Calm down then.  We have the second biggest lead for 1st place in the MLB.  The Cardinals have a 6.5 game lead over the Flubs.  We have a 5.5 game lead of the Twinkies.

 

 

Like was said earlier my whole argument here is dependent on the Sox not pulling an "EL FOLDO" like they did last season.

 

I know it's a different team but anything is possible.

One thing to keep in mind:

 

If we win the division and the twinkies win the wild card, we play them in the first round

 

If we lose the division to them and still win the wilkd card, we still play them in he first round

 

Who focking cares?

 

PS: This post assumes the White Sox or Twinkies will be best team in AL if they wint he division.

 

Incorrect. We would NOT play the Twins in the first round because they are in our division.

One thing to keep in mind:

 

If we win the division and the twinkies win the wild card, we play them in the first round

 

If we lose the division to them and still win the wilkd card, we still play them in he first round

 

Who focking cares?

 

PS: This post assumes the White Sox or Twinkies will be best team in AL if they wint he division.

 

No matter what order the teams finish in, the Sox will not face the Twins in the first round of the playoffs, if both teams go. If the Sox are the best team in baseball and the Twins win the Wild Card, the Twins will face the 2nd best AL team, and the Sox will face the 3rd best AL team. The same applies if the roles of the teams are reversed.

So, basically... Baltimore, Texas, Anaheim or Boston...

So, basically... Baltimore, Texas, Anaheim or Boston...

 

Counting out the yankees at this point in time is like saying the twins are out of it in my opinion. Yankees are not as bad as they are playing and will string together good sized win streak and everyone will shut up about how bad they are playing for a day or two.

One of the reasons the Wild Card teams have done so well the last few years is that the Wild Card is almost always very highly contested. That tends to select out the hottest team going into the playoffs. So you get the Marlins, the BoSox, the Angels, all of them when they're on fire. Conversely, the thinking is, if a team wrapped up their division a month ago, then they can get rusty.

 

You can find examples of division winners who wrap up early who perform well and division winners who perform poorly. Atlanta wrapped it up early last year, and they came out terrible in the playoffs. St. Louis wrapped it up as early as anyone, and they came out & made the world series.

 

On the other hand, the Angels won a very, very close division last year, with Vlad the Impaler carrying them to the end, and then they hit the Red Sox & were blown apart.

 

There's just no science to it. Sometimes it helps your team to wrap up early because you can rest your starters. Sometimes it hurts because you're rusty.

 

Until I see this team in October, I won't have a clue which one is better. I don't think there' sa formula to tell which way it'll be.

One of the reasons the Wild Card teams have done so well the last few years is that the Wild Card is almost always very highly contested.  That tends to select out the hottest team going into the playoffs.  So you get the Marlins, the BoSox, the Angels, all of them when they're on fire.  Conversely, the thinking is, if a team wrapped up their division a month ago, then they can get rusty.

 

You can find examples of division winners who wrap up early who perform well and division winners who perform poorly.  Atlanta wrapped it up early last year, and they came out terrible in the playoffs.  St. Louis wrapped it up as early as anyone, and they came out & made the world series.

 

On the other hand, the Angels won a very, very close division last year, with Vlad the Impaler carrying them to the end, and then they hit the Red Sox & were blown apart.

 

There's just no science to it.  Sometimes it helps your team to wrap up early because you can rest your starters.  Sometimes it hurts because you're rusty.

 

Until I see this team in October, I won't have a clue which one is better.  I don't think there' sa formula to tell which way it'll be.

 

Nice post. That about sums it up.

I'd like to have a solid 6 to 7 game cushion come August 15th, because then is where we play the Twins 13 times till the end of the season. Anything can happen in those games, and if we only had a 3 game lead going into the final 13 games with the Twins I would be a little worried, because the end of the season is when the Twins really heat it up. I understand where you come from NUKE- its nice to stay competitive all year long but its also nice to be comfortable and watch the Twins sweat come september for once.

And oh yeah- in 2000 we backed into the playoffs- TRUE. But we also had NO pitching- it didn't surprise me that we were swept. Plus Ozzie is a much better manager than Manuel will ever be- he won't let them back into the playoffs. And he will most definitley wont let his players get too comfortable- even with a big cushion.

I would want the Sox to be ahead of the Twins by a 5-6 game lead. It's not to big or to little of a lead so that the Sox don't get lazy with a game here and there.

The Twins aren't going anywhere folks.

 

If they don't win the AL Central, I see them taking the Wildcard.

The Twins aren't going anywhere folks.

 

If they don't win the AL Central, I see them taking the Wildcard.

If they win the al central, do you see the sox taking the wildcard?

A couple of key injuries and any team can fall apart.

If they win the al central, do you see the sox taking the wildcard?

Regardless, I see the Sox and Twins in the playoffs.

