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North: Baseball's wild-card race keeps things interesting

Let me start by saying I hope everyone has a great Fourth of July weekend.

And now, on to America's pastime …

We have had a very interesting start to the Major League Baseball season. It's a good thing the wild-card format exists because too many races would be over. Most of the divisions, not all, are decided already.

Oh sure, it's early, but the standings on the Fourth of July might still be in place come late September and October.

In the American League, the Baltimore Orioles are getting it done in the East with nary a name pitcher to be found on the roster and Chris Tillman leading the way at 10-1.

Their lineup, anchored by Adam Jones and Manny Machado, with power supplied by Chris Davis, was holding a 5 ½ game lead on Boston and Toronto going into Thursday.

In the Central Division, the Cleveland Indians look like a championship-caliber team. They had won 12 straight entering Thursday's action and had a 6-game lead over the World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

Detroit is in third while the Chicago White Sox, who had a great April, but a brutal May are playing about .500 ball right now.

It will take Cleveland to slow down and the Sox to have another April-like run if they want to contend.

Another division that looks decided is the American League West. The Texas Rangers were 9 games up over Houston entering Thursday, so there are no tight division races in the American League as of this moment.

In the National League, the Washington Nationals led the East by 5 ½ games to start Thursday.

Now that's really only one or two weeks of baseball, but can Miami catch them? I don't think so, but they are a much improved team.

Then there are our Cubs. That's right, our Cubs leading the NL Central.

The other day someone tweeted me @north2north saying, “I thought you were a Sox fan, are you jumping on the Cubs bandwagon?”

I responded, “ I am and I am …”

Listen, everyone in my family from my mother to my aunts and uncles to cousins are Cubs fans.

Let's hope that the Cubs, who own the division, can actually pull off a World Series victory so the whole city can rejoice like it did for the White Sox in 2005.

Last but not least in the NL West, the San Francisco Giants led the Los Angeles Dodgers by 6 games to start Thursday.

Like I said, not really many races in doubt at this point.

Anyway, have fun and be safe this holiday weekend. And go Cubs and Sox!

Program notes:

Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.

• North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.

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