In baseball, the name was Mark Prior. In 2003, he was Mr. Baseball and Mr. Chicago Cub. Now, nine years later, he is working on making a comeback to the majors with the Red Sox.

Prior's career is like the Cubs' franchise. Every April when the Cubs have hopes of winning the World Series, it collapses early. He's had several injuries to his shoulders, underwent intense surgeries, and is just a few months away from possibly helping the Red Sox earn a ticket to October baseball.

Prior last stepped foot on a Major League Baseball mound on Aug. 10, 2006. He's been used primarily as a reliever in Pawtucket and at 31, that might be where he is most effective. Because he has had shoulder and arm injuries, the biggest concern is his velocity. Prior is still hitting 90 miles per hour on the radar gun, according to ESPN.com.

Once September rolls around and major league rosters increase from a 25-man roster to 40, Prior may be called into Pawtucket manager Arnie Beyeler's office with news that he's being sent up to Boston as a September call-up.

In Pawtucket, he is 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA. Beyeler has used him as a reliever and he's tossed 15 1/3 innings giving up only seven hits and striking out 28. The only downside is the 15 walks he's allowed. He has one save and earned it by striking out two in an inning pitched.

Prior was once one of the biggest names that batters feared. He was 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA in 2003, the year he was part of a rotation that featured Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano and old friend Matt Clement. Prior struck out 245 batters in 211 1/3 innings. He was an All-Star that year and finished third in Cy Young voting.

Prior is older now but deserves the opportunity to try to bring his career back to what it was. He is not too old to be successful and help a team win. The Red Sox could use him in the back end of the bullpen as a lights out set-up man to Alfredo Aceves, and if things in the rotation were to drastically worsen, using him for a start or two would be a novel idea.

Photo courtesy of Flickr/Scott Ableman

Remember the infamous brawl between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers in 2004? If the Malice at the Palace isn't burned into your memory, take a look at the video below.

The drama started when a fan threw a beverage at Artest, one of the Pacers' best players. Well, apparently Artest and the fan, who goes by the name of John Green, are now buddies, according to Deadspin and Sports Radio Interviews.

Social media appears to have struck again. World Peace, on one of his visits to a psychiatrist, said he felt bad for whoever the fan was and wanted to connect with him. World Peace then tweeted to his followers and promised lunch if he could find the man's contact information.

When Green and World Peace connected, they started talking about their similarities. Despite their differences nearly eight years ago, Green now considers World Peace "a good guy."

People are probably still questioning why Artest was lying down on the scorer's table. Apparently, his psychiatrist wanted him to practice relaxation. Tempers are flaring, and you decide to take a nap on the scorer's table? Wow.

Either way, good for you, Ron. You just made a friend!

Remy has been in the NESN broadcast booth for Red Sox telecasts since 1988, and with Don Orsillo since 2001. Not only have these two become the most entertaining broadcasters on television, but some of the most knowledgeable and a great duo. There are other former athletes who impress with their knowledge and wit in the broadcast booth, but don't come close to Remy's talent.

Remy has his moments that cannot be forgotten and must always be in the back of every Sox fan's mind. First, the pizza incident. This bizarre, yet hilarious NESN telecast event took place during the Red Sox' 7-2 win against the Angels at Fenway Park on Patriots Day in 2007. A foul ball was headed toward left field foul territory and then a fan interfered with Angels left-fielder Garret Anderson's attempt to catch the ball. Apparently another fan wasn't too pleased with the other fan's actions and decided to throw a perfectly good slice of pizza at him. If you haven't seen it yet, you're missing out!

Some of the things Remy does aren't always on live broadcasts. Sometimes they occur before or even after they go live in the booth. In this case, it was before a pregame show interview with Tom Caron. Remy came onto the show, barely able to control his laughter. Remy, laughing so hard he could barely speak, explained how he had just fallen off of a table while playing air guitar in the broadcast booth. NESN then showed viewers the video of Remy's air guitar, which turned out to be a hilarious scene.

