We’re at the halfway mark in the 1st leg of the Ht Ultimate Pool and it’s been a good race so far in the MLB stage. Below, we’ll take a look at how each team has performed, the good and the bad, up until the All Star Game which took place tonight. For members of the Ultimate, we’ve got the EPL and NFL starting up very soon and both pools are now open, hit up the Ultimate Forum for links and info.

1st Place. Fro has been quietly distancing himself from the pack and has improved his overall lead on 2nd place to 300 points. With a scary batting order and a few true pitching aces Fro has the inside edge on finishing first this year. His team rests on Hanley Ramirez continuing to be lights out and the emergence of Evan Longoria and Brandon Phillips ensure nightly outputs.

2nd Place. My team has recently crept up into 2nd but still has a tough battle with both Breathe and Bucky hot on my tail. My pitching is the reason for the recent surge as it’s loaded with aces but only my batting order can keep me there and in some weeks the power production has been less than stellar. But with Harden’s recent trade to the league leading Cubs, Volquez rounding back into form and the Doc’s dominance there’s been some big outputs. Trading one of the top shortstops was a risky move but if Guzman can continue to produce and Prince Fielder gets his power back things will be coming up roses.

3rd Place. Bucky’s team has some real all star talent with Josh Hamilton, Dan Uggla, Ryan Howard and the recently acquired A-Rod now in his squad there could be a serious run down the stretch if all of these players stay red hot. But the pitching has been downgraded even with the addition of Lackey and there’s holes thanks to numerous injuries and questionable moves. But, the pitching has serious potential and with one of the best closers in the game there will be points from the pitchers every week.

4th Place. Breathe’s team looks nothing like his starting day roster thanks to more drops and trades than humanly possible. But hey he keeps it interesting, right? And the team is good, there’s plenty of stars but not a lot of depth. With injuries playing a part and 4 pitchers not available to use the cupboards are bare after the selling spree is over. But 4th place is good and big batting outputs have kept him in the hunt near the top. Braun, Rollins, Holliday and Ordonez will all need to be all stars to ensure Bren stays in the top 5.

5th Place. Kenyon’s team has been in 2nd for most of the first half but thanks to some key injuries and little player movement the drop down the ladder has begun. Losing Soriano would cripple any team but there’s some good players to keep the daily totals from not being single digits. With a collection of some of the best 2nd day starters out there this bullpen will surprise you week to week and the Berkman/Utley combo guarantees contention.

6th Place. Fiddler has a slim lead on the next 2 spots and will need to continue to output to stay in the top 6. This team has some serious batters but the bullpen is quite thin. The starters are as good as a team has out there with unheralded players such as Brian McCann, Carlos Quentin and Xavier Nady helping out the stars, Sizemore, Wright and Carlos Lee there’s strength to fear. But when a Giants pitcher that isn’t named Timmy is your #1 starter, you may need to re-assess that rotation.

7th Place. Fluxcore’s team has been consistent and has been in the midst of the hunt all year. While the batting order isn’t fearsome his pitchers are. With Sheets, Hamels, Haren and Jurrjens as starters and adept relievers the stability is there. Injuries have hit in the batting order but Jason Bay who was acquired in a trade has helped the power outage.

8th Place. Val has climbed out the basement over the past month and has begun to climb up the charts. Both Jose Reyes and Nate McLouth have had a huge part in that but more recently, both Teixeira and CC Sabathia have picked up their games and have pushed Val up and up and up. At the halfway mark, moving from last to the middle is impressive but the chances that moving from middle to the top are quite slim.

9th Place. Indig also was a basement dweller but after a big trade it has been looking groovy lately. Sure it cost him A-Rod but all of a sudden this line-up has teeth, Derrek Lee, Kinsler, Ellsbury and Atkins all do well at their positions and Giambi has been on fire in the first half. Adding Santana to go with a now reliable Verlander and all star canuck Ryan Dempster means that 9th isn’t where Indig will be ending up this year. Losing Matsui for the year won’t help though as his Yankee count is down to 2.

10th Place. The largest slide goes to Rumple who at one point was holding on to 2nd comfortably. It’s hard to decipher why, with 4 of the top pitchers in the game his bullpen is solid and the batting order is solid with some decent hitters who have been producing. But it just hasn’t been coming together and changes need to be made before Rumple is sitting next to Lox on the shortbus.

11th Place. Blackie’s fall from grace is much easier to decipher however, as his bullpen is just abysmal. Aging pitchers have not faired well this year and have been hardly reliable. His batting line-up has strengths especially breakout fantasy player and all star MVP J.D. Drew along with mainstays Manny Ramirez, Albert Pujols and Chipper Jones but something isn’t working. Cashing in on all that power for a reliable ace could turn this sinking ship around.

12th Place. Lox’s last place finish is inevitable at this point. A number of factors have guaranteed this, namely not being able to edit his freakin’ line-up to start! That and hard luck injuries and players tanking it once they find out they are property of Dr. Loxopus. The bullpen has been picked dry but the batters have some strength with Bradley, Cantu and AG all looking better than expected. But unfortunately the return of David Ortiz isn’t going to climb Lox out of this hole. Better start studying up on your English League Soccer!!