MLB...The Wild, Wild Card Races

As Patricia was walking out to the garage this morning, and as we were talking, I looked to the west and saw a Rainbow...in the west, in the early morning....how rare is that?  I grabbed the camera, but as quick as it came, it was gone.  Rats!  No photo to share...

The unwelcome and unneeded rain that was approaching seems to by dying out as it hits the Indiana/Ohio State Line...however they are still calling for a 60% chance of showers, under cool, cloudy skies...if the rain stays away, I will get after mom's and our lawns.  Both are in serious need of a mowing.  Our lawn, just mowed last Wednesday, is particularly in a heavy growth spurt.  More like April or early May than late September...so hopefully the rains will not get here before I can mow...but as I look out the windows, it's getting pretty dark.

Baseball's Second Season, and the Wild, Wild Card showdown____

Any regular reader of this blog knows, my favorite sport, whether it be to umpire, as I do these days, watch, play or coach, is and always has been Baseball.  However with the Reds eliminated long ago, my interest waned.  Cincinnati, after a surprise showing to win the NL Central last season, fell on their faces this season, and sit in 3rd place, with the final two games looming.  This left me questioning who to follow in the post season, and who to root for and against.  It seemed pretty cut and dried just a couple of weeks ago.  The Yankees, Detriot, and Texas, would win their divisions in the American League, and Boston's Red Sox would be the Wild Card team.  Over in the NL, it would be Arizona, the Phillies, and Milwaukee, winning the divisions, while the Atlanta Braves would be the Wild Card representative.  

Not so fast Kemosabe.... 

Both the Red Sox and Atlanta went into massive swoons the past two weeks, thus leaving the door open for Tampa Bay and St. Louis to take the Wild Card spots that were opening up.

After last nights loss, Boston finds themselves in a dead heat with the Rays of Tampa Bay, with two games to go....Boston is playing the lowly Baltimore Orioles, who thumped them last night, meanwhile Tampa Bay is playing the Yankees...who seem to be on cruise control, and not playing every regular...who can blame them?  After all, the aging New Yorkers need all the rest they can get....Boston has put themselves in this situation, and is now on the verge of paying the price.


Meanwhile over in the NL, a team that all Reds fans despise, the St. Louis Cardinals, have made a comeback, thanks to the Braves falling on hard times.   One game separates the teams...and if not for St. Louis choking in extra innings, they would be tied...as it stands St Louis faces the last place Astros in Texas, while the Braves are up against Philadelphia, who despite it's recent slump, is probably the best team in baseball, especially given their pitching staff.  Both teams have two games to go.


So, who to root for...?

My mom's family are big Phillie fans, always have been.....so I don't hate Philadelphia, root for that nasty cities Hockey Team, the Flyers, have for years.  Nothing against Arizona, wife if from Wisconsin and her family are Brewers fans.  Not a fan of Atlanta, but hope that they dispatch St. Louis.  When it comes down to the bottom line, in the NL, I really don't care.....with the exception of the Cards and Braves, I could support the other three.


Meanwhile over in the AL....I despise the Yankees.  I grew up a Yankee fan in the 1950s and early 60s while living in Florida...but Mantle, Ford, Berra, and Maris, were easy for a kid to root for....today, they are a over-hyped team with too much money to spend, and I can't stand them. They try to buy a championship every season, and when they lose, baseball wins.  No fan of Boston either....I like Texas, especially ex-Red Josh Hamilton, don't mind the Tigers, their manager is a Buckeye.  But if Tampa Bay slips in...I will be rooting for them all the way.  The family was in attendance in 1999, with video camera in hand, when Wade Boggs homered for his 3000 hit, in August of that year, in St Pete....still have the action on tape.  If the Rays don't make it, Detroit or Texas either one I could root for.


Regardless, I am looking forward to the next month....forget the NFL, or College Football, baseball is what will hold my interest, as far as being a fan.


back later>>>>

Photos-The MLB Playoffs begin this weekend...if the Rays make the Wild Card, I will be rooting for them, however, you gotta believe the Philadelphia Phils are the odds on favorites to take the World Series crown.