Wild

I actually watched the last three minutes of last night's game. That's a record for me.

The Wild were going against the Hawks, and are off to a fantastic start this season.

It was a good three minutes. If they keep winning, I probably won't watch the actual game any longer (it is ice soccer after all and most of the scoring is just lucky bounces) BUT, I'll tune in to see a couple of minutes in more games.

Go Wild!!!

Gopher Football

The ESPN primetime game tonight against Michigan, we'll see how the team responds with the loss of head coach Jerry Kill.

Go Gophers!

World Series

The last two games have been blowouts, and they are definitely not as much fun to watch. Maybe tonight's game will be better.

Karl-Anthony Towns

It's a little early to say that Karl-Anthony Towns is the best first-round draft pick the Wolves have made since Kevin Garnett, but his 19-year old kid is sure fun to watch. He had 28 points and 14 rebounds last night as Minnesota easily beat Denver.

This seven-footer is the center the Wolves have always been missing. So far this season his field goal percentage is nearly 60%.

Howl at the moon!

Go Wolves!!!

Stat of the Day

In the three games without Stephon Diggs this season, Teddy Bridgewater was averaging 168 passing yards. In three games with Diggs, Bridgewater is averaging 278 passing yards.

Gardy

Ron Gardenhire is the odds on favorite to be the Padre's next manager. We'll see what happens in the next couple of days.

Brady, Pats Defense Obliterate the Dolphins

I know its difficult for a team to go undefeated in the the NFL, but it's not hard to imagine THIS team doing just that. The last couple of weeks the Dolphins, under new coach Dan Campbell had averaged 41 points. Their running back, Lamar Hill, had 175 rushing yards just a few days ago.

The Patriots held him to 15 yards on NINE carries.

And then there is the unmistakable offensive juggernaut known as Tom Brady, who has now won 8 straight games (seven this season) with the whole world watching his inflation rates.

This could be the best Patriot team of all-time. And that in itself is saying an awful lot. I got to watch Belichik's boys dissect a pretty good football team last night. And they never stop. They keep applying pressure offensively and defensively, the entire game, until something gives.

I'd like to think that the Vikings have a chance of winning it all this season, but with teams like Green Bay and the Patriots out there, I think that's just a pipe dream. Good teams look good even in defeat, but great teams don't even look like other teams can beat them. In this day and age of league parity, a team like this just screams greatness.

The league is going to have to make up things and suspend people to have a chance at stopping New England.

Wait. They already tried that, and that didn't work either.

Maybe Green Bay?

Go Football!!

Wolves Win!

At Los Angeles.

For Flip.

Jerry Kill Retires

Jerry was forced to retire for health reasons.  He was the only good Gopher football coach that the U of M has had in a long, long time.

Baseball

I hated missing the ending of last night's game, but I'm guessing most fans did. Wow...

Everybody said this was two very evenly matched teams. I think they showed us that last night

Go Baseball!!!

Stupid Football

Last night, Chris Johnson was tackled but since he landed on his defender, he got up and ran another 40 yards.

Is it any wonder that there are late hits in football? How's this, IF you are laying on someone who is laying on the ground, you too are considered laying on the ground?  I've seen variations of this play so many times over the years, and every single time, the ball carrier is allowed to keep running. I'm sorry, but every single time he was stopped. He was tackled. That's the dumbest rule there currently is. The biggest problem is that everyone can clearly SEE him tackled and they stop pursuing. You know why? Because he WAS tackled.  Change the rule. It wasn't his own incredible balance that kept the play alive. It was the dumb luck of landing on the guy or guys who tackled him.

Enough rant.

I do have another suggestion to add more scoring to the game. Any time a place kicker or punter puts the ball through the uprights it should count as ONE POINT. That way every single kickoff and every single punt becomes a potential scoring play. If your kickers are good enough, you could conceivably get several more points a game. Yes, it's radical, but since BOTH teams would have the same potential advantage of scoring on these plays, it would actually add more interest to the game. The name is FOOTball, right?

I'm Missing Baseball

The postseason has way too many off days. During the season, a team rarely has more than one day off at a time. By the time they play tomorrow night,  the Mets will have had five days off. A rest is nice, but that kind of delay in baseball is just not normal.

I know that FOX and baseball schedule these games to get the biggest bang for their buck, but that kind of time off has to mess with a team's regular rhythms.  Still looking forward to the next game, though, it can't happen soon enough for me.

