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For a decade and a half, the Yankees and the Red Sox have been in a club by themselves. But the Tigers, the Rangers and the Angels are knocking on the door to superpower status.

Winning is everything, of course. And yet, fans of the Phillies, Red Sox and Yankees might not be experiencing the spontaneous joy that comes with it when the winning isn't expected.

Are you buying your team's vision for the future based on those hot prospects it just acquired by trade? A word of advice: Don't. Your favorite front office just surrendered.

Although there are more high-profile spots on the calendar, the next six weeks of the baseball season is by far the most intriguing. This period of discovery foreshadows the pennant finale and October glory.

Entering a new season as the defending AL champions, the Rangers survived an offseason of uncommon turbulence that could make them stronger.

Bud Selig talks about parity, but winter moves shift the power in baseball even more firmly to the east. A salary cap or other equalizing measure would limit the ability of its biggest, most watched teams to dominate.

The Rangers have become a power this postseason by taking advantage of several key moments over the past two weeks.

Emboldened after taking two of three games from the defending-champion Yankees in the Bronx, the Rangers find themselves in a position they have never been in before.

In baseball's most visible month, Cliff Lee stands out as the game's most important player.

Did the Yankees buy a World Series celebration? Their money didn't hurt, but that $207 million payroll is the least of baseball's competitive-balance problems.

While the Yankees returned to glory by winning the World Series, the inevitability of full-scale instant replay in baseball stood out as perhaps the most important aspect of the 2009 postseason.

The Yankees are still in command, but this World Series suddenly has a different feel as it swings to New York for Game 6 on Wednesday night.

The Phillies are in a better position than the Yankees to just barely take control with the World Series shifting to Citizens Bank Park.

The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies are the best teams not just in their respective leagues but also in all of baseball.