The Playoffs Start Now

The MLB schedule may list the next three days as the final ones of the regular season but for a few teams the postseason officially starts now.

Hell, if you're the Mets, your postseason may have already ended.

In the AL Central the Tigers have just about completed the inevitable "collapse" many expected. Their once mighty ten-game lead has evaporated. After yesterday's loss to Toronto and an extra-innings Twins victory over the Royals, Detroit is now tied with Minnesota for the division lead.

Both are assured of postseason berths, but there is still a lot left to decide.

First, there's the fact that whoever loses the division will be starting the playoffs in the Bronx. Sure, playing in Oakland wouldn't be a cakewalk either but I don't think anybody wants to face that Yankees' lineup.

Also, both the Tigers and Twins trail the Yankees by one game for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs and into the World Series, thanks to Michael Young.

Homefield would mean the most to the Minnesota Twins. This season, the Twins have an MLB best record of 53-25 at home; on the road, they're only 42-39. Another reason that the Twins would enjoy homefield advantage is Johan Santana, who hasn't lost a game at the Metrodome this season. In a short series he'd be pitching both Games 1 and 5 at home.

Luckily for Minnesota, they have three games left at home against their personal lapdog, the Chicago White Sox. The X-factor in that series: I'm sure there's nothing the White Sox would love more than to cost the Twins a division title.

Meanwhile, the Tigers get to play the Royals, over whom they lord a 14-1 advantage this season. Now that's what we refer to as owning somebody.

The Yankees are at home against the (now second place!) Toronto Blue Jays, who they're 9-6 against but 5-1 at Yankee Stadium.

Bottom line, all three teams may already be in the playoffs, but none of them can really afford to lose this weekend.

Over in the National League we have what could be considered the biggest choke job since Anna Nicole Smith caught Daniel rummaging through her medicine cabinet. On September 20th the Cardinals had a healthy seven-game lead in the NL Central. Just nine days and eight losses later, their lead has evaporated to a half game over the Astros. Meanwhile, the Astros won their ninth consecutive game yesterday afternoon. Tonight, the Cardinals start Jeff Weaver. The Astros are starting Roger Clemens.

Who would you rather have on the mound?

I'm going to go ahead and say the Cardinals won't make the playoffs. And after tonight, the Astros will be in first place. I don't think they'll let it get away once they get there.

In the NL West the Padres and Dodgers are separated by a mere game. I view this race like the one in the AL Central in that both are basically in the postseason already. Nothing's official, but with only three games left, the two game deficit the Phillies have dug themselves into will be too large for them to dig out of.

Part of me wonders if either team should want to win the division. Here's why.

The team that ends up with the wild card will get to face the Mets who, despite their NL best record, have problems. I've felt all season that, though the Mets were the favorite in the NL, they had no shot at winning it all because of their pitching. And now that they'll be without Pedro Martinez, I'm not sure that the Mets can get out of the Divisional round.

So that means winning the NL West could end up getting you a date with the Astros, the hottest team in baseball right now. Do you remember what happens to teams that get real hot at the end of the season going into the playoffs? Well in 2003 it was the Marlins. They won the World Series. In 2005, it was the White Sox. They won the World Series.

Besides, would you really want to face a team in a short series that has three men in their rotation named Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettite and Roger Clemens?

If the Cardinals do hang on to win the NL Central, it would matter who won the NL West. Both teams would rather play the Cardinals in the first round, and it would also decide which of the two teams would have homefield when they meet in the NLCS.

This weekend alone is why I bought the MLB Extra Innings package back in April.