 

They will both beat the divisional teams regularly, it'll just come down to the games head-to-head on who wins the division. The other team, IMO, will take the wildcard, with the AL East coming down to 3 teams competing for one spot in the playoffs.

Counting out the yankees at this point in time is like saying the twins are out of it in my opinion. Yankees are not as bad as they are playing and will string together good sized win streak and everyone will shut up about how bad they are playing for a day or two.

I agree you can't count them out, but it's hard to say whether they are anything other than a .500 ballclub. They had one hot streak, but outside of that, they have sucked - big time. Veterans are one thing, but many of their players may just be washed up. If Brown and Johnson don't turn it around, their careers might be over. Mussina and Pavano have underperformed, and Wright has been disaterous. The pitching staff sucks - plain and simple - though Rivera & Gordon have gotten back on track. The lineup isn't bad, but Williams and Matsui are underperforming, and Giambi is a lost cause.

 

I won't dismiss the Yankees at this point, but they may very well be as bad as they are playing. Too many overpaid old guys on that team.

I agree you can't count them out, but it's hard to say whether they are anything other than a .500 ballclub. They had one hot streak, but outside of that, they have sucked - big time. Veterans are one thing, but many of their players may just be washed up. If Brown and Johnson don't turn it around, their careers might be over. Mussina and Pavano have underperformed, and Wright has been disaterous. The pitching staff sucks - plain and simple - though Rivera & Gordon have gotten back on track. The lineup isn't bad, but Williams and Matsui are underperforming, and Giambi is a lost cause.

 

I won't dismiss the Yankees at this point, but they may very well be as bad as they are playing. Too many overpaid old guys on that team.

 

The Yankees are in for some tough times. They are old and old players don't get better.

This is a different team.  Whatever happen before this year matters none.  With our pitching,  I like our chances against anybody.

 

Not really. I mean in terms of the playoffs, our pitching wasn't really the problem. It was our hitting in the playoffs that sucked. I think only Jose Valentin hit decent in that series.

Not really. I mean in terms of the playoffs, our pitching wasn't really the problem. It was our hitting in the playoffs that sucked. I think only Jose Valentin hit decent in that series.

 

Ray Durham and Jose were basically our entire offense for the series.

Although I wouldn't mind a tight race to keep the Sox at the top of their game....

 

 

F*** the Twins. I want them to collapse so bad and so humiliatingly that their fans BEG to be contracted. I want Aaron Gleeman to close down his blog, for Bat-Girl to pledge allegiance to Frank Thomas, and for Twins Geek to go back to getting Atomic Wedgies from the bigger kids at school.

 

The Minnesota Twins must be destroyed.

Although I wouldn't mind a tight race to keep the Sox at the top of their game....

F*** the Twins.  I want them to collapse so bad and so humiliatingly that their fans BEG to be contracted.  I want Aaron Gleeman to close down his blog, for Bat-Girl to pledge allegiance to Frank Thomas, and for Twins Geek to go back to getting Atomic Wedgies from the bigger kids at school.

 

The Minnesota Twins must be destroyed.

 

 

That's what will happen during those 2 series we play with them in September.

 

Although I wouldn't mind a tight race to keep the Sox at the top of their game....

F*** the Twins.  I want them to collapse so bad and so humiliatingly that their fans BEG to be contracted.  I want Aaron Gleeman to close down his blog, for Bat-Girl to pledge allegiance to Frank Thomas, and for Twins Geek to go back to getting Atomic Wedgies from the bigger kids at school.

 

The Minnesota Twins must be destroyed.

 

Delenda Minnesota Est?

I'm not sure that 2000 team coasted in, I think it was more of a Cinderella fist half and a second half more along the lines of what the team should have been doing.

Delenda Minnesota Est?

Minnesota Twins delenda est.

 

Good knowledge of the Punic Wars, there!

 

(It's also the tag line to my blog)

Great question.

I would say I would like to be in the race all year.

But a six game lead all year would be nice. I mean a six game lead is nothing in reality.

I don't want to lead by 11, 12 games.

But let's face it, it probably doesn't matter either way.

There's still that danger of our bats being completely silenced in the playoffs like against Baltimore that one postseason.

Minnie sure has sucked in the postseason the past several seasons after winning the division comfortably.

Great question.

I would say I would like to be in the race all year.

But a six game lead all year would be nice. I mean a six game lead is nothing in reality.

I don't want to lead by 11, 12 games.

But let's face it, it probably doesn't matter either way.

There's still that danger of our bats being completely silenced in the playoffs like against Baltimore that one postseason.

Minnie sure has sucked in the postseason the past several seasons after winning the division comfortably.

 

Pretty much. I rather just get a hugeass lead. I could care less about excitement. We'll save that for next year.

Me personally I really want to face the twins in the playoffs... so I like if they win as long as we are winning more