While I was away...

Before I begin, I owe you an appology for my extended abscence from this space. I have not posted in far too long, for a myriad of reasons, some of which we'll get to during this column today.

Despite my hiatus I want you to know that I will absolutely make a more concerted effort to post. After all, there are at least three people who anxiously anticipate a daily Pressbox update.

In an effort to prove my newfound dedication, I'm playing hurt today. I'm reasonably certain I have come down with a nasty case of bronchitis. I am usually good for one nasty bout with bronchitis each year, usually during the winter. I guess that's what I get for doing those bong hits in the Max & Erma's freezer.

I really should go to the doctor; too bad I'm one of the approximately 46 million Americans without health insurance.

Speaking of Uncle Max, though...

I had an epiphany during another brutal shift and quit my job Sunday afternoon. It was both invigorating and completely horrifying at the exact same time. On the one hand, serving overpriced food to ungrateful patrons had absolutely run its course. On the other hand, the bills won't stop rolling in just because the money does.

I guess it's a good thing I have a sugar momma.

Obviously, I don't mean (all) of that. No, really though, Kate is totally cool. She even has her own blog now, too.

www.cooking-with-kate.blogspot.com

OK, let's get to the sports.

Pennant races are heating up and football season is right around the corner. Other than the second week of March during March Madness and spring training, this is the best time of the year.

Just because My Favorite Baseball Team has totally collapsed does not mean my interest in baseball has at all subsided. There are still a ton of cool stories out there and they should be embraced.

So, if you're an Indians fan, Pirates fan, Royals fan, Nationals fan, Orioles fan, Padres fan or Reds fan I'm going to toss out three stories to keep an eye on as September draws near and the playoffs loom.

The NL Wild Card: This is a fascinating race that could very well end up going to down to the last week of the regular season. The Rockies were done like dinner six weeks into the regular season as they floundered near the bottom of the NL West and fired manager Clint Hurdle. Since then the Rockies have caught fire a la 2007 when they steamrolled all the way into the Fall Classic.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants have overachieved all season long and have embodied everything I hoped to see out of the Reds this season. That is, a suspect offense carried by a dominant pitching staff, a solid 'pen and a bonified closer to finish games. Unlike the Reds, of course, the Giants offense has been better than advertised and its pitching staff has not been rot with injuries. Furthermore, nice acquisitions like Freddie Sanchez and Ryan Garko could very well end up paying huge dividends down the stretch.

While much of the attention has gone to the Giants and Rockies the Marlins and Braves continue to stay in the hunt, doing just enough to stick around long enough for a possible September run.

The Boston Red Sox: Not that I want to give the Boston Red Sox any more attention than the major media outlets already pay them, but this team truly is a fascinating storyline down the stretch--especially if it ends up folding like a cheap lawn chair on sale at Target.

I'm positively embarassed to admit this, but 10 years ago the Red Sox were my favorite American League team. They were consumate underachievers and perenial underdogs, I related to them in this way. That is simply not the case anymore. The team won the World Series and almost immediately became a cliche. Now, they spend as much money as the Yankees and the fan base is twice as obnoxious.

That said, the fact that the Red Sox were swept last weekend at Yankee Stadium amused me. What really got me going, though, was the group therapy session that commenced in Beantown lacking only cyanide-laced fruit punch.

I believe a Red-soxless post-season would knock Red Sox Nation down a peg or two...maybe. But, that's not even the point. The point is that sometimes it's nice to see some fresh faces in October. In this case, the Texas Rangers, who trail Boston by only a game-and-a-half in the chase for the American League Wild Card.

The National League Central: A month or so ago there were four teams right in the hunt for the NL Central crown. Now, there are only two. The St. Louis Cardinals lead the Chicago Cubs by three games and thanks to a couple savvy July trades have put themselves in prime position to claim the division title. There can be little question the Cardinals have the offense required to make an October run, but the starting pitching may not be deep enough to support the potent attack.

On the other hand, the Cubs boast some of the best starting pitching in all of baseball, but the fact of the matter is that the offense may not be consist enough to catch the front-running Cardinals down the stretch.

Maybe, just maybe, the pain of watching your favorite baseball team completely fall from contention has been too burdensome and you simply cannot watch any more baseball until the World Series. If that is the case, I can hardly blame you.

As a result, tomorrow will begin a week's worth of football previews as we gear up for gridiron season.

Before I go, I'll leave you with one question in an effort to compel you to come back tomorrow for the answer: Which number will be higher this upcoming NFL season, the number of victories for the Detroit Lions or the number of Cincinnati Bengals arrested?