Maybe Remy, and even Orsillo, are big fans of music and dancing. First we had Remy doing the air guitar, and more recently the two were caught on camera dancing in-between innings during a game in Oakland.

It's hard to say what is going to happen next, but these two always seem to have fans on the edge of their seats awaiting the next comical moment.

Let's not forget, though, that Remy also played professional baseball. He provides insightful analysis on the game and is one of the more unbiased media members. There are controversial calls in nearly every game. It's not always an obvious incident or even impedes a team's chance to win, but they're plays that require proper and unbiased analysis, even if fans don't want to hear it.

That's where Jerry Remy has a clear advantage over other broadcasters. Remy does his job, and does it better than anyone else in the business.

Jason Terry

The current Celtics do not complain. They do not cause controversy in the locker room because they are by all accounts a tight-knit bunch that just loves to play basketball and compete for their mutual goal — an NBA title. They are not the Miami Heat or the Los Angeles Kobe Bryant's, who seem to try to make national headlines.

With so much ongoing speculation that guard Ray Allen may be packing his bags for Miami to join the Heat, or for Los Angeles to join the Clippers, Terry is a solid player to fill the shoes that Allen would be leaving behind. Even if Allen sticks around, though, Terry remains a good fit for the C's.

Head coach Doc Rivers said he can't envision Allen wearing any other jersey next season, but if the all-time 3-point leader decides to stay in Boston to chase a second ring with Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce, he would probably have to do so coming off the bench.

Terry has primarily been a sixth man for the second half of his career. In fact, he was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2009 with the Mavericks. Even at 34, he's one of the best in the game at that role. The Celtics wouldn't have any problem starting Avery Bradley and having Terry come off the bench. It's a perfect formula, and it becomes increasingly important if Allen does depart.

If the Celtics lose Allen to free agency, they have 3-point talent similar to the 2008 team that won the title. Pierce can shoot the 3-ball. The same can be said for Terry and recently drafted Syracuse forward Kris Joseph. How are these guys similar to the 2008 team? Well, Pierce was on that team, Terry is very similar to Eddie House when it comes to knocking down treys, and Joseph is a tall, long-distance shooting forward, much like James Posey.

Speaking of Joseph, the Celtics also selected Fab Melo and Jared Sullinger in this year's draft. While the veteran talent continues to age, the older players have a responsibility to teach the rookies how to look like a Celtic, how to play like a Celtic and how to act like a Celtic. Although Terry will be flashing the green and white for the first time along with the rookies, he will almost make positive contributions within a locker room that already has chemistry created by Garnett, Allen and Pierce.

If Allen returns, the Celtics would have to rotate Bradley, Allen and Terry. Allen would play his usual shooting guard position and Terry could serve as a scoring point guard if necessary, similar to Derrick Rose or Chris Paul — even if he's not as talented as those two. In other words, Terry could be the backup to Rondo, as well as Bradley and Allen. A bona fide backup point guard is something the Celtics really haven't had.

The Celtics like being an old team. According to Garnett, he likes being called old because he has the opportunity to prove that he can still play the game without a walker, wheelchair or cane. And as we saw in the Eastern Conference Finals last month, he — and the rest of the C's — can still play the game well. Terry might be aging, but he can still help win a championship.

Watch out, Miami. You may end up landing Allen, but Boston already landed JET. And he's going to fit in just fine.

Photo via Flickr/dannyb

FOX Sports is reportedly making a strong push to hire Andrews, who is best known for her work on ESPN’s College Gameday. Her contract expired at the end of June.

This is a sad day not just for ESPN, but for all of its viewers. College football fans welcomed Andrews into their homes on Saturdays for football coverage because she was, and still is, the best reporter on the sidelines.

She showed her appreciation for her career during every performance and this is a loss for ESPN. Andrews was a favorite to watch on ESPN not just because of how beautiful she is, but because she excelled at her job. When she co-hosted College Gameday with Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, people raved about these four and how entertaining they were on Gameday.

Andrews is always a dazzling star on the set and that sets her apart in the sports journalism industry. It is quite possible that many of ESPN’s viewers watch their programs just to see the 34-year-old Andrews.

