Baseball Playoffs 2007 - the road to the World Series

Red Sox and NY Mets seem the most likely candidates to go all the way. I've got a strong feeling the Sox will prevail as Mets have a lot of key injuries and shown inconsistency (as does the whole NL).

Unless another NL team makes a last minute BIG surge and shows some burning desire, I see repeat of 86 but with FAR different results. I had hopes of the StL. Cards, but it's just not happening. Cubbies could show signs of life as they have an easy schedule with remaining 22 games; however, they've not got the right balance or team for it, either and time's not on their side. Brewers are waking up after they folded, but too little too late.

Red Sox win World Series in 5 games.

sawx over angels 4-3
d'backs over mets 4-2
sawx over d'backs 4-1

And my Brewers take sole posession of first today.

Oooh. Interesting re the Brewers (followed them a bit as I had Vargas in Fantasy Baseball).

Aside from the obvious (Tampa Bay, White Sox, Kansas City, Baltimore and Marlins -- e. g. everyone over 15.5 games back), who's completely, statistically, impossibly out of it?

Wild Card Races
American League
Team W L PCT GB
New York 81 62 .566 - -
Detroit 77 66 .538 4.0
Seattle 75 66 .532 5.0
Toronto 72 70 .507 8.5
Minnesota 70 73 .490 11.0
Oakland 69 75 .479 12.5
Texas 68 74 .479 12.5
Kansas City 62 80 .437 18.5
Baltimore 61 81 .430 19.5
Chicago 61 82 .427 20.0
Tampa Bay 60 83 .420 21.0

National League
Team W L PCT GB
San Diego 77 65 .542 - -
Philadelphia 75 67 .528 2.0
Los Angeles 75 68 .524 2.5
Colorado 74 68 .521 3.0
Atlanta 73 70 .510 4.5
Chicago 72 70 .507 5.0
St. Louis 69 71 .493 7.0
San Francisco 65 78 .455 12.5
Cincinnati 64 79 .448 13.5
Washington 64 79 .448 13.5
Pittsburgh 63 80 .441 14.5
Houston 62 81 .434 15.5
Florida 61 82 .427 16.5

Any good place to find the magic numbers online? MLB.com is not coming up with it or I'm too sleepy to find it. Thanks.

http://www.mlbmagicnumbers.com/

Ah, so if there are 20 games to be played (and I'm just making that # up as I have no idea), Detroit's magic # is:

20 +1 - 4 = 17

It's going to be an AL shootout. If the Red Sox's pitching holds up(eh, wake the f**k up Dice-K), I'm obviously on their side.

The National League is the junior varsity. Whatever AL team reaches the WS will win.

And I hate to say it but the Yankees are obviously very dangerous. Hopefully their starting pitching is in shambles by the season's end. With Chamberlin their bullpen is nasty.

I'm going to read along. If I give an opinion, it will be based on something like team graphics, the cuteness of the pitchers' pictures, the architecture of the home team ball field. This could be too much work, so I might also keep my mouth shut for a change.

I followed baseball up to my family's move to Los Angeles when I was 13. I never did care about the Dodgers...

Well, Slappy's post gives me a clue. The Yankees were in major prime time when I lived in NYC and I liked them. I'm easy, they'll be my favorite, for now...
until I do some research.

Osso: If you want to see a bunch of hunks (g/f's opinion) take a look at Red Sox ace starting pitcher, Josh Beckett, and ace closing pitcher, Jonathan Papelbon.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2007/09/10/cy_candidate_has_strong_platform/

Red Sox team wallpaper pix:

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/wallpaper/


Red Sox play in Fenway Park -- a park many regard as one of the finest looking old style parks in MLB.


It's been a scientifically proven fact...
...

that

.....

(scroll down to see answer)






The Yankees Suck

If last year's results showed anything, it's that any team which peaks at the right time can take it.

