As Major League Baseball heads toward its midway point, a few conclusions can be drawn from what has occurred in the 2005 campaign.

The Fourth of July is not only time to celebrate America’s 229th birthday, but also when tradition dictates the first place teams in baseball’s six divisions will be there come October.

The team with the best record in baseball is the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox. Ozzie Guillen has done a fabulous job with the Southsiders, and pitchers Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland have led the Chisox to a commanding lead over the Minnesota Twins.

The AL East will be a dogfight for the remainder of the season, but currently, the defending world champion Boston Red Sox are perched atop the division. The Baltimore Orioles have been slumping recently, but are in position to fight for the wild card with the Twins and others.

The Evil Empire, otherwise known as the New York Yankees, is struggling to remain above the .500 mark, but will likely be in the battle for the divisional lead and/or a wild card spot until the end. The young Toronto Blue Jays cannot be ruled out quite yet.

The awkwardly named Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have been pulling away from the surprising Texas Rangers in the AL West and appear to be on their way to another divisional title.

The most surprising team in baseball, the Washington Nationals, are in front in the NL East. The Nats will have to fend off the Atlanta Braves and Florida Marlins in the second half of the season. Whatever team finishes in second place in the division will likely be the NL wild card.

If the former Montreal Expos pull it off, they would have to be the biggest story in baseball this season.

Washington possesses a good balance of youth and experience, and Chad Cordero has been the top closer in the MLB the first half. If the Nationals can hold on and claim the title, it would be like rubbing salt in the wounds of the sorry Cincinnati Reds.

It has to sting Reds’ fans a bit with former Reds general manager Jim Bowden and field manager Frank Robinson leading the Nationals. Ex-Reds outfielder Jose Guillen and front office personnel Bob Boone and Barry Larkin strengthen Cincinnati’s connection to the nation’s capital.

The NL Central is almost a foregone conclusion with the St. Louis Cardinals on the verge of running away with the division.

The Chicago Cubs are their only pursuer, but are not likely to pose too much of a threat unless they can keep their starting pitchers healthy, i.e. Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, and find a reliable closer.

The Reds (as of this writing) are only 19 games behind the Cardinals and at times look worse than the 1962 Mets. It is possible they could lose over 100 games. Their atrocious road record of 7-28 is easily the worst in baseball. A complete revamping of the team from the top down is necessary.

The NL West will be contested between the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, but the young Padres have an edge in the pitching department and should prevail over the improved desert dwellers.

The 2005 World Series may be a rematch of last year’s battle between the Red Sox and Cardinals. If that occurs, don’t look for a repeat of a Boston sweep.

At this point, I would bet on the Cardinals, if I were a betting man.