Andrews, a graduate of the University of Florida, leaves a gap that ESPN has always tried to fill -– an attractive female sideline reporter. Jenn Brown, also a former Gator, appears to be the one who will be filling that gap.

It will be interesting to see if ESPN’s college football program ratings decline in the post-Andrews era. Will FOX Sports’ ratings sky rocket when Andrews officially joins them? We will only know this fall when Andrews’ daily on-air tenure with FOX begins. Yet again, ESPN isn’t suffering from this loss. Brown cannot fill the shoes of Andrews in the looks department, but she isn’t far off on her reporting.

Put very plainly, ESPN’s suffering a minor tear to the heart. While Andrews was the best sideline reporter for them during her time there and their numbers may decline, Brown is the best option to fill her spot. Brown, like Andrews, has the looks and the skill to do a great job for ESPN.

Photo via Flickr/Neon Tommy

That may be true, but putting an NFL team overseas is not a good idea.

First of all, we're talking about a six-hour flight one way for the Patriots and a 12-hour flight one way for West Coast teams like the Chargers, 49ers and Seahawks. When you add up the total travel time, especially for West Coast teams, it's a full day of travel for a 60-minute football game. That doesn't make much sense for a regular season contest.

It would certainly be great for American football to have a place in London, but not a team. If the Super Bowl could instead be hosted in London every year, that would be a special occasion and well worth the travel. Expensive? Yes. But well worth it.

On the contrary, would it be worth it for fans to continue traveling overseas for a regular season football game? With how much that would be spent on airfare and hotel stays, the actual cost of tickets would have to be really cheap, which likely wouldn't be the case. The luster of traveling there would also die down, and sitting on your comfy couch in your living room while watching the game on NFL Sunday Ticket — or whatever DIRECTV calls it these days — for a lot less sounds pretty nice.

It would still be great for London fans to get involved with American football on a weekly basis instead of just a few meaningless exhibition games or an annual regular season game, though, which makes playing the Super Bowl there an intriguing idea. If London fans knew The Big Game was rapidly approaching and that it was taking place on their turf, they may be more apt to follow the NFL consistently.

Also, while fans like to go see their team play on the road, London is a long haul for a weekend trip, meaning that putting a franchise there would take away from a potential city that could be easier to access. Plus, the five-hour time difference between London and the Eastern Time Zone creates a whole separate set of issues.

So Mr. Kraft, you are a great owner and a well-respected man, but you're way off in wanting to permanently put a franchise in London.

Harden and Ibaka were two keys to Oklahoma City's run to the NBA Finals this past season, but they are now both free agents. As restricted free agents, Oklahoma City has the chance to keep them, but should the Thunder lock up Harden and Ibaka? Just Harden? Ibaka?

The answer is yes — to both. General manager Scott Presti needs to keep Harden and Ibaka in Oklahoma City for many years to come.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were the two main guys who led the Thunder to the Finals, but although Durant and Westbrook are the leaders of the team, Harden and Ibaka were big contributors as well.

The Thunder, who had a great season and won the Western Conference, only fell short of beating the Heat because they were younger and more inexperienced. Dwyane Wade already won a championship with Miami in 2006 and played in the Finals last season. While LeBron James won his first championship this season, he had played in the Finals last season and in 2007 for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Thunder's Kendrick Perkins has some experience, winning a 2008 championship with the Celtics and appearing in the Finals in 2010, but Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka and Thabo Sefolosha haven't been there before.

The Thunder are in a good position right now to win a few titles in the next decade, but they need more time together to improve as a team. Presti needs to get Harden and Ibaka locked in before the season begins because, as we have seen with players like Dwight Howard, contract disputes can be a distraction during the regular season. Off-court problems are something a team does not need while pressing for a championship.

Although it may seem a bit strange to have urgency to sign a player who comes off the bench, Harden would unquestionably be a starting shooting guard on any other team. He just falls into the sixth man spot because of Oklahoma City's personnel choices.

