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08-29-2007, 06:45 AM
So nothing is officially written in stone as the baseball season winds down. With roughly a month to go it's time for teams to make or break and for us to foolish decide which ones will and won't. So, now, I present to you the MLB 2007 Playoff Picture!
American League
East: Boston Red Sox
It kills me to say this as a Yankees fan but we're just a bunch of self-destructive drug addicts who can't dig ourselves out of the whole. Every time we get close someone writes an article about it; we lose four straight, the Sox play the Devil Rays and before you know it everyone is wondering why Mike Mussina is allowed to breathe anymore. Even if the Yankees can sweep the Sox this series, 5 games is simply too much to catch up on this late in the season. They've simply too much depth.
Central: Detroit Tigers
The Central divisions are the most interesting because no team really has any interest in winning. The Indians and Tigers both have had chances to pull away and have just failed miserably. The Tigers celebrate taking three of four from the Yankees by getting beat by the Royals. The Tigers should emerge from this crap-heap on top, leaving the Indians out in the cold. Neither has a real shot at the Wildcard, so it's essentially a division title or a long winter. Neither will do any damage in the playoffs, either.
West: Seattle Mariners
The Fightin' M's just keep fighting. They suffered a tough break in a crucial game tonight but they're simply too hot and the Angels are too inconsistent. For a team that was written off as rebuilding in the first half of the year, no matter what happens, the Mariners can't call this season a disappointment.
Wildcard: New York Yankees
For the Angels to lose the division they'd have to freefall, and this would most likely send them out of wildcard contention as well. The Yankees are there to scoop up the spot, pending they don't decide to have another off fortnight. If they don't, we could be looking at another ALCS for the ages.
National League
East: Philadelphia Phillies
The Mets have had the lead all year and the fact that they can't pull away leaves the Phillies in a great position to take control of the division. The two are in a critical series with each other right now, and the winner of it will be toasting champagne in the clubhouse come late September. The loser will have the Wildcard spot as consolation.
Central: St. Louis Cardinals
Why the Cardinals? I don't know. Something must be in the water in the Midwest. None of the team have any desire to win. Milwaukee has never, ever ended a season on a positive note, so they're out. The Cubs are in a great position to pull away but they just don't care too. The Cardinals are hot when they need to be and the emotional devastation to start the season will be great motivation to finish it strong. Honestly, though, they should just scrap the winner from this Division getting a spot and hand it to the West.
West: Arizona Diamondbacks
Perhaps the closest division in baseball; only the Giants can ease out of this awful, embarrassing year. The Dodgers and Rockies don't have strong enough starting pitching to carry them through, so they're out of it. It really comes down to whether the Padres or Diamondbacks can stay hot. The D-backs, with a slightly better (Read: Less hurt) rotation, they should win it.
Wildcard: New York Mets
The 1999 All-Star Team has just enough gas left in the tank to carry them. They're just too hurt and without enough drive to carry them to an NL East win, but they simply won't miss the playoffs, no matter what.
AL Divisional Playoffs
Detroit (1) vs. Boston (3)
Seattle (2) vs. New York (3)
NL Divisional Playoffs
St. Louis (0) vs. Arizona (3)
New York (3) vs. Philadelphia (2)
AL Championship
New York (4) vs. Boston (2)
NL Championship
New York (3) vs. Arizona (4)
World Series
Arizona (3) vs. New York (4)
So I picked my Yankees to win it all. Sue me. They're hot and that's the only thing that matters in the playoffs. Look at St. Louis last year. No NL team had any right to even show up, much less one that barely broke .500 and then they win it anyway.
American League
East: Boston Red Sox
It kills me to say this as a Yankees fan but we're just a bunch of self-destructive drug addicts who can't dig ourselves out of the whole. Every time we get close someone writes an article about it; we lose four straight, the Sox play the Devil Rays and before you know it everyone is wondering why Mike Mussina is allowed to breathe anymore. Even if the Yankees can sweep the Sox this series, 5 games is simply too much to catch up on this late in the season. They've simply too much depth.
Central: Detroit Tigers
The Central divisions are the most interesting because no team really has any interest in winning. The Indians and Tigers both have had chances to pull away and have just failed miserably. The Tigers celebrate taking three of four from the Yankees by getting beat by the Royals. The Tigers should emerge from this crap-heap on top, leaving the Indians out in the cold. Neither has a real shot at the Wildcard, so it's essentially a division title or a long winter. Neither will do any damage in the playoffs, either.
West: Seattle Mariners
The Fightin' M's just keep fighting. They suffered a tough break in a crucial game tonight but they're simply too hot and the Angels are too inconsistent. For a team that was written off as rebuilding in the first half of the year, no matter what happens, the Mariners can't call this season a disappointment.
Wildcard: New York Yankees
For the Angels to lose the division they'd have to freefall, and this would most likely send them out of wildcard contention as well. The Yankees are there to scoop up the spot, pending they don't decide to have another off fortnight. If they don't, we could be looking at another ALCS for the ages.
National League
East: Philadelphia Phillies
The Mets have had the lead all year and the fact that they can't pull away leaves the Phillies in a great position to take control of the division. The two are in a critical series with each other right now, and the winner of it will be toasting champagne in the clubhouse come late September. The loser will have the Wildcard spot as consolation.
Central: St. Louis Cardinals
Why the Cardinals? I don't know. Something must be in the water in the Midwest. None of the team have any desire to win. Milwaukee has never, ever ended a season on a positive note, so they're out. The Cubs are in a great position to pull away but they just don't care too. The Cardinals are hot when they need to be and the emotional devastation to start the season will be great motivation to finish it strong. Honestly, though, they should just scrap the winner from this Division getting a spot and hand it to the West.
West: Arizona Diamondbacks
Perhaps the closest division in baseball; only the Giants can ease out of this awful, embarrassing year. The Dodgers and Rockies don't have strong enough starting pitching to carry them through, so they're out of it. It really comes down to whether the Padres or Diamondbacks can stay hot. The D-backs, with a slightly better (Read: Less hurt) rotation, they should win it.
Wildcard: New York Mets
The 1999 All-Star Team has just enough gas left in the tank to carry them. They're just too hurt and without enough drive to carry them to an NL East win, but they simply won't miss the playoffs, no matter what.
AL Divisional Playoffs
Detroit (1) vs. Boston (3)
Seattle (2) vs. New York (3)
NL Divisional Playoffs
St. Louis (0) vs. Arizona (3)
New York (3) vs. Philadelphia (2)
AL Championship
New York (4) vs. Boston (2)
NL Championship
New York (3) vs. Arizona (4)
World Series
Arizona (3) vs. New York (4)
So I picked my Yankees to win it all. Sue me. They're hot and that's the only thing that matters in the playoffs. Look at St. Louis last year. No NL team had any right to even show up, much less one that barely broke .500 and then they win it anyway.