Dear Baseball

Dear baseball,

I'm sorry.

Just when I think you're out of my life forever, you show up at my door, looking and behaving a whole lot better than we last met.

You've given me empty promises about changing in the past, so I'm still a little skeptical.

Remember that little drug problem of yours? It nearly cost you our relationship.

Over what? Something trivial like a few extra home runs. Don't worry, small-ball and defense might not be the most attractive, but I still love you for it.

Oh, and that shady ex of yours-- Barry Bonds? He's no good for you. He got you in this mess to begin with.

Barry Bonds without his 'power' is kind of like Hugh Hefner without the Playboy empire. Not so attractive anymore, is he?

If I come home one night and find out you're strung out on HGH or back with that clown Bonds, it's over. Over for good, I swear it.

We could still have a little summer fling between basketball and NFL training camps, but you'd be no better than a hookup.

So why exactly am I taking baseball back?

What some may call mediocrity in the National League, I call entertainment.

In the NL, there are currently eight teams within six games of the wild card-leading Cincinnati Reds. Every one of them has a legitimate shot at running down Cincy, too.

The Reds aren't exactly what you'd call battle tested, after spending most of the post-Pete Rose era near the middle of pack.

San Diego is just two games back, even with ace Jake Peavy tossing up batting practice fastballs during most starts. He's due for a couple of good starts down the stretch, and the Padres know how to win a tight race.

Philly and Arizona are right there, with about two good pitchers between the teams.

Atlanta is still hanging on by a thread, but I refuse to count them out until I see the playoff pairings without them included. How come Bobby Cox doesn't get mentioned in the discussion of best managers of all-time, anyway?

Speaking of best managing jobs ever, how about Detroit? There's nothing that hasn't been said about the job Jim Leyland has done with a team that won 43 games three years ago.

Why is Detroit fun to watch? Because they became the best team in baseball by developing by growing into their ballpark.

Comerica Park is a pitchers park all the way, so the Tigers drafted and developed their team around pitching. Jeremy Bonderman, Zach Miner and Justin Verlander are all under 25-years old, and start for the best pitching staff in the majors.

Pitching has replaced power hitting in baseball. Teams now know that playoff success isn't about scoring, it's about not letting the other team do so.

Any other season, Verlander (14-6, 3.14 ERA), Francisco Liriano (12-3, 2.19), Jered Weaver (9-0, 1.95) or Jonathan Papelbon (32 saves, 1.00) would be the run-away Rookie of the Year in the American League.

I would consider paying to watch Liriano and Minnesota vs. Verlander and Detroit on pay-per-view.

Even with the great pitching, it's hard to ignore Albert Pujols. Thank you, baseball, for giving us what may become the best player ever.

A career .332 batting average isn't too shabby for anyone. Of course, doing that while averaging 41 home runs per year and slugging a cool .621 puts him on the fast track to catching Hank Aaron.

All of this of course, with no hint of perfromance enhancing drugs.

This season has been beautiful so far, and it's only going to get better. Maybe football can wait a few weeks.

I've got high hopes for us this time, baseball. Don't make me sorry for taking you back.