Now that the pomp of the All-Star Game and pageantry of Yankee Stadium's farewell have passed, the Major League Baseball season hits the backstretch with the real story of the summer.

Parity. Nineteen teams began the season's second half Thursday within 7 1/2 games of the lead in their respective divisions. Two divisions in opposite leagues and on opposite coasts, the American League East and the National League West, were so tightly packed that only 10 games separated first from fifth.

The three best records in the National League were in the Central Division. Once a division ruled by the checkbook, the AL East had a second-place team whose entire roster doesn't make as much as the third baseman on the third-place team, New York Yankees MVP Alex Rodriguez.

But there's so much more. Here are nine things to watch during this sprint to the finish:

Josh Hamilton

Every so often, a player seizes the spotlight with such certainty that it becomes clear this is more than a coming-out party, this is his season. Texas' Josh Hamilton may have done that on the game's grandest stage Monday. With 28 home runs in the first round of the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium, Hamilton ultimately may not have won the derby, but he won much more. He laid claim to the summer. Oh, and with a .307 average, 21 homers and 95 RBIs, he has a shot at the Triple Crown.

July 31's arms race

The NL Central fired the opening volleys in the arms race when Milwaukee acquired CC Sabathia and the Cubs landed Rich Harden. Toronto's A.J. Burnett and Seattle's Eric Bedard are the biggest names that could be moved -- though neither is a surefire bet like, say, Sabathia. San Diego's Randy Wolf and Greg Maddux are also drawing interest. And it's not just starters. Colorado closer Brian Fuentes, a lefty, is a coveted commodity, and Baltimore could command a prime price for All-Star closer George Sherrill.

Chipper Jones & .400

As late into the season as June 18, Atlanta switch-hitter Chipper Jones was hitting .400. He acknowledged even then that finishing the season with the first .400 average since Ted Williams' .406 in 1941 was unlikely. "I got a feeling the law of averages is going to catch up with me before it's all said and done," he told reporters in Toronto. True enough, he hit "only" .328 in June and was hitting .273 in July coming out of the break. But one good hot spell ...

Job hunt: Barry Bonds

The agent for tainted king Barry Bonds said no team has approached him about signing the perennial MVP and all-time home run slugger. Jeff Borris told reporters that he's "not optimistic." Well, things change. Standings happen. Bonds, who turns 44 Thursday, could find the market more friendly after the deadline passes.

Rules & replay

Baseball began seizing broken bats -- what some players call "flying swords" for the jagged edge they have when snapped -- for a study that could result in limitations on maple bats. Instant replay is also coming, commissioner Bud Selig said this week. Could be as soon as the postseason. "Once we are convinced that the bugs are out, it will come quickly," he said.

Rays for real

Tampa Bay began the second half needing to win only 26 of its remaining 68 games to set a franchise record for victories, at 71. But they are capable of more. They are loaded with strong pitching (Scott Kazmir, James Shields) and dynamic talent (rookie of the year certainty Evan Longoria). The Rays can state their case in September, opening the month with 15 consecutive games against AL East rivals, including six each against Boston and the Yankees.

NL West

Arizona cannot hit. The Dodgers cannot stay healthy. The Giants weren't supposed to contend. And Colorado cannot play consistently. Welcome to the wild, wild, wildly mediocre National League West. A season after producing the two teams that played for the NL pennant, not one of the teams in the division reached the All-Star break with a winning record. In 2005, San Diego won the division at 82-80. That's the benchmark -- the worst for a division champ. The NL West seems poised to challenge its own record.

Chasing Thigpen

Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez, affectionately called "K-Rod" since his starring role in the 2002 postseason, reached the All-Star break with a record 38 saves. He is on pace to not just break Bobby Thigpen's record of 57 saves, set in 1990 with the White Sox, but blow by it. He was on pace for 65 going into the weekend.

The Cubs

With the National League's best record and eight players selected for the All-Star Game, the Cubs have the ingredients of an October favorite. About to get Alfonso Soriano back, they boast one of the most balanced and deep offenses in the game, buttressed by Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, rookie Geovany Soto and, in Soriano's absence, Jim Edmonds. The addition of Rich Harden gives them a complement to Carlos Zambrano, and Kerry Wood's development as a closer gives them a hammer.

In this 100th anniversary year since winning the World Series, they're not merely thinking about getting to October around Wrigley. They're thinking about bigger things. Much bigger things. And they may not be pie-in-the-sky thoughts.

We'll know about 100 days from now.