Dale writes: As we enter the stretch run with under 40 games left in a complicated season filled with steroid accusations, Rally Monkeys and luxury tax lingo in baseball, all eyes seemed to centered on the American League west.It’s a division in which 3 teams are 25 games over the .500 and that hasn’t occurred since 1979. Who would have thought that Alex Rodriguez, the best player in that division, would be on the worst team of the four?

And what about the Athletics? Have they taken drama lessons from the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)? Just when they make you think their dead and ready to tap out, they get this suspicious burst of energy and decide to beat up on ever opponent in sight. A script that is becoming far too predictable each year and would do quite well in Hollywood. It seemed that when Jermaine Dye got hot, the rest of the lineup loosened up, including Justice and Chavez, but Of course, it’s the pitching that always carries them. Should the A’s make the playoffs, it’s gong to very interesting to see if Billy Koch can handle closing a clutch post season game. He has the tendency to get mentally paralyzed under certain settings and circumstances.

It might be reality time for the Angels, especially with Sele and Appier out. Regardless of how they finish in the standings they have been a great story in baseball and we all have learned how great of a player Garret Anderson is. But They are such a scrappy and gutsy team, nothing will suprise me. Scott Spiezo has showed us all how much of a quality and versatile player he is.

No matter how much you think the Mariners are struggling, they are still the team to beat in the A.L West. Just when you think they are going to slide, they win five games straight and this team simply doesn’t have long losing streaks. A scary point is that despite the offensive struggles of Boone and Cameron, along with Freddy Garcia’s inconsistency, they are still in First place. Their bullpen is still the most feared in baseball.

Is there still baseball being played in the A.L Central? For any team besides the Twins, the dog days of August started in July. With all do respect to the Twins, they are playing in a division in which three teams are rebuilding and the White Sox have absolutely no pitching. A huge concern I would have If I were a Twins fan is that they haven’t had to deal with any pressure because it’s been so easy. Can they deal with the post Season pressure of playing seasoned teams like the Yankees, Mariners or A’s? I doubt it, but who knows? All hell breaks loose in the Metrodome.

Don’t let the Yankees fool you. Yes, they seem to be the best team money can buy, but some of the cast of new characters like Mondesi, White, and even Giambi haven’t showed or had the opportunity to contribute in the playoffs. This is not the same Yankee team that had Paul Oneil, Tino Martinez, and Scott Brosius. The thing the Yankees have going for them entering the playoffs is their mystique and reputation, but besides those unseen forces there are some concerns. Will Mariono River be healthy? Are the starters such as Clemens, Wells, Mussina, and Pettite, still good enough? Can Giambi carry a team past the first round of the playoffs? Yes, the Yankees will beat a team in a slugfest, but can they beat a team with dominating pitching in a short series? When ESPN Baseball Analyst Peter Gammons predicted the A’s are the biggest threat to the Yankees, fellow analyst Rick Sutcliffe, laughed and responed to Peter, “You must be in the sun too much, Peter.” For some mysterious reason Sutcliffe seems to bash the Athletics alot. (Sorry, the fan came out of me)

The Red Sox are hanging in there trailing the Wild Card leading Angels by 3 1/2 games.

Unless they make a move, the Red Sox will contine to be a team that wins 2 out of every five games. They will only win the games started by Pedro Martinez and Derrick Lowe. A big story yesterday was that Johnny Damon dislocated his finger by sliding back to first on a pick off attempt. There are questions all over this team which was predicted to be so much better due to Cliff Floyd’s arrival. Can Urbina be a reliable closer down the stretch? Can they get any decent production out of the first base position? Who can pitch besides Lowe and Martinez? The Red Sox are fighting for their lives right now, because they realize that the depth in the A.L West may effect the Wild Card spot.

This all makes up for an exciting final month of baseball…

Dale