Right now it looks as if the Yankees are the hottest. They swept the Red Sox in their last series. A-rod is suddenly on a tear and has blown Magglio Ordonez out of the MVP race. Wang and Pettit are pitching very well. Everything is looking up for them.

The only team which seems capable of knocking them out are the Angels. They seem to have their number. Boston might want to tank a few games near the end of the season to let the Angels have the #1 seed so that they can do their dirty work for them.

absolutely -- the ALCS will be the real world series this year...

Kind of like last year? Wait a minute...

The Mets could eff somebody up. Now that their preferred rotation has been reinstituted.

American League:

Boston:
It seems like they don't, but they do need Manny. Beckett, DelCarmen and Papelbon, only constant arms. Dice-K and Wakefield are a flipping coin.

NYY:
They're on a roll, and seem harder to beat as time passes. I don't think their rotation is as good as it has been seen lately. Mariano is getting old. Their line-up knows how to make runs better than any other lineup.

Cleveland:
Everyone new this team has hot bats. What we didn't know was about their pitching. Sabathia and Carmona are a terrific pair. I wouldn't understimate them.

LA Angels:
Methinks they're overrated; granted they've got Vlad, Anderson's is on a hitting binge and Chone can change a game and a pitching staff only comparable, in the AL, to the Red Sox. But they'll stink on the road.

My take: Injuns-Yanks, if they don't clash in the first round.




National League:

New York Melting Mets
At this stage, I don't even know if they'll classify. A good -but faltering- rotation, a strong -but slumping- lineup, a good closer. Terrible middle relief.

Philadelphia Phillies
Conundrum numero 2. I concede about their strong batting... but how the hell are they contending with that pitching?

Chicago Cubs
Their chances, explainable only by the weakness of their division.

Milwaukee Brewers
Their chances, explainable only by the weakness of their division

Arizona Diamondbacks
Conundrum numero 1. Tells you a lot about the importance of chemistry and team play. I think they're focused -unlike some Eastern division leaders, ahem.

San Diego Padres
Best pitching around, helped by Petco Park. But I can't really confide on a team who has Pantalones' cousin as batting leader in all 3 categories.

Colorado Rockies
Only a miracle would do.

My take:
D'Backs-Mets (or Phillies), if they don't clash in the first round.

the AL brackets are set, so i'm revising my predictions:

sawx over angels
indians over yanks
sawx over indians

the NL is still undecided, but the phillies have the hot hand right now.
the cubs and d-backs have clinched.
san diego is leading in the wildcard race.
mets and brewers only have themselves to blame...

I hate baseball. Almost as much as I hate the Cubs.

But now we know--it only costs $300 million to move from the cellar to first in one season in the NL Central. Of course, if you're a small market team, you just hope your young prodigies mature quickly, before they're too much to afford.

I hate baseball. Almost as much as I hate the Cubs.

At least we know now--it only costs $300 million to move from the cellar to first in the NL Central in one year. If you're a small market team, well, just sit and hope your young prodigies mature quickly, before they're too much to afford.

If A-Rod goes to the Cubs, I am going to set Wrigley on fire.

Meanwhile, I'm starting a campaign to kidnap Derrick Turnbow, shave his head, put a crimson robe on him, and send him to Myanmar.

At least I'm not bitter.

American League Division Series schedule
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Boston Red Sox
Date Site Network
Wed., Oct. 3 Fenway Park TBS
Fri., Oct. 5 Fenway Park TBS
Sun. Oct. 7 Angel Stadium TBS\TNT
*Mon. Oct. 8 Angel Stadium TBS
*Wed. Oct. 10 Fenway TBS

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians
Date Site Network
Thu., Oct. 4 Jacobs Field TBS
Fri., Oct. 5 Jacobs Field TBS
Sun. Oct. 7 Yankee Stadium TBS
*Mon. Oct. 8 Yankee Stadium TBS\TNT
*Wed. Oct. 10 Jacobs Field TBS

All times are TBD.

National League playoff scheduled is still not quite decided yet.