It’s hard to believe that the month of June is nearly behind us.

But here we are – just a few days away from turning the calendar over to July – and there have been all kinds of surprises in the National League. In the American League? Not so much.

In this week’s column, we’ll take a look at some of those surprises – and at some of the other gripes I have with the game. And, as usual, we’ll look at all of those things by examining yet another list of…

Ten Things I Just Don’t Know

1. I don’t know if anyone would have ever predicted that on June 26 the Milwaukee Brewers would be sitting on top of the National League Central with a comfortable 7 ½ game cushion. After all, this was a division that featured the defending World Series champions (currently seven games under .500 and 9 ½ games behind the Brewers)…the suddenly free-spending Chicago Cubs (currently three games under .500)…and the waiting-for-Rocket Houston Astros (currently eight games under .500 and 12 games behind Milwaukee – with Clemens now toiling for the Yankees.)

2. I don’t know why I didn’t pick the Brewers, now that I think about it. After all – I was smart enough to realize that the Cubs, Astros and Cardinals weren’t going to win the division in 2007. But my pre-season pick to win the NL Central? That’s right – the Cincinnati Reds…currently sporting a Major League-worst .382 winning percentage.

3. I don’t know if there are any surprises in the American League that would be on a par with either the Brewers or the surprising, youthful Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West. It seems to me that the American League this season is very similar to the American League in each of the last six or seven seasons. The Yankees’ early-season woes provided an interesting wrinkle, and the White Sox fall from grace has also been a fairly new storyline. But everything else? Just seems like more of the same.

4. I don’t know if enough can be said about the job that Bob Melvin has done with those Arizona Diamondbacks. Heading into Tuesday night’s play, the D-Backs held a slim, ½ game lead over the Dodgers in the division in spite of the fact they were hitting a dismal .251 as a team…Randy Johnson was on the disabled list with a bad back…and their 643 base hits were third-worst in the National League. So how have the Diamondbacks done it? Pitching. The D-Backs’ team earned run average heading into Tuesday night was just 3.85 (fourth-best in the National League) and their 544 strikeouts were good for third in the Senior Circuit.

5. I don’t know if this is going to make me sound like a grumpy old man, but just typing the words “Senior Circuit” in that last paragraph reminded me of how much I used to enjoy the All-Star Game as a kid. But now, the game has completely lost its meaning (the “Home Field” angle means nothing to me) and I actually dread the three-day break in the regular season schedule.

6. I don’t know, now that I mention it, that there’s anything that can be done at this point to restore the All-Star Game to its level of importance just a few decades ago. Let’s face it – part of the appeal was getting to see all of the game’s brightest stars play on the same night. But now, with the MLB Extra Innings package, I can see those very same stars play every single night. And the players themselves – thanks to free agency and the frequency with which they switch teams and leagues – have no allegiance to their league any more. I wouldn’t argue in favor of going back to the “pre-Internet/pre-satellite dark ages” by any stretch…but one of the unfortunate victims amidst all this progress was the game’s midsummer classic.

7. I don’t know if I even want to get started on the All-Star fan voting. I get too worked up about it every year and I’ve vowed to avoid writing about it this season. But seriously – nearly a million people have actually punched the name “Andruw Jones” on their ballot this year? And David Ortiz as the starting first baseman? If ever there were a game that should use the designated hitter, it would be the MLB All-Star Game. But hey, I said I wasn’t going to write about it…

8. I don’t know who’s going to wind up with all of the pieces, but the Chicago White Sox certainly have a number of interesting players they can market heading into this year’s trade deadline. Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, and Jermaine Dye could all be moved – and who knows, Kenny Williams may even have a surprise or two up his sleeve. I would not be surprised at all if the White Sox were the most active team in the trade market this summer…and I also wouldn’t be surprised if they acquired enough pieces to make a run at a division title in 2008.

9. I don’t know what the Baltimore Orioles have done to the baseball gods, but it seems like they just can’t get bad news these days without it coming in grand fashion. Two years ago, the team got off to a hot start, but then Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for steroids…Sammy Sosa disappeared…Sidney Ponson got arrested repeatedly…and the team fired manager Lee Mazzilli as it headed into a tailspin. So was it any surprise when last week’s news that manager Sam Perlozzo was fired was then followed almost immediately with a serious injury to shortstop Miguel Tejada?

10. I don’t have any idea, speaking of the Orioles, if Andy MacPhail has a better chance of working successfully with Peter Angelos than predecessors Pat Gillick, Frank Wren, Syd Thrift, Mike Flanagan, Jim Beattie, and Jim Duquette had. But if Angelos is truly serious this time about stepping back and letting MacPhail make the baseball decisions, one of the game’s great franchises could finally get back on track. But if Angelos reverts to his old ways…never mind – I don’t even want to think about it.

Have a question or comment for Jody? Drop him an email at jodymadron@sportsgrumblings.com.