Monday morning quarterbacking (a day late)

Well, it's not Monday. It's late on Tuesday morning. Yesterday was my first day of classes down here in Connecticut at Quinnipiac University, so needless to say, it was a hectic day. So, a day late, here is this week's edition of "Monday Morning Quarterbacking":

• Could this "Last regular season Red Sox-Yankees series at Yankee Stadium" be any more overpublicized? I'm kinda tired of hearing about it, and not only because the Sox are 200 games under .500 at the Stadium. I also love the words "regular season" being thrown into it. So many things would have to happen for these two teams to both make the playoffs, including the Rays imploding, along with the Twins and/or White Sox. It just doesn't seem very likely.
• New York's other team, the Mets, open up a short two game set tonight in Philly. The Phils are only a half-game back of New York, a 7:05 start at Citizens Bank Park. Pedro Martinez goes up against the ageless wonder, Jamie Moyer.
• A.J. Pierzynski's acting job in the 10th inning of Sunday's White Sox-Rays game is up there in my top 10 bush league plays of the decade. Caught in a rundown, Pierzynski stuck his arm out to initiate contact with Tampa Bay's Willie Aybar, and the arm contact somehow knocked the well-built Pierzynski to the ground. After a long discussion, Pierzynski was awarded third (despite being on his way back to second), and scored the winning run later in the inning. There's a reason this guy is one of the least-liked around baseball.
• An Angels win and Mariners loss tonight will eliminate the Mariners from division contention. On August 26th. There goes my pick for the AL West.

Playoff spot far from a guarantee for Red Sox

While enjoying my first few days down here in Connecticut at Quinnipiac University, I haven't had much of an opportunity to follow the exciting playoff races going on throughout Major League Baseball. One of those races, the AL Wild Card, is essentially a two team race, between the Red Sox and who ever is the second place team in the AL Central, seeing as the Twins and White Sox seem to flip-flop on a daily basis.

I wouldn't say it's time to hit the panic button, Red Sox fans, but this wild card spot in the AL is a far cry from a guarantee. Entering this afternoon's action, the Red Sox are one-half game up on Chicago, and even in the loss column.

The Rays-White Sox series this weekend in the Windy City is quite complex, as a Rays win hurts the Red Sox in the division race (Tampa Bay currently leads the East by 5.5 games), while a Chicago win keeps the Wild Card lead at a point where there is no room for error on the part of the Red Sox.

The Red Sox finish their series against Toronto today, with Daisuke Matsuzaka looking to improve to 16-2, before an off day and a three game set in the Bronx. Chicago finishes their series in Tampa Bay before heading to Baltimore, where they will complete a suspended game originally played in Chicago before opening a three game set. Then next weekend, the Sox and Sox square off in Boston for what may be their most pivotal series since the 2005 ALDS. Red Sox fans definitely hope the result is not the same.