By popular demand, I am writing an article on baseball. I will be the first to admit that it is my least favorite sport, the most boring to watch, and totally overshadowed by the corruption within its ranks. Then again, show me a professional sport without corrupted players, coaches and owners. I dare you.
Anyway, as autumn rolls around we think of a lot of things. The leaves changing colors on the trees and falling to the ground, Halloween parties and little kids dressed up in costumes, even Carmel apples and apple cider. Oh yeah, and baseball, the “fall classic” as it is sometimes called. The pennant race is getting exciting, especially in the AL. The NL has some excitement too, but the AL is going to be a barn-burner.
At this point in time there are four teams in the AL that look primed to make a deep run in the postseason and maybe win it all. However, this is not exclusive, other teams could make a surprising run. Let me make this simpler, this is how I see the AL working out.
AL East: Boston Red Sox (BARELY) beating out their rivals, the New York Yankees. This is going to be interesting though, a lot of factors at work here. I feel the least confident about this predicition. The Sox are injured and that may be the deciding factor right there. I believe though, they will pull it together in time and take the AL East.
AL Central: Cleveland Indians. I mean, who saw this coming at the beginning of the season, I knew they would be good, but this good? There is no contest here. The closest team is Detroit and the Indians just handled them easily in a series. Cleveland wins. End of story.
AL West: LA Angels: Again, not contest. Boasting the best record in the league the Angels look like the favorite for the World Series at this point. However, I can think of at least three teams off the top of my head that could beat them in a series. Seattle is chasing them in the division, and they are riding a three game win streak, but still, there is not enough time left, and the Angels are too good to let Seattle catch up.
AL Wild Card: New York Yankees: Surprise, surprise. The pinstripes pull it together again. This is one of the most Jekyll and Hyde teams I have ever seen. Earlier in the season, it was almost to the point where they couldn’t buy a win even with you know who throwing money around like it was toilet paper. Now, they look like a team that might not lose another game all the way to the World Series Championship. I don’t know what their problem was, but I hope their sakes, that it doesn’t come back to haunt them in the postseason.
Suffice it to say, its going to be a very interesting road to the playoffs in the AL.
The NL is going to be a heated race as well, but that will be for another article. For now, I will leave you with my picks for the NL.
NL East: New York Mets.
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card: San Diego Padres
10 comments:
The only pick that I do not agree with is the AL East title. I think that in these last few games of the season, the Yankees will overtake the Red Sox. It's really a moot point now because the Sox clinched a playoffs berth and the Yankees are closing in on the same. At this point of the season, the most important thing to a team is making the playoffs. However, I still think that the Yankees are the hottest team in baseball, and after a grueling series with a feisty Blue Jays team that has always played the Yanks tough, they have shown once again that they are the team to beat.
I also would like to say that I think the Phillies will beat out the Rockies in the Wild Card, even though the Rockies have won 7 straight games and are on a roll. The Phillies are also one of the hottest teams around right now, but I don't know that their pitching is enough to go too deep into the playoffs should they make it.
I think we are likely to see a Yankees/Padres World Series. Pitching for both of these teams is a strength, and we all know that good pitching beats good hitting. As far as that offense goes, though, the Yankees' offense is unquestionably the best in the business. So, I say Yanks beat out the Padres in the World Series for their 27th title, winning the series in 6 games.
Interesting points matt. However, I am going to have to disagree with you on some of them. First of all, I do not think the Yankees are the hottest team in baseball. I am going to say Colorado, Cleveland, maybe even my very own Cubbies are the hottest team. Not just based on current win streak, but on season performance, health of players and potential matchups in the playoffs.
autumn in baseball says two things to me: peanut shells and the song 'ymca.'
i grew up going to indianapolis indians games, throwing peanut shells on the drunk people a few rows in front and laughing as a fat man danced to 'ymca' atop the dugout in the seventh inning.
as faras picks go, i don't think i'll be making any this year. even though i know a considerable amount about all sorts of sports, i like to surprise myself.
So much for that Yanks/Pads World Series Matt...at least with the meltdown at first base by Milton Bradley and the umpire. I see Colorado overtaking them in the WildCard (10 W's in a row!).
As for the hottest team right now, I'd have to agree with one of Ryan's picks, the Indians. They easily ran away with the AL Central in September with a near-sweep of their division matchups this month. I don't like their chances outside of their division when it comes to playoff time though.
