MLB

The Minnesota Twins' process of rebuilding their farm system will take another giant step next week when Major League Baseball conducts it's annual June amateur entry draft.

A year ago, the Twins hit on many of their picks as Byron Buxton, Adam Brett Walker and D.J. Baxendale have had tremendous seasons in the lower levels of the Twins' system.

In order for the team to turn around its fortunes at the major league level, it will need to have a similar draft to provide hope and depth at several positions of need.

The April 15 Boston Marathon bombings claimed the lives of three and injured several hundred more, but they also united America in a way that tragedies—and the resulting compassion and heroism—only can.

Some heroes go unrecognized, but there are special moments when a hero is both lauded for his or her courage and reunited with life forever changed by that act of bravery.

Buster Posey, Buster Olney and Buster Bluth from Arrested Development are all pretty successful Busters. Even Buster Brown, both the comic strip and the musician varieties, are on the list of top Busters. They are not on the list of busts, which is nothing like being a Buster.

A bust is simply defined as something or someone that had high expectations put upon them and did not meet those marks.

We’ve all been a bust once in twice in our lives, right?

Back in 1996, the New York Yankees were on the verge of something big.

The club, of course, would go on to win the World Series that year and then three of the next four. At the heart of those title-winning teams? Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera.

Not even Miguel Cabrera can will every ground ball he hits past the fielders, and even Justin Upton needs to hope for a long fly ball to sneak over the fence now and again.

What do they have in common? Not much aside from the fact that they're hitters. Relying on luck is something that every hitter does to some degree. 

As earlier announced, Nick Franklin has been called up from Triple-A Tacoma to replace a struggling Dustin Ackley at second base for the Mariners.

With the downfall of the PED era, Major League Baseball has become more of a pitcher's league.

From starters to relievers, there are multiple pitchers who can make hitters look like fools.

However, each hurler has his own special way of doing so—a go-to pitch that generates far more whiffs than wallops.

Teams in need of a shortstop in 2014—the A's, Cardinals, Mariners, Pirates, Tigers, Twins and Yankees are my early picks—will have slim pickings on the free-agent market next offseason with Stephen Drew and Jhonny Peralta the best of the bunch.

The New York Yankees and New York Mets battle for back-page press on a daily basis and share one of the most intense rivalries in Major League Baseball, but it seems both sides are willing to put aside their differences for the purpose of recognizing history.   

Like Democrat or Republican or Star Trek or Star Wars, American League or National League is one of those furious debates. Ask it out loud in a room full of people, and there will be raised voices.

Goodness knows we all have our biases when it comes to the AL vs. NL debate. In the interest of full disclosure, I know I do. I used to live in New England and now live about 20 minutes outside of Oakland, so I've never really had a choice but to be an American League guy. It's in my blood.