No magic number in Michigan.
 

JugglingReferee,
The Tigers had one a long, long time ago. Now, they have lost it, their ace, and maybe even their coaching staff and light-weight, light-hitting catcher.
mick

All even!

So..., for those of us without a number, did you get your number back? What is it? :cool:
mick

Same as Dan's now. 10, I guess.

This is gonna be an exciting week for baseball fans.

NYY, CLE, BOST, CHW, OAK & LAA all in contention for the 4 playoff spots.

LAA & OAK have a 4 game series during the week. NY, BOS & CHW each have a 4 game series during the week against also-rans, then NY v BOST, CLE vs CHIW to close the season next weekend.

And we might all find out why Quakers have a problem with the national anthem..."...and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there...."

Somebody sign the guy who writes the schedule to a 5-year extension. :)

And how about those Phillies in the NL? One game behind Houston for the wild card after being pretty much dead a week ago. Three final inning wins in the last 2 series (2 against the Braves, one against Cincy). Pretty fun stuff, even if you hate the wild card.

Playoffs...
 

Heard this on the radio...BOS, CHW, CLE & NYY are all contending for not just their own divisions but the AL wildcard spot. It's possible there's a 3 way tie for a division AND the wildcard...for example imagine CHW wins their division, NY & BOS tie for the east title and CLE has the same record. In that case NY & BOS play 1 game to determine the winner of the east and the loser then plays CLE to determine who gets the wild card. But CLE - having 1 fewer loss - already has a better record than the loser and should be made he wildcard team. But for the purpose of the wildcard race that extra loss is ignored.

BTW, a 4 way tie is possible as well. That would be sumthin...

Still even. But last night's rain changed the Sox rotation, so no Schilling/Johnson showdown on Saturday.

Sox blow a 5-0 lead. Yankees give up a baker's dozen to Baltimore. Indians lose to Tampa Bay. Dead even. 5 games to play. . .

And the Chicago White Sox players are finding it hard trying to play when they've got both hands wrapped around their own necks.

They'll probably never admit it, but I think that team really misses Frank Thomas. Even with all his injuries, etc., you still had to respect him at the plate.

And Carl Everett showing himself to be the consummate teammate, as always. He's complaining about batting 6th instead of his usual 3rd this week. He's such an idiot. I remember when he came up with the Mets and played the Sox in Fenway. He was such a "look at me" guy that the Sox TV announcer said something like "that guy needs a little mustard". One of the few signings that I knew immediately the Sox had made a big mistake.

Anyway, I just heard this story on ESPN Radio, told by Tim Kirkjan (sorry about the spelling). It's about Dan's all-time favorite game. Yanks/Sox one-game playoff in '78. As Yaz steps up for the final out of the game, Nettles says "Just hit it in the air. Just hit it in the air". The ball pops a mile high, of course, and Nettles says, "But not to me!"

It's such a good story, I hope it's true. It would be nice to have a reason to smile about that game.

Give that man a cigar!!

There's a reason that Carl Everett has been with seven different teams so far in his career. Let's just say that he has a very short shelf life. :)

If you ever get a chance to read Graig Nettles' book- "Balls"- do so. It's funny as hell. I've got the paperback edition and I still bring it out every now and then to re-read it. "The Bronx Zoo" by Sparky Lyle is a funny book too from that era. Anybody that actually shagged fly balls during warm-ups in a major league stadium with his nuts hanging out can't be wrapped too tight either.

I think it was Nettles who said that Lyle went "from Cy Young to sayonara". when Goose Gossage came in. Nettles also said "When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a baseball player and join the circus. With the Yankees I have accomplished both"