Vikings Mount Huge Comeback

I'm guessing most Minnesota fans were feeling pretty awful after the lowly Lions took such a big lead so easily and so early in the game.

Not me.

I missed that part. I only got to see Teddy's big, dominant comeback. And that happened just as the defense asserted it's dominance.  The game I saw was quite different. I started watching at just the right time.

That 4-2 record is actually quite remarkable. But like most fans, I still don't know if the Vikings are good or just lucky.

I missed Peterson's great run, but at the same time noticed he only got about 23 yards on his OTHER 17 carries. That sideways, backwards running has got to stop.

Stephon Diggs has sure made an impact in the receiving corp. That TD catch was a thing of beauty, And Teddy's increased yardage is a direct reflection of Digg's arrival. I'm looking much more forward to the Vikings air attack the next few weeks.

My Patriots and Panthers won as well. Who else is looking forward to next Sunday night's game between the Packers and the Broncos?

Go Vikes!

Flip Saunders

Wow.

That was a shock. I guess the organization didn't want to say too much when they made the switch just a few days ago.

Saunders was always my favorite coach.

Upsets

I watched some of the Utah/USC and FSU/Georgia Tech games last night.

Both Utah (number 3) and FSU (number 9) lost to their unranked opponents. Normally, before the playoff system was established, these would have been  season ending losses, with no hope of playing in the championship game at the end of the season. These losses would have been huge. These games would have mattered.

Now?

They're just losses that mean very little.

That's why I didn't watch both games at the end.

The ratings are down across the board this year for college games. TV networks and the NCAA are puzzled.

I'm not. I predicted this would happen. If the games don't matter. If WINNING EVERY SINGLE GAME no longer matters, if the whole season isn't one sudden death playoff, viewers will not watch like they did before.

They are still good games.

But less is at stake.

As a result, it's no longer must see TV. They'll watch the playoff games at the end but the rest of the season holds less interest.

I'm now content just reading about the endings in the morning.  That FSU/GT ending sounded great, almost as good as last week's Michigan/Mich St. game. I missed that, too.

Oh well, there's NFL football today. And most of my favorites are playing.

Flip Saunders

Hodgkin Lymphoma.

A very curable and treatable form of cancer.

Flip Saunders has it and his recovery took a step backwards in September. Glen Taylor has asked Flip to step aside from his duties as GM and head coach of the Wolves until he's all better. Former T-Wolve Sam Mitchell will assume interim head coaching duties in the meantime.

Saunders is 60 years old.

Great Ending!

Jose Bautista tied the game with his second homer of the night in the top of the eighth inning with former Twin Ben Revere already on.

KC's Lorenzo Cain then scored from first on a double by Eric Hosmer in the bottom of the eighth to retake the lead for the Royals.

Then everybody sat around for 45 minutes with a rain delay.

KC closer then had to get American League MVP choice, Josh Donaldson, out with runners on second and third for Toronto in the top of the ninth.

Donaldson grounded out to third to end the game and send the Royals to the World Series for the second year in row.

I love baseball.

Go KC!

Wild Now 4-1-1

The Columbus Blue Jackets, the team they beat, is now 0-8, off to one of the worst starts in league history. Don't really care at this point. The Wild have been flirting with greatness for a couple of years now, and yet, it seems, that the Black Hawks always manage to finish the season great no matter how they start.

We'll see if this is the year that changes. In the meantime, I'll just keep an eye on the standings.

NFL

Only 10 of the 32 NFL teams have winning records. 5 of those are undefeated.

That's really weird. Historically through six games, there are is an average of 1 1/2 teams still undefeated. Even weirder  is that ALL teams have at least ONE win as well. Those numbers are just hard to account for.

Fantasy numbers guys and Vegas odds makers recognize the weirdness of those numbers more than most. It shows up on their bottom lines and takes odds making outside of the norms.

My guess is that by the end of the season, everything will pretty much even out, but right now, this kind of weirdness  has never been seen before.

Daniel Murphy

The games were lopsided again yesterday. The only thing of real interest was that the Mets Daniel Murphy has now hit a home run in 6 straight post season games.

No one has ever done that before. He also tied Lou Gehrig as the only man to have a hit, a run, and an RBI in seven straight games.

