October: could a sports fan ask for anything more?

College football is rolling, along with its more capitalist brethren, the NFL. Hockey players are on the cusp of clubbing each other with large wooden sticks. The NBA is frantically making blockbuster trades in order to confuse fans so that they will have to watch their team to see who's new and who's gone ("How the hell did we get stuck with Shawn Bradley?").

But in the midst of this renewal of athletic activity, there is one sport that makes its swan song in the 30 day countdown to Harwood Halloween: baseball. Some people (myself included) happen to love baseball, so this month is a sad one for us. Gone are our hometown teams who struggle to win 40 percent of their games. Instead we are forced to keep up with the "good" teams, those that are used to scoring more runs than their opponent.

So who is up to bat this glorious O-month? Leading off from the east coast, the New York Yankees: the team everyone loves to hate. Oddly enough the Bombers aren't a heavy favorite to win it all, or even the AL. Not that there really is a favorite in either league, but considering it seems like the Yanks have won 47 of the past 49 championships, you would think that they would have a little bit of legacy going for them right now.

Their NL counterparts the Braves have the same situation--good, not great. Sure they've won 90 odd games, but not 100 like they could have. In fact, there's a distinct possibility that no team will finish with a .600 winning percentage. This, despite the abundant claims that money wins ballgames absolutely.

Now the NL Central: the greatest disappointment in the game since Todd Van Poppel. Remember at the beginning of the year when everyone felt so sorry for the Brewers and Pirates who had to play Sosa, McGwire, Griffey, and Bagwell? Yeah, me neither. Only the Cards were able to live up to the hype and did it with the help of a guardian former Angel--Jim Edmonds. Look for him to explode as St. Louis gets deeper into the playoffs.

But in the Junior Circuit central, a much more heartwarming story took place as David slew Goliath. The Cleveland Indians will not win their division as they have since the Bush administration. Instead, the young scamps of the Chicago White Sox have climbed atop the heap of mediocrity that is the AL Central to emerge with what could become the best record in baseball. From 75 wins to almost 100 is pretty impressive for such a green team. They'll probably get booted in the division series, but not before taking two games in the best of five contest.

San Francisco has conquered the NL West, staving off tough competition from Arizona and our own Dodger Blue. The Giants got some serious help from Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent. Oh, and they'll end up either second or third in the league in ERA. San Fran does have a legitimate claim to the NL title, but odds are they'd have to go through Georgia to get there. But hey, best of luck out there.

Our sixth and final race is just too close to call. The AL west, expected to be handed to Texas after winning three of the past four division titles, is very much up for grabs. Now either Seattle or Oakland will take the smallest division in baseball. Both teams are a bit on the young side, which means that they'll probably be good for a very long time provided their GM's wise up and sign the boys to long-term deals before they cost more than a McGwire home run ball on eBay.

Finally, Commissioner Bud's Wild Card Ride. In the NL the Mets have it locked up, so either St. Louis or the Giants will have the equivalent of a first-round bye. But things get rather sticky on the American side of things. You see, it is mathematically possible for Seattle, Oakland, and Cleveland to end up with the same record. A kinky three-way? Perhaps. But if that happens, either the A's or M's are getting screwed. See, there has to be a division champ, so they would have to play each other. But this one game would count in the standings, so whoever wins would be a half-game up on the Tribe, while whoever loses would be on the wrong side of Chief Wahoo. It stems from an ancient baseball rule contrived about a century before the introduction of the wild card system, so if you're looking for someone to blame, look no further than Abner Doubleday.

So who wins it all and who shall be taunted and booed until my throat is sore? My bet is on the Cards to take it all. Atlanta loses in the NLCS simply because no team with John Burkett deserves to win, and although I expect the Yankees to take the AL crown, I can't see them continuing their freakish dominance.

And don't even get me started on home field advantage. Apparently it's all screwed up because the Yankees didn't play Florida because they didn't like all the old people or something. To make a long story short though, no matter who plays who, it promises to be a fabulous October.