We've seen it throughout the years, as teams encounter difficult decisions, when long-serving veterans and fan-favorites enter the inevitable, athletic decline phase of their careers.

No one can escape the clutches of the dreaded father time, when a player's body simply cannot do the same things that it could during the prime of his youth. Maybe it's the eyesight, maybe the legs feel heavier and the footwork slower, the hands a tick behind Major League fastballs.

Fans haven't been hesitant to point to the player or the plan that keeps the San Francisco Giants from soaring to the top of the NL West and well past the field in the wild-card race.

As it turns out, though, most things that fans insisted the Giants do to get things going have been done and things haven't gone very well at all in the last month. The club is on the verge of falling out of the division race and has to keep pace with the Philadelphia Phillies, a tall order, to win the Wild Card.

The New York Yankees have a situation. And it is pretty simple to know what the situation is regarding: the AL East.

The Yankees goal is to win the division, but the Tampa Bay Rays are standing in the way. The Rays have kept pace with New York and vice versa, as both teams are tied for first place.

The Yankees need to get in sync and end this awful August run.

A turn-around by AJ Burnett, who is taking a lot of blame, is not the main issue.

The Pittsburgh Pirates won only five games in the season series against Milwaukee in 2010. That's the same as in 2009, and either result is better than the sole win in 2008.

But this year, the Pirates showed signs of building a base for better success against the Brewers in the future.

For someone with children eager to learn about the complexities of baseball, this Reds team is a dream come true.  My five-year-old son, who can rake by the way, constantly says, "Tell me more about baseball!" each time we watch a game whether it be on television or at Great American Ball Park.  Like most kids, he loves home runs, but is also interested in the intricacies of the game.

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the Reds plan to call up Aroldis Chapman either today or tomorrow.  That should help the mid-week ticket sales.

As I have gotten older, my views of the Reds have become more objective.  I can find fault with the team and logically investigate ways in which they can improve.  

The Reds' representation on blogs and social networking sites has really exploded over the last year.  Some people are fanatical, which is great.  Others, including myself, love and support the Reds as much as anyone, but also try to mix in an analytical approach to following the team.

According to a number of media outlets, including ESPN, MLB Network and SI, the Los Angeles Dodgers will send Manny Ramirez to the Chicago White Sox on Monday as a straight waiver claim, receiving zero compensation for the outfielder.

The White Sox will be responsible for nearly four million dollars in salary and deferred money due Ramirez, according to SI late Sunday night.

Washington Nationals fans were able to see their phenom Stephen Strasburg blow his arm out very early this year. Cincinnati Reds fans have been patient, and their phenom from Cuba may join the Major League baseball club on either Monday or Tuesday, according to a source close to Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan. 

This goes against the popular belief that Chapman would bring his 105 mph fastball to the Reds on or after September 1st. But joining the team before September 1st would make him playoff eligible. 

Very late last night the Los Angeles Angels had their catcher, Mike Napoli, claimed by an unknown team. There were several teams in the hunt for a catcher, but in the end ESPN's Joe McDonald revealed that it was the Boston Red Sox that won the Mike Napoli sweepstakes. 

The Angeles gave the Red Sox a time frame until Monday for them to workout a deal. , McDonald added that the Red Sox will probably not want to complete a deal.