And please note that in 2012, with over 600 at bats, he only had SIX homers the entire season. He is not known for his power. He's a good hitting second baseman, but he has never hit like this.

Toronto is still battling in their series. They needed three straight at the end against Texas in the first round, too. They still need two more to pull it out against KC.

The Mets will just rest now and see what happens in the AL.

It's Starting to Look Like a Mets/KC World Series

KC obliterated Toronto yesterday.

The Mets took a 3-0 lead in their series with the Cubs.

The fat lady isn't signing yet, but she's warming up just off stage.

I was hoping for two closer seven games series, but I don't think either will manage it now.

Go KC!

Toronto Blasts Cueto

You forget how powerful the bats of the Blue Jays are, then BOOM last night happens.

And Philly beat the Giants last night in a Monday Night Football game between division leading .500 ball clubs.

There wasn't enough to make me watch either game much. Blowouts aren't much fun unless it's YOUR home team.

Maybe baseball will be better today.

My Vikings, My Packers, My Broncos, My Patriots, My Panthers, My Bengals All Win

It was a good day of football in the Casual Observer's house yesterday.

The Vikings, Packers, and Broncos had a lot harder time of it than they should have. And I don't have any idea what the Colts' head coach was trying to accomplish with all his stupid, failed, trick plays, but he ended up giving my Patriots a win they didn't really deserve.

But all the right teams won any way. My teams.

Best? Panthers beat Seattle. On a last minute touchdown. Did I mention that I despise Seattle?

Second Best? I now have another favorite team. GO BENGALS!

Worst? The Cubs are down 2-0 to the Mets. I can't believe that the Mets have beat Kershaw, Grienke, and now Arietta, the three best pitchers in baseball, in the span of just a few days. They deserve to win the NL pennant with that performance. I'm still rooting for the Cubs, but I won't begrudge the Mets. They are playing unbelievably great baseball.

Tom Brady

Four weeks into the season and I was reading an article on Tom Brady at ESPN yesterday.

His potential suspension was supposed to be for those first 4 games, roughly the same time period
as someone caught doing steroids. The main reason he protested the suspension was very simple: He didn't need an under-inflated football to play well and he never did. He wanted the commissioner to know how ridiculous the proposed suspension was.

It would be like suspending him for thinking he was wearing the wrong socks.

With the stats he's putting up this season in four games being better than the stats he put up LAST season in the first four games, he's proven his point. And now most players and  fans also realize that even thinking about Brady doing something like he was accused of seems really, really stupid.

The smart players and fans always knew that Brady never needed different balls than anyone else.

His stats? 72.5 completion rate. 350 yards per game passing. 11 TDs and no INTs.

Oh, and lest we forget, he WON the Super Bowl last year with the new rules in place as well.

Brady made a mockery of the whole process and eviscerated every argument used against him.

Tom Brady merely wanted the chance to prove how stupid the allegations were.

His performance speaks far better than his words ever did.

Go Patriots!

Game One

The Royals silenced Toronto's Big Three last night.

Josh Donaldson, Jose Batista, and Edwin Encarnacion averaged 40 homeruns each this season. They also averaged 116 RBI each.

Last night? Zip.

Edison Volquez' performance against the best offense in baseball was absolutely stunning. And KC's bullpen was pretty spectacular, too. The general rule is that great pitching will silence great hitting as long as you have adequate offense. The Dodgers were missing that last ingredient against the Mets. The Royals, on the other hand look primed to go the distance.

But this is baseball. And the next couple of games could change everyone's opinion.

Game two this afternoon. Cubs/Mets tonight. They're both pretty great, too.

Can't wait.

Wow!

When you have the two best starters in baseball (Grienke and Kershaw) and you LOSE a 5 game series, it tells me something. Your offense must stink. AND your bullpen must stink.

Way to go Mets!

I still want the Cubs, but all four teams remaining are worth rooting for.

Go Baseball!

Coverage

Bradley Fletcher was a defensive back recently cut by the New England Patriots. No one else has picked him up yet. I recently acquired this chart that explains why:

Baseball Ruled The Night

I know that I'm supposed to care about the Lynx winning the WNBA title again, but I found myself drawn to baseball last night. The late-inning three-run homers by both Toronto and Kansas City, my AL favorites, were epic. Those games and their home fans were so incredible in so many ways that women's basketball never even got a glance.

