Six weeks till Sunday.

Six weeks till Sunday. MLB is officially in the stretch run. The dog days of August are coming to an end. The race for the playoffs unofficially begins today. Six weeks from today, Sunday August 21st, the regular season will end. All MLB teams will play in October this year. Every single one of 'em. But only 8 will be able to play after October 2nd. The final six weeks will determine who is invited to baseballs' second season. In the AL, along with the 3 division leaders, there are an additional 5 teams in the hunt for the final playoff spot, while the NL has seven teams within 5.5 games of the last spot. These final six weeks of the season should be memorable as no one is guaranteed a shot at the World Series Championship. Some division leaders are looking over their shoulders as well. The Boston Red Sox have failed to put away the New York Yankee's, even with the well documented pitching woes plaguing the Yankee's. Boston holds a slim 3 game lead and has 6 games remaining with the Yankee's. Boston's Little League defense has allowed the dreaded NY team to remain in the race. The Oakland A's are the feel good story of the year, but have faltered lately and are 2.5 games behind the LA Angels. The National League's version of the feel good story, the Washington Nationals, are also stumbling and 1.5 games off the wild card pace. I don't know anyone living in this country who doesn't want to see the Nat's in the playoffs. Each team plays 162 games for a reason, and that reason is now clearer. The push for the playoffs can be more exciting than the playoff games themselves. Less hype with more excitement. But this is what every ball player wants - the chance for a shot at the championship. Anything can happen once a team reaches that first milestone. This is one of the great components of the American pastime. Only six weeks till Sunday. Let the games begin!
... This day in baseball history: 1902 Joe McGinnity of the National League's Baltimore Orioles is thrown out of the league for punching and spitting at an umpire. Due his popularity, 'Iron Man Mike' will be quickly reinstated; 1908 On the third try, Senator Gabby Street catches a ball thrown from the top of the Washington Monument. Scientists estimated the 555-foot drop the ball traveled had a force between 200 and 300 pounds; 1931 Babe Ruth becomes the first major leaguer to hit 600 career home runs as the Yankees defeat the Browns, 11-7; 1947 The first Little League World Series tourney is held at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. With a .625 team batting average, the hometown Maynard Midgets easily win the tournament, 16-7; 1986 Spike Owens becomes the first major leaguer in 40 years to score six runs in a game as the Red Sox rout the Indians, 24-5.