A half-season full of surprises

As Major League Baseball passed 81 games, halfway to 162, a team which made the playoffs a year ago was on top of the AL East and a team from the Lone Star State led the AL West.

Only it was Tampa Bay, not the Yankees, and the Texas Rangers, not the Houston Astros, occupying those top spots. Wait, there’s more. There’s Baltimore chasing

Random Thoughts

Phil

blackwell

the Rays in the AL East, Miami the closest pursuer to Atlanta in the NL East, Arizona leading the NL West and San Francisco second, ahead of L.A. and San Diego. Cincinnati spent time atop the NL Central and St. Louis has spent most of the season in the cellar of that division.

Just like everyone predicted back in March.

Some might cringe at this

DEATH NOTICES

Marcia J. Mattice Lasinski, 54, of Cato, passed away June 17, 2023. The Bush Funeral Home of Elbridge has arrangements.

Robert T. Mantia, 77, of North Syracuse, passed away June 23, 2023. Fergerson Funeral Home, North Syracuse, has arrangements.

James J. Norman, Jr., 78, of Cicero, passed away June 27, 2023. Maurer Funeral Home Inc., upheaval, especially TV executive who keep putting the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets and Dodgers in prime viewing spots no matter what they’re doing while the better stories are elsewhere.

Yet if you’re a true baseball, you’re loving this. Optimism is everywhere when a season starts, but usually when summer rolls around that’s replaced by stark realism and a long slog toward the autumn.

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Liverpool, has arrangments.

Joyce Russo, 80, of Liverpool, passed away June 23, 2023. Maurer Funeral Home Inc., Liverpool, has arrangments.

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