MLB Update

 After months without any normal baseball -- a short season, 7-inning double-header games, starting the 10th inning with a runner on second, and then ludicrous wild-card series -- we are finally down to eight teams at the beginning of October.  And for the rest of the way we will be under normal rules, except for the DH in the National League, which is probably here to stay since the men who own baseball teams hate their fans.

Here's what happened in the silly wild-card series:

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

(1) Los Angeles 2 - 0 (8) Milwaukee

(4) San Diego 2 - 1 (5) St. Louis

(3) Chicago 0 - 2 (6) Miami

(2) Atlanta 2 - 0 (7) Cincinnati

Which sets up the following best-of-five divisional series:

Los Angeles (43-17) v. San Diego (37-23) (in Arlington, Tex.)

Atlanta (35-25) v. Miami (31-29) (in Houston)

For the record, the Marlins have never been eliminated in the post-season.  They've been to the playoffs twice -- in 1997 and 2003 -- and they won the World Series both times.

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

(1) Tampa Bay 2 - 0 (8) Toronto

(4) Cleveland 0 - 2 (5) New York

(3) Minnesota 0 - 2 (6) Houston

(2) Oakland 2 - 1 (7) Chicago

And here are the Divisional Series:

Tampa Bay (40-20) v. New York (33-27) (in Los Angeles and San Diego)

Oakland (36-24) v. Houston (29-31) (in San Diego and Los Angeles)

Of course, all decent Americans will be rooting for the Swingin' A's to take out Houston, the Keyser Soze of modern baseball.  At this point, I'd root for the Soviet Hockey Team over the Astros.

It seems weird that the National League playoffs are in American League ballparks, while the American League playoffs are in National League ballparks.  I can only assume that this has something to do with MLB's desire to hurt its own fans.