With just a day remaining before yet another opening weekend of football officially kicks off, sports fans across the country will be spending their free time adjusting fantasy team rosters, reading up on the latest quarterback controversies and organizing get-togethers to watch their favorite teams play in the opening week of action.
The status of Michael Vick, who went down with a broken leg earlier this month, and the eligibility of Ohio State’s star tailback, Maurice Clarett, will undoubtedly be just a few of the most frequently discussed topics throughout the weekend.
While we will be closely following the latest developments in America’s most popular sport, I think many sports fans are unaware of the excitement that’s been brewing in America’s Pastime.
With just a month left to play in a regular season that’s seen one of baseball’s most popular figures get busted using a corked bat and a 21-year old pitcher come out of nowhere to help guide the Marlins to the front of the NL-wild card race, the month of September is setting up to cap off one of the better baseball seasons we’ve seen in a while.
Here are a few reasons why:
The National League MVP battle
The Cardinals’ young slugger, Albert Pujols, and the Giants’ Barry Bonds are in the midst of completing two of the greatest individual seasons in baseball history. Pujols, who St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa has said is the greatest baseball player he’s ever managed, has a shot at becoming baseball’s first Triple Crown winner since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski pulled off the feat in 1967. Through last weekend, the Cards’ All-Star left fielder had the National League’s greatest batting average (.365) and ranked second in both RBIs (108) and home runs (34). His hit streak of 30 straight games, which came to an end last Friday, is the longest in Cardinals’ history and is 26 games shy of Joe DiMaggio’s record streak of 56.
During pretty much any other season in baseball history, Pujols would be a no-brainer as the league’s MVP.
This, however, is not any other season.
Barry Bonds, who has already been awarded the MVP trophy five times and each of the past two seasons, is widely considered to be the most feared hitter to ever pick up a bat. Baseball’s all-time single-season home-run record holder had gone yard, through Sunday, a major-league-leading 39 times, despite only receiving 327 at bats. His on-base percentage (.523) and slugging percentage (.755) are by far the best in the majors, and his Giants, barring a total meltdown, will likely run away with the NL West.
If Pujols and Bonds are able to keep playing at the unbelievable level that they’ve been able to maintain throughout the season, this could be the closest MVP voting baseball has ever seen.
The tight divisional races
For the better part of a month, both the NL Central and AL Central have had a three-team logjam atop their respective divisions.
In the AL, the White Sox, Twins and Royals have been playing a game of musical chairs among the top three spots since shortly after the All-Star break. Through Saturday, just a single game separated the division’s leader (Sox) and its third-place club (Royals).
And unless one of them can create some separation from the other two in the next few weeks, the last few games of the season could potentially determine who will be competing for an opportunity to play in baseball’s Fall Classic, and who’ll be watching the playoffs on TV.
The NL, like the AL, has a heated three-team divisional race in progress.
The Astros, Cubs and Cardinals will be playing do-or-die, playoff-style ball for the remainder of the season, as just a game or two has separated the three teams for the past week.
Detroit challenging ’62 Mets
As of Sunday, the Tigers’ record stood at a meager 32-97, leaving them just 23 losses shy of tying the ’62 Mets’ major-league record 120. In order to keep the record intact, Detroit would need to pick up a victory in at least 11 of their final 33 games. A feat easier said than done, considering the fact that 25 of those games will be played against teams with records of .500 or better. As crazy as it sounds, the Tigers could actually have three different 20-game losers on their pitching staff at season’s end. Yes, three.
I realize that football reigns supreme in the hearts of many sports fans, but with all the drama that’s about to unfold in baseball’s coming weeks, some truly classic games could be played on nearly a daily basis. So, pay attention to what the boys of summer are up to these next few weeks, and thank your lucky stars that you’re not a Tigers fan.
