Sunday, September 10, 2006

Yankees 9, Birds 4

Between the NFL, my fantasy entries, and the Astros' travails, this game fell--I confess--to about sixth on my priorities today.

Even so: the magic number drops to 11. It is possible (not likely, but possible) that the Yankees celebrate their divisonal title in front of the Red Sox in Yankee Stadium next Saturday or Sunday.

We are left with only a few questions. Does Jeter win the MVP? (I'd place his chances right now at forty percent.) Does Wang get the Cy Young? (Alas, no. Barring a flameout, Santana wins again.) And: who do the Yankees want to meet in the first round?

If current trends hold, that means the Wild Card, which means the Central Division runner-up. If Liriano is healthy, look out for Minnesota; starting pitching is everything is a five-game series, and Santana and Liriano are as potent a duo as exist in baseball. Second less-dangerous is Detroit, with its young pitching--and more to the point, elder statesman Kenny Rodgers--ready to go into October meltdown. Least dangerous, I think, is Chicago, which gives every indication of making the playoffs (thus ensuring a tolerably successful season) but doing nothing more (hey, they won it all last year--what's your problem?).

But for now. Ball. Eye. Clinch soon, rest the wounded, and be ready for October.

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