Almost half the Major League Baseball season is over and to be honest, I haven't watched a game all year.

Growing up, baseball was a passion of mine, but over the years, I have become uninterested.

While I still check the standings from time to time for where my hometown Houston Astros stand, I just don't have the will to sit down and watch a game.

I think part of the reason I have basically stopped watching baseball, and most other sporting events other than football, is the junk that surrounds it.

I'm tired of hearing about steroids and how they have supposedly hurt the game. It has done some damage to the integrity of the sport, but not much to the casual fan as stadiums (with reasonable prices) are regularly sold out.

For me, it is hard to sit down and watch a game without hearing about a player who is, or has been, suspected of "cheating," which takes away from the enjoyment of being a true fan.

It is even difficult for me to watch an entire basketball game because the fundamentals and all-out effort, which I think made the 1980s and early 90s era great, go completely out the window.

One of the things I have never liked is the changing of rules to create a bias of sorts to usually try to enhance offensive production.

No longer is there the physical play the Celtics, Pistons and Lakers employed that made for dramatic playoff series in the late 1980s.

Even gone is some of the physical contact football players of all things are allowed to make during a game. I'm sorry, football is a contact sport. There shouldn't be little pansy rules like illegal contact five yards past the line of scrimmage.

However, the worst change of a rule I have ever seen is allowing the MLB All-Star game to determine who has home-field advantage in the World Series.

While I'm not really in favor of the advantage alternating from the National and American leagues like it did before 2003, it was acceptable because it kept teams like the Yankees, who always seemed to have the best record, from controlling the home field.

Now, it is just ridiculous having an exhibition game possibly determine the outcome of a championship series. I sometimes ponder if merry, old Bud Selig's next move will be to make the holder of home-field advantage based on what team does the best in Spring Training.

The constant change of rules and drama off the court or field has really watered down the world of professional sports and, even though I may only be 26, I liked it better the way it was.