As the days of this baseball season dwindle to a precious few, I�m trying to figure out what�s been more fun. Is it watching the numerous divisional and Wild Card races??? Or is it Mike Mussina being forced against his will to go against the Orioles smack in the face of Hurricane Isabel???
In case you didn�t hear, or were running up towards higher ground youself, the entire city of Baltimore closed while the finale of the Yanks/Orioles series was simply moved from a night to a day game � before the weather was slated to get too bad. That�s right, while homes and business were being boarded up, while residents were being evacuated, and while Guard troops were being mobilized and government businesses were shutting down, the Yanks and O�s were playing baseball. As the skies were growing darker with eerie shades of blue-gray, the bands of rain growing heavier, and the ever-present winds were blowing harder by the minute, Mike Mussina still had to take the mound and tend to his usual business. As a player rep, Mussina wanted himself and his team to bolt town after Wednesday night and get a day off before facing the Devil Rays in climate-controlled Tampa, then have Thursday�s game rescheduled as a Yankee home game next weekend.
A viable option was made consisting of playing a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday, after which the Yankees could leave town. The team shot down that idea however (fearing a precedent), so there was Mussina on Thursday, pitching in the harshest of elements, baseball in a car wash.
Isabel and Mussina played to a no-decision, the game being called after five innings with the score tied at one. The game is official, but since it was tied it now must be replayed, infuriating the Yanks even more. I don�t know why, now they do get the extra home game they so coveted. �Terrible judgment and overall stupidity� was how George Steinbrenner described it adding that everything from school to church bingo had been cancelled in the area. Once again, the boss is the master at over-reaction. I don�t think anyone asked Mussina to don a rain jacket and head to the Outer Banks to report in front of a CNN camera. Sounds like good clean fun to me.
I have still never been in the path of a hurricane, although I was on the outskirts of a typhoon once. I assume hurricanes and typhoons are one and the same, much like alligators and crocodiles. Feel free for a hurricane to drop in on a pennant race every September.
The end of the regular season marks the beginning of CDM�s 11th annual Diamond Challenge playoff. The game runs the same as the regular season version by utilizing the players appearing in post-season competition. There is also no salary cap involved and you are allowed five purchases for the post season. Atlanta and San Francisco have clinched Division Championships while the Yankees and Oakland. A three-game sweep of the White Sox also puts the Twins in very good shape, with seven of their last nine games v. Detroit they are now a virtual lock. That leaves three spots open which are�
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FORGET ISABEL, HURRICANE BOWA IS A CATEGORY 5 EVERY DAY... |
The current projected first-round series are�
Then there is the battle for the best record in each league. The Yankees go into this weekend with a 2 � game lead on Oakland while the Braves have a one game lead on SF (even in the loss column). Since the Wild Cards are projected to come out of the AL and NL East, this would not change the first round matchups. However, best record would determine home field advantage for the LCS (second) round, assuring that the top teams will keep the pedal near the floor in the final week. Should there be a one-game tiebreaker a week from Monday to determine a playoff spot, that would be considered a new week for regular season DC purposes, and lineup changes (to insert players who may be involved in that game) can be made as usual (CHA-CHING for CDM).
Based on the projected playoff teams, here are the best options for the Playoff Challenge�
CATCHER � In a development at least as earth-shaking as the last-second Jen and Ben breakup, Javy Lopez caught Greg Maddux this week for the first time in over five years. I repeat, JAVY LOPEZ CAUGHT MADDUX!!!!! Even more stunning, manager Bobby Cox also announced that Lopez will catch Maddux in the post-season. But then again Lopez (.326/41/103) is having one of the best offensive seasons of any catcher in history. I think inserting Henry Blanco for Lopez would be sacrificing a bit much offensively this time around. The Yankees Jorge Posada is no slouch with 28 HR�s and 95 RBI himself, and is hitting well over .300 since the All-Star break. Jason Varitek (.275/24/84) and Ivan Rodriguez (.304/16/82) merit consideration only if you feel comfortable about an early exit by either the Yankees or Braves.
FIRST BASE � Despite the low BA (.253), Jason Giambi is a must with 39 HR and 101 RBI. Jim Thome is tied for the MLB lead in home runs (43) and also has 122 RBI and is a must should the Phillies get in. David Ortiz has developed into the Peter Gammons special, as he's about to go over 30 HR/100 RBI on the season. The field is watered down after that, Erubiel Durazo (.256/20/75) won�t wow you with the stats but stands a good chance to be utilized into the second round. Robert Fick (.267/11/76) has slumped badly in the second half but is a sneaky play who could pay dividends in the LCS and World Series rounds.
SECOND BASE � If you believe in Yankees/Braves, Alfonso Soriano and Brian Giles should be adequate. Should the Astros get in Jeff Kent (9 HR/34 RBI since August 1) could be a nice first round play. If the Mariners pull off a miracle in the final week Bret Boone is also worth a first-round look.