Game 5 for the NL tonight. I don't have a real favorite. I just want the game to be as good as the two yesterday.

Separated By Birth?

And time?

For your consideration, Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States and Drew Brees:

A Doctor Who plot?

You decide.

Gardy Watch

Folks were reporting that Ron Gardenhire was being considered for the Detroit Tigers managing job a few months ago. With that rumor now busted, there are reports that he has recently interviewed with  both the Padres and Nationals.

The Padres have become more of a new school team with metrics and numbers ruling the day. The Nationals, on the other hand, need someone who can keep the best player in baseball (Bryce Harper) from killing their outspoken closer (Jonathan Papelbon). They also have a couple of pretty good starters in Max Scherzer and Stephen Stasburg. They need more of a dugout boss than a novice with new age math skills.

Make no mistake about it, Gardy won't be given much time to be a winner in Washington. They'll expect immediate results from Gardy if hired. Not every team will allow you to have 5 years of disappointment.

We'll see what happen next, but Gardy's old school approach may not be welcome in baseball's modern age.

Cubs Win!

I'm officially on the Cubs' bandwagon.

That was a fantastic win yesterday against a very talented St. Louis squad who had the best record in baseball this season. AND that they did it with three straight wins after losing the first game makes it even cooler.

The Dodgers behind Clayton Kershaw's three-day rest performance were equally impressive.

I'm getting into this.

Go Baseball!

Monday Night Football

That game sure has taken a hit the last few years. With all the prime match-ups on Thursday and Sunday nights, the games have become far less interesting. Last week's game featured two teams with losing records and last night's was between two .500 teams. Pittsburgh and San Diego used to be super powers. With the loss last night, San Diego is 2-3.

The ending might have been fantastic, but overall? Yawn.

Baseball

I enjoyed the games much more yesterday.

KC's huge comeback win against the Astros was especially fun. So were all the home runs by the Cubs and Jays. I guess I know who I'm rooting for now. I'm surprised the Mets are scoring so easily against the Dodgers and that pitching staff, but that is oddly satisfying as well.

Now I'm looking forward to more baseball.

Lynx Lose

I watched part of the game. They couldn't handle the full-court pressure. It kind of made them look like a poorly coached junior high team. Indiana used the same press to win their other game. That makes the Lynx look even worse.

Baseball

I watched a bit of the Toronto game last night. I got to see the big 3-run home run for the Jays in the sixth.

Still not in a playoff watching mood. The Twins not making it has definitely affected my enjoyment of the games. I didn't think it would but it has. Maybe I'll enjoy the next rounds more.

Chase Utley was suspended for two games for his high, hard, late slide. His agent says its an outrage. Me? I think that baseball has always allowed players to "break up the double play." I didn't say that was a good thing, though. A lot of good second basemen and shortstops have been hurt seriously from that play over the decades. They've protected catchers at home this season. Maybe this is the first step in protecting unprotected infielders.

Now if they could get pitchers to stop beaning batters on purpose...

My Packers Win, So Do My Patriots, and My Broncos!

It was kind of nice not having a Vikings game yesterday. I got to see most of the Packers and Patriot games instead. The Packers looked far worse than I expected. Even Rodgers had two INTs. They won anyway, primarily because of their defense with four INTs of their own.

The Cowboys were no match for Brady and the Patriots either.

The Broncos remained undefeated as well, but they still look the worst of my favorite non-Viking teams. I only got to see highlights of that one. The Broncos managed to squeak away with another win. They do that a lot.

Best? Seahawks lost again.

I never get sick of that.

Vikings At Noon Next Sunday

The Chiefs may be 1-3, but nobody takes them lightly. Bridgewater has now had 16 starts as a Viking quarterback, and his stats are solid. The biggest problem? He's been pressured so much in those 16 games that we haven't really seen what he can do without it. It's time for the coaching staff to protect Teddy. Next Sunday would be a good time to start.

Peterson's year has been good so far. Without those early season fumbles, I would say it was bordering on great. I look forward to seeing what he and the Vikings do then.
Go Vikes!

Gophers Romp, Wild Win, and Lynx Take Game Three

It's been a good weekend for Minnesota sports so far..

I couldn't find the Gopher's game to watch. I guess it was on a channel I don't get.  I get something like 20 channels carrying college football on Saturday afternoon, and my local team gets on some stupid channel like ESPN U.  It's a wonder anybody follows sports any more. Local college games need to be on local networks. Period.

