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Your MLB Magic Number Update: AL Edition

Sep 30, 2009, 2:30 PM UTC

â†µIf the playoffs started today, well, things wouldn't be that much different than when they start next week. There are only five days left in Major League Baseball's regular season, and it looks like only a few of the races will be within five games in the standings. In the NL, the Phillies and Dodgers are a game away from clinching their divisions. The Cardinals already clinched the Central, which could make the Wild Card race between the Rockies and the Braves the only thing of interest during the final series. So for today, let's take a look at the American League, which had another team clinch a playoff spot yesterday and features the only playoff race that might pull us through, and past, the weekend. â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Twins and the Tigers might be the only race in baseball that goes to the weekend. After splitting a double-header yesterday – with the Twins taking the first game 3-2 in 10 innings before falling to the Tigers 6-5 in the night cap – the AL Central race still stands at two games, with the teams facing off two more times before the weekend. The Twins host the Royals to close the season while Detroit gets the White Sox. But who knows, if the Tigers can win the next two games, the weekend won’t matter. If Minnesota wins two, the division is tied and we could be looking at a one-game playoff, which by the way, would take place on Tuesday because the Vikings are hosting the Packers on Monday Night Football next week. You may hear a little bit about that game in the next few days. â†µ

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â†µâ†µThe AL Central winner will be cannon fodder for the Yankees, who seem to be the best team ever constructed. The Yanks have 102 wins with four to play, and have won seven-straight, even when putting in a lineup full of farmhands. With how much money they’ve spent on this team, if the Yankees don’t win the World Series this year, Joe Girardi may want to go into witness protection.â†µ

â†µâ†µA lot of people hate the term ‘backing in’ when describing a team’s appearance in the playoffs, and it’s not fair to say a team with 91 wins is backing into anything, considering the fact that if Boston loses the remainder of their games they’ll still have more wins than the AL Central champ. But losing has become a concern for the Red Sox, who have lost five straight games, including being swept by the Yankees, and face Roy Halladay tonight before getting a four-game set against Cleveland. Boston clinched the Wild Card last night because, as poorly as they’ve been playing, Texas has played worse, going 6-12 in their last 18 games, including losing the last three to eliminate themselves from the Wild Card race.â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Angels clinched the AL West two nights ago. You may have heard about their celebration where they poured champagne all over the jersey of Nick Adenhart before going out and celebrating on the field with his picture that adorns the outfield wall. What many called a touching moment was clouded by the fact that the players were shaking up beer cans and pouring them all over their teammates and field. And then there’s the whole champagne on the jersey thing, what with Adenhart dying in an accident involving, reportedly, a drunk driver. There has been a fair amount of indignation over the fact that the Angels’ tribute to their fallen teammate involved copious amounts of alcohol. In fact, so much ire has been tossed at the Angels they felt the need to respond to it yesterday, with manager Mike Scioscia saying:â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥“You have to understand these players and the tribute, what it really means when you pour champagne on somebody,” Scioscia said. “That’s the tribute, not the fact that it was alcohol. It’s like getting a whipped-cream pie in the face after an interview. It’s part of the tribute. . . . I think it was very sincere, very real and I know it was meaningful to us.”â†µâ†µAlcohol has long been in the clubhouses of baseball stadiums. It’s more a part of the history of the game than steroids and greenies and HgH combined. Look at
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â†µâ†µâ†µthis angle of the celebration in Anaheim. Is that a celebration video, or a viral video for the LA Times and Budweiser? Go to any stadium, and the beer signs are bigger and brighter than almost anything else. Alcohol is part of the sport, right down to the traditional champagne bath for making the playoffs.â†µ

â†µâ†µI can see how people might be upset at the fact that the Angels used alcohol to celebrate with the memory of Adenhart. When I first heard about it, I was as indignant as anyone. But maybe that’s just baseball. It’s inexcusable, but so are a lot of the things they do in baseball. Do you want your kids chewing a wad of tobacco for three hours? Do you stand around in the nude while people ask you questions about your workday? As long as team officials don’t let anyone drive home drunk, I’m not sure I have a problem with the Angels celebration. That said, they’re not the only team people might have a problem with – namely the Cardinals, who did lose a teammate, Josh Hancock, in 2007 because he was reportedly drunk while driving and killed himself. Not to mention their manager, Tony La Russa, had been popped for DUI earlier that season. â†µ

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â†µâ†µYet the Cardinals seem to have no problem imbibing after clinching their division. Sure Albert Pujols gave a cute ice water bath to his manager, but at the end of that video, it sure looks like he’s being covered in beer. Probably not the best message to send out from a team who, at the All Star game they hosted this year, teamed up with MLB to remind fans that “Responsibility Has Its Rewards.“â†µ

â†µâ†µUmmmm……where were we? Oh yeah, playoffs. Go baseball!â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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