The Pennant Race

Just got done watching a Gamecast of the Yanks-Rays game and the Yanks just clinched a playoff berth. Now it's Boston's turn to completely falter and let the Rays in. This time of the year is great. Teams are scrambling for the last playoff spot and sometimes no one wants to win.

Looks like the Angels are quietly sneaking up into the both the West and the Wild Card standings. They aren't exactly someone I would want to play in the playoffs with them having Jared Weaver as their ace. They have a ton of team speed but probably don't have enough depth on the pitching staff to get through.

As usual, the Phillies are super dangerous at this point because of their three aces in Halladay, Lee, and Hamels. I don't want to see them but if the Yanks make it to the World Series, I'm sure the City of Brotherly Love will be waiting.

Now onto the Cy Young in both league. American League is easy, it's Justin Verlander. He has probably had one of the most dominant years in a long time. I certainly don't want to see him at all in the playoffs. You can count a win for the Tigers whenever he is on the mound. In the National League, it's got to go to Clayton Kershaw.  He leads the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA. Any pitcher that has ever done that has won the Cy Young. This year should be no different. I know Ian Kennedy and Roy Halladay have had great years but you can't punish Kershaw for playing on a crappy team.

Now onto the MVP award, remember this is awarded to the Most Valuable Player. A player the team would sorely miss if he wasn't there. In the American League my vote goes to...Justin Verlander. He's the most dominant player in the league and his 24 wins don't go unnoticed. The Tigers wouldn't be where they are at right now without him. Adrian Gonzalez and Curtis Ganderson are right in the mix, but both of their teams have enough firepower to withstand them being off the field. In the NL, the award goes to...Chris Sabo and his goggles, just kidding. The award goes to Jose Reyes, and yes I am serious this time. The Mets aren't good but they are even worse when Reyes isn't on the field. I would say Ryan Braun is a close second but Reyes gets my vote.

I had a good talk last night with one of buddies about conference realignment and paying college athletes. This article pretty much sums up our conversation.