Quickly: After 14 consecutive losing seasons, including a 2011 campaign where they failed to win even 70 of 162 games, the amazing Baltimore Orioles have clinched a playoff berth, while remaining tied with the Yankees for first place in the powerful AL East. What's more, a check of the American League Standings will show that the Birds are but one game behind the Texas Rangers in the battle for the best record in the American League.
Over the weekend the Orioles swept the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees, at the same time, were splitting their four-game series at the Rogers Center in Toronto. Today through Wednesday the Yanks are home to host the Red Sox while the Orioles travel to Tampa to tangle with the Rays. Yesterday there was word that a one-game playoff would take place if the Orioles and Yankees finish tied for first in the AL East. Such a game would take place on Thursday in Baltimore. The loser would then play in the one-game Wild Card playoff, while the winner would move directly to the best-of-five-game divisional series.
Here is the wild card skinny: The Orioles or Yankees, which ever is not the AL East winner, have already clinched at least a wild card berth. Oakland is one game behind the two East leaders in the wild card but they have not clinched yet. Two other teams - Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Angels - are each three games behind the Athletics with three to play. You also have to factor the Rangers into the Wild Card Scene, although for Texas to end up as a wild card team would mean that the Rays and Angels have been eliminated. Right now the Athletics are two games behind the Rangers, but the two teams meet in a three game series this week in Oakland. Should the Athletics sweep, they would win the AL West and the Rangers would be the second wild card.
Where would the wild card single game playoff take place? There are many possibilities. While the Orioles and Yankees are assured one of the two wild card spots, they have not clinched home field advantage. The two teams' magic number for clinching home field for the wild card is three; any combination of wins by the two AL East Teams or losses by Oakland clinches the top spot in the wild card and a home game for the one game "series." We also know that neither the Angels or Rays will have a home game for the wild card. They cannot catch the Oriole-Yankee loser in their divisional race. For the Rays and Angels to get in, they have to hope the Athletics are swept at home by the Rangers.
If you want to make yourself crazy, consider the situation of the Athletics. The A's could finish with the best record in the American League or they could finish out of the playoffs. That is how much is at stake this last three days of the 2012 regular season. The Orioles or Yankees could also finish with the best AL record and win their division or they could find themselves on a cross-country plane flight to either Oakland or Texas. The Rangers would take a failure to prevail in the AL west duel as a profound set back. The Rangers have had the best AL record for most of the season. Yet the red-hot Athletics have pursued them relentlessly and now have a three game series in Oakland to finish the job. This is why people love baseball, especially autumn baseball.
Saturday in Baltimore they unveiled a monument of legendary third baseman Brooks Robinson. I had the unimaginable pleasure of watching him play while growing up in Baltimore. Brooks is the greatest person as a person; he is kind and generous and courteous and humble. He was such a great player and he did it for so long that many of us who watched didn't realize just how splendid he was. Once he retired, however, the cold reality of life without him at third base was like cold water being thrown in our face. The Robinson statute was the final of six such unveilings, all honoring the greatest Orioles of the modern era. The others were Eddie Murray, Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken, Earl Weaver and Jim Palmer. For reasons I don't understand, the Orioles have never included the great Orioles of the 19th century in their efforts at recognizing Baltimore's baseball history. Those Orioles won the Major League championship at least twice and some half dozen of those players are in the Hall of Fame, all of them going in as Baltimore Orioles.
These players include the legendary Wee Willie Keeler, John McGraw, Wilbert Robinson, and "so-smooth" outfielder Joe Kelley. All but Keeler were also big league managers for many seasons, and McGraw is remembered mainly as a manager. My favorite baseball story from the pre-1954 era, however, is the time in 1914 when Major League owners, confronting the upstart Federal League as a rival major league, seriously considered, over several days, the idea of making the International League a third major league. Baseball history as we know it would be much different. Consider this: a member of the 1914 Baltimore Orioles of the International League was one Baltimore native by the name of Babe Ruth. Legendary Baltimore Oriole owner Jack Dunn proposed the idea to desperate major league owners for many reasons, not least among them, however, was his desire to keep Ruth an Oriole. He recognized the young man's potential and knew it was the only way he could keep him in Baltimore. Baltimore had been a major league city from the mid-1880's to the turn of the century, then joined the fledgling American League for two seasons, 1901 and 1902. The team then moved to New York where, not many years later, it became the Yankees. Dunn owned the minor league team that sprung up to fill the void. But in 1914, the Federal League began and while going head-to-head with several major league teams, also placed a team in Baltimore, named the Terrapins. Despite the presence of Ruth, Dunn's minor league team was being killed at the box office by the Terrapins, who were playing their games in a stadium that was literally across the street from the Oriole Park of those days. When Dunn's proposal about a third major league was, at length, rejected, he was forced to sell the baseball rights to Ruth and two other players to the Red Sox for the total sum of $26,000. The rest is history.
In other sports: the Ravens and Bengals are tied at the top of the AFC North with 3-1 records, with the Ravens having an ostensible "lead" because of their statement victory over the Bengals in Week One. The Ravens beat Cleveland (0-4) last Thursday night and were the recipients of a much-needed string of ten days off.
The Ravens play at Kansas City on Sunday at 1 pm Eastern Time. The Bengals are home against the Dolphins, also at 1 pm, while the Pittsburgh Steelers, at 1-2 and coming off their bye week, host the Eagles.
In NCAA Soccer, Maryland, ranked No. 1 in most polls, rallied in the second half at College of Charlston on Saturday night to earn a 3-2 victory. Senior Defender London Woodberry scored twice, including the game-winner in the 84th minute. The Terps had trailed at the half, 2-1. Freshman David Kabelik tied the game in the 56th minute on a feed from Taylor Kemp. Kemp then capitalized on a free kick to set up Woodberry's game winner. Maryland's next game is Friday night at home against ACC arch-rival Virginia. The game begins a stretch in which six of the next seven games are in College Park. The only road games remaining for Maryland are October 12 at Duke and the final regular season game at Wake Forest on November 1. North Carolina - the team that preceded Maryland in the No. 1 slot, comes to College Park on October 19.
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