How I want the National League races to end

With the season winding down, the playoff picture in the American League seems pretty clear. Unless the Twins and Rangers simply collapse and give the White Sox and A’s some life, then we can be pretty sure that the Yankees, Rays, Rangers and Twins will be playing in October.

But there is a chance that the National League could be right down to the wire.

I want there to be total anarchy by the end… nobody sure who is in and who is out.

Now with the Red Sox out of it, I am rooting for the Giants to win it all. But the rest of the National League could be in chaos if the following scenarios take place.


The GIANTS go on a mad 15-5 dash to capture the NL West title and finish the season 95-67.



The PADRES right their ship and go 15-7 to and finish the season 94-68.



The ROCKIES continue their late surge with a 17-4 streak and also finish the season 94-68.



The PHILLIES go 11-9 the rest of the way and finish the season 93-69.



The BRAVES pick up the pace and go 12-8 over the last few weeks and end with a 93-69 mark.


The REDS stumble to an 7-14 record the rest of the way and finish 87-75.



The CARDINALS, led by Pujols, Wainwright and Carpenter, go 14-9 and also finish 87-75.

So what would be the end result?

The Giants would be the Western Division Champs and have Home Field Advantage in every round of the playoffs, including the World Series.

My dad will be thrilled to see that the Championship will have to come through McCovey Cove.

And the rest of the National League playoffs would be up for grabs forcing three… count em… THREE win or go home one game playoffs on the same day!

The Padres and Rockies would play a one game playoff for the Wild Card (2007 rematch anyone?)

The Braves and the Phillies would play for the NL East title. (The two time NL Champs vs. Bobby Cox’s last stand.)

And the Reds and Cardinals, two of the classic franchises in baseball, will square off for the NL Central crown. (And no doubt some bad blood between LaRussa and Baker.)

And if these games would be as exciting as the one game playoffs played each of the last three seasons, they will be three heart stopping down to the last pitch thrillers.

We’ve never had more than one to end a season. (If the Mets won one more game we would have had two in 2007!)

Tell me that wouldn’t be the most exciting baseball day you could imagine.

So… just have those 7 scenarios take place.
I’ve always wanted a season to end with anarchy… maybe I’ll get my wish this year.

Sully Baseball Presents THE BEST TIE BREAKER PLAYOFFS OF THE 2000s

Sometimes 162 games isn't enough to figure out which 8 teams are headed for the post season... and a tie breaker is needed.

Each of the last three seasons have included a tie breaking 163rd game... and all of them were tense 1 run affairs. And two of them were extra inning thrillers where the eventual winners were 3 outs from elimination.

It's painful enough to be eliminated in the post season... but imagine the angst of the three teams that missed October ball by the thinnest of eyelashes!

Let's remember the Best Tie Breaker Games of the 2000s...

BEST ONE GAME TIE BREAKER OF THE 2000s (AMERICAN LEAGUE)

2009 - TWINS 6 TIGERS 5 (12 Innings)

The Tigers coughed up a 3 game lead with 4 to play, setting up an epic, wild, back and forth and controversial one game playoff.

Homers by Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez for Detroit and Jason Kubel and Orlando Cabrera sent the game into extra innings.

Detroit took the lead in the 10th, putting Minnesota three outs from elimination. But Don Kelly of the Tigers misplayed a flyball by Michael Cuddyer putting the tying run at third with nobody out. He would score the tying run but the winning run was thrown out at home by Don Kelly.

With the bases loaded in the 12, Bobby Keppel appeared to have hit Brandon Inge with a pitch. But the ump said the ball never hit him. The Tigers didn't score in that inning and in the bottom of the 12th Alexi Casilla drove home Carlos Gomez with the Division Clincher.

Honorable Mention for One Game Playoff of the 2000s (American League)
2008 - WHITE SOX 1 TWINS 0

Jim Thome's 7th inning homer was the only scoring as John Danks threw 8 innings of 2 hit shutout ball, clinching the Central for the White Sox. Ken Griffey threw out Michael Cuddyer at home to end the 5th and kill the Twins best scoring chance.