As a bench player, Harden still averaged 31.4 minutes per game last season and just under 17 points a game. Anyone would say that ain't too shabby.

Ibaka, who starts with Westbrook, Sefolosha, Durant and Perkins, had a good season for someone who is still young and trying to establish his mark as one of the league's best defenders. He averaged 9.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and just under four blocks a game.

For Oklahoma City, the priority should be to keep Harden and Ibaka, because they were essential to the team that was best in the Western Conference. The Heat and Thunder are the two best teams in the NBA, and we may see something like what happened when the Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers squared off in seven NBA Finals series from 1959-69 with the Heat and Thunder — if Harden and Ibaka return.

When teams in any sport win a championship or come up just short like the Thunder did, why make a change if you don't have to? Clearly, the team is good enough to do it again, so it's not worth the risks of letting key players go. So go ahead, OKC — bring back Harden and Ibaka sooner rather than later.

James Harden photo via Flickr/Keith Allison

The Huskies were looking to defend their 2011 NCAA title post-Kemba Walker era but couldn't get past Iowa State in the first round of this year's tournament, ending their postseason on a sour note in the first round. What they didn't know at the time, however, was that it would be their last March Madness game for a while, seeing as they won't be on the big stage until 2014 again at the earliest.

Poor academic performance among the team has prompted the NCAA to suspend Jim Calhoun's squad from the 2013 men's tournament. The suspension is a result of UConn's low scores on the Academic Progress Rate.

UConn is a prestigious university and has a reputation to uphold when it comes to academics. Maybe last season's squad didn't make schoolwork such a priority or maybe they were so focused on defending their title. Whatever their reason is, it's a bad one because they fully deserve this suspension.

The University of Connecticut is an academic institution before anything else. The athletes don't just represent the athletic department, but they are a reflection on the university in all areas, and that includes academics. However, those involved in the program appear to be operating with the belief that basketball is all that matters.

The truth remains that this belief is wrong. Student-athletes have a job other than to play basketball, even though it may appear otherwise at times. The master narrative might be that student athletes only care about their sports and don't put an hour of effort into their studies, which may be the case at some schools and with some student athletes, but it's not always the case. UConn is a university built on high standards for their students and preparation to achieve success.

In order to achieve success, though, one must have the mental and physical strength to balance priorities. Some student athletes might have a hard time balancing their schoolwork with practices, travel and games. In that situation, it is the university's responsibility to help make sure such athletic suspensions do not happen.

We don't know the whole story in this case. If UConn did what they could to prevent this problem by providing better assistance to at-risk players, this punishment is on the players. If UConn did not provide any extra help for their struggling students, the suspension is on the university. Regardless, someone screwed up in a big way. 

The men's basketball program at UConn is one of the best in the nation, led by the legendary Calhoun. While it's a shame that this had to happen, and even though the school is expected to ask for a review of the case, the decision is not likely to change.

Dan Gavitt, an associate commissioner in the Big East conference, expressed his disappointment in this because of what it means for the rest of the conference.

"Any team that's ineligible would be a huge loss to the tournament, particularly a program like Connecticut," Gavitt said.

This punishment changes the whole nature of the tournament. It's unlikely that will change the nature of regular season play because it would be ridiculous if UConn didn't have the same work ethic despite knowing no matter how well they perform, they won't be in the tournament. 

It's unfortunate that UConn's national championship team is now tarnished somewhat. But it's important to note that key members of that 2010-11 team like Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier did not play a role in this. Want to point fingers? Look at the likes of Walker, Alex Oriakhi and other members of the 2008-09 team to find the real culprits.

Last season during a game in Connecticut against Syracuse, a fan held up a sign that read, 'Fab Melo failed Spanish.' It's pretty apparent, though, that it was UConn's players who were failing more than just Spanish to find themselves in this situation.

For the past half decade, Kobe Bryant and James were arguably the two best players in the NBA. Some believed Bryant was number one and James number two, or vice versa. Some probably believed Derrick Rose deserved to be in that conversation as well. But recently, Durant has become a viable answer to the question ‘who is the best player in the league?’

