That Petronski IS a good guy, isn't he?
NL EAST: Braves lead the Marlins and Nats by 5 1/2, Phils by 6, and the Mets by 6 1/2.
NL WEST: Pods back, barely, over .500, lead Rattlesnakes by 3
NL WILDCARD: 'Stros lead Marlins and Nats by 2, Phils by 2 1/2, Mets by 3, and Brewers by 4 1/2
NL East..with everyone still over .500, is there for the taking...one good streak (8-2) can propel any team into first place. Braves still the class, but the BP looks a shakier than we thought...Nats continue to fade.. they'll be in last place, as I predicted here to the scorn of many of you, by next week. My Metsies continue to come on strong...rotation looks solid, Beltran starting to hit, and run...Pazzi has great power stats, and Menkiewicz picked his average up about 50 pts before getting hurt..Bullpen is the BIG question mark..Mets have 6 upcoming against Pods and Dodgers..they need to win 5 of 6..
Houston still looks good for the WC, but they're not hitting again..though the rotation should be dominant. FYI, if Houston wins the WC..they get Braves in the first round, and 'Stros should sweep them... Only reason I'm NOT counting out the Cubbies, despite being swept the Mets, and playing some of the WORST defense ever, is that they start a series against the Reds. If, IF, they sweep, they can climb back into it..
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AL EAST: Red Sawx lead Yanks by 3 l/2, Blue Jays by 7
AL WEST: Angels and A's in a flat-footed tie..and both 7 1/2 games over Rangers.
AL WILDCARD:Angels and A's lead Yankees by 4, Indians ( who are 8-2 over last 10, and should have swept the Yankees) by 4 1/2, Twins by 7, and Blue Jays by 7 1/2...though the last two are pretty much done, finished, over..
Yankees are kaput, toast..done..
Question: What team has a tall, ornry, 40+ y.o. pitcher with a bad back,making ten+ million, who comes off the payroll after this season, only to replace him with another tall, orny, 40+ y.o. pitcher with a bad back, who has TWO more years remaining, and will eat up about $17 mill each season?..Ya got it..Randy Jhnson is a southpaw Kevin Brown..When the back goes, it goes...The Big Unit will be a "Pinkee" for the rest of his Yankee contract..and Pavano may well be done for the season ...Yankees start a three game series with the White Sox tonight, then four with the Rangers..I'm predicting 3-4..which will drop them behind the Indians in the WC race by next week.. FYI El Duque goes tonight, against Moose ( who stank last time out).. and he really wants this game..would love to beat his old team IN Yankee Stadium....and then the four game set with Texas..since neither team can pitch..and both can hit..the O/U in total runs for the 4 game set should be 60..
Re the AL playoffs..consider that of the following four teams..Angels, A's, Red Sox, and Yankees..ONE is playing golf the first week in October..
Other matters: Look for the House to get really involved in the Palmiero/steriods fiasco...they have to look hard at perjury, and it'll give them a chance to get some press coverage while everyone else in the MSM is looking at the Senate and the Roberts confirmation hearings..and both Davis and Waxman are in complete agreement on how to proceed, ( which in itself should scare the s**t out of baseball) As I write, Palmiero has authorized release of all his records..but as I also predicted, Fehr and the union are objecting. Fehr is nuts...
The NL Cy Young race is shaping up to be one of the most interesting in a long time..Pedro and Roger have the record, and the ERA and the media hype...Cards Carpenter has the most wins, and is 2nd behind Clemens in ERA, ...but is also the beneficiary of that awesome hitting lineup..which might hurt him with the voters..I think as of now he deserves it, because his low ERA means he is pitching, and NOT winning a bunch of games by 8-6 scores... However, I think whichever team makes the WC in the NL..Mets or Astros, that team produces the CYA winner..
BTW, don't forget that good-guy Petronski has a chance of having his second most favorite fantasy come true this year as well...
Second, and more importantly..I enjoy doing this weekly, though admittedly my NY bias ( pro-Mets; anti-Yankees) shows in my comments. If anyone would like to jump in and wants to do the weekly summarly and commentary, I'm happy to defer. Just let me know, and after you've got the thread up, I'll add the ping list..regards..
Tigers had a shot at a wildcard position but they've gone into freefall recently.
ken -- I know you hate the Yankees, but three games in the loss column is not really a mountain to climb with over 50 games remaining, and Boston's pitching has not exactly been reminiscent of the 1966 Dodgers, either. Oakland has been on such a tear for so long, either one of two things will happen -- they stay on this pace, which means they will easily win the WS, or they return to earth, in which case they won't even make the playoffs. I'm betting Clemens for Cy Young, even though Carpenter is having a great season. That incredible ERA, plus his past history, will probably carry the day.
Probably two will be. Bosox are quite likely to be both in the playoffs AND hitting the links, if they can pull Millar and Trot and the Hefty Lefty away from the bars.
I am hoping so. After the Tribe got spanked by the Sox right after the All-Star break I figured the Tribe was heading south for the rest of the season. Their latest win streak has got me thinking we have a chance for a post season appearance. And with the A's surging I can only hope the Angels fold it up too the rest of the season. Wahoo!!!
The 'Stros avoided getting the broom yesterday in San Fran thanks to the masterful Clemens. Their bats had stopped working in the previous couple of games, but they came alive yesterday in late innings. A decent road trip (I think it was .500), and given their almost invincible status at Minute Maid I have high hopes for the rest of the future. It should be a great WC race--the ripe fruit hangs low for an adacious hand to pluck it.
My Bravos have their most exciting team in years, thanks to their young talent...Brian McCann, Kelly Johnson, Ryan Langerhans, Wilson Betemit, and the guy who SHOULD be the NL Rookie of the Year, Jeff Francouer.
NLWC from the East...
The Indians still have about 20 games left against KC and Tampa Bay. The wild card is a real possibility, although I don't see them going far even if they were to get into the postseason.
Too early for that declaration IMHO.
Keep pushin' on, Astros!
The Sox lead the Yanks by 5. Not 3 1/2.
Don't give up on the division, Petronski. We're sweeping your division leaders this weekend.