BEST ONE GAME TIE BREAKER OF THE 2000s (NATIONAL LEAGUE)

2007 - ROCKIES 9 PADRES 8 (13 Innings)

The Padres looked like a formindable playoff team midway through September 2007 with a shot at home field advantage. The Rockies were an also ran playing out the string... then suddenly a surge by Colorado and a pair of losses at the end of the year put San Diego and Colorado in a most unlikely playoff for the Wild Card (Arizona would finish a mere 1 game ahead of both teams.)

Padres Cy Young candidate Jake Peavy would take the hill in Coors Field and fell behind early. But Adrian Gonzalez's grand slam gave the Padres the lead.

This is Coors Field, so no lead is safe. The Rockies took the lead back in the 6th and the Padres tied it with two outs in the 8th.

Then the scoring stopped and the tension built up. The Rockies couldn't bring home the playoff berth clinching run in the 9th, 10th, 11th or 12. The Padres left runners in scoring position in the 10th, 11th and 12th.

Finally Scott Hairston homered in the 13th, giving San Diego the a 2 run lead. Trevor Hoffman now had to shut the door.

Remember this is Coors.

Kaz Matsui doubled to lead off the 13th and Troy Tulowitzki doubled him home. Then Matt Holliday crushed a game tying triple to right. Jamey Carrol came up with runners on the corners and flew out to right.

Holliday tagged and came home. Did he tag the plate? We'll never know but he was called safe and Colorado's improbable playoff run continued while the Padres franchise hasn't recovered.

TO RETURN TO BEST OF 2000s POST SEASON HOME...
CLICK HERE.

Whither Instant Replay

This has not been a glowing post season for big league umps.

Brandon Inge was hit by a pitch in extra innings of the One Game Tigers/Twins playoff that would have put Detroit ahead.

Some strange calls at first went against the Red Sox in a key inning in Anaheim.

Later a play at third was blown in the Red Sox favor.

In Minnesota, Joe Mauer dumped a double in extra innings that was fair by a foot... but called foul.

In the 9th inning of a tied game in Denver, a ball clearly bounced and hit Chase Utley in the batters box and it should have been called a foul ball.

At least in Denver there was an excuse... the umps eyes were covered.

But doesn't that just bring back the specter of instant replay?

Most of these bad calls were exposed in under a minute on TV.

Sometimes the correct call is shown over and over again before the manager is done even arguing on the field.

Wouldn't it be better for baseball to get the calls RIGHT?

Maybe the Twins would have scored twice in the bottom of the 12. But the win wouldn't have the ugly stench of the Tigers being cheated out of a run.

And yeah, had Joe Nathan retired the Yankees in order, there wouldn't even be the need for extra innings in the Bronx. But the Twins had enough going against them... they didn't need the UMPS working against them.

I'm becoming a broken record as I stated my belief in instant replay in general and also using the 1987 Twins/Cardinals World Series as a reason to use it... but if we have the capability to get the calls right WHY THE HELL DON'T WE????

Matt Holliday's legacy

Matt Holliday is obviously a terrific player.

He was an MVP runner up in 2007 and was the catalyst for the brilliant post season run for Colorado.

He hit the game tying triple off of Trevor Hoffman in the mind boggling one game playoff against the Padres and scored the playoff clinching run.

He was the NLCS MVP in 2007 and hit a home run in the World Series that for a moment brought the Rockies to within 1 run in Game 3.

And he had a terrific second half of the season with the Cardinals.

And guess what?

All of that is thrown into the trash can. His legacy is the dropped fly ball.

He already had a bone head moment on his resume when he was picked off of first in a critical point of Game 2 of the 2007 World Series... but that is nothing compared to this.

He dropped a ball that Morris Buttermaker would expect Timmy Lupus to catch.

He dropped a ball that HIT HIS GLOVE!

He dropped a ball that if he caught it, the Cardinals would have a split and have a chance to be in control of the series.

Instead the Cardinals, the team that both Vegas and I picked to go to the World Series when the playoffs began, could be eliminated before Sunday!

Is it harsh to say this will be his legacy?

What is the first highlight you think of when you hear Dennis Eckersley?

Come on... admit it. It's Kirk Gibson's homer. And Eck clinched a World Series the next year and won the Cy Young and the MVP a few years after that and got elected to the Hall of Fame. 

But everyone, from EJ and the gang in the studio to Bill Cosby brings up Gibson to Eck.

Mike Torrez clinched a World Series and was the pitcher who everyone mobbed in 1977. Who remembers THAT? Not as many people who remember him serving up Bucky Dent's shot.

