<p>the</a> wrapup
it was just crazy. a bunch of nice comebacks and plenty of offence.</p>
<p>I am a big Braves fan, and though I would hate to see the Mets stop the Braves dynasty of 14 division titles in a row, the fact that they are 13 games out in July makes me think that they dont have much of a chance...but they're only 6 games out of the wildcard...Go Braves!</p>
<p>If the Yankees can make it into the playoffs somehow...they may be the toughest teams out there...b/c by then Sheff & Matsui will be back...and the Yankees can take any team on in a 5 game series using Mussina, Wang, Johnson & company. And for a 7 game series...just throw in Jared Wright...who hasn't been too bad</p>
<p>Then look at the bullpen...you've got Dotel and Mo for the 8th and 9th
you have good relievers from the left and right side to setup: Villone, Proctor, Farnsworth, Myers</p>
<p>How about them Tigers!</p>
<p>chrisc, if the yankees make the playoffs, which would mean they would most likely have to beat the red sox for the division given the strength of the tigers and white sox, i dont think they could beat out chicago, who i believe have much better pitching, and about even offense. If by chance the yankees play chicago in the first round, depending on how the match-ups work out, I really dont think they would have a chance...you cant beat Beuhrle, Contreras, Garland, and Garcia in a three-game series.</p>
<p>Ya the tigers have really taken off this year, I wish my Mariners would have done the same. (:</p>
<p>Here is who I have for the playoffs
AL
W- Im gonna say Oakland, but Texas is making a run for it
C- Detroit, obviously
E- Boston Go Sox!!
WC- White Sox, maybe Yankees</p>
<p>NL
W- Los Angeles, I dont think San Diego can hold on
C- St. Louis
E- New York, no competition
WC- San Diego or Cincinatti</p>
<p>i dont think the yankees will be able to beat the sox or the tigers in the playoffs either. this year starting pitching outside of mussina has really been inconsistent, with sparks of brilliance, however, mainly from randy. the offence has been there, but its very far from full potential. i think, even though we cannot say anything for sure until sheff and godzilla get back, this year is not the year.</p>
<p>Heck, here's my prediction:
NL
West - Dbacks. yeah, dont laugh back there, they still got it.
Central - Cardinals. phat albert is back, carpenter is back, they'll get it going
East - Mets. no comments.
Wild card - Dodgers or Astros</p>
<p>AL
West - Texas. i think they can do it
Central - Tigers. no comments
East - Red Sox. they look very good and have a lot of potential.
Wild card - White Sox. i really dont think the yankees can pull a better record than them, but everything can change. the tribe, for example, actually made it interesting last couple of weeks of last season, when the sox fell apart.</p>
<p>bottom line is, as for now, theres only two teams that deserve to go to the world series - tigers and mets. they, especially mets, are head and shoulders above everybody else in their league.</p>
<p>PS i'm not really that impressed by the sox rotation this season. yes, contreras had his streak, but they do not have a single starter with era under 3, which you kinda expect from a team with this good of a record and world series rings from last year. their offence is really what was carrying them this whole time, leave alone contreras probably. for example, look at mark buehrle: 9-7 record with an era of 4.43. he gives up a bunch of runs, but the offence in a bit over half of the games he starts is just able to outscore the opponents to get him a win. they are like the reds last season: powerful offence, but weak starting pitching. I think if the sox want to be contenders in this year's postseason, their pitching needs to really step it up.</p>
<p>I for one would like to see a Mets/Tigers series. Both teams deserve it because of their troubles the last few years.</p>
<p>Are you sure about the D-backs. lol</p>
<p>well, yeah, of course i'm sure :) we've won 5 straight, our offence is starting to come around, especially 3-4-5 guys: gonzales is getting it, jackson just came off a 2-homer night, estrada has been hot all season, tracy's really improved. starting pitching will be getting stronger. we've got a bunch of good arms in the bullpen. our defence is one of the best in the majors. and we're only 3 games back in the nl west. i'm pretty sure we can do it.</p>
<p>um....we just murdered burhle and contrares yesterday and friday respectively...and we already know how contrares plays under pressure...he gives up runs.</p>
<p>Go Cardinals! (lol, the National league central sucks this year, but we are in first place. :-)</p>
<p>If only the Orioles could clone Erik Bedard. ::sigh::</p>
<p>Did you guys know that last night (7/15) was the first night in nearly a decade in which not a single save was recorded?</p>
<p>
[quote]
and we already know how contrares plays under pressure...he gives up runs.
[/quote]
yeah, i remember when the dbacks came to play the sox for interleague play last season, they just destroyed contreras scoring 7 runs in first 2 innings, and the more he gave up, the more nervous he got, and the worse his pitches got. in that 4-game series, by the way, the dbacks were a blown save away from sweeping the sox, so when they won the WS, i was kinda proud that we did so good against them ;)</p>
<p>How do you guys get coverage for your favorite team(s) games? I'm sure there are plenty of ways...ESPN plays a select few, digital cable I think covers some of the games. I watch NESN (new england sports network) for my Red Sox games, and once in a while, if I'm busy, I will track the game on yahoo sports on the Internet.</p>
<p>i watch FSN Arizona/3TV for diamondbacks coverage, or listen to the local radio and track it on the internet at mlb.com when i'm at work. right now i'm visiting relatives in new england so i paid for a month of MLB.TV, its really cool by the way, for $15 you can watch any game you please with exception of some blackouts sometimes, and there are always archives and highlights available if you missed a game.</p>
<p>dvlfnfv5, wow, thats true, all the save-looking games were won by walk-offs. thats really interesting</p>
<p>The Rangers really need to get another solid starter if they're going to have any chance of winning the AL West this year. What happened to their offense btw? They led the majors in homeruns last year, and now not a single guy has hit 20 homeruns yet.</p>
<p>Whats the Best Team Ever? THE YANKEES</p>
<p>Guys, its undeniable, the yankees is a great team. Its my favorite team. Even without matsui and sheffield, both 100+ RBI man, the yankees are a .590+ team. Its also the team chemistry. Everyone fits in and everyone has a purpose. The pitching and the batting works together...its so beautiful, its a masterpiece. (none of that stupid brawling at boston, Ramiraz "i don't wanna stay at boston, boston makes me unhappy.")</p>
<p>I know half of the world are yankee haters, but then again, the other half are yankee lovers i.e. Me....!!!</p>
<p>The YANKEES will be there in October!</p>
<p>Torre finds a way to make it work no matter WHO he's got healthy.</p>
<p>And Jeter is at .345 this year. And my beloved Bernie is sure showing he can still play. </p>
<p>Go Yanks!</p>