With a Heat vs. Thunder Finals matchup slated to begin on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, we wonder who is the better player to have. It’s Kevin Durant. It’s not just his play on the court that makes him such a top flight player, but it is how he conducts himself as a teammate off the court, as well.

James has all these endorsements and is a pop culture figure along with being this season’s MVP. He’s still a great player, one of the best all time, no doubt about it. He is a better player than Durant on the defensive end of the court, whereas Durant’s defense isn’t his strong suit. However, players who are not a public distraction tend to be less self-centered and more team-oriented.

A star player’s job is to make those around him better and every player should know that. James might not. When he chose to take his talents to South Beach, he joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Wade was the star on Miami and Bosh with the Raptors. When Shaquille O’Neal left the Heat, Wade was the lone man to run that team. Bosh was always the go-to man north of the border.

James, Wade and Bosh came together to run the Heat believing they would lead the team to multiple championships together as a group. These are three all-stars who came together to form the most experienced trio in modern day basketball and the Thunder have done the same thing but in different fashion.

Oklahoma City (then the Seattle SuperSonics) drafted Durant and Russell Westbrook. The Thunder drafted James Harden in 2009. OKC’s Big Three have worked together to become great, while James went from ‘Witness’ to ‘Quitness’ when he ditched his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for Miami. Durant is clearly the leader of that trio and has taught younger, inexperienced players how to contribute. Players like Serge Ibaka and even Harden have only been in the league for two full seasons.

James is the better player, but Durant isn’t as self-centered. Durant wants to help people work with him to be great. When he was drafted and had a great first season, he didn’t demand trades to play with better players. He waited. He was hoping to establish his own great team and that’s what he has done. On the other hand, James couldn’t wait. He was tired of losing in the playoffs and had to win a championship.

LeBron might be a better player because he has the skills on offensive and defensive sides of the ball, but Durant is more of a team player and tries to include everyone in the offense to make one great team of 15 guys instead of James, who, along with Wade and Bosh, tried to create a great team of three.

Selfish much? Edge goes to Durant.  

At first pitch on Saturday, the first place Nationals — as surprising as it may be — had the second best record in the majors only behind the NL West-leading Dodgers. This sudden success didn't just happen overnight. The front office, especially general manager Mike Rizzo, had to spend millions of dollars to improve the pitching staff.

They are a young team — a very young team. All-Star pitcher Gio Gonzalez, who was traded to Washington this offseason, is 26 years old. Stephen Strasburg, the number one overall pick in the 2009 draft, is 23. These are the two aces atop the rotation for the Nationals. They are both very talented and have been very impressive during performances against the Red Sox in this weekend's series.

That's just the pitching side of things. They have had some big names on their roster since they relocated to the nation’s capital in 2005. Alfonso Soriano, Livan Hernandez, Christian Guzman, Adam Dunn, Josh Willingham and Jayson Werth have all worn the red and white curly W jersey, but it's the new version of the Nationals that might lead them back to the postseason.

It's hard to find a shortstop with superstar offensive skills these days and most teams are settling for what they have, even if it isn't good. Washington has a very solid offensive and defensive shortstop in Ian Desmond. The 26-year-old is hitting .263 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs.

Shortstop is no easy position to play, but Desmond does an exceptional job and defense is essential to the team's success. Washington's .985 fielding percentage is third best in the NL and they have made highlight plays during the first two games of their set against the Red Sox. Most notably, Xavier Nady robbed Adrian Gonzalez of a home run in the third inning of Friday's game.

One cannot discuss the National's postseason hopes without mentioning teen outfield sensation Bryce Harper. The Las Vegas native has performed as expected, perhaps better, since his April 28 call-up from Triple-A Syracuse. Entering Saturday’s play, the 19-year-old is hitting .282 with six homers and 17 RBIs. He has been the talk of baseball on days and nights when no perfect games or no-hitters were thrown.

