MLB

Baseball's best franchise is about to be tested.

1. Can’t anybody here understand this game?

Here comes the baseball, zinging through the summer air.

Here comes the baserunner, streaking around third and steaming home.

Here goes the catcher, setting up to take the throw for a close play at the plate.

Right here is where it sure would be nice if everybody understood the rules, wouldn’t it?

Old traditions die hard in baseball, but it's to Major League Baseball's credit that it's been willing to kill off traditions that have outstayed their welcomes.

The Boston Red Sox should make plenty of noise on July 2, the first day of the 2014-2015 international signing period.

The international signing phase is always difficult for teams, as they have to evaluate whether a 16-year-old player is worth a multimillion-dollar bonus. These players aren't even old enough to graduate high school and have years of physical maturation ahead of them. Further, these players are much less seasoned than the pool of talent available in the domestic draft due to age and other factors.

The San Francisco Giants have experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows so far in 2014.

On June 8, they were a season-high 21 games over .500 with the best record in baseball but have since dropped 10 of 13. 

With so much baseball left to play, it is difficult to predict where the Giants will be in the NL West standings come September.

Will Angel Pagan stay healthy for the rest of the season? Can the Giants starting rotation turn it around? Who is the solution at second base?

If the Boston Red Sox intend to make a playoff push in the second half of the season, they'll likely need to go after some outside help.  Below is a shopping list that may come in handy for the Red Sox as the trade deadline approaches:

1. Offense
2. More offense

To say that Boston is "offensively challenged" would be an understatement.

It's about that time of year again.

In roughly one week, the Baltimore Orioles will have reached the mathematical halfway point in their schedule. Currently tied for second place in the AL East, the Orioles have shown that they're a strong, competitive team this season.

They've also had trouble stringing a long winning streak together and really making that push to the top of their division standings.

Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis entered Monday's action in need of a big hit in the worst way but in a lousy position to get one. It's not so easy to hit from the bench, you know.

Fortunately for Davis, baseball has that one rule that allows managers to use pinch hitters.

Perhaps caught up in World Cup fever, Major League Baseball has announced a move to a bracketed format for the 2014 Home Run Derby. 

With one out in the top of the sixth inning Monday night, Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Anthony Gose looked to track down a pop fly from Yankees shortstop Brendan Ryan and prevent a double or triple.