Yes, it’s sad and sobering to see another major league baseball season completing its final week of the regular season schedule. If that’s not true for you I sincerely hope that you have something similar to enjoy although I have no idea what that might be. The idea that the New York Mets, the team that just about everybody agreed, at least before the games started being played, had assured themselves another World Series with the acquisition of Juan Soto and a couple of pitchers we can’t remember are possibly going to miss the post season altogether. That possibility makes it possible to believe that Elon Musk and Bill Gates could both go broke during our lifetime.

The Phillies, despite serious injury losses, look solid. Toronto is so far overcoming the loss of Bo Bichette. The Reds are a heartwarming late addition to the final scenes. Likewise, their Ohio friends in Cleveland will be welcome.

What a long strange trip it has been for San Francisco. The entire Bay Area has been crying in their espressos all year over the loss of the Oakland Athletics and the accompanying shameful behavior of team owners and their toad licking commissioner . The Giants have a very likeable roster and their fans may be hoping that outstanding additions like Justin Verlander, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers can be retained while Buster Posey and the office posse can show respect for Wilmer Flores, Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey by developing and finding young starting pitchers that can hurl more than a hundred innings without requiring major surgery. That last item appears to be true throughout the major leagues.

Milwaukee, despite last night’s tough loss in 11 innings to San Diego, remains very capable of success if the loss of Brandon Woodruff can be overcome. The Padres seem to have a better chance to advance than the Dodgers but look at what wealth has done for Pete Hegseth.

The who wants it? you take it between Cleveland and Detroit has been fascinating all season unless you have been rooting for either one of them. Two great managers are dualing here. A.J. Hinch and Stephen Vogt. The Yankees are like their 2024 World Series opponent, the Dodgers. They can buy whatever they want but there is no guarantee that it will work. I’m happy for Trent Grisham but I’m really hoping Toronto endures. Houston has been having age related injury problems but should not lose hope no matter what occurs.

Texas is among the probably majority of teams that have faced numerous serious injuries this season. This is not, and should not be, war. It’s a game that should remain fun for all concerned. The health of the players is important to the health of the game. To fellow old farts out there, I would say that you don’t want a ticket to a Credence Clearwater concert if John Fogerty can’t play, dig? Two years ago, Arizona went to the World Series on a late season surge. This year, the Diamondbacks appeared to surrender at the trade deadline and, partly as a result of that, a very strong Seattle Mariners team with Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez might do the same thing. And look! Arizona is still alive. The expansion of the post season has been good. Teams don’t have to surrender before the season is half gone. There is a certain weirdness about this change, but it’s better for the fans and the game. You can’t say that about the “ghost runner” in extra innings or the acceptance of gambling as if it’s a good thing but I’ll shut up about that for now. This is fun.

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