Harper may be one of baseball's more exciting players to watch, and if he can keep his average near the .300 mark and not get too over-confident — which he is known to do from time-to-time — he could be a key contributor to a potential playoff team.

Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has led the team in almost every offensive category for the past few seasons and so far this season, he has performed far below expectations. He's hitting .251 with only three home runs. He has to be very unfamiliar with those numbers after being a near .300 hitter for most of his career and averaging nearly 25 homers. To secure a spot in the postseason, he has to contribute more to this team.

We'll just have to wait and see how they finish, but there is no reason to assume this club will fail again. If they can stay healthy and their young phenoms can play like veterans, they have a very legitimate shot at impressing the baseball world. Don't sleep on these guys. After all, they just sent the Red Sox back to the below .500 mark.

New York Mets ace Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter in team history on Friday night against the defending world champion St. Louis Cardinals. Santana, who was nothing but stellar during his tenure with the Minnesota Twins, gave baseball fans a glimpse back at how dominant he used to be and how effective his changeup still is.

The southpaw walked five redbirds and struck out eight on his way to the no-no. Santana is still electric, as everyone saw Friday. Despite the five walks, he showed the baseball world that he can still compete. Despite being 33 years old and missing the entire 2011 season because of shoulder surgery, he threw 134 pitches and earned the nickname "No-Han."

Although video can prove that third base umpire Adrian Johnson's sixth inning foul call was clearly wrong and Carlos Beltran should have been credited with breaking up the no-no, the main question from the night was Santana's health. He has had shoulder problems in the past, so was 134 pitches too much? There comes a time when the coaching staff, most importantly the manager, need to consider what is best for the pitcher.

Approaching 100 pitches is a sign that the pitcher is probably at his limit for the night. Throwing 110 pitches is only done under special circumstances. If the bullpen is tired or has been struggling, the starter may be asked to go towards 110, but it's rare. A total of 134, though, is unquestionably a lot of pitches, especially for a guy who has a thick medical folder like Santana.

Yes, Santana had a no-hitter. Yes, it's exciting because it has never been done in Mets history. But there comes a time when the future health of a pitcher needs to be considered. What if Santana tweaked something in his shoulder or elbow during the start but didn't want to say anything? If that were the case, throwing more pitches and aggravating the affected area could lead to long-term problems or future injury.

Mets manager Terry Collins had confidence in his ace, no question. He probably thought about pulling him from time to time as Santana climbed over 100 pitches. Managers have a very difficult job and have to make decisions that not only impact the outcome of the game but also affect the health of their players. The first priority is to win but to do it without causing long-term injury to a star pitcher.

Collins told ESPN.com that he knew it was a difficult decision to make, but the immediate outcome was special.

"I'm very excited for him, but in five days, if his arm is bothering him, I'm not going to feel very good," Collins said.

These situations bring pressure. Fans are excited, it’s major league history and the pitcher is trying to accomplish one of baseball's biggest feats. Santana is a great pitcher, and there are other great pitchers out there trying to achieve the same accomplishment. But there are times when the player's long-term health could be a problem because of one game that leads to team problems deeper in the season.

But here we are, one-third of the way through the season, and Major League Baseball has a different look and feel to it.

For the last three to five seasons, the standings in the American League East have been predictable. The Yankees, Red Sox and Rays have been fighting for playoff spots, and only two would make it. In 2010 and 2011, the Red Sox were the ones hitting the golf courses early.

This season has been different. We often forget that the Orioles and Blue Jays are in the division because, well, they haven't been a postseason threat while Boston, New York and Tampa Bay have been dominating the standings. But this year, the first two months have seen the Red Sox and the Bronx Bombers at the bottom and the O's leading the pack at the top, tied for the best record in the American League with — who else? — Josh "Triple Crown-bound" Hamilton and the Texas Rangers.

This isn't so much a disappointment, but a surprise. Who would have expected the Orioles to be first in the AL East? Center fielder Adam Jones probably did, seeing as he leads the team in batting average, home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage and hits. Those numbers got him a six-year, $85.5 million contract extension on Sunday.

