Clemens AP

The Good ... Roger Clemens (11-1, 3.59) is on his way to a sixth Cy Young, Andy Pettitte (8-4, 2.95) and Mike Mussina (9-7, 3.55) back him up and Mariano Rivera (26 saves, 2.32) still is the best closer around. And with Bernie Williams (.323, 14 HRs, 48 RBIs) on fire and a team that leads the AL in stolen bases, this is a team that can score some runs.

The Bad ... Owner George Steinbrenner has ripped veterans like Paul O'Neill (.260, 11, 41), Derek Jeter (.292, 7, 39) and David Justice (.246, 10, 30) for their slow first halves. Which begs the question: Is O'Neill over the hill? What about Justice? And will the Yankees trade Chuck Knoblauch?.

The Rest ... The Yanks could win the East, and maybe their fourth straight World Series, with their current roster. But The Boss is never one to sit still (see Jay Witasick, Mark Wohlers). That calls into play the always steady hand of manager Joe Torre, who already has said he'll go with who is hot, rather than who has been around. Are you listening, Paulie?  

Ramirez AP

The Good ... Manny Ramirez (.333, 25, 82) may be the most dangerous hitter on the planet. Pedro Martinez (7-6, 2.26) is the most dangerous pitcher -- at least when he's healthy. Even when he's not, the Red Sox have Hideo Nomo (7-4, 3.97) and Tim Wakefield (5-2, 2.38) as part of the best staff in the league. Dante Bichette (.342, 7, 29) is solid.

The Bad ... Injuries and in fighting could disappoint the Red Sox Nation once again. Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra (wrist) still is not ready. Carl Everett (.284, 9, 42) is gimpy. Catcher Jason Varitek is out. That Pedro guy is having shoulder problems again. And manager Jimy Williams and GM Dan Duquette don't speak. It's a mess.

The Rest ... It's amazing the Red Sox have made it this far. Only this week were they knocked out of first. But they are a team ready to implode. If Martinez is out for an extended period, or Garciaparra doesn't make it back till August, or Duquette finally cans Williams, or a big bopper goes down, the curse will remain alive.  

Conine AP

The Good ... Veteran Jeff Conine (.322, 9, 46) has sparked the team's offense, such as it is. Youngsters have pushed the O's to a better-than-expected first half, especially on the mound. Josh Towers (6-2, 2.17), Jason Johnson (7-5, 3.41) and Sidney Ponson (5-5, 4.03) all could be forces in the not-too-distant future.

The Bad ... No hitting and no power have doomed the O's. They are 13th in the league in home runs (74 in 82 games), which makes their 13th-place spot in slugging percentage (.389) no surprise. With a young pitching staff, that just doesn't cut it. Aging Brady Anderson (.206, 6, 26) and Mike Bordick (.249, 7, 30) aren't showing the kids a thing.

The Rest ... Conine has played so well that the O's are inclined not to trade him now -- unless, that is, they get a blow-'em-away offer that would help them in the future. The future, of course, is what the Orioles have to think of now. They don't have the firepower to stick in the second half with the likes of Boston and New York.  

Stewart Ronald Martinez/Allsport

The Good ... Shannon Stewart (.321, 6, 35) is a terror, as is hard-playing Raul Mondesi (.283, 16, 47). And there's always Carlos Delgado (.250, 22, 54). Reliever Paul Quantrill (7-1, 1.91) is an All-Star, and the Jays have somehow cobbled together a mediocre -- and that's good, from these parts -- pitching staff.

The Bad ... Underachieving? Well, yeah. The Jays are 20-26 at home, 11 under .500 in May and June and had lost four straight as of July 3. Pitching is a question -- starter Chris Michalak hasn't won since May 26 -- but the offense has been what's strange. Toronto has been shut out five times. They were blanked only four times all last year.

The Rest ... Rookie manager Buck Martinez already has threatened to shake things up. The move doesn't seem far off now. A good start (16-9 in April) has been followed by two horrible months. The Jays won't play with the free-agent big boys, but they could start looking for youngsters in some trades.  

Kennedy AP

The Good ... Hey, there is some. Fred McGriff (.326, 14, 48) and Greg Vaughn (.248, 20, 57), for two. And young pitcher Joe Kennedy (3-1, 4.01) has the look of a future staff ace. There's lots of young talent in the team's minor league system, too. OK, so maybe we're starting to reach a little bit.

The Bad ... No fans, threats of contraction, a change in managers, awful hitting, awful pitching, the worst-fielding team in the league, zero power (69 homers in 83 games), the worst road record in baseball (10-32). We could go on but, really, you get the picture.

The Rest ... The managerial switch from Larry Rothschild to Hal McRae has not been the answer (Rothschild was 4-10, McRae 21-48), but no one expected it to be, really. The Rays are a team banking on its youth, which means they don't figure to be major players in the trade market this month. But wait 'til 2004!