If you've wondering about diminishing sales and other disturbing trends in your bar or caf, it is time to take a wide-angle look at the situation. Even when times are tough, people need to go out and join like-minded souls to relax. For a good deal of the population, this pastime will include sports. For a good deal of those people, that sport is America's Pastime, the game that never seems to quit. Here are some reasons why this exciting baseball season should be featured in your bar on satellite TV.

1. It's do-or-die time in Mannywood. Of all the ridiculous statements which have come from the mouth of Manny Ramirez, the proclamation that his career in Los Angeles would end after the 2010 campaign may have been his most brazen to date. So what about this year? Mannywood may have gotten a little smaller, but the Dodgers have big things on the brain. Joe Torre may think back to days when Manny was on the other side, but he'll need his slugger if he wants to bring his team back to the show come October. Vin Scully is still calling all the action on Prime Ticket HD.

2. There are plenty of stories developing out West. The circus Manny brings every game to L.A. is one thing, but the NL West in many ways is the hottest thing going in baseball. Between the Dodgers, the Giants, the Diamondbacks, the Rockies and the Padres, no one can be sure which team (if any) will be eliminated by September. They are very evenly matched, and East Coast bar owners can take advantage of the late games to keep sports fans interested when all the local action signs off.

3. The drama in Boston promises not to abate. It's another year for Red Sox fans, who are already compiling the top 10 reasons why this year's team will not cut it. For any bar owner who would like to see an obsessed fan base guaranteed to turn up at every showing of a game, he or she need look no further than Red Sox fans. If you show the games, they will most certainly come, and bring many like-minded souls along with them.

4. Something's brewing in the AL Central. Often the most unpredictable of all baseball divisions, the AL Central looks to be another wild zone this year. If the Twins have the consistency to bring the goods every year - along with the AL's best player in Joe Mauer - the Tigers have some wild cards which could turn out to be more than productive. Let your customers examine this intriguing race nightly with a satellite TV baseball package.

5. The champs have had another tune-up. Just when you thought the Yankees would sit pat, GM Brian Cashman started wheeling and dealing, ditching old reliables Matsui and Damon while getting younger players to fill their shoes, plus Javier Vasquez on the mound. One thing is for sure: whatever happens in the Bronx won't go ignored.