Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig loved playing the parity card during the All-Star festivities in Anaheim, Calif.

And who can blame him?

Forget about any runaway division leads. The biggest in baseball is owned by the Texas Rangers at 4½ games.

Here's a look back at the first half of the baseball season:

Three Up1. The Rangers are for real: The Rangers are proof that distractions distract only if you let them. They haven't been deterred by manager Ron Washington's admission during spring training that he used cocaine last year. Uncertainty regarding the ownership situation hasn't either. Key offseason acquisitions Vladimir Guerrero, Colby Lewis and Darren Oliver have paid off. Texas also acquired the best available pitcher via trade in Cliff Lee. Rangers fans are hoping to party like it's 1999, the last year the team made the playoffs.

2. Pitching reigns supreme: The days of the overmedicated sluggers are long gone. There have already been a pair of perfect games (Roy Halladay, Dallas Braden) and a should-have been perfect game. Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez, Florida's Josh Johnson and Philadelphia's Halladay are making pitching a reason to come to the ballpark. Teams are winning with pitching, too, as the offensively inept Padres lead the National League West because of a major-league-leading ERA of 3.27.

3. The beasts are still in the East: There should be no question the best baseball is being played in the American League East. The Boston Red Sox are in third place in the East, but they would be leading the AL Central, AL West and the National League Central and tied atop the NL West. The defending world champion Yankees have the best record in baseball, but are being pushed by the Tampa Bay Rays, who trail by just two games and have the second-best record in the game.

Three Down1. The lovable losers aren't lovable: Chicago Cubs fans are used to their team being bad, but at least they were fun to watch. There's nothing fun about these Cubs. The lowlight was the dust-up that led to former ace Carlos Zambrano being suspended from the team. The only bright spots have been the play of Marlon Byrd and rookie Starlin Castro, as the Cubs very much resemble a bad, old team with a big payroll.

2. Umpire miscues: It's more than just Jim Joyce blowing a call that cost Detroit's Armando Galarraga a perfect game. The Rangers' Josh Hamilton was denied a home run when an umpiring crew refused to go to the replay booth. Umpires have become more confrontational, too. No one comes to a big-league game to watch an umpire, but they seem to be getting more involved in the game storylines.

3. Losses rain down in Seattle: The Mariners made a big push in the offseason to win the AL West, trading for Milton Bradley and Cliff Lee and then signing free agents Chone Figgins and Russell Branyan. Lee has already been traded, as the Mariners have gone into rebuilding mode. Figgins isn't hitting, and Bradley has already taken time off to deal with issues. The net result is last place in the West.

AL MVPOF Josh Hamilton, Texas: The case could also be made for Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, but when in doubt, look at the standings. The Rangers lead the West, thanks in large part to Hamilton's torrid June. And while Cabrera is a Triple Crown threat, so is Hamilton. Hamilton also has more hits and more total bases than Cabrera.

Other contenders: 1B Miguel Cabrera, Detroit; OF Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay; 1B Justin Morneau, Minnesota; 2B Robinson Cano, New York

AL Cy YoungLHP David Price, Tampa Bay: The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2007 starts the second half as the leader in ERA and is tied in victories. The All-Star Game starter has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 12 starts and has allowed more than three earned just once.

Other contenders: LHP CC Sabathia, New York; LHP Cliff Lee, Texas; LHP Jon Lester, Boston

AL RookieOF Brennan Boesch, Detroit: For a team loaded with offensive weapons, Boesch (12 homers, 49 RBIs) has fit right in. He's done that in just 65 games, giving him a shot at a 100 RBI season if he doesn't slow down in the second half.

Other contenders: RHP Neftali Feliz, Texas; OF Austin Jackson, Detroit

NL MVP1B Joey Votto, Cincinnati: It's still amazing that Votto had to go through the final fan vote just to make the All-Star team. All he's done is lead the Reds to first place in the Central Division. He's tied for the NL lead in homers and also has 60 RBIs. He's also third in the NL in total bases and runs scored.

Other contenders: 3B David Wright, New York; 1B Albert Pujols, St. Louis; 1B Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego; 2B Martin Prado, Atlanta

NL Cy Young

RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado: This may end up being the best race in baseball, just because of the depth. Jimenez has already thrown a no-hitter, leads the league in wins and is fifth in ERA. No starter allows fewer hits per game than Jimenez, either.

Other contenders: RHP Josh Johnson, Florida; RHP Roy Halladay, Philadelphia; RHP Adam Wainwright, St. Louis; RHP Mat Latos, San Diego

NL RookieLHP Jaime Garcia, St. Louis: The former Texas high schooler has sparkled after making just one start two years ago. His 2.17 ERA is the third best in the NL and he's already won eight games. Garcia is on pace to make more than 30 starts.

Other contenders: OF Jason Heyward, Atlanta; RHP Stephen Strasburg, Washington