This is a big weekend in the baseball.
Last night the Chicago Cubs clinched their first National League Eastern Division championship since 2008, when the St. Louis Cardinals lost to the San Francisco Giants.
That leaves the other five division and wild card races still looking for teams to take their place in the chase for the playoffs, including my Detroit Tigers, who are not playing well, and will have to probably sweep the Indians in Cleveland this weekend...a mighty task, too stay in the wild card race.
The Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals, and possibly the Indians, will be the next teams to clinch their divisions...but the A.L. East and the N.L. West are still up for grabs.
The Tribe and Tigers still have 7 games remaining with each other, starting tonight in Cleveland, with the Indians going to Motown September 26-29.
The Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays are all battling each other for the A.L. East flag, with the Yankees also on the hunt for a post season berth.
All four teams, the BoSox, Orioles, Jays, and Yankees, are separated by only 5 games in the A.L. East.
The Seattle Mariners, playing their best baseball of the year, are also right in the A.L. wild Card chase...it's going to be an amazing finish in the Junior Circuit.
The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the Giants by 4 games in the N.L. West, and both teams, along with the New York Mets and Cardinals, possible N.L. wild card contenders.
That final weekend, the Dodgers at the Giants, could be for not only the division title, but the loser could be out of the playoffs altogether.
⚾⚾⚾ There is a lot going on in, and around baseball, and these are a few things I've noticed...
Major League Baseball released the 2017 schedule for all 30 big league teams this week.
Why they choose to do this in the middle of the Pennant race, and 7 months before the season even starts, is beyond me.
The 2017 MLB season starts on Sunday, April 2nd.
⚾ After 21 years the Atlanta Braves are moving out of Turner Field and to a new ballpark in Cobb County in 2017, some 20 miles away from Atlanta.
The Braves are having a fan vote on their All-Time Turner Field team...VOTE right here...
⚾ The Chicago White Sox set a new Guinness World Record when 1,122 dogs made their way to U.S. Cellular Field on the South Side.
⚾ Dodgers announcer Vin Scully will retire after 67 years broadcasting the teams ballgames, and has announced that he will not be doing any of the Dodgers playoff games.
His final game will be in San Francisco on October 2 against the Giants...Vin started calling games between the two old rivals in 1950, when it was Brooklyn vs New York.
There will be many tributes to Vin in the next two weeks... here's one from 9 Inning Know it All and one from Vin'started Alma-Mater, The Fordham Ram.
⚾ For those who know me and follow me on social media, you know that I consider The Natural the Greatest Baseball movie ever made... Rob Neyer of FOX Sports revisits the movie...I don't have to, nor will I, ever change my mind...but give Rob a read.
⚾ If you love baseball, and are an old school guy like myself, this article from Redleg Nation will tug at your heart.
⚾ This baseball fan got a brand new baseball glove...57 years and lots of bubble gum later.
⚾ If you've ever wondered how a radio play by play guy prepares for a game, George Simple of the Detroit Free Press gives us insight on Tigers announcer Dan Dickerson's game notes.
Well, that about does it for this post.
I hope you all enjoy what's sure to be a terrific weekend of big league baseball.
Play Ball! ⚾⚾⚾
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