Playoff Preview

We may already be two games into the postseason but I guess a preview is better late then never. There were some wild finishes to the regular season that could have significant impacts on how the playoffs play out. Cincinnati surged, New York faltered, and the Barflies have to drink their tequila in the bleachers this year. Here's a rundown of the teams and series we'll be watching this year.

American League

1. Durham Bull****artists (103-59)

Durham cruised to the top spot in the AL behind the bat of 1B Lonnie Ellis. It's all about the offense for the artists as they led the league in runs scored putting up a whopping 1035 runs on opposing pitchers. They won the South division by 13 games over Nashville and have a bye into the ALDS.

2. Richmond Whack-A-Moles (98-64)

Richmond won 9 of their last 10 games of the season and they needed every last one of them to win their 8th straight division title. The reigning World Series champions look to repeat despite not winning 100 games for the first time in their history. That end of the season run not only gave them a division championship but also the 2nd seed and a coveted bye into the ALDS.

3. Trenton Undertakers (95-67) vs 6. Scranton Office (92-64)

Trenton won their second consecutive pennant, edging out Scranton by just 3 games. But, Scranton gets a chance at revenge in the wild card round. The two teams split the first two games in Trenton and the series will shift to Scranton for games 3 and 4. The first two games were very entertaining with last inning comebacks in both games.

4. Scottsdale Schmohawks (88-74) vs 5. New York Rockstars (98-64)

Scottsdale dominated their AL West opponents en route to their 5th division title. New York had the AL East within their grasp, but injuries wreaked havoc in the final weeks of the season as their lead slipped away. Now they must get through a wild card round against the Schmohawks. So far, they're on their way to accomplishing just that as they won the first two games of the series. They can complete the sweep on their home field in game 3.


National League

1. Minnesota Baggies (114-48)

Minnesota cruised nearly unchallenged to their sixth consecutive pennant and the 1st seed in the NL. Much of their success is due to their deadly starting rotation featuring Geronimo Pena, Phil Won, Stuart Davidson, and Jamie Green. All 4 posted ERA's under 4 for the regular season and Pena and Davidson are finalists for the NL Cy Young Award. It's going to be extremely tough for anybody in the NL to knock off the Baggies.

2. Cincinnati Confused (98-64)

Cincy won their 3rd pennant this season but what was more impressive was the run they made to get the 2nd seed in the NL. They won 8 of their last 9 games and stole the bye away from Boise. The Confused are led by Cy Young finalist Charles Hyun and MVP finalist Jesus Brogna.

3. Boise Beasts (96-66) vs 6. Colorado Springs Rockies (84-78)

Boise won their 3rd consecutive pennant but can't be too excited heading into the playoffs as they let a bye slip away. Now they're tasked with facing the Rockies who outlasted Los Angeles and Cleveland for the final spot in the playoffs. Boise won the first two games of the series despite giving up 3 runs in the first inning of Game 2. Now the series shifts back to Colorado Springs with the Rockies trying to avoid the sweep.

4. New Orleans alligators (90-72) vs 5. Anaheim Materhorn (94-68)

The alligators clinched their first division championship and their second playoff appearance this season as they dominated the rest of their division. Anaheim tried to chase down Boise for the pennant but fell 2 games short. New Orleans dominated the first game of the series and snuck out a 2-1 victory in game 2. Now the series shifts to Anaheim where the Materhorn will be in a must win situation.