[batted balls]

Max Mercy, Jr. here again, folks . . .

Now that the All-American Baseball League has put its first All-Star Game into the books, Ole Max is going to give you all a heads-up on the season's second half.

First of all, most of us saw the West taking the East in the All-Star Game. Not many of us (save a grizzled old scribe) saw Texas short stop Ron Gardenhire winning the MVP.

As for the second half, was it me or was West All-Star manager Bobby Winkles of Arizona State trying to wear down Mark Prior of USC or what? Come on, who throws a pitcher five innings in an exhibition?! It will be interesting to see how Prior throws in his first outing in the July heat.

I, Max Mercy, Jr., have said this many times already but no one will stop Ivy from winning the East title. Bob Seddon's Eagles have it all--pitching, hitting, running and fielding. In addition, look for Eddie Collins to be a big second-half contributor.

Florida State is likely to fade. Can the Seminoles keep counting on Craig Skok to bail them out? Did anyone else notice how bad Skok and teammate Richie Lewis looked in the All-Star game? Just a sign of things to come, I say.

Illinois may stick around, but the Illini won't have the fight in them when it comes to catching Ivy. Their pitching is good and the longball seems to be their game.

Ole Max's biggest second-half surprises from out East? Watch Miami call-up Mike Piazza. Ole Max checked this kid out in Triple-A ball. The night Max saw him, this Italian stallion hit two homers, knocked in five runs and saved a kitten from a burning tree. Mark Max's words, Jorge Fabergas may have been an All-Star, but Mike Piazza will be a Hall of Famer!

Max's other Eastern surprise? Michigan State pitcher Mark Mulder. This kid is 3-1 since moving from the minors to the bullpen to the starting rotation. Yeah, the Spartans are bad, but this lefty is good.

Out West, Max still likes Southern Cal to overtake Arizona State. If Rod Dedeaux can ever get something out of his bullpen, the Trojan horses will catch and pass ASU. Mark Prior has been unbelievable. This guy is a horse. You never have to worry about an injury with this kid. His mechanics are incredible. Jim Barr and Barry Zito have been solid, but Tom Seaver and Steve Busby need to step it up. In fact, Ole Max would replace Busby with someone like that flame-throwing left-hander named Randy Johnson. The kid's hair is wild and so is his fastball, but he'd get the job done.

Arizona State is just so balanced and deep. The Sun Devils rank in the top four of nearly every offensive category. They rank fairly well in the pitching categories as well. Couple that with the fact that starter Craig Swan will be off the DL within a week or two. Heck, Ole Max is willing to bet their Triple-A team could finish ahead of San Diego State and maybe even Arizona and Cal State Fullerton.

As for Max's second-half Western specials, look for UCLA to continue its recent winning ways. Something is definitely Bruin' in LA. Closer Jim York is off the DL and back in the pen. Bill Bonham, Matt Young and Dave Schmidt have hit their stride (lefty Jim Parque should go however). The Bruin offense is getting quite, well, offensive. All-Stars Bob Hamelin and Troy Glaus are big time. Jackie Robinson and Chris Chambliss are getting it going. Yes, folks, mark my words, UCLA is G-O-O-D.

My other second-half surprise is that I'm going to take a hard look at San Diego State. Give Ole Max a few weeks and his keen eye may just be able to come up with a few suggestions to help Tony Gwynn's crew get at least a few more wins. Ole Max can't work too many miracles you know.

This is Max Mercy, Jr. signing off . . .