Reasons to be excited for October

As if that Padres-Rockies thriller on the first of October was any indication, we might be in for a thrilling month. And it's just not the MLB that's gonna have us on the edge of our seats -- oh no, take a look at what's in store for the tenth month of 2007...

The MLB Playoffs
Usually, I don't get very excited about baseball. Anything that forces me to sit in front of a television for nine innings triggers my ADD. I find baseball games way more entertaining when I'm there in person, but that tends to run up a high bill (unless you go to Nationals games). But I'll admit, watching the Padres and Rockies going 13 innings to decide the NL Wild Card got my adrenaline going a little. Hell, even watching the Mets cap off a historic meltdown was pretty exciting. Some great matchups are in store this week and even better story lines. Can the Phighting Phils win the pennant in their first postseason visit since '93, after coming all the way back from 7 games behind? Even though EEW has his money on my boys, the Yanks, they still have a lot to prove, especially A-Rod. Can they deliver and prove they're worth their paychecks?

College football
Kentucky-South Carolina. Georgia-Tennessee. Florida-LSU. And that's just this week ... in the SEC. Also of note just this week alone, Wisconsin-Illinois, The Red River Rivalry, Nebraska-Missouri, and Ohio State-Purdue. Oh baby! Conference races start to heat up -- how will new Big East Cinderellas Cincinnati and South Florida perform against last year's Cinderella Rutgers ... in Piscataway? How will Andre Woodson and Kentucky perform when they host LSU and Florida in consecutive weeks? Will Notre Dame start 0-8? How will the Pac-10 shake out? Tough road challenges face the top 10 throughout the month. How many more upsets will we see?! I don't know if I can handle it all!

NFL
New England is sure to draw lots of viewers with their October schedule alone, with Cleveland, Dallas, and Washington all on the slate this month (oh, and Miami too, Joey). Indy's got quite the stretch too, with Tampa Bay at home followed later on by road trips to Jacksonville and Carolina. Can Brett Favre keep the magic in Green Bay alive?

NHL
I don't follow hockey, but it looks like their season is starting soon, too. I'm sure it's going to be equally exciting for all you hockey fans, if you still exist.

I don't know about you, but I don't think I can fit much more on my plate this month. But don't take too much time to rest after you've gone trick-or-treating on the 31st, because before you know it, it's November and that means it's college basketball season.

Jimmy Was Right: PHILLIES IN 1st ... sort of

Jimmy Rollins - soon to be 2007 NL MVP (hopefully) - said it back in January: the Phillies are the team to beat in the NL East. Well today, after they played their 159th game of the season, the Phillies are in 1st place. Well, a tie for one. Will what Jimmy said over 7 months ago hold true come Sunday evening? The next 3 days will tell us. The Phillies stay in the friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park to host the Washington Nationals who hope to play the spoilers role. The Mets also remain at home to face off versus another NL East foe, the Marlins. To say these last 3 games are critical is an understatement and, frankly, the last 20 games have been. The Phillies were 7 games back of the Mets in the NL East on September 12, and 2 games behind the Padres for the Wild Card.

Here are a few things that could happen this weekend, one that may be the most exciting of all of 2007:

1. The Phillies & Mets win the same amount of games - this leads to a 1 game playoff on Monday in Philadelphia to determine the NL East champion
2. Fist team to 2 wins...or loses - that is, if the Phillies win 2 and the Mets lose 2, the Phils are in (and vice versa)
3. Keep an eye on San Diego and Colorado...the Wild Card is such a mess! There is no way of explaining the possible scenarios here cause there over about 5,239,451,763 different scenarios (see this)

And what happens if the Phillies fall short? Well then Philadelphia is deprived of post season experience for the 14th consecutive year. And I will die a little inside. After all, the Phillies have made the playoffs ONCE in my lifetime. And let us never speak of that experience (the hero, the zero).

"I think we are the team to beat in the NL East -- finally"
Jimmy Rollins
January 22nd, 2007