THIRD BASE � Deep position with some fun choices. Aaron Boone struggles with the BA, but contributes in the other four categories and seems to have the traits to fare well in post-season. Boston�s Bill Mueller (.331/19/82) is closing in on an AL batting crown. Oakland�s Eric Chavez has been over .300 in both August and September and provides guaranteed power. Atlanta�s Vinny Castilla (.279/22/74) may not have the best stats at the position, but has a knack of providing huge multi-homer type games which is huge for this kind of contest.
SHORTSTOP � It sounds crazy, but one could justify using both DH slots on shortstops, the playoff field is that deep. The cast of characters is well known. Nomar Garciaparra (.307/114/25/97/17) is a certified five-category player. Derek Jeter is contending for a batting title and is as playoff-seasoned as they come. Miguel Tejada is on his patented second-half tear, hitting over .320 with 11 HR and 37 RBI since August 1. Rafael Furcal completes the quartet and is the best bet for stolen bases.
OUTFIELD � All three Atlanta outfielders should be selected, Andrew Jones, Chipper Jones, and Gary Sheffield have combined for 98 HR and 337 RBI. There is also a guy out in San Fran by the name of Barry Bonds, I hear he has a lot of power. Should the Cubs get in, you can add yet another legendary slugger in Sammy Sosa. Finally, Manny Ramirez may be controversial but provides guaranteed BA and power. Stolen bases are at a premium in the post-season, make Juan Pierre an option that must be considered if Florida gets in. Hideki Matsui is as durable as Cal Ripken and can be counted on for the LCS/World Series rounds. Bernie Williams should supply runs and RBI, but has dropped considerably in homers and steals. Trot Nixon (.309/26/85) and Johnny Damon (26 stolen bases) are also possibilities but will both have to contend with a tough Oakland pitching staff. Scratch off Oakland�s Jose Guillen off your list, he broke his hand this past weekend and is probably out for the playoffs. Guillen is actually talking about playing through the injury, as Darin Erstad did in the final two games of last year�s World Series. Not questioning Guillen�s toughness, but Erstad is an absolute freak.
STARTING PITCHERS � I usually like the staff aces who will start Game 1, thus stand the best chance at appearing twice in a given series, paramount considering wins will be very tough to come by. It is also vital to check the probables before the series starts. Mike Mussina would have an excellent chance at home v the Twins, but the Yankees are just as liable to open with a Roger Clemens instead. It�s a tough call to project whether Tim Hudson (right-handed) or Barry Zito (left-handed) would open against Boston, who have a balanced line-up from both sides of the plate. Also remember the Game 1 starter would be going against Pedro Martinez, making that a tough win. Stay away from Rich Harden and/or Ted Lilly, who would probably pitch games 3 and 4 in Fenway, which for opposing pitchers this year is as statistically daunting as Coors Field. Best bets for wins in the first round of NL series should be Jason Schmidt and Sidney Ponson, who should get the Giants off to a quick 2-0 lead over Philly or Florida. The pitching field really gets deep if the Cubs qualify, which in that case puts Mark Prior and Kerry Wood in play. That gets up to eight stud pitchers without even mentioning Kevin Millwood, Josh Beckett, or Dontrelle Willis, neither of whom I recommend unless you�re banking on a big upset. Russ Ortiz is the ace of the Braves staff, but tends to get roughed up (4.08 ERA/1.35 ratio). Same holds true for Greg Maddux. If you like a monster upset play few are expecting, give Johan Santana a try � could he possibly beat Mussina at the stadium??? I like his stuff.
RELIEF PITCHERS � A few weeks ago, Mariano Rivera, Keith Foulke, John Smoltz, and Tim Worrell were the overwhelming favorites here. However Smoltz is now a huge question mark with a bum shoulder. If Smoltz can�t make it, familiarize yourself with Will Cunnane, who earned three saves for the Braves in a recent four-game stretch. Foulke has also been bothered by a bad back I recent days. The rest of this field includes Eddie Guardado (MN), Billy Wagner (HOU???), and perhaps even Eric Gagne although that is a longshot. And then there is Byung-Hyun Kim. If you think the curse will actually be broken, BK may be your man. But then again, BK can also become the latest Red Sox goat and is already psyched out by just the site of the Yankees.It is a weird schedule for the final week, BAL and LA play eight games while STL and MON only play five. FL, SF, HOU, SD, TB, TOR, CWS, DET, and KC play seven while everyone else not mentioned gets six. Teams playing at home include FL, CIN, HOU, SD, TOR, KC and ANH while PIT, MTL, STL, LA, BAL, CLE, and TX will be on the road. Quality two-start weeks will be hard to find this week as playoff bound teams set their rotations for post-season while those out of the running may opt to shut down their aces early. The best bet will be Roy Halladay, who gets two starts in an attempt to nail down the Cy Young Award, the other best two-turn bets are Kerry Wood (Cubs should be battling until the last day), Javier Vazquez (who was dominant this week), Woody Williams, Brett Myers, Dontrelle Willis (the Phils/Marlins race figures in for those two) and Brandon Webb.
There is one final week to pick-up CDM Free Agents, here is the list...
C - Josh Bard (750) - Part-time player hitting .230