Starting the second half off right

Today marks the first game of the second half for the New York Yankees.

The second half kicks off with tonight's game at home vs the division rival Tampa Bay Rays. Prior to tonight's game, there will be a ceremony held mourning both the passings of owner George Steinbrenner and longtime public address announcer Bob Sheppard. From tonight's game on, the Yankees will wear two patches to honor both the Boss and Sheppard.

Obviously the Yankees would like to kick off the second half tonight with a win. Not just to start off the second half well, but to win a game for two of the most iconic men in their organization's history. Right now, let's take a look at how the Yankees stand, and what there could be to look forward to:

State of the Yankees

The Yankees are currently 56-32, first place in the American League East. At this point last year, the year they won 103 games and the World Series, the Yanks were in second place in the division behind the Red Sox at 51-37. The 2010 Yankees are five wins ahead of the 2009 Yankees, resulting in five less loses. It's safe to say that this year's team has been better, certainly the pitching has been extraordinary. Perhaps that has been the story of the first half.

CC Sabathia (12-3), Andy Pettitte (11-2), and Phil Hughes (11-2) have carried the pitching staff throughout the first half of the season. The Yankees are the first team since the 1999 Houston Astros to have three pitchers with 11 or more wins before the All-Star break. Javier Vazquez and A.J. Burnett struggled earlier, but have picked it up of late. Nonetheless, the rotation has been the Yankees' greatest strength this year.

The offense, outside of Robinson Cano (.336), Nick Swisher (.298), and Brett Gardner (.309), has not been one of the Yankees' strengths this season. Mark Teixeira (.254), Alex Rodriguez (.269), Curtis Granderson (.240) and Derek Jeter (.274) did not live up to their common first halves and have struggled mightily at the plate. It's key for these guys to start hitting at their usual rates if the Yankees want to lock up the division.

Granderson has been nothing but a dissapointment this season. Even though he missed time with an injury, he's still not doing anything that impresses me. He seems to have not been worth the price the Yankees paid.

Tex has been heating up, hitting .419 with four homers and 12 RBI total in the month of July. Since May 1 Tex has been hitting .291/.380/.529. Hopefully Tex can continue what he did in the first half of July in the second half in order to really get on track. I'm sure all Yankee fans want to see another 39 homer year with a .292 average.

A-Rod has been hitting .232/.298/.464 since June 1 he is hitting, which is not good for the player that he is. What's more is that we've seen less home runs from A-Rod this season than we've seen before. He's gotta get on track.

Since June 1, Jeter has been hitting .221/.319/.321, which is very un-Jeter-ish. Jeter, usually a lock for a .300 average every season, has not looked like the Jeter of 2009. Jeter has only hit under .300 three times in his 15 year career, .291 in 1997, .297 in 2002, and .292 in 2004, which was arugably Jeter's ugliest season when he endured an 0-32 streak. So far this year, he's at .274, and is projected to end somewhere in the .280's. Jeter's gotta get back on track and have a strong second half for Yankee success.

If the offense can't wake up consistently, then the Yankees may have to trade for a big bat, such as Adam Dunn, who would wake up the offense and provide big-time power for the Yankees. The Yanks have been rumored to be interested in a left-handed bat, and acquiring Dunn would fulfill that desire. Stick Dunn at DH and watch the home runs fly.

Then there's the bullpen. When I say the bullpen, I mean everybody but Mariano Rivera. Rivera has been the Yankees' only reliable reliever (and has been for 15 years) and has been the only reliever that has been effective. The rest of the bullpen is pitching to an ERA of 4.14 ERA, which ranks them 9th in the league in bullpen ERA. As well, they rank in the Amiercan League at 4th in WHIP against, 4th in OBP against, 5th in SLG against, which is not terrible, but could be better. Most of that success is thanks to Rivera. Together, they strikeout 7.43 per nine, or 7th place. The bullpen hasn't been terrible, but it hasn't been great either. Other than Mariano, I really don't feel comfortable with anyone else. Obviously Joba Chamberlain (5.79), David Robertson (5.46), and Chan Ho Park (6.18 with six home runs given up. He gave up ZERO home runs last year) have been major dissapointments. I hope that they can all get straightened out, otherwise the Yankees may have to look outside of the organization and trade for a reliever.

What to look forward to

- Derek Jeter's 2,900 hit. Jeter will be the first Yankee to reach 3,000 hits, most likely sometime in 2011, and if he continues at this pace (which I don't expect) he will finish with 2,950 hits this season, needing just 50 more during the 2011 season to reach 3,000. It's going to be fun to watch.

- Alex Rodriguez's 600th home run. A-Rod is currently at 597, good for 7th all-time behind Sammy Sosa at 609. Once A-Rod hits #600, he'll join elite company, being one of only seven players in history to hit 600 or more home runs. The other players who have hit over 600 home runs: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and Sosa. Many believe that Rodriguez will be the eventual home run champion and surpass Bonds' 762.

- A-Rod's 2,700th hit. He's at 2,615.

- Robinson Cano's 1,000th hit. Robbie's at 990 total, the most among active second baseman since his debut in 2005. Robbie has a chance at a batting title this year, so if he finishes the season with a total of 1,500 in his career I wouldn't be surprised. Get ready Yankee fans, Cano will be the next Yankee to reach 3,000 hits after Jeter and A-Rod.

- A second straight AL East title. The Yankees can only hope that they will continue to play at the level that they are. It'll be tough down the stretch, especially with the Rays and Red Sox lurking down the Yankees' backs.

- The July 31 Trading Deadline. Will the Yankees make a move? Will they had Adam Dunn or another reliable reliever? How will they improve the struggling offense? It's sure to be fun!

Get ready fans, the second half is going to be fun. I think the Yankees will finish at 108-54 and in first place. The starting pitching has been strong and I expect that to continue and I also think that the offense will wake up. Should make for a fun second half.