You thought last year's drama on Game 162 was wild, how about this year? Miguel Cabrera secured the first Triple Crown in 45 years with a .330/44/138 line, and in doing so also probably locked up the AL MVP, and the Athletics completed the sweep of the Rangers to move in to first place for the first time all season and clinch the NL West title. Whoever bet on the Orioles, A's, and Nationals to all go to the playoffs this year, and for the Nats to end with the best record in baseball, is a millionaire right now. All three are exciting teams to watch. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Nats since I lived in DC for a period of time, and for several years I've thought the A's were just about to turn the corner, so it's good to see that their all-rookie rotation was able to hold it together. And who doesn't love Buck Showalter? I love the parody of baseball and how a healthy farm system and young pitching is just as powerful in this sport as money is. I'm really excited to see the smaller market teams go as far as they can in the playoffs, and of course I will be rooting for the Reds to win the World Series. Wow, I am going to be blowing a lot of money on playoff gear this year! And as an aside, I just want to say that I am really proud of my Brewers for digging themselves off the scrap heap and getting back into the hunt. They got to within 1 1/2 games of the Wild Card with 2 weeks left in the season and got me really excited for next season.
PLAYOFFS START 10.05.12
#4 Braves v. #5 Cardinals
#1 Nationals v. Wild Card winner
#2 Reds v. #3 Giants
#4 Rangers v. #5 Orioles
#1 Yankees v. Wild Card winner
#2 Athletics v. #3 Tigers
World Series prediction: Nationals defeat A's in 5
Preseason Predictions
#1 Reds
#2 Phillies
#3 Diamondbacks
#4 Brewers
#5 Nationals
Diamondbacks over Reds in NLCS
#1 Angels
#2 Rays
#3 Tigers
#4 Yankees
#5 Rangers
Rangers over Tigers in ALCS
Diamondbacks defeat Rangers in 7
FINAL STANDINGS 2012:
Brewers 83-79, -14.0, 3rd in NL Central
Reds 97-65, +9.0, winner NL Central (NLDS v. Giants)
Twins 66-96, -22.0, last in AL Central
FINAL GAMES ATTENDED 2012:
Erik - 33
Peter - 40
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.