Boomer's Diamond Notes: Memorial Day Mark

USA USA USA USA USA USA

Baseball season is in full swing as of today. Memorial Day Weekend has come and went and this weeks installment of Diamond notes, Boomer looks at the teams around baseball and gives his assessment of each team at the Memorial Day mark. In a 162-game season of a MLB season, there are three dates you look at to reach and assess your teams successful and/or (for most) failing season. Memorial Day, this date you get an overall idea of how good your baseball team really is after the first two months of the season and gives you an idea if they are going to be relative to watch over the summer months. July 4th, at this point you either still in the hunt, looking good and trying to make that one trade to fill a void or add depth or your selling the core of your team and rebuilding. The month of July gives way to the All-Star Break and Trade Deadline. Then you have the "Dog Days of Summer", or what most people call the month of August. Then, comes Labor Day, the final holiday of the baseball season, and if last season was any indication, the final month of the season will be very entertaining, especially this season, with the addition of one extra Wild Card team in each league for the 10-team playoff in October.

AL EAST

Baltimore Orioles: 29-20, Still can't believe the O's are in 1st place, lets see if they can make it to the Fourth of July

Tampa Bay Rays: 29-20, Team keeps playing well at home (17-8), despite no one showing up at the Trop.

New York Yankees: 26-22, Tend to get things in gear at this point of the season, but can they do it with this current roster, side note: anyone wanna go in together and buy the Yankees from the Steinbrenner Family?

Toronto Blue Jays: 25-24, Is this the year, the Jay's finally make some noise in the AL East?

Boston Red Sox: 24-24, Only 4.5 games out, with all the distractions/players being out so far, do the Red Sox have what it takes to make a summer run?

AL CENTRAL

Cleveland Indians: 27-21, Tribe fans saw early success last year, will this time around be different?

Chicago White Sox: 27-22, White Sox are hot right now, winners of six straight and 9-1 last 10, are they the favorites to win the AL Central at this point of the season.

Detroit Tigers: 23-25, have to be the biggest disappointment thus far, but plenty of baseball left to turn this around, and can someone get Manager Jim Leyland a tissue.

Kansas City Royals: 19-28, terrible home record (5-17) has the Royals back 7.5 games, will hosting the All-Star Game give this team any extra motivation heading into the summer months?

Minnesota Twins: 16-32, Not what Twins fans envisioned when they signed Joe Mauer and opened up a brand new ballpark (Target Field).

AL WEST

Texas Rangers: 31-18, This team continues to click and when they are on, simply "unbeatable"

LA Angles: 25-25, back to the .500 mark at Memorial Day (6.5 games behind), winners of 7 straight, is this team ready to give the Rangers a challenge heading into summer.

Oakland A's: 22-27, losers of 6 straight and 2-8 last 10, fans would prefer watching their copy of Moneyball, then this current A's roster.

Seattle Mariners: 21-30, well, they ain't the worst team in baseball like most people predicted, not yet at least...

American League Standings

NL EAST

Washington Nationals: 29-19, next year might be just this year for the Nats, one of the best pitching staffs in the NL.

NY Mets: 27-22, how is this team in 2nd place? Ha...

Miami Marlins: 27-22, What sort of Ozzie moments will the summertime bring us, and will people start coming out to their brand new ballpark?

Philadelphia Phillies: 26-24, will they get the players back they are waiting for, and make a run "Philly fans" are hopeful for?

Atlanta Braves: 26-24, losers of 8 straight and 1-9, free falling from first to last place in the last ten games.

NL CENTRAL

Cincinnati Reds, 27-21, finally in 1st place 8-2 last 10 games, are the Reds in position to take off and leave the Cardinals behind.

St. Louis Cardinals: 27-22, just 5-5 in their last ten games, are the Cardinals hitting reality of life after Albert?

Pittsburgh Pirates: 24-24, winners of 4 straight, this team still struggling to score runs (144; last in MLB).

Houston Astros: 22-27, losers of 4 straight, Astros fans are glad they have a retraceable roof down in Houston to avoid the summer heat.

Milwaukee Brewers: 20-28, Brew Crew have almost went from first to last in the past season plus, start ordering their Cheese Heads for Packers games in the fall.

Chicago Cubs: 16-32, North siders start remarking, "OK, next year IS the year!"

NL WEST

LA Dodgers: 32-16, the hottest team so far in baseball, can they continue the success heading into summer.

SF Giants: 26-23, the only team in the NL West that has a chance to catch the Dodgers (6.5 games back).

Arizona Diamondbacks: 22-27, disappointing season so far, after their surprise run to the NL West crown a year ago.

Colorado Rockies: 19-29, second in the NL in Runs Scored (239), and still have a -30 scoring difference (3rd worst in NL).

San Diego Padres: 17-33, Stay Classy, San Diego!

National League Standings