The Lynx need one more win tonight to take the WNBA title again. I'm happy for them. I don't care, but I'm happy for them. I'll try to watch some of the game.

The Wild held on to beat the Blues, too. I think I care about ice soccer even less than the WNBA, but IF the Wild have another good year, I'll probably watch a few third periods this season. That's when all the important stuff happens. The Wild opener proved that.

Cubs and Dodgers Tie Their Series 1-1

The Dodger's Chase Utley slid high and late into second with the score tied in the seventh. He was ruled safe but Met's shortstop, Ruben Tejada, left the field with a broken leg.

I'll let major league officials decide this one. I'll expect the Mets to retaliate on Utley somewhere before the series is over, though. Baseball often extracts Old Testament justice (an eye for an eye) rather than New Testament forgiveness (turning the other cheek).

If Utley did it on purpose or not, I would not want to be Chase Utley right now. It's not just the players but the New York fans who will want revenge.

And we live in a scary world.

The Dodgers went on to win. That'll make all the New Yorkers even angrier.

Toronto

Watching part of Toronto's game yesterday (it was hard to miss, it went 14 innings) I couldn't help but notice quite a few ex-Twins on the roster.

Chris Colabello had a great year splitting his time between outfield and first. He was healthy for a change. Colabello lost some his outfield time when the Jays acquired another former Twin, speedy Ben Revere,  from the Phillies.

R.A. Dicky and his knuckleball are still going strong as well.

With Liam Hendriks and LaTroy Hawkins in the bullpen, it looked like a virtual smorgasbord of former Twins.

Maybe that's one of the reasons they are down 0-2 against Texas.





It's not often Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers loses a pitching duel. Last night, Jacob DeGroom of the Mets was simply better than Kershaw. Playoff baseball was in full swing yesterday. Great pitching and tight close games ruled the day.

Baseball

I'm not into the American League playoffs this year. I hate the Yankees and I think the Red Sox are in the playoffs too much as well, but without them, it doesn't seem like the playoffs.

I like KC because they are a small market team who has showed some real improvement the last couple of years. I like the Astros because they've been worse than the Twins the last five years. I kind of want them both to succeed. I even like Toronto just because they are not The Yankees or the Red Sox.

BUT...

...I don't really care who wins in the A.L.

I like all the great pitchers in the National League, and at this point I want to see a Cubs' World Series victory. But with the Twins out, I'm experiencing my normal "first round blahs".

I am looking forward to the Dodgers games more than anyone else's. I'd like to think it's because of their pitchers, but its probably because they are the only "Big Market" name team in the playoffs.

NO, the Mets don't count. They're the Mets.

duh

Cubs Win!

This is the first time I've seen Jake Arrieta pitch. The last 20 games or so he has been the very best pitcher in baseball, and last night he looked every bit as good as his hype. In a league that boasts Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke as well, I can see why everyone is having a hard time picking a definite Cy Young Award winner.

As usual, I hate that the Pirates only get a "one and done" playoff scenario. They had the second most wins in all of baseball with 98. They deserved more than just one playoff game after that kind of season.

They just did.

Yankees Season Over!

One game.

Even though I like the idea of the Yankees being done, I hate a baseball playoff that only lasts ONE game. It's unnatural. And wrong. You play the whole year to make the playoffs and then you're done after just one single solitary loss in the postseason.

I don't like this system. I never have. I never will.

If the Twins had just lost that game I would hate it even more.

Lynx Win

How little do I care about the WNBA? I feel exactly the same as when they lost their first game of the series. I always expect them to win. I want them to win. But I don't watch them or care to watch them. I'm just kind of bummed that the only consistently great Minnesota sports team is this one.

Go Lynx!

Seahawks Win On Bad Officiating

The Lions and their fans are a bit miffed this morning. Calvin Johnson, the best receiver in the known universe, was stripped of the ball late last night just short of the goal line. That was a game-saving play, but what Seattle did with the ball after that (deliberately knocking the ball out of the end zone for a touchback) was not legal. The refs didn't see it, so Seattle won 13-10.

The Lions are now 0-4. Seattle is back to 2-2.

What a difference a play makes. I dislike the Seahawks so much, I was actually rooting for the Lions last night.

