An interesting list, but it is just looking at offense. I may have implied offense with the way I phrased the question, but I meant to take defense into consideration also. Of course, it is hard to measure defense even now. Trying to figure the defensive contributions of earlier era players is probably close to impossible.
Kudos to the White Sox for their absolute neutrality in the American League playoff race. In the last nine days they have lost three times to Boston, three times to New York, and three times to Baltimore.
Boston’s Xander Bogaerts is the first major leaguer in history whose first name starts with X but is not Xavier.
“Indefinitely” is now “expected back before the end of the regular season”. This of course assumes everything goes well and he doesn’t manage another, season-ending injury during rehab or on his return (as good as he’s been, he’s also been very accident/injury-prone).
What were the odds that Matsuzaka would suddenly turn in a great pitching performance, against, of all teams, the Cleveland Indians (who earlier jettisoned him from their Triple-A team, the Columbus Clippers)?
Tampa Bay has filed a grievance with the league office. 
Your Los Angeles Dodgers: 83-59.
Your Ariz. D-Backs: 72-70
Both teams have 20 games left in the regular season. If the Dodgers go 10-10, they end with a record of 93-69.
for the Snakes to match that, they’d need to go 21 - 0. (Oops)
Elimination #s:
Ariz 10
SD 3
Colorado 2
Giants 1
The Dodgers and D-Backs play each other 7 times in the next 11 days. After an incredibly frustrating weekend of one-run losses, the Dodgers have an excellent opportunity to put the division away.
I take no credit away from the Reds for the really strong pitching they exhibited over the weekend. I’m not happy about it, but I applaud them. 
Yeah, that series could have gone a lot of verydifferent ways, they were all close, I guess the Reds wanted it a bit more. Uribe’s drive that died last night in front of the right-center wall stung a little.
Really that series was pretty much the reverse of the one they played against the Dodgers at the end of July in LA. All close games, at least one extra inning game in each series, great pitching…
…which brings me to my main concern about the Reds in the post-season and that’s playing on the road. Their home record is stellar, on the road, not so much, especially on the west coast. I truly fear having to play LA or ATL in the first round given how good those teams are at their home stadiums. So in other words, win the division Reds! At least that way not only will they play their first playoff series with a home field advantage, it will also be against a familiar opponent in either STL or PIT.
STL in first place right now, both PIT and CIN 1.5 games back. Going to be an interesting few weeks here. Hopefully the Reds don’t shit the bed against the Cubs and the Brewers. The Brewers have ruined the Reds post season hopes/chances before. 1999 springs to mind.
ETA: actually now that I think about it, there are three division winners and two wildcard teams…can somebody explain how the playoffs shake out in terms of whom plays whom? I think there’s a play-in game now, isn’t there?
I noticed that too. As an Orioles fan, i was hoping that they’d take at least one or two from the Yankees. The Red Sox are now so far ahead that it doesn’t really matter. Although they weren’t completely neutral: the Orioles series was 4 games, and the White Sox won the last one.
I have no particular bone to pick with the White Sox, except that Hawk Harrelson is a really crappy commentator, and a total fucking idiot to boot. Here’s an exchange between Harrelson and Steve Stone from a White Sox/Orioles game a few days. I had to rewind to make sure that I had heard him correctly.
They were talking about Cal Ripken’s career, and Earl Weaver’s decision, early on, to play him at shortstop:
Yes, that’s right. Ripken was a lucky shortstop. Everyone hit the ball straight at him. That accounts for his great footwork, his excellent range, and his cannon of an arm. :rolleyes:
I’m not sure i’ve ever heard as much ignorance for a commentator in so few words, although i’m sure there have been times when Joe Morgan gave him a run for his money.
That’s a joke. An old one.
Didn’t sound like it the way he said it. I’m willing to believe that it’s based on some old joke, and that Harrelson was indeed riffing on the joke rather than being serious, but i’ll need more than your say-so.
In each league, the three division winners all have a “bye” into the Division Series. The two wildcards play each other in a one-game play-in hosted by the team with the better record. The winner of that game becomes the #4 seed.
So the team with the best record in each league has home field advantage and becomes the #1 seed, and plays the #4 seed in the Division Series, while #2 and #3 play each other, with the #2 seed holding home field advantage for that round. The two winners then obviously play each other, with the team with the better record hosting the Championship Series.
And, of course, the winner of each CS plays each other in the World Series, with the AL team having home field advantage thanks to their victory in the All-Star Game this season.
I’ll have to add that seeing all the old Big Red Machine players made me nostalgic for the old NL West alignment. I miss the Reds. What a great competition that was through the 70s. It was fun hating those guys, because you knew you were hating the best!
Seeing Joe Morgan just made me grateful he’s no longer behind a microphone, sadly.
Have to agree with you there. Joe’s talents were on the field, not announcing games.
I can’t think of too many ex-ball players that I can stand listening to, to be honest. Tim McCaver jumps to mind immediately as someone I’d like to hit over the head with a chair. Wasn’t Deon Sanders the guy that dumped water or something on McCarver in a dressing room? Whoever it was, he was my hero for about a week.
I hate Tim McCarver.
The Big Red Machine… What an amazing team. Seemed like the Pirates and Reds wee always playing each other in the playoffs in the 70’s (although I know that’s not the case). That was one of the best lineups I can think of in all my tme watching baseball. I still remember most of that team, and I’m not een remotely a Reds fan. I hate them, in fact. But you can’t deny their greatness.
It is flatly beyond my ability as a rational adult man to believe those words, in that context, were anything other than a joke.
Had I never listened to Hawk Harrelson commentating before, I would agree with you.
I had never heard the alleged “old” joke that Elvis refers to, however, and it was delivered completely straight. It could well have been a joke, but if it was, it wasn’t delivered in a way that made it clear, and Harrelson has said enough dumb things in the past that i assumed this was just another one.
Anyway, i’m not living or dying over the issue, but if it was a joke, his delivery sucks.
Thanks Asimovian. That’s layman language I can understand!
Stupid Reds losing to the Cubs tonight. And to a former pitcher of theirs, no less! Jesus, every game counts now guys! The division hangs in the balance!
The Pirates won their 81st game last week, and then immediately went on a four game slide, taking them out of first and pushing them close to third place in the NL Central.
They finally got their 82nd win tonight, a 1-0 win in Texas. Whew!
I was getting nervous that they wouldn’t get their 82nd win since I opened my big mouth last week.
Well, now its all about how they end the season. If the last two seasons are any indication, they will go on a losing swoon of epic proportions. But if they can win a game or two more than they lose… especially against the Reds and the Cards, they have a real shot at the Division, something I would love to see.
Imagine! The Pirates playing post-season baseball. I get goose pimples just thinking about it!
The Reds v Pirates series from 9/20-9/22 in Pittsburgh and then the same series from 9/27-9/29 in Cincinnati is going to determine the division winner, IMO. I hope it’s the Reds.