'It's the most wonderful time of the year!'

I do believe that we're entering the most wonderful time of the year in the sports world. There's so much going on and coming up that sometimes it's hard to keep up with everything.

First off, baseball is in full swing. Before you know it, the All-Star Game will be approaching us and we'll once again have to see if the National League will finally break out and win the game for the first time in 12 years. If they plan on pulling that off, they'll need to put up a strong showing and completely dominate Interleague play so they can send a message to the American League, saying they're going to put up a fight for home-field advantage in the World Series.

When it comes to the Cardinals, they've been kind of up and down this season. They started off the season very strong as they didn't lose a single series for about a month. Pujols and Holliday were hitting the ball well, the pitching staff was getting the job done on the mound, and the rest of the team was playing consistent baseball.

Now the Cardinals are learning what it's like to be in a bit of a slump. The hitting had hit such a rough spot, Tony La Russa had to switch Pujols and Holliday in the batting order. It seems that La Russa knew what he was doing because the first night he did that, they won. So, don't give up faith Cardinals fans! Our team will end up just fine and hopefully will win the division!

As for local baseball, I hope everyone is out at the ballparks watching the little leaguers play. It's always a good thing to see little kids enjoying the game of baseball. I hope to be out at the parks taking photos of all the action throughout the summer.

Also, be sure to check out some American Legion baseball this summer as head coach Jamie Johnson and his Dodgers look to have a great season. There is also going to be an All-Star traveling team, coached by Aaron New, that will be playing this summer. This team will comprise of junior high and high school baseball players. I know that New is excited about this summer's action. Be sure to check out future editions of the DDD for updates on all the action from both of these teams.

As for next week's edition of 'Dustin's Take'...get ready to talk some soccer!