Admittedly, declaring a "hottest team in baseball right now" is an extremely difficult thing to say dogmatically. And coming up with a metric to defend such a claim would be equally difficult. However, looking at the season as a big picture helps. To say that the Yankees were a flop in the first half would be an understatement. But a look at the second half of the season shows that the Yankees are by far the best team in baseball right now.
Take a gander at the records of the teams who are postseason hopefuls and those who recently clinched a berth in since the All Star break.
AL: (already set in stone who's in)
BOS - 41 30
CLE - 42 28
ANA - 39 32
NYY - 48 24
NL: (quite the race right now)
NYM - 39 32
PHI - 42 28
MIL - 32 38
CHC - 39 32
SDP - 38 33
ARI - 41 27
COL - 42 28
This shows without any shadow of a doubt that the Yankees are the better team in MLB of this second half of the season. And no one will argue that this second half resurgence is the very reason that they clinched the playoffs last night. Had they not turned on the heat at the beginning of July, they'd have been watching the postseason from their couches.
As far as other stats go, I will refrain from referring to them at this point. I will though, if I must.
I doubt San Diego can do it without Milton Bradley, but their pitching staff is one of the strongest, so if they get into the playoffs, they'll be a tough one to beat.
Matt, I just fear that you are basing your claims on half the season. You do realize that it is the whole season that counts, right? I realize the Yanks have been good since the break, but still, what does that matter? Its the ENTIRE season that these things are based on. I do admit, the Yanks have looked impressive since the break, but what is to keep them from having another "meltdown" like they did at the beginning of the season?
I would hesitate to call it a "meltdown" by the Yankees at the beginning of the season--meltdown from what? the season had just begun. They started terribly yes, one of their worst starts ever. The Bronx is just thanking the baseball gods for the 162 game season. With that, who cares if they didn't break .500 until July, especially with Tampa Bay and Baltimore in their division. They just took advantage of 'meltdowns' ;) by Seattle and Detroit, and are cruising without even being challenged for the wildcard.
I'd dare say that NO team in the AL or the whole league for that matter isn't scared of the Yankees right now. Has there ever been a better post-season MLB team in history? I think not. Did anyone seriously think that NY would miss the post-season for the first time in 12 years?
Matt, I'm not sure how looking at the big picture of the season as a whole helps to determine the "hottest team", maybe that would tell the most consistent team. But "hot" is right now, "consistent" is whole season. To branch out into another sport, take the Mavs for example...Look at their whole season and they're the best in the NBA, look at how they stumbled into the playoffs and you see why they were embarrassed by Golden State in the 1st round. GS was hot, Dallas was consistent...
Which is exactly, Ryan, why the Yankees won't have another meltdown, and the rest of the AL better watch out.
Perhaps I wasn't as clear as I should have been. Let's make it simple:
Without a question, the Yankees are the best team in baseball.
Obviously the whole season counts. If only half the season counted, there wouldn't be any question at all as to who the best team was. It would be the Yankees. The numbers I just posted prove that. However, you cannot ignore figures like second-half performances when trying to determine who the favorites are for the playoffs. That's just common baseball knowledge.
When I explained the second-half records, it was to show that they have been, as of late, the best team, and with the 162 game season, recently is FAR more important than the beginning of the season anyway.
If you want to get even more specific, the Yankees have won 13 of their last 18 games.
And meltdown? I agree with "M" on this one. (By the way, are you from an Ian Fleming novel?) Clearly meltdown is only applicable if they do eventually crash and not make it to the playoffs. On the contrary, the Yankees are rolling into the playoffs with an energy and confidence that is found on championship teams. Perhaps their early-season woes should have been referred to as a "valley".
Regardless of the stats, regardless of the second-half record, regardless of the past postseaon history, the Yankees are the team to beat right now in the major leagues. Ask anyone.
I would NEVER doubt the Yankees in the playoffs. Who would? That would be prediction suicide. I still think the Yanks are vulnerable, but as you said, yes time will tell.
"Prediction suicide"...haha, I like that, good coin.
But arguably, saying "what's to keep them from having another meltdown like at the beginning of the season" (as you wrote a few days ago) WOULD be showing doubt in the Yankees.
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