Larry Stone: Little drama down stretch drive
September 13, 2009 by The Seattle Times
SEATTLE — The enduring term “pennant race” has really been a misnomer for the past 40 years, ever since divisional play dictated that first-place teams needed to do additional work to obtain the league-title flag.
But by any name, nothing excites a fan like good, tight competition down the stretch. And with the advent of expanded playoffs and wild-card teams, there are now eight potential “pennant” races for the price of one.
Alas, most of them have fizzled out this year. With three weeks to go, the most compelling divisional race is in the National League West. The torrid Rockies, riding the same sort of otherworldly momentum that took them into the World Series two years ago, crept within two games of the Dodgers heading into the weekend.
But the wild card, which has done so much since its inception in 1994 (but not implemented until ’95 because of the strike) to provide September suspense, might actually detract from the drama in this case.
Filed under Blogs, Pros, Season Ticket, Seattle Mariners/MLB
