No matter the outcome of this weekend's final games of the regular season, for the first time since 2000, no American League team is going to win 100 games. If St. Louis fails to sweep Cincinnati, no National League team will 100 games either. Kansas City will be the only team in either league to lose 100+ games this season as well. The Cardinals currently hold a 10-game lead over Houston in the NL Central, which is the only division where the winner holds a double-digit lead (pending, again, the results of this weekend). Atlanta's total lead over last-place Florida in the NL East is only 10 games. And then there's pitiful NL West, where division champs San Diego have to take 2 of 3 this weekend from the Dodgers just to finish with a winning record. And, I know most people would disagree with me about this, but I think Brewers manager Ned Yost should win NL Manager of the Year. Why is that you say? The Brewers, at 80-79, are one win away from finishing .500, and two wins away from their first winning record since winning 92 games back in 1992. Pending the outcomes of this weekend's games (Milwaukee plays three at last-place Pittsburgh), the Brewers could potentially finish with the fifth-best record in the National League and the eleventh-best record in baseball. That doesn't sound like much, but considering the utter futility of the Brew Crew over the last dozen years, that's actually quite an accomplishment. And considering that in 2006 the Brewers could potentially have Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, and Corey Hart for an entire season (that's quite a talented and young infield, where the oldest of them - Hart - would turn the ripe, old age of 24 shortly before the start of next season), along with a healthy pitching trio of Ben Sheets, Chris Capuano, and Doug Davis (and don't forget closer Derrick Turnbow), wow... look out for Milwaukee next year.

02:45 PM | (0)
file under: baseball (general)