Every year about this time I marvel at baseball’s lack of preparation for something that will eventually happen. And I actively root for anarchy to reign. Once again, the potential exists for extra baseball games to be played starting on Monday, leaving the starting dates and opponents for multiple playoff series completely up in the air.

Here’s where we stand this year:

American League

It is almost a certainty that the Red Sox will be the Wild Card team and will face the Angels in the Division Series. Almost, because if the Rays lose their final three games and the Red Sox win their final three, then Boston would win the AL East and Tampa would be the Wild Card. That would pit the Rays against the Angels in Round 1 and the Red Sox against the AL Central winner. Simple. Neat. Tidy.

Not so fast—Tropical Storm Kyle (who could become a hurricane any moment now), along with another weather system, is bearing down on the northeast and is going to make playing baseball in Boston near impossible for the next two days. Let’s assume that the Rays lose tonight and tomorrow and the two Red Sox-Yankees games are rained out. Boston would be forced to schedule a doubleheader with the Yankees on Sunday. And if they won both—and the Rays lost again—they would have to play a makeup game with the Yankees on Monday.

As unlikely as that scenario is, the potential for the White Sox and Twins to cause upheaval is huge. After sweeping the White Sox this week, the Twins stand ½ game ahead of Chicago with three games to play this weekend. But that ½ game just leaps off the page, doesn’t it? Why is there ½ game difference between these two teams? Because the White Sox had a rainout against the Tigers on September 13 that was never made up.

If either the Twins or White Sox lead by ½ game at the end of play on Sunday, then Chicago would host Detroit for a makeup game on Monday. If the outcome of that game means that the Twins and White Sox are tied, then a one game playoff to decide the AL Central would be played Tuesday in Chicago. The winner would travel to either Tampa or Boston for the Division Series.

For more fun with possibilities, let’s check out the…

National League

The Cubs are the Central winners and the Dodgers won the West. Everything else is up in the air and the anarchy meter is on high alert. Picture this: The Phillies, Mets, and Brewers all finish tied with the same record. In the case of a three-way tie between two teams from one division and a team from another division, here’s what happens: First, the two division teams (the Mets and Phillies) play each other on Monday. Philadelphia won the coin toss (yes, that’s still how the location of one game playoffs is determined) and would host the Mets. The winner is crowned division champ and faces either the Brewers or Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs.

Next, the loser of Monday’s game would face the Brewers on Tuesday in a one game playoff that decides the Wild Card team. The Brewers lost both coin tosses for that game and would travel to play Monday’s loser. Tuesday’s winner would be the Wild Card team and Tuesday’s loser would go home. If the Brewers win the Wild Card, they would play Monday’s winner in the first round of the playoffs. If the team from the NL East is the Wild Card, they would take on the Cubs in the Division Series.

But wait—there’s one more scenario. I’ll let you read straight from a news story on Major League Baseball’s official site:

If Houston sweeps the Braves this weekend and the Mets get swept by Florida, and the Brewers are swept by the Cubs, the Astros and Cubs would then play a makeup of their Sept. 14 game that was postponed by Hurricane Ike on Monday at Minute Maid Park. If Houston won that game, the Brewers, Mets and Astros would be tied at 88-74 for the Wild Card lead.

In the case of a three-way tie for the Wild Card, two teams would play on Monday, with the winner facing the third team on Tuesday. But that can't happen on Monday, if the Astros are involved, because they would have to play the Cubs in the makeup game that day. Pushing back that tiebreaker scenario to Tuesday and Wednesday would encroach on the start of the NL playoffs, which are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

Major League Baseball hasn't announced plans for such a scenario, other than to acknowledge it could impact the scheduling of tiebreaker games.

Yes, my favorite line is that last one. This is year 14 of the Wild Card Experiment and still Bud Selig is leaving open the possibility that his entire playoff schedule could be blown to pieces before it even begins. In Part 1 of my three-part manifesto outlining ways to fix baseball (Click here for Part 2 and Part 3) I suggested altering the schedule so that several days—instead of just one—were available at the end of the season for make up games and one game playoffs. Surprisingly, Uncle Bud and company did just that this year, as the first three playoff series begin on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. Kudos to Selig and company. But those pesky rainouts could still spoil everything. Especially if, say, the Phillies have a few rainouts this weekend.

And to keep ignoring the potential for multiple ties is just foolish. Uncle Bud just keeps putting his head in the sand hoping he doesn’t have to deal with issues like this. “Major League Baseball hasn't announced plans for such a scenario, other than to acknowledge it could impact the scheduling of tiebreaker games.” True leadership right there.

So I’m rooting for extra baseball and lots of it. A Red Sox-Yankees game on Monday with the AL east on the line for the Sox would be entertaining, but is probably not happening. And the Astros’ involvement in the fun seems like a stretch (but would be great theater) so I’ll just root for the following: White Sox-Tigers and Mets-Phillies on Monday, along with White Sox-Twins and Brewers-Mets/Phillies on Tuesday.

And if the Astros win tonight and the Mets and Brewers lose—look out. It might finally be time for Bud to plan for the worst case scenario. Let anarchy reign.

