Bucco's are a game and a half out of first, behind the St. Louis Cardinals. But the team to watch is only two games out in third, the Milwaukee Brewers. They have the pitching to get to October, if their pitchers return to last year's form. My Pick- Brewers
• NL West: The defending World Champs are a game and a half up on the Arizona Diamondbacks. And the Giants have the most dominant pitching staff from starters to bullpen in my mind. If their starters can get to the #Beard in the 9th, just start playing Lil Flip's "Game Over" because @BrianWilson38 is the best closer in baseball right now. My Pick- Giants

Right there are four reasons why YOU should be excited about the second half of the MLB season. For a sports fan who is sick and tired of hearing about the NFL season that currently is not on pace to take place, and the NBA looking like there may not even be a season, baseball is there to comfort you.  No lock-out, no work stoppage, just good old fashioned hard ball.

Here is MLB's chance to shine in the spotlight, appeal to the casual fan, and persuade the football junkies to come out and see a product that will be on the field in September. Which is more that can be said for the No Football League, right now.

It may not be able to make up cancelling the World Series to it's fans, but if September rolls around and the NFL is still arguing over dollars and cents, consider that a win for the MLB!