The Weekly MLB Rundown 09.05.08: It's Magic!

Posted by A.J. Stevens on 09.05.2008

Featuring a discussion of some magic numbers, as well as a discussion about the end of an era in the Old Pueblo. If that wasn't enough, I tell you the exact dates teams will clinch their playoff berths! It's all inside at the Rundown!



Hey look, it's the banner! Wonder where that's been the past few weeks...

Let's jump right in and get to the news of the last week:

INSTANT REPLAY MAKES ITS DEBUT

On an Alex Rodriguez home run in Tampa Bay against the Rays. Of course, Tampa Bay plays in a dome, and there is a yellow line painted on the ceiling/wall beyond the foul pole that is supposed to be an "extension" of the foul pole. So, naturally, the line appears to jut out 10 feet to the right, because the camera isn't in line with home plate and the foul pole. Presumably, the instant replay cameras are, otherwise, this is the first example of substandard implementation of a good concept.

We can look at it two ways: A-Rod CRUSHED that ball OVER the foul pole. He should get credit for that one - it crossed the line above the foul pole, in fair territory, where it hits beyond that is irrelevant (and therefore, that extra yellow line is dumb). It's a home run. But, c'mon, A-Rod, you hit a HR in the 9th inning of a meaningless game, where the Yankees already had a 3-run lead. Can't you come through when it really, actually matters?

TWO CYCLES IN ONE DAY

Stephen Drew and Adrian Beltre both hit for the cycle on Monday, accomplishing a feat that baseball hasn't seen in 88 years. You know what's even more special about that? The cycle tripled Beltre's OPS for the year.

PENNANT RACES AND MAGIC NUMBERS

The LAAngels moved within half a week of clinching distance in the AL West. As it stands right now, the Angels are the only team in their division to have a positive run differential. Their magic number is 6, meaning that it will take any combination of Angels victories and Rangers losses that add up to 6 to clinch the division. This weekend, the Angels play the White Sox, and the Rangers play the Red Sox. I think the Rangers are going to come out of the weekend the worse for wear, and there will be no clinching this weekend. Expect the Angels to clinch the NL West next Thursday, at home, against Seattle.

Remember, predictions and headlines get the boldface around these here parts.

In the AL East, things aren't so smooth and easy for the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays. With 25 games left to play, their magic number is 22. I think this one is going to come down to the last week of the season, with the Rays clinching the AL West on September 23 in Baltimore.

In the AL Central/Wildcard, it's even more of a toss-up. The White Sox' magic number -- if you can call it that -- is 22, with 23 games left to play. The Twins are one game back. Boston is ahead of both teams in the Wild Card (their magic number for the ALWC is "only" 19). Three teams enter, two teams leave. The Red Sox clinch a playoff berth on 9/21 against Cleveland; the White Sox clinch the division on 9/28, the last day of the season, also against Cleveland.

In the NL East, the Mets' magic number is a relatively comfortable 20, with the Phillies and Marlins hovering close by. I remember the Mets' collapse last season, and I don't think they're going to repeat it. For one thing, they're not going to see a 7-game lead over the Phils this season. I'm going to stick to my preseason prediction and say that the Phillies will clinch the division title at Washington on 9/27. Sorry, Mets fans, not this year. Get some outfielders and youth on the team, and next year might be your year.

In the NL Central/Wildcard, the Cubs are facing a magic number of 19, and are facing the loss of their ace. The Cubs had the best 1-2-3 rotation in baseball before Zambrano's injury, and if worse comes to worst, they will be trotting out a playoff rotation of Harden-Dempster-Lilly, which is still better than a lot of other teams have. I think the Cubs win the division, and Brewers win the NLWC. They will trade victories and clinches in their final series of the year.

Last but certainly not least -- well, I guess that depends on your point of view... anyway, the NL West has a very close race: Arizona's magic number is 22, with 23 games left to play. The Dodgers are creeping up, but really, over the past week, it's been a case of who wants to give this division away the most. The Rockies are not going to sneak up and steal the division again this year, and I picked the Diamondbacks at the beginning of the season. It's a tough call for me. Do I stay true to my predictions? Do I go with my gut feeling that Arizona is going to blow it, after spending the majority of the season in first place? Let's put it this way: at the end of this article, you are all going to be tired of reading about Arizona baseball... assuming you read the entire article. The D-Backs hang on to win the division, with the Dodgers finishing less than 3 games out.

THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS

Angels at White Sox
Diamondbacks at Dodgers
Tampa Bay at Boston
Florida at Philadelphia

It's frustrating being this close to the end of the season. I really want to see some celebrations and movements in the standings, but no one team is making its move yet. On the other hand, I don't want the season to end. These series are the ones to watch, as they will have the biggest effect on the standings this week.

NO NO-NO, CC

We had an interesting occurrence this past week when noted Indian-turned-Brewer workhorse CC Sabathia tossed yet another complete game for the Brew Crew. This game was different, though: he gave up only one hit. While that in and of itself is remarkable, it set the stage for a controversy that almost overshadowed instant replay. The lone hit that Sabathia gave up was a comebacker that he fielded -- somewhat -- and went for a hit. In hindsight, Brewers GM Doug Melvin appealed to MLB to overturn the official scorer's decision, which would result in an error being awarded on the play and CC getting retroactive credit for a no-hitter.

This raised all sorts of hubbub and hullabaloo: Would Sabathia have still performed as well with the pressure of a no-hitter in the 8th and 9th innings? Would MLB Commissioner and former Brewers owner Bud Selig rule in favor of his former club, setting a dangerous precedent? In the end, it was much ado about nothing, as MLB did the right thing by upholding the ruling of its employee, the official scorer, and the Brewers sticking up for their pitcher. I don't expect to hear much griping about MLB's decision to not overturn the ruling, and we can all go on to better things.

CLOSING IT OUT

And now, readers, you know that rarely I ask that you indulge me in an extended piece, but this week is one of those weeks...

THE END OF AN ERA

Tucson has had professional baseball since 1969, when the Tucson Toros were a farm team of the Houston Astros (among other clubs) and played at Hi Corbett Field in the center of town. In the 1998 expansion of the National League, the Arizona Diamondbacks were created. The Diamondbacks opted to have their spring training and AAA team in Tucson. Renamed the Sidewinders, the Tucson AAA team played at the new Tucson Electric Park, constructed on the South side of Tucson near an interstate, a hospital, and not much else. The City of Tucson promised the Diamondbacks that the area surrounding TEP would become a vital commercial and entertainment district in the city, and the Sidewinders would have a happy home to play in.

Time passed, and the area surrounding TEP remained exactly as it was when it was built in 1998. Attendance dropped steadily, despite the steady stream of future stars that came through town. The White Sox and Rockies, in addition to the Diamondbacks, had their spring training at TEP and Hi Corbett, respectively. Professional baseball, in some form, was in Tucson from early February to late September, and it was a good thing.

All that changed in 2006, when team ownership announced that the club would be moving to Reno after the 2008 season. Aside from the abysmal location of TEP, the planned improvements around the park never happened, and the field wasn't maintained to any sort of respectable playing standards. It was clear that Tucson, and team ownership, had failed to deliver on their promises to the parent Diamondbacks and the citizens of Tucson, and it showed with horrible attendance. The Sidewinders ownership seemed to sabotage themselves, first by firing the man who many considered to be the best minor league GM in America, Mike Feder, and then charging major-league prices for minor-league concessions ($8 for a hot dog in 1999, for example).

On Monday, September 1, 2008, Sidewinders second baseman Phil Avlas popped out in foul territory to Salt Lake Bees first baseman Matthew Brown to put an end to a 7-2 Bees drubbing and another disappointing season for the Sidewinders. Just over 6,000 people were witness to what could be the end of professional baseball in Tucson. Come February, the Rockies will be the only team in Tucson for spring training. Patients at Kino Hospital will be able to look upon an empty, unused TEP and its adjacent fields as a monument to what could have been in Tucson.

Meanwhile, the Tucson Toros have returned, part of the Independent Golden Baseball League, and will begin the 2009 season playing in Hi Corbett Field, in an area that has become a large (for Tucson, anyway) commercial and entertainment center.

We've come full circle, but managed to have lost a lot on the way. -AJS