2006 Baseball Playoffs Preview

Another baseball season came to an end under the cover of darkness yesterday. The only way you could watch a meaningful game was if you happened to live in the right area. It was pretty disconcerting watching the FOX football games and seeing KC 41, SF 0 change to DET 7, KC 0 on the ticker. I thought the Chiefs were playing a split squad game for a minute there.

And while I'm here, I'd like to thank all of the teams involved for winning or losing the wrong amount of games and spoiling my fun. Really, #### up job. Houston—you couldn't have won one more game? Well played, everyone. Now I have to #### out a baseball playoffs preview in one day without the distraction of one game playoffs. Splendid.

Thankfully, this year's playoff match-ups appear to be pretty cut and dry. In most series, it's going to be all about whether you’ve angered or appeased the Baseball Gods. And it looks like the Gods are angry this year.

Yankees-Tigers

The Tigers were the darlings of the baseball world all season. Until the final three games of the season, that is. They couldn't take care of business against the 100-loss Kansas City Royals. To make matters worse, manager Jim Leyland treated yesterday's game as if it were a playoff game, pulling out all of the stops to try and win. It didn't work. They lost the game and the division, and now they must face the Yankees instead of the A's. Forget the fact the Leyland has to explain to his young team that he wasn't afraid of playing the Yankees. The Gods have declared for years that teams shouldn't worry about winning the division if they've already clinched a playoff spot. Heck, 3 of the last 4 World Series Champions have been Wild Card teams. The Gods are angry with the Tigers, the players are now scared to death of the Yankees, and Joe Torre's club is licking their chops. Yankees 3, Tigers 0

Twins-A's

By comparison, the Twins ignored the fact that they could win the division, saved sure-fire Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana for Game 1 of their series and still went out and took care of business. Now they get home field advantage and face Oakland instead of New York. There's no need to break it down any further than that. Someone in Oakland angered the Baseball Gods somewhere along the line. Even with the best team on the planet in the '80s, the A's came away with one World Series win. And they haven't won a playoff series since 1990. Twins 3, A's 1

Mets-Dodgers

Is it bad form to sign an aging, always injured pitcher and then to build your team around him? Apparently so, because that's what the Mets did and the Gods responded by allowing them to win 97 games but then they lost Pedro Martinez to a season-ending injury. Don't get me going on the Dodgers. They'll face the wrath of the Gods in the next series. Dodgers 3, Mets 2

Padres-Cardinals

Tony La Russa and company committed the Cardinal sin (no pun intended—OK, maybe a little) of taking their foot off the gas way too soon. Sure, no one expected the Astros to win 200 games in a row, but St. Louis dug it's on grave on this one. But what angered the Gods the most was La Russa's decision to hold back Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter from a potential must-win game on Sunday. Here was the deal: the Cardinals win, they clinch a playoff spot and get ready for their first series. They lose, and they needed the Astros to lose or face the possibility of two more days of games just to make the playoffs. You start your ace, get the win, and deal with the rotation issues later. You don't hold back your ace and hope the Astros lose (which they did). Sure, it looks like it worked out now, doesn't it? But this team has no confidence and the Gods are angry. Carpenter won't even make it out of the 4th inning tomorrow and the Cardinals will get swept. Padres 3, Cardinals 0

American League Championship Series
Yankees-Twins

The New York Yankees have not won the World Series since 2000. Since then, they have lost playoff series to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Anaheim Angels (twice), Florida Marlins, and Boston Red Sox. If you're not keeping track, that's two teams with histories that date back less than13 years, one team with a history of playoff failure, and their century-old rival with a history of complete and utter collapse in the postseason. They've twice lost the clinching game at home. You don't think the Gods have turned on the Yankees? Santana wins Games 1 and 5 of this series, the Twins take other game at home, and then Game 7 in Yankees Stadium. Twins 4, Yankees 3

National League Championship Series
Padres-Dodgers

Part One of the worst-case scenario for FOX, an all-Southern California playoff series. Here's where the ghosts of 2003 rear their ugly heads. You remember 2003, don't you? The year of the Red Sox' collapse against the Yankees? Front and center in that one was manager Grady Little. And guess who is managing LA into the playoffs this year? Yep, Grady Little. And his star hitter is none other than Nomar Garciaparra, whose deadline trade away from the Red Sox in 2003 catapulted that team into the postseason. Clubhouse cancer doesn't even begin to describe Nomar's effect on that team. The guy he was traded for instituted these little hand-slapping routines with everyone on the bench. Players were visibly happier, played better, and were one Grady Little brain freeze away from advancing to the World Series. These Dodgers might have Derek Lowe's mojo from the Boston glory days, but Grady + Nomar = disaster. This one will end tragically. I’m not sure I can even accurately script it. But it will probably involve a pitcher hitting a home run, a steal of home, a swinging miss third strike that turns into a triple, and hell freezing over. It will be a train wreck that every Red Sox fan will enjoy watching. Winning it all in 2004 will never change the way Sox fans feel about Grady and Nomar. Padres 4, Dodgers 3

