Posted: 9/29/06




The Major League Baseball season draws to a close as the playoffs approach. The question is do you know who is in the hunt?

The 2006 MLB Season is coming to an end although no one really knows what is going to happen in the pennant races.

The Yankees are one of the favorites going into the playoffs especially when they just clinched the AL East.

“The Yankees will always be in the hunt as long as Steinbrenner writes out a blank check to the best players in baseball,” said Pat Parris, World History and Civics teacher.

According to ESPN’s baseball analyst Steve Phillips, the Mets will go far into the playoffs with their strong hitting lineup and bullpen. ESPN’s other analyst John Kruk thinks that the Minnesota Twins will have a very good shot at beating the Yankees in the first round if they face them.

“Part of the reason for the Twins' remarkable turnaround has been the performances of Johan Santana, Torii Hunter, Joe Nathan, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer,” said Mark Simon on ESPN Sports Research. “But manager Ron Gardenhire also deserves credit for getting the most out of unheralded contributors like Nick Punto, Jason Tyner and Dennys Reyes.”

The Twins have come so far that the Detroit Tigers lead in the AL Central has shrunk from a nine game lead to a one game lead in that division.

The Twins, in fact, are even spoiling the Chicago White Sox chance in getting into the playoffs. These are the same Chicago White Sox that won the World Series last year for the first time in 88 years and now their empire is falling once again.

“The Detroit Tigers will win the AL Wildcard. They are winning the division right now but will be passed by Minnesota soon. The White Sox are just too far behind to catch them in the wildcard race,” said Neal Thomas, Technology teacher.

Anything can happen in the playoffs that lie ahead. Teams have come back from 0-3 deficits and won a series and there are those other teams that just give up totally.

People can only hope that the best team wins and that everyone plays fair and square.