Not past its time

Brandon Gullicksrud, Associate Sports Editor

With just a few short days remaining before yet another opening weekend of NFL action 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 compete in the opening week of play.

The status of Michael Vick, who went down with a broken leg in a preseason game against the Ravens, and Bill Parcells’ coaching debut in Dallas will be just two of the most frequently discussed topics for the weekend.

While I will also 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 busted for using a corked bat and a 21-year-old pitcher come out of nowhere to help guide the Marlins to the front of the National League 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 ball 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 yesterday, the Cards’ All-Star left fielder had the NL’s greatest batting average (.361), was ranked second in RBIs (114) and his 37 home runs trailed the league leader (Bonds) by just three.

Pujols’ hit streak of 30 straight games, which was broken up while he was still battling the flu, stands as the longest in Cardinals’ history and is the longest since Florida’s Luis Castillo had a 35-game string in 2002.

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.

Bonds, who has already been awarded the MVP trophy five times, including 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 yesterday, a major-league-leading 40 times, despite receiving only 338 at bats. His on-base percentage (.526) and slugging percentage (.757) are by far the best in the majors, and his Giants, barring a total meltdown, will likely run away with the NL West.

What remains to be seen, however, is how consistently he’ll be able to play while still coping with the death of his father, Bobby, who passed away Aug. 23.

In the three games he’s played since his bereavement leave, Bonds has hit a home run, a game-winning single and has knocked in three runs, so it appears as though he’ll stay on track.

If Pujols and Bonds are able to keep playing at the unbelievable level that they’ve been maintaining throughout the season, this could be the closest MVP vote baseball has ever seen.

For the better part of a month, both the NL Central and American League Central have had a three-team logjam atop their respective divisions.

In the NL, the Astros, Cubs and Cardinals have been playing a game of musical chairs with the top three spots since shortly after the All-Star break. Through yesterday, just a game-and-a-half separated the division’s leader (Cards) and its third-place club (Cubs).

And unless one of them can create some separation from the other two in the next couple of weeks, the last few games of the season could determine who competes for an opportunity to play in baseball’s Fall Classic and who’ll be watching the playoffs on TV.

The AL, like the NL, also has a heated divisional three-team race in progress. The White Sox, Twins and Royals 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 few weeks. Can the Twins duplicate their unbelievable playoff drive of a year ago, or is it the Royals’ turn to wear the Cinderella slipper? Only time will tell.

Detroit challenging ’62 Mets

As of Wednesday, the Tigers’ record stood at a meager 35-102, leaving them just 18 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 eight of its final 25 games. The feat is easier said than done, considering the fact that all but two of those games are against teams with .500 records or better.

As crazy as it sounds, the Tigers will likely have more than one 20-game loser on its pitching staff at season’s end. Detroit’s Mike Maroth (6-19), Jeremy Bonderman (6-18) and Nate Cornejo (6-14) all have a shot at becoming baseball’s first pitcher to lose 20 games in nearly a quarter-century.

Not since Brian Kingman went 8-20 for the 1980 Oakland A’s has anyone reached the 20-loss mark. That record could come to a close as early as tomorrow, with Maroth scheduled to start in Detroit’s game in Toronto.

I realize that football reigns supreme in the hearts of many sports fans, but with all the drama 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 you’re not a Tigers fan.