World Series
Twins-Padres

I honestly believe Joe Buck and Tim McCarver will refuse to broadcast the games if this is the match-up. Or they'll try and pull some kind of silent protest. In the 3rd inning of every game they’ll go an entire at bat without speaking. They’ll plan on it lasting an entire inning, but they’ll have a tough enough time with one batter. And the worst part is that those two minutes of silence will be the most enjoyable moments of the games. It’s too bad that no one will watch this series, though. It could be entertaining. And considering that these two teams' combined payroll is less than 1/100th of the Yankees’, it's good for everyone. I think. But the Gods are also angry with FOX. So not only will no one watch this series, but it will inevitably be a sweep. Twins 4, Padres 0

NFL Week 5 Picks

He had labored in the service of the Minnesota Twins for six years. And then he was unceremoniously released. So David Ortiz took a walk deep into the northern Minnesota woods. It was December of 2002.

Within an hour he came upon a Hobbit. The Hobbit looked like Jesse Ventura and had a voice like Howard Cosell. The Hobbit said to Ortiz, "That which you are seeking is here." Ortiz was surprised, but figured, "Hey, it’s Minnesota. How weird is this, really?"

The Hobbit said, "My name is Sport. I am the Hobbit of the forest. Anyone from the sports world who finds me is granted athletic prowess. You might have heard of Rulon Gardner, the wrestler from the 2000 Olympics? He found me in 1998 and I granted him the ability to beat someone who hadn’t lost in 13 years. For some reason he went looking for my cousin, Vinny, in the Wyoming wilderness. That didn’t work out too well, but that’s another story entirely."

Ortiz stared at the Hobbit for a long time, wondering if this could actually be real. Finally, he said, "All right, what do I have to do to get this athletic superiority?" The Hobbit replied, "Simply take this ax, and chop down this tree. Bring the wood to Louisville and have some bats made. Those bats will be your secret weapon to immortality."

Though he thought that this Hobbit had seen The Natural one too many times, Ortiz decided to do as he was told. He chopped down the tree and prepared to drag the wood back through the forest. Then the Hobbit spoke to him one last time, saying, "Rulon’s success was world-renowned, but who pays attention to wrestling? I tried to make Peyton Manning the greatest, most clutch football player of all time, but he started calling his own plays not long after he found me. So no Super Bowl glory for him. It’s time for the Hobbit to make the biggest mark on the world of Sports yet. Tell me, David, what would be the ultimate achievement for a baseball player in this day and age? Your answer will determine how great your powers will be."

Ortiz thought long and hard. There was the home run record, but with Barry Bonds hitting 73 the previous season, folks were growing a little tired of the whole chase. No one had hit .400 since 1941, but that didn’t seem big enough. Then it finally hit him. There was only one achievement that would make him an international superstar.

"Being the best clutch hitter on the World Champion Boston Red Sox," Ortiz said. "That would be the ultimate achievement."

The Hobbit responded, "You are indeed wise, and worthy of this power. It shall be as you say."

Two weeks ago I was called everything from a hypocrite to a heroin addict to a Communist. Why? Because I dared question who was and wasn’t on steroids in Major League Baseball (The Steroid Free All-Star Team). These false accusations all hurt, of course, but the other responses to that piece hurt even more. They were from my family and friends—all Red Sox fans—who assumed that I thought that David Ortiz was on steroids.

Let’s start with a little background, and try this from an objective vantage point. David Ortiz hit .266 with 58 home runs and 238 RBIs in 455 games with the Twins. With the Red Sox, he has hit .293 with 151 home runs and 478 RBIs in 529 games. On the one hand, he’s got Manny Ramirez hitting behind him and great table setters in front of him. Also, his stats in Minnesota were spread over six years, because he wasn’t a full-time player. On the other hand, his dramatically increased power numbers would make any non-Red Sox fan question just what in the name of Barry Bonds is going on.

So, do I think Ortiz is using something? No. I hope not, anyway. Just like I hope Albert Pujols isn’t. Or any other big name superstar. I long for the days when we can just talk about a guy’s stats—and not worry about his weight, increased muscle mass, or the size of his head.

The great thing about David Ortiz is that he’s one of the game’s best ambassadors right now. While Manny was being Manny and skipping the entire All-Star experience, there was Big Papi participating in the Home Run Derby and being available to the media and fans. He played first base—something he only does during Interleague play or the World Series—and saved Alex Rodriguez from making a throwing error.

Add to this that he has become one of the greatest clutch hitters in the history of the game. I know that the new wave of baseball statheads don’t believe clutch hitting exists, but as one of the local Boston radio talk show hosts said one day, “Maybe they should watch a game once in a while.” What made the A-Rod vs. Ortiz debate for MVP last year so silly is that everyone who watched the two of them on a semi-consistent basis could have answered the “Who would you rather have up in the bottom of the 9th with the game on the line” question in a heartbeat. Of course, it’s Ortiz. And isn’t that a huge value measurement? How many game-winning hits and home runs will it take for people to ignore the fact that he’s “just” a DH?

At the end of the day, whether it was a Hobbit in the woods or just plain hard work that has made Big Papi who he is, I’m happily along for the ride. And you know what? I changed my mind. He can join my steroid-free team as the DH.

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