Apologies in advance for the long post, but just figured I'd get out all my thoughts on the September playoff race now that we're a week in. But yes, the Rockies are truly a bizarre team. To do what they've done twice now in the past few seasons, even if they don't make it this year. Go from several games out on Sept 1, and then start ridiculous winning streaks combined with unlikely losses by the teams ahead of them? Once is luck, twice? I don't know how you can explain a logical reason for what they are capable of doing in September, when they have several teams in front of them on top of the unlikely winning streaks. But it's more than luck at this point.
Truly a phenomenal team and organization. I'm honestly hoping the Rockies take the division and the Giants the WC. Throw the entire Philthy franchise under a bus, have the Braves take our division and the Reds the NL Central. There wouldn't be a team in that scenario I wouldn't be rooting for, although honestly, how can you not want the Rockies to go all the way? Unless the Rockies go on a massive losing streak, I don't see how he doesn't run away with the MVP this year. Votto is deserving, as is Pujols. But take CarGo away and the Rockies sure as hell aren't anywhere near contending right now. The fact they are making such an unlikely run with where they were two, three weeks ago, and so long as they go at least .500 here on out, he is the MVP. If the Giants make the playoffs, I think Posey might be a lock for RoY.
I hate seeing the White Sox continue their slide. I really wanted to see them make it over the Twins. The AL race this year is just horrible and bland. Not only are there no genuine races, the playoff spots were all but locked up on Sept. 1. You've got a huge issue when one entire league is facing a September where you know who will be playing in October the first day. Not only that, but there really aren't the teams you want to root for like the NL. The Rangers and Twins don't deserve to make it, they've got far too many holes and are playing way too poorly. Yet they've been near locks for weeks. And the AL East? I hate seeing teams buy their way into the playoffs the way the Yankees do, and I'm just not a big fan of the Rays. Of all four, the Rays are my preferred team.
One last comment on the race to October. MLB needs to change something. You have a dream scenario where the Yanks and Devil Rays (I'm sorry, I forgot devil was too evil to put in a teams name.) play seven games this month. They are ridiculously close, with one guaranteed the wild card and the other the division. Would be some epic games there. But it doesn't matter. The difference between wild card and division is so negligible, I think something like half of the time in recent years the home field advantage team lost, that those games just aren't that important. And add in the fact that with the AL East, the AL doesn't have a wild card in two of three divisions. You have AL East team with an extra home game each series, and AL East team with one less home game each series. With the Red Sox and Yankees, you'll always have the two make it. Turns out this year the Rays overtake the Sox, but that highlights the point. Now the top three teams are in one division. All the Central and West can play for are division titles. Look at the excitement of the wild card in the past five years in the NL and AL. Look at it this year.
So combine those two issues together, and we need to add a second wild card team ASAP. When a new contract is done in 2012. Make it so that the two wild card teams face off in a three game series. First and foremost, it gives the #2 team in the AL Central and West a reason to actually care about September. But consider how the seven Rays and Yankees games are played, how important those games are, and how much more fun they are to watch under such a scenario. I guarantee you, both teams would play with twice the effort if they know they aren't losing just one home game each series, but instead have to face an extra round. And the division leader gets some rest before the playoffs. Those seven games, which should be vital and ridiculously fun to watch, are now going to be bland with both teams assured of a playoff spot. Add the second wild card, and it changes those games so much that it's obscene the playoffs aren't already structured in such a way. If the AL were the NL, the need wouldn't be so vital, although I would still prefer it. But with the AL East being as it is, and will be for years to come, we need the second wild card team and a wild card three game series in 2012. Anything else is a failure, and a large one at that, for baseball.
