Can't Ask For Much More Than This

We're at the 15 game mark and what a 15 games it's going to be. Only the Cardinals are truly safe, clinching a postseason birth today. The Braves most likely are safe as well with a 5 game lead over 2nd place Philadelphia, but the Phillies are surging and have 3 games left with Atlanta. The West the 72-74 Padres hold a 5.5 game lead over a made over San Francisco team with Barry Bonds back for the final stretch. Its already a disgrace that a team could finish under .500 and get into the playoffs - this isn't hockey or the NBA East, but its looking more likely by the day. If anyone but the Padres wins the West, more likely than not that team will be at least 5 games under .500. Scary. In the AL Tom Gordon is doing his best to blow a gem by Shawn Chacon as the Yanks hold a 1-0 lead over Toronto in the bottom of the 9th. A big 10th inning walk off HBP against Oakland kept the Red Sox 1 game up in the loss column on the Yanks in the East. And with Tom Gordon just getting bailed out by A-Rod and a double play the pressure is on the Sawx once again to win tonight and stay ahead of their division rival. In the Central the White Sox lost AGAIN today - this time to the Twins and the Indians have a chance to pick up another game and get to within 4 in the loss column of the ChiSox. Now its pretty bad that Chicago has even let Cleveland get this close after holding a 15 game lead on August and its not helping that Ozzie Guillen is continuously throwing his players under the bus. To a point I like Ozzie's style - he leaves pitchers in the game to work out of jams they've created thus giving them confidence, he takes chances like squeezing and he has his players play the game the right way. But saying that Damaso Marte is faking an injury and telling Mark Buerhle he pitched awful when Buerhle complained about Teas stealing signs isn't doing anyone any favors. But back to the task at hand....Call me crazy but this is better for the White Sox than winning the division by 15 games. They have to play their tails off for the last two weeks of the season in what is basically a playoff atmosphere. First of all thats why you play the game, second it'll show them what they're made of - if they fold down the stretch as pathetic it would be it would prove a lot of their critics right and they wouldn't have gone anywhere in the playoffs anyway. If however, the White Sox get it together, hold on for this final stretch, and makes a statement in their last couple series' with Cleveland, they can build off this for the postseason. The Pale hoes are 11-3 this season against the Tribe and they have 6 left against them. Lets assume the worst : Cleveland wins tonight, Chicago loses tomorrow, Cleveland wins again. Sox up 3 in the L column going into a 3 game set against the Indians at US Cellular. A week later Chicago goes into Jacobs field to wrap up the season. If that worst case scenario happens a split against a team that they have flat-out owned this season is enough to get to the playoffs. If the Sox pick up one game this weekend they probably only have to win two of those game. Obviously they'd like to win more of those but most likely thats all it will take to get it done. If Chicago reaches down and wins both of those series' - they'll be back on track and watch out come playoff time. Its looking more and more like if Chicago holds off Cleveland that the Indians will win the wild card leaving either the A's or Angels out in the October cold. The A's have been scuffling and have now lost 2 of 3 so far in Boston with one to play. The A's stand 2 games behind LAA but the way Oakland has been playing it will be tough to make up. I expected the Indians to cool off and the A's to climb up and grab the wild card but the Tribe is running out of time to cool off...so if the A's are gona get in it'll probably have to be in the division. Jumping back to the NL and the Wild Card the Phillies are at least looking like they're going to stick around for the long haul and play down to the wire. They have a chance to sweep the Marlins and knock them 4 games back in the L column in the wild card. The Astros hold a 1 game L column lead over the Phils and continue to play the watered-down central. Everyone is saying how Houston's weak remaining schedule against Central rivals will be the deciding factor in coming away with the playoff berth. But check this out...the Astros are only 34-31 against their division - which is good but not the gimmie everyone is saying it is. Granted the Phils are 32-33 against the East with whom they wrap up the rest of the schedule save for a 3 game set in Cincinnati BUT the Phils have won at least 7 of 9 in the last week against the division and go for 8 of 10 in the series finale in Florida. Also the Phils have officially won the season series against Florida 10-8 heading into the last game of the year between the two - the Marlins have OWNED the Phils for so long including time after time just killing Philadelphia's season. Obviously this doesn't seal the deal for the Phillies, but maybe the stars are finally aligned for a Fightins postseason run. 2 weeks and counting.