With just over a week left in the season in a year when most of the playoff races are pretty dull, there aren't many games that have meaning at the moment. While only the Yankees have clinched a playoff spot, there is really just one race where the outcome isn't pretty much determined (AL Central), and that's only because the Tigers and Twins play each other next week. It's dull, man. I like races going to the last day and one game playoffs and all that jazz.
I'll tell you what would perk up the last week and a half of the season would be if the Braves could some how come back to take the Wild Card. It would be ridiculous but also so awesome. They're currently 3.5 games back of the Rockies (3 in the loss column) and red hot. Add to that the fact that 6 of their final 10 games are against the Nationals and it's hard not to give them a fighting chance. The Rockies, who have been sputtering, play their final three series against the Cardinals, Brewers, and Dodgers.
And not to be the arrogant Orioles fan, because I know the Rockies were just in the World Series a few years ago, but sometimes I have a hard time believing they're a real baseball team. Now the Braves, there's a baseball team. And with Bobby Cox announcing he's retiring from managing next year, I suddenly think they should just do it.
Anyway, I'm forgetting what sort of blog this is. The Orioles. Right. So, not many games mean anything right now, but meaning even less than all of the other meaningless games is tonight's game between the Cleveland Indians and the Baltimore Orioles. They're the teams with the worst two records in the entire American League. The Orioles have lost 7 in a row; the Indians 11. David Hernandez, who gives up approximately 14 HR per game vs Fausto Carmona who walks a bajillion guys. IT'S GONNA BE A BARN BURNER.
Seriously though, the Indians fans feel our pain. They may not feel the DEPTH of our pain, given that they've had some awesome years in the past decade, but they get it. They were so close to the World Series in 2007, went into 2008 with high hopes and were quite mediocre, and have flat out stunk this year. Wait a minute...that sounds sort of familiar. I guess the Indians just need to tack on 10 more years of awfulness and they'll be the Orioles.
Let's Go Tribe, the SB Nation blog for the Cleveland Indians, is dealing with the pain of their season by writing a 12 part series titled, "Fire Everyone!" They're in their 8th installment, titled "Fire Everyone! - The Farm System," but my favorite was in part seven when they suggested firing the racing hot dogs and railed against their mezzanine being named after Travis Hafner (which...it is? Seriously???)
FIRE PRONKVILLE
Precisely how sad does the career of Travis Hafner have to become before we stop mocking him with this now totally inappropriately named mezzanine section? Ever heard of "Huffland"? "AlexeiRamirezCove"? "OverbayBay"? No, because they don't exist. A 15 HR hitter doesn't get a deck named after him.
Imagine an amusement park named Huffland? And the sorts of "rides" that would be involved?
Anyway, if you've got a strong stomach, a robust supply of alcohol, and nothing better to do tonight, enjoy what is sure to be a hell of a game. Hey, SOMEONE has to win, right??
Let's go O's!
-Stacey