Consolation? I really don't like the Lions either. I'm glad they are off to an 0-4 start. I'd would have preferred them to be 1-3, though. Just this once.

Missed Field Goal

I wrote this 3 weeks ago:

"Long time readers of my blog might remember how I documented what a major role the kicker plays on good or great teams. Accuracy by a kicker will often determine if a team makes the playoffs. Long-range accuracy is the difference between making the playoffs and winning the Superbowl. So many games between great teams come down to a single kick by each of the teams' place kickers. The team with the best kicker wins. Unless Walsh remembers how to kick, our season is over before it started."

One missed field goal is all it took yesterday.

The whole team was deflated by Walsh's missed 37-yard field goal attempt. What made it worse was Denver's 70+ yard TD run just one play later. That touchdown was a direct result of the letdown the Vikings had just experienced. That missed field goal cost them the game.

As badly as Teddy was treated yesterday by Denver's defense, and let's face it, he took more punishment yesterday than Brett Favre did in the NFC championship game against the Saints, Teddy got up and kept on performing. He fumbled with 30 seconds left after one too many hits, but he played an outstanding game despite the violent pressure.

We lost because of Walsh. The Vikings are a good team this year. We will never be great with the current incarnation of Blair Walsh.

There's a reason the the Vikes are 2-2 and not 4-0. All that effort wasted because of one man.

On a brighter note, my Packers won.

Twins and Gophers Get Beat

The Gophers offered nothing against Northwestern yesterday. They don't look anything like last year's squad. I've lost all interest in them. It took me years to lose interest in them the first time. It's easier to let go this time. There are lots of better college teams to watch and it's easier to find those teams to watch because they get the prime slots.

The Twins season is ending with a whimper. I still enjoyed their season, but after watching Angels highlights this morning, it's obvious the Angels want it far more. The Astros and Angels are still battling for a playoff spot and Texas is still fighting for the division title. That division is already hot in the middle of the playoffs.

But the coolest thing yesterday? Max Scherzer pitched his second no-hitter of the season for the Nationals. I thought that Nolan Ryan doing that when I was a kid was unbelievable. Max's performance simply amazed me. I hated that the Twins lost yesterday, but baseball has not lost its magic. I'm still looking forward to the playoffs. There's some awfully good teams still playing for the prize. Go baseball!

Sigh

One Back With Three To Go

The Twins sure aren't making this easy, but at the same time, they sure are making all of this interesting.

Through six innings last night, they had a 1-0 lead. They lost the lead in the seventh and then won on two unearned runs in the ninth. Along the way, Brian Dozier set a club record by striking out for the 146th time this year. That broke Bobby Darwin's 1972 record of 145. Even Harmon never struck out more than 142 times.

The absolute best part is that we aren't trailing the Angels anymore. Only Houston is in front of us. And with three games to play it's a lot easier trailing one team rather than two.

The oddsmakers say we still have a 10% chance and that the Astros are still securely in the driver's seat with a 75% chance of making the playoffs. Their schedule is still the easiest of the two teams.

I don't know what will happen if it ends up being a three way tie, but I'd settle for that scenario as well. I just know that we can't be officially eliminated until Saturday at the earliest now, no matter what happens.

It's been a great season. AND the hope is still that it could get better. I still can't believe I'm this excited about the chance of playing the Yankees in a one game playoff. Any team but the Yankees.

But that's a potential story for another day.

Twins Worthless in Game Two of Double Header, Pick Up 1/2 Game on Angels

Four games to play, the Twins are still 1 1/2 back of Houston who has the day off with THREE games at Arizona left. The Astros have the inside track for the last playoff spot with the easiest schedule.

The Angels have 4 meaningful games with AT Texas, because they could still win the division if they sweep all four games. Both teams will have to go all out. Houston wants the division crown, too. Nobody wants a one game wildcard spot if they can win the division.

The Twins must win the last game today at Cleveland. KC is still playing for home field advantage in the playoffs, so even though they will probably be more concerned about setting their rotation for the playoffs and giving some starters a little rest, they'll still want to win.

sigh

The Twins could somehow win out and still miss the playoffs. It's tough being in third place in a three team race with four games to play.

That we're still IN the race with four games to play is utterly satisfying though.

Go Twins!

IF Houston and the Angels win out, they'll  play a one game playoff to see who wins the division and who gets the last wild card slot. Texas will then be the odd team out.