MLB playoff chase

With about 40 games to go in the regular season, some things are obvious and others not so much in Major League Baseball.

The American League.

In the East, the Bosox are 10 games ahead of the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers would have to play roughly .750 baseball the rest of the way -- far better than they've been all season -- and hope Boston plays under .500 to claim the division title. Ain't gonna happen. Nobody else in that division is even in remote contention.

To the surprise of nobody, Cleveland has emerged as the best in the Central, with a double digit game lead themselves. Nobody else in that division is in remote contention either.

The West is far more interesting. Houston has suffered some injuries and Oakland's been red-hot. The Athletics have roared into a tie with the Astros atop the division. Who saw THAT coming?

So Boston's in. Same with Cleveland. The Astros and As ditto -- one as division champ and the other as a wild card.

That leaves the Yankees and Seattle Mariners to slug it out for the other wild card spot. With the Yanks having a 7 game lead, it's all but over, unless they collapse and Seattle gets red-hot as well -- though they've been trending downward in recent weeks.

The National League

In the East Atlanta and Phillie are battling for the division crown, merely a game separating them.

In the Central, the Cubs are on top, with the Brewers just a few games behind, and St. Louis sort of hanging around.

As in the AL, the NL West is more interesting. Only a couple games separate Arizona, Colorado, and the LA Dodgers. One of them is going to win the division title.

Between the Atlanta and Phillie also/ran, and the same with the two Ariz/Col/LA runners-up, the wild card spots are likely to go down to the proverbial wire, perhaps decided on the final day of the regular season.

What is glaring about this is the Washington Nationals. For all their supposed talent, they currently find themselves in sixth place regarding the wild card race.

True, we've become used to the Nats crashing and burning in the playoffs -- they can't seem to get out of the first round.

But who would have imagined they wouldn't even MAKE the playoffs?

It would appear the White House and Congress aren't the only dysfunctional things in Washington DC.