The weather is warm and the grass is green, which means everyone is ignoring Major League Baseball. This slow-paced game of balls and strikes has many onlookers convinced that they are watching chess on ESPN “the ocho.”

Though fans clamor to the screen in hopes of finally finding Bobby Fischer, they are instead left with an image of Bobby Abreu shuffling his old-man legs in a fruitless attempt to catch a fly ball.

4,860 baseball games will be played from now until September, and very few people will tune their TVs to catch more than two percent of them. Baseball will never be mistaken for an action-packed, hard-hitting or high-flying sport like football or basketball.

However, the leisure of America’s pastime epitomizes the lazy days of summer, and the outdoor ballparks provide ideal social environments for fanatics and casual fans alike. The Minnesota Twins have been playing abysmally for the first two weeks of the season, but Target Field will sell out night after night because it has a Budweiser porch and a Captain Morgan Bar.

Although baseball itself lacks popular appeal, the warm weather may intrigue enough people to care about the 2011 baseball season. Now, get ready for an epic preview to the best sport known to man. Or just casually read and then ignore the sport until the Twins are close to another playoff appearance come September. The choice is yours.

Minnesota enters the season with a familiar crew, highlighted by the return (finally) of a not-so-recently concussed Justin Morneau. The Twins will have to contend with perennial division foes Detroit and Chicago, but minimal offseason moves from the division as a whole and the propensity for the Tigers and White Sox to choke may result in another Twins division title.

The Twins’ early offensive struggles should not be a long-term issue, but a lack of elite pitching may inhibit their chances to make a deep playoff run. The Twins may see a lot of rotation on the right side of the field due to injuries and poor play and will again rely heavily on underrated utility man Michael Cuddyer. It would be nice if the MLB finally gave up on the fantasy that the newest Japanese import will be the next equivalent to Ichiro Suzuki.

The San Francisco Giants won the World Series last year after winning a surprisingly strong National League West Division. The Giants are favorites to repeat as west champions after rival San Diego lost Adrian Gonzalez, and the remaining teams in the west remain unimproved. And the Giants have Kung Fu Panda (Pablo Sandoval) playing in their infield. Enough said.

Aside from the defending champions out west, it is the American League East Division that has garnered all the early attention. After a flurry of offseason moves, the Red Sox, Yankees, Rays and even Orioles have new rosters that demand respect.

A division that once was dominated by New York and Boston now has multiple contenders, which should make for an interesting push for the playoffs. The Orioles are the biggest surprise thus far, taking an early lead in the standings behind newcomers Derek Lee and Vladimir Guerrero.

The Toronto Blue Jays retained the talent that made them an above .500 team last season, including home run champion Jose Batista. Young ace Ricky Romero boasts a solid ERA and three quality starts thus far, and continued success will help the Jays compete in the East.

Despite the excitement in the East, the team to beat in the American League resides in Texas. The Rangers are coming off a strong season, which included a pennant and an appearance in the World Series.

The offense lost Vladimir Guerrero but will have no problem playing through a weak AL West division. Despite recently losing Josh Hamilton to injury for six to eight weeks, a fast start and valuable role players will keep the team contending until the reigning AL MVP returns.

The best team in baseball is the well-rounded Philadelphia Phillies, whose speed and power on offense pair well with arguably the best pitching staff ever assembled. The staff includes three Cy Young award winners and will consistently wear down teams in regular season and playoff series.

Roy Halladay can utilize run support and great pitching partners to repeat as Cy Young champion, and winning another such award will validate Halladay as one of the greatest pitchers of all time.

Congratulations for making it this far through the article. Although, such an accomplishment probably means that you enjoy baseball like me and most likely agree with the regurgitated mess of information declared above, information that could easily change by next week. On the other hand, you could be a casual fan asking yourself why you didn’t stop reading a long time ago.

If the latter is true, then you are also probably wondering why you still haven’t found Bobby Fischer in that chess match you’re watching. Well it’s because you are watching baseball, there is no such thing as ESPN “the ocho” and Bobby Fischer is dead.

Whether you are an avid fan or a fair weather fan, the 2011 baseball season will either provide enough outdoor games or enough beer to keep you satisfied until September. See you then.