WHOCARESWGD

Tuesdays are pretty much my one ''free'' weeknight. So about a week before I had bought tickets with Chris to go to the game the following Tuesday against LA, but I didn't realize that I also made plans to meet with my group and turn in our weekly project assignment. Typically, it would be a huge guilt-trip to bail out and not come to a meeting, but bailing out on a friend who already paid for a baseball game would be worse. And my group this semester gets things done much more efficiently than those in the past; all the work gets done on our own with as little meeting time as possible. I handled the majority of the work on our last section and earned a 95/100 (should have been a full 100), so I felt I deserved to go to this game. And I did...

...which brings me to this baseball update for the last week of the season. Of course, playoff brackets will follow later but here is where the playoff teams/contenders stand:

American League

East - New York Yankees (currently 102-56)

West - Los Angeles Angels (currently 93-64)

National League

Central - St. Louis Cardinals (currently 90-67)

American League - Boston Red Sox (currently 91-66)

National League - Los Angeles Dodgers (currently 93-65)

In the American League, everything is decided except the Central. Detroit is up 2 games on Minnesota with 5 games left. The two actually split a doubleheader yesterday and will finish the series up today and tomorrow. Detroit's magic number is 4, but if the twins can win the final two games of the series they'll be tied with 3 games left. Detroit has 3 against Chicago, Minnesota 3 against Kansas City.

The National League has a few more races going, but primarily for the Wild Card. Division races are interesting but a long shot. Los Angeles is already in the playoffs no matter what, but they share the same magic number of 1 with Philadelphia. Colorado is 3.5 games behind Los Angeles for the NL West. Atlanta is 5 games behind Philadelphia for the NL East. Philadelphia has 5 games left and Los Angeles has 4, and most likely they will win one of these games and clinch their division. Each are 5-5 in their last 10 games...

However, San Diego beat Los Angeles last night and plays them again today. If they win and Colorado beats Milwaukee again, Los Angeles will go into Colorado for a 3-game series with only a 2 game lead. It's more a of a stretch for Atlanta in the East, who is 5 behind Philadelphia and have the 1 more with Florida then 4 with Washington. Philadelphia has 2 with Houston and 3 with Florida.

After all, it may just come down to Colorado and Atlanta fighting for the Wild Card, with Colorado only 1.5 games ahead.

Although my ultimate fantasy is to see Los Angeles and New York in the World Series, I would love it if after everything Los Angeles went in as the Wild Card and were upset by Colorado in the final 3-game series. It looks like I could possibly have both!