There's a little over one month left in the regular season. Things are heating up! If the playoffs started today, the Detroit Tigers would meet the New York Yankees; the Boston Red Sox would meet the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; the St Louis Cardinals would meet the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles; and the Colorado Rockies would meet the Philadelphia Phillies. Detroit would meet Los Angeles in the ALCS and Colorado would meet Los Angeles in the NLCS. Detroit would beat Los Angeles in the World Series, just as I predicted before the season started.
Please note that I have not given up on my adoptive team, the Texas Rangers. These are not your father's Rangers. Usually, they wilt in the heat of summer; but here it is, almost September, and they're alive and well. The pitching has been terrific this year and the hitting merely mediocre (or above average). Third-year manager Ron Washington has brought a new mentality to the team. I wouldn't say that it's his team yet, but he has put his imprint on it. Some of our players actually steal bases! I've even seen a few sacrifice bunts this year! The defense is very good, and sometimes spectacular. Michael Young has proved this year that he is one of the game's superstars. He began as a second baseman, moved to shortstop to accommodate Alfonso Soriano (who refused to play outfield), and then moved to third to accommodate the Rangers' phenom Elvis Andrus, who is everything the scouts said he would be. Young won a Gold Glove at shortstop a year ago. I expect him to win a Gold Glove at third base soon, perhaps this year. I am honored to be able to watch him on a daily basis.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 