A long time coming
October’s all about making the most of opportunities, and four teams this year have the opportunity to make some serious history and give their fans a long-awaited party.
It’s been 100 years since the Cubs last won it all, but they’re looking good for the Postseason and could make the North Side as happy as the South Side was three years ago when this happened.
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The Milwaukee Brewers only got one shot at the Fall Classic, when they were Harvey’s Wallbangers in 1982, but this year’s model has Wild Card written all over it, and we know what Wild Card teams can do with everything on the line.
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Then there are the Tampa Bay Rays. They’d never even had a winning season until this year, and they’re still holding on to the American League East lead. The Tropicana Field faithful have to be saying, “Why not us?” And a recent series win in Fenway Park shows the Rays can get it done on the road when it counts.
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And don’t forget the Houston Astros. They’ve been counted out before only to shock the world with a sizzling September. They made it to the World Series in 2005 and the NL Championship Series in 2006 and are getting huge pitching performances — led by Roy Oswalt — at the right time.
http://freevideocoding.com/flvplayer.swf?file=http://mediadownloads.mlb.com/mlbam/2008/09/11/mlbtv_1285609_400K.flv&autoStart=false
In other words, don’t be surprised if one of these four prospective drought-busters ends up parading through their city with a trophy. And don’t be surprised if baseball crowns yet another champion that’s been waiting a long, long time to celebrate.
O.G.
October Gonzo 
You’re right about the Astros, OG… though, don’t put the Cardinals out yet. Remember ’06. Stranger things have happened. When it comes to the biggest shock poll, gotta go with the Rays. Why are people surprised that the Cubs are doing well? Shell out that much money and the team better be doing well.
–Jeff
http://redstatebluestate.mlblogs.com/
Congrats on hitting No. 6 on the MLBlogs Latest Leaders traffic list, OG!
Mark/MLB.com
http://mlblogs.mlblogs.com
The fun starts soon.
We have a total of 16 games left in 15 days. And srating Monday we have 3 “do or die” Red Sox games before playing up-start Twins for 4 games. With our “Magic Number” for making the playoffs….9 . But we are more concentrated on making the AL East crown our goals, so we have a “Magic Number” for that goal of 18 as of September 14th in the A .M.
Rays baseball has never been so much fun, and I have been here a long 11 years wathcing some great, and bad baseball. Hope you can hit the Trop. and see it is not as bad as the media makes the stadium out to be for fans and for comfort. Who can argue with 72 degree weather and no rain….ever. But, to tell you the truth, nothing is guaranteed this time of year, not even the results of any game for any team.
“Play Ball”
I’m a Yankee fan, so no October for me. But the big story has to be the Rays. Go from last place to first? Amazing. And I do believe they’ll hang on to first, despite a surge by the Red Sox. The question is, regardless of whether they go into postseason as the division champs or the wild card, will they beat the Angels, make it through to the WS and beat the Cubs/Mets/Dodgers/Whoever? No matter what happens, they’re not a fluke. Which scares the hell out of those of us in the AL East.
– http://janeheller.mblogs.com
– http://www.janeheller.com
It is going to be a very interesting postseason. As a Padres fan, I don’t have anything to hope for. But I can’t wait to see how the playoffs fold out!!
Kaybee (http://kaybee.mlblogs.com)
Regarding the Rays-Sox battle atop the AL East, I am hard-pressed to remember when there was a more important need for home-field advantage. Think about it: If the Rays win, they might be at home against the White Sox and then if Boston can knock off the Angels in the other DS, the Rays would be in position for HFA through the postseason. If the Red Sox win, the Rays have to open at Angels, and that looks like a tough hill. To me, it’s all the difference in the world if you’re a Rays fan now…you need to win the division and not the Wild Card.
Mark/MLB.com
http://mlblogs.mlblogs.com
I agree that the biggest story this year is the Rays. A young team with a lot of heart that was predicted to be huge “in a few years.” But they’ve proved that they don’t want to wait a few years. They want a championship now. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see this team who has continued to prove everybody wrong go all the way.
The Cubs, as usual, will choke. I don’t see how you can bet on this team until they’ve proved something. Because they’ve been 100 years without a championship for a reason. They don’t perform well under the pressure of the big stage.
In my blog, I followed the Cardinals from opening day through the postseason in 2006 and it was awesome. I’m back hoping to help my boys capture another postseason appearance.
Go Redbirds!!
– Tiffany
http://redbirdfever.mlblogs.com/
Which team’s title drought would you be most shocked to see ended?
Cubs – 1908 – 48%
Rays – Never – 26%
Astros – Never – 15%
Brewers – Never – 11%
According to the fan poll on MLBlogs.com, fans would be more shocked to see the Cubs’ title drought end than that of the Rays, Astros, or Brewers. Even setting aside my own biases, I find the idea of “World Champion Rays” more shocking than the Cubs winning the Series. Seriously, the Rays? The poster children for American League East inequity, somehow battling their way past the mighty Yankees and Red Sox?
At least the Cubs have been to the World Series before (over 60 years ago, of course). The Cubs have been flirting with the World Series since 2003; the Rays just started courting October this year.
Andrew
http://1060westaddison.mlblogs.com/
I’m rooting for the Phillies.
http://www.sportscollectorplace.com