Well, the Final Four are set.
The Yankees found their bats before the Orioles did, and the Nationals need a better bullpen instead of Strasburg.
For those of you who like baseball, but don't have a team to root for, here's how ESPN's Jim Caple
assigned "rootability ratings" at the end of the regular season
"The Rootability Index is a precise, scientific and Keith Law-approval-pending measurement of factors such as: seasons of futility, World Series droughts, payroll size, likability of players, adversity overcome, market size and various intangibles. (An example of an intangible: "They are not the Yankees.")"
These are the ratings for the Final Four (which, boringly, occupy four of the lowest five spots on the original list):
YANKEES. Rootability Quotient: 10.53 - Ichiro would finally get to play in a World Series. And it's been three whole years since New York last played in a World Series. (Can you imagine the agony, Cubs fans?) And … well … ummm … hmmmm … I'm thinking, I'm thinking!
CARDINALS. RQ: 28.32 - True, