More than a feeling:

So it’s the half way mark of the baseball season and we here at Peanuts from Heaven are full of...oh, what’s the word....cautious optimism? optimistic caution? gas? Is it gas? It’s probably gas...

Oh no, wait I recognize this feeling. It’s the slow realization that we’re in for (yet another) barn burner of a second half. Once again the teams in Detroit Rock City and Deep Dish Pizza-ville stubbornly refuse to let us win...no matter how many cookies we send to their residents, or pictures of sad puppies we post to make them feel guilty.

This isn’t a bad thing I suppose, exciting baseball beats boring baseball any day of the weak. The only problem is that it really seemed like we might just cruise through the season this year, what with that whole kick-ass start to the season, and the actual victories over the Yankees...we might have been looking too far ahead, we admit it, but well, you’ve got to admit, it would have been nice to just have an easy year for once.

Instead we’re back where we’ve so often been, nipping at the heels of a couple other teams hoping that the breaks go our way in the second half. Now sure, there are statistics to support us. Odds are Joe will come back into form, and the pitching will regain its stuff, and Bill Smith will pick up one solid piece to help lead the charge towards October. And we could trot out all kinds of stats, like the fact that we’ve faced more teams over .500 than the Tigers or White Sox...and will, therefore, have a slightly easier road ahead.

But instead of, you know, rational logic, let’s do what we peanuts do best: Daydream!

In our magical imaginary 2nd half, Delmon Young will continue to confirm my man-crush and Nick Blackburn will once again use baked goods to combat the forces of evil and Gardy will once--at least once--push a merry little wheelbarrow out to collect Jesse Crain before Ze Ubermensch does too much damage to our leads. Also, the Tigers will trade Austin Jackson to the Red Wings (fast on grass, faster on ice!) and Ozzie Guillen’s new reality show will get a surprise twist when Flavor Flav becomes the team’s new GM. These distractions will beget our newest October fantasy: two whole wins against the Yankees!

Dare to dream little legumes, dare to dream.

Smelly