Lonnie Smith? The guy was a World Champion with three different organizations, but he was the guy who fell for the Gagne/Knoblauch decoy play and couldn't score in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.

What about Chuck Knoblauch? The guy was an All Star, hit big World Series homers and helped prevented Lonnie Smith from scoring and bunted Danny Gladden over in the World Series winning rally in 1991.

But he is best remembered for blowing a bubble while complaining to an ump in the 1998 ALCS while two runners scored. And the Yankees WON that series!

Ralph Branca was a 21 game winner, a 3 time All Star and got MVP votes in 1947 and 1948. Who remembers that? Not the people who replay the Bobby Thomson homer.

Hey! When you hear the name Bill Buckner, do you think about his batting title? His All Star appearance? His 22 year career and 2715 hits? I bet not.

Well Matt, you had better hope the Cardinals win this series... other wise you are going to be part of a REALLY BAD montage for the rest of your life.

My Kidneys Conspired To Keep Me From Enjoying A Classic Game

Yesterday was a classic classic game.

One of those jaw dropping "I can't believe this is happening" back and forth affairs.

Clutch late inning homers from Cabrera and Ordonez.

Dazzling game saving defense in the 9th... first on the bang bang double play by Cabrera.

Then Inge's diving stop in the 9th inning.

Leads exchanged... potential division winning runs thrown out at the plate... rookies coming in wiggling out of bases loaded jams.

It's the kind of game that the MLB network will be running on a loop for generations.

And how did I enjoy it?

In pain!

Driving in my car in agony, listening on the radio but not able to enjoy it.

I had a kidney stone on the move and for those of you who have had one... they are NOT pretty.

I soaked in the bath tub and took pain killers. A few hours later I passed it... but missed the game winning rally.

As with all kidney stones, I went from "Oh My God Just Put A Bullet In ME!" pain to "Eh, that's not so bad" in about 2 nanoseconds.

And all the while I thought "If there are ANY left in there, you are NOT MOVING during the Red Sox series!"

Picking a team to root for...

All logic has me rooting for the Tigers...

As I wrote up before the only scenario that has the Yankees eliminated early involves a rested and ready Justin Verlander and a Tigers team on an emotional high with nothing to lose taking on Not-exactly-dominating-in-October Sabathia and potential playoff train wreck A. J. Burnett.

But there is something wickedly wonderful about the much maligned (although defended my me) Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome getting a longer playoff send off than either of the New York stadiums.

But there's another selfish reason to root for the Twins.

Remember my crappy predictions? I picked the A's and the Reds to meet in the World Series.

So yeah, it wasn't a Cincinnati/Oakland year.

But guess what? If the Twins win the Division, then the REST of my post season teams were correct.

I picked the Yankees to win the East... Check.

I picked the Red Sox to win the Wild Card... Check.

I picked the Phillies to win the East... Check.

I picked the Dodgers to win the West... Check.

I picked the Cardinals to make the playoffs... granted I picked them to be the Wild Card team but I'll give myself a Check.

And if it is the Twins then in the end, I would have picked 6 out of 8... which isn't bad.

Plus I didn't get seduced by picking the Cubs, Rays or Mets who were high on a lot of people's prediction lists.

In the end, my shallow anti Yankee sentiment will out weigh wanting my picks to look slightly better, so I'll be rooting for the Tigers.

But I want it to go 15 innings.

The Playoffs Start Tomorrow

How great is this?

The regular season ended on Sunday.
It’s Tuesday afternoon… and we STILL don’t know all of the playoff match ups!

It may not have been anarchy.
But it’s close enough!!!

The one game playoff today between Chicago and Minnesota is also a strange because I truly don’t care who wins.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the White Sox because they are the forgotten team in Chicago… even during a World Series season. Plus I love Griffey.

But I also can’t help but love the Twins to a degree because of the underdog status, the contraction rumor and the fact that this little franchise that could keeps putting a contender on the field.

So what I want is a solid game with a memorable moment… that it will be called the(INSERT PLAYER NAME HERE) game.

Or have be decided on something so f---ed up that people talk about it for ages.

Like Jim Thome hits a fly ball and a bird catches it and flies away and they have to decide if that is a ground rule double or homer.

Either way… the playoffs WILL start tomorrow.