The Angels made what was probably the biggest splash in the free agent pool this past offseason when they signed future hall of famer Albert Pujols to a 10-year, $240 million contract. Although he is beginning to heat up for the Halos, Pujols was off to a horrific start — so bad that Angels fans were booing him. Pujols went 139 at-bats without a home run to start the season. He now has seven but is still hitting well below .300.

This isn't a disappointment, but it has to make one ponder whether the Angels will be playing October baseball or not. One thing is for certain: They will have to catch up to the Rangers and their lineup of sluggers and rotation of aces.

How about the Detroit Tigers? They took the second-best slugger off the free agent market in Prince Fielder. The home run king in 2007 with Milwaukee hit 50 home runs that year. It's not that he has been bad this far, but he has hit seven home runs to this point, and you'd think that number would be higher.

Miguel Cabrera's power numbers are down as well. While he has 37 RBIs, Cabrera has only managed to hit a disappointing eight homers.The Tigers were thought to be the most exciting team in the American League and definitely a favorite to represent the American League in the World Series, but they sit two games below .500 and third in the AL Central. It's too bad for Tigers fans, because they were expecting Cabrera and Fielder to smack 450-foot homers out of Comerica Park, but instead, they see their team four games behind the Cleveland Indians.

Giants' ace Tim Lincecum is losing his title of "freak." The commander of this pitching staff is 2-5 and has an ERA of 6.41. The two-time Cy Young  award winner can't seem to get a win and can't seem to get hitters out. San Francisco is one game above .500, and if the Giants want to have any chance of catching up to the NL West-leading Dodgers, Lincecum will have to turn things around and lead that staff back to what took them to a World Series title in 2010.

Yes, it is early. Yes, the All-Star break is still six weeks away, and there will be two and a half more months of baseball, but these disappointments and surprises could continue. They could turn around, but they could get worse for teams that were expecting another great year to just come to them, too. Right?

That's what is unique about the second to last week in May and pretty much all of June. It is a chance to watch the Red Sox play an opponent different from the Rays, Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles and other American League teams.

The old warehouse in right field at Camden Yards in Baltimore is a common sight, and those catwalks in Tampa Bay are literally "in the way." That's why it's nice to see the ivy-covered wall in the outfield at Wrigley Field in Chicago or the Brewers mascot zipping down the slide in left field after Milwaukee hits a home run.

Interleague also offers the chance for some of baseball's best players to face each other more often. For the Red Sox, that means the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park in a weekend series from June 8-10. The Nationals have two young phenoms in pitcher Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper.

Harper has been the talk of baseball since he was called up from Triple-A Syracuse and made his major league debut on April 28 against the Dodgers. He will take his swings against the Red Sox in just about three weeks.

The Sox will also play the new-look Miami Marlins, who have a brand-new ballpark and a roster stacked with free agent signees such as Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell.

But not all parts of interleague play are great. The most obvious drawback is that, when American League teams visit National League parks, they lose the benefit of the designated hitter.

American League managers are faced with potential game-changing decisions, like the ones Bobby Valentine dealt with when deciding whether to play David Ortiz and where Adrian Gonzalez would have to go with Ortiz in the lineup.

American League pitchers also can get extra trouble from interleague situations. They have enough medical concerns with their shoulders, backs, elbows, hands and arms. When they're forced to bat in National League parks, they are more prone to injury in the batter's box or on the basepaths.

Take Clay Buchholz, for example. During a game against the Giants in San Francisco in 2010, Buchholz hyperextended his left knee advancing to second base after recording his first major league hit, a single. He was sidelined for about a month of the season.

Remember when Bartolo Colon hurt his back swinging for the fences against the Phillies in 2008? And wasn't it somewhat humorous to see Daisuke Matsuzaka taking his cuts at the plate?

Interleague play has its pluses and minuses. Seeing games played at the National League's beautiful and unique ballparks, and watching its marquee players season-round, is enjoyable.

But, given the loss of the designated hitter and the fear of American League pitchers injuring themselves, interleague is fine for the time it lasts.