We are possible witnessing what could possibly be

[BaltimoreFan]

I don't know if anyone else watches Around the Horn, but Woody Paige did a pretty good job on this one. Around the middle of August he said that the Indians would take over the lead in the AL central and the Whitesox would not make the playoffs. Everyone else on the show pretty much laughed at him.

[oz615]

Oh well at least Ox615 and I can fimd some solace in celebrating the Nashville Sounds PCL champoinship.

Ahh yeah, that is so true there bro.

BTW Cleveland wins again,so the lead is now down to 3 games at the moment.

[infrared41]

BaltimoreFan said:

I don't know if anyone else watches Around the Horn, but Woody Paige did a pretty good job on this one. Around the middle of August he said that the Indians would take over the lead in the AL central and the Whitesox would not make the playoffs. Everyone else on the show pretty much laughed at him.

Everyone else laughed at him because at the time what he was saying seemed impossible. At least Woody has his prediction on tape. Anyone else who tells you they saw this coming is full of it.

The lead remains 3.5. The fun begins tomorrow. 

[gashouser27]

The ChiSox are fading fast but it wouldn't even be the biggest choke job in Chicago..Remember that great Cub team in 1969 that folded so the Miracle Mets could win?

[Cujo]

The ChiSox are fading fast but it wouldn't even be the biggest choke job in Chicago..Remember that great Cub team in 1969 that folded so the Miracle Mets could win?

The black cat.

[oz615]

G*)Damnit,the Tribe wins round 1 7-5,so now the lead is 2.5.

[NJTank]

Wow this is going down like the 64 Phillies.

[infrared41]

G*)Damnit,the Tribe wins round 1 7-5,so now the lead is 2.5.

Well...All of a sudden Woody Paige looks like a genius instead of a guy who is 30 years too old for his hairstyle.

The Indians are 2.5 back and to think a White Sox win tonight probably ends it. Now the White Sox are officially in hack it up mode. I am betting things are pretty tight in the club house.

If the Indians win tomorrow or Wednesday we have ourselves a serious race.

Take heart Sox fans if you win the next two and it's over. Good luck.

GO TRIBE!

[FUNKAFIED]

Maybe the White Sox are cursed because they threw the series in 1919? I don't know what else could account for such a monumental collapse. "Experts" were calling the AL Central for the Sox at the All-Star break and the Twins and Indians were all but declared dead.

Gotta love a pennant race in mid-September. The next two weeks are going to be VERY interesting.

[EagleFan344]

Curses

[ryguy3285]

ok so here is my perfect senario (let me premis something first and that is if your team name ends in Sox i hate you and yes I am a Twins and Yankes fan (hearing blasphamy from the board as i type)) Yanks steal the east from the Red Sox thier in. Cleveland does a highway robbery with a mugging afterwords of the White Sox. The Athletics and Angels go on tears and LAA wins the west and the sneaky little team from the left coast the As get the wild card so lets recap

Whos IN

Yanks

Indians (sorry "people who lived on this land before white people" (Hey the NCAA might read this))

Angels

Athletics

Whos OUT

White Sux

Red Sux

I think that if this happend I would be the happiest man this side of the Mississippi

I would also be laughing my head off

[teenchy]

the Chicago White Sox who on Aug. 1 had a 15 game lead in the AL Central,now its Sep. 16 it's down to 4.5 game lead,and the way Cleveland is playing,and with the more favorable schedule down the strech,and having to win the tie-breaker,im beging to get very scared now.Thoughts???

At least the White Sox still have a lead. Compare what has happened with the Nats.

I guess since most people didn't even expect Washington to contend, they're not as shocked by that collapse, but still when you're 50-31 at the midway point and all you need to do is play .500 ball to reach the playoffs, 27-43 (as I write) is a disappointment, no matter what cast of has-beens, never-will-bes, castoffs and retreads you field.

Don't get me wrong; I pinch myself regularly when I see "Washington" in the MLB standings, just to make sure I'm not in some alternate universe. I still have this uneasy feeling that MLB will relocate or fold the franchise after making some money back on the baseball-hungry fans in the DC metro area. They are surely dragging their feet on finding new ownership, and the role of the District's local politicians and leaders can easily drive a stake in the heart of new stadium construction.

Sorry to hijack. I hope the White Sox find a way to hang on and advance in the postseason. Their fans have been as long-suffering as Cubs or Red Sox fans without the trendy oh-woe-is-me media attention.

[BBTV]

I'm pulling for the White Sox (and I guess Yankees) only because that fat, out-of-shape, gutless slob Kevin Milwood doesn't deserve to ever pitch in a post season the way he just gave up the past few years.

[Jigga]

the Chicago White Sox who on Aug. 1 had a 15 game lead in the AL Central,now its Sep. 16 it's down to 4.5 game lead,and the way Cleveland is playing,and with the more favorable schedule down the strech,and having to win the tie-breaker,im beging to get very scared now.Thoughts???

At least the White Sox still have a lead. Compare what has happened with the Nats.

I guess since most people didn't even expect Washington to contend, they're not as shocked by that collapse, but still when you're 50-31 at the midway point and all you need to do is play .500 ball to reach the playoffs, 27-43 (as I write) is a disappointment, no matter what cast of has-beens, never-will-bes, castoffs and retreads you field.

Don't get me wrong; I pinch myself regularly when I see "Washington" in the MLB standings, just to make sure I'm not in some alternate universe. I still have this uneasy feeling that MLB will relocate or fold the franchise after making some money back on the baseball-hungry fans in the DC metro area. They are surely dragging their feet on finding new ownership, and the role of the District's local politicians and leaders can easily drive a stake in the heart of new stadium construction.

Sorry to hijack. I hope the White Sox find a way to hang on and advance in the postseason. Their fans have been as long-suffering as Cubs or Red Sox fans without the trendy oh-woe-is-me media attention.

The Nats were only 5 games up at their highest point. They were outscored overall, and they were something like 23-7 in one-run ballgames. Their offense was (is) anemic, their pitching was shockingly strong, and luck was on their side.

What happened? Well, they started losing those one-run games, their offense continued to be weak, and their pitchers started pitching like they were the Expos again .

Nobody, I mean NOBODY, thought the Nats were going to contend, even when they were 19 games over .500, sorry.

BTW, I'm not a biased Orioles fan. I was very happy that DC got the Nats, and I root for them as well.

As for the Sox collapse, I say let it continue. The White Sox weren't going to win the World Series anyway, so if you can't be great, you might as well be notorious! Besides, the Indians deserved to win a title in their glory years. I hope they win it all.

[HatCityEnforcer]

If this happens, it would be probably one of the greatest collapses in recent memory...IMO, it'd be greater than the last two memorable choke jobs...the 95 Angels and the 78 Red Sox. Keep in mind, though, that these el foldos ended up having a playoff game to finalize the misery (and causing folks in New England and Orange County to break into a Tourrette's Syndrome-esque rant of curse words whenever you mention the names "Bucky Dent" or "Luis Sojo")...

It would surpass the 64 Phils, IMO, if the Indians manage to win this without a playoff game between them and the Sox having to be played...

To me, it's a case of the Sox playing their worst baseball at the wrong time while the Tribe's playing their best baseball at the right time...and with 5 games left between the teams and it's only 2 1/2 games, ANYTHING is possible.

BTW, anyone else notice that Aaron Boone seems to have a knack of just causing a team's arch rival untold agony?

[teenchy]

The Nats were only 5 games up at their highest point.  They were outscored overall, and they were something like 23-7 in one-run ballgames.  Their offense was (is) anemic, their pitching was shockingly strong, and luck was on their side. 

What happened?  Well, they started losing those one-run games, their offense continued to be weak, and their pitchers started pitching like they were the Expos again . 

Nobody, I mean NOBODY, thought the Nats were going to contend, even when they were 19 games over .500, sorry. 

BTW, I'm not a biased Orioles fan.  I was very happy that DC got the Nats, and I root for them as well. 

As for the Sox collapse, I say let it continue.  The White Sox weren't going to win the World Series anyway, so if you can't be great, you might as well be notorious!  Besides, the Indians deserved to win a title in their glory years.  I hope they win it all.

True on all counts, no disputes here. Still three good solid starters, a few relievers that showed to be better than expected, a very good starting catcher. New ownership - assuming it comes - can pick up some free agents, but it will take many years to restock the bereft ex-Expo farm system.

As one of the many Nats bloggers (and there are many; DC folks wanting to hear themselves talk, who'da thunk it? ) wrote: "if you would have been told back in March that your new team would remain in contention until September 18th, you would have simply been ecstatic, if not incredulous."

I have no bones against the Tribe or White Sox. I wish I could say I wasn't biased against the Orioles - and once upon a time I wasn't - but Peter Angelos has a way of doing that to a person.

[OnWis97]

The 1987 Blue Jays had a big collapse. 6 game lead with 7 to play or something? Tigers won the division.

[CC97]

The 1987 Blue Jays had a big collapse. 6 game lead with 7 to play or something? Tigers won the division.

Shut up

Lost the last game of the season, vs Detroit, 1-0

You're welcome, Twins fans

[infrared41]

The 1987 Blue Jays had a big collapse.  6 game lead with 7 to play or something?  Tigers won the division.

Shut up

Lost the last game of the season, vs Detroit, 1-0

You're welcome, Twins fans

I think it was Doyle Alexander who pitched a whale of a game and Alan Trammell drove in the only run on a wicked ground ball through hmmm...was it Alfredo Griffin's legs? I can't remember who was at short for the Jays in that last game in '87. All I know is Trammell got some real home cooking from the scorer's box. It was an error but they gave him a hit. The Tigers went on to lose to the Twins in the ALCS.

For the hell of it...if you didn't already know this, Doyle Alexander was the guy the Tigers got for John Smoltz. It was a great deal at the time for Detroit. Alexander was lights out and carried them to a division title.

[CC97]

The 1987 Blue Jays had a big collapse.  6 game lead with 7 to play or something?  Tigers won the division.

Shut up

Lost the last game of the season, vs Detroit, 1-0

You're welcome, Twins fans

I think it was Doyle Alexander who pitched a whale of a game and Alan Trammell drove in the only run on a wicked ground ball through hmmm...was it Alfredo Griffin's legs? I can't remember who was at short for the Jays in that last game in '87. All I know is Trammell got some real home cooking from the scorer's box. It was an error but they gave him a hit. The Tigers went on to lose to the Twins in the ALCS.

For the hell of it...if you didn't already know this, Doyle Alexander was the guy the Tigers got for John Smoltz. It was a great deal at the time for Detroit. Alexander was lights out and carried them to a division title.

Doyle ended up on the Jays after that I believe.

The late great John Cerutti was the pitcher for the Jays that day

Griffin was in Oakland by then... I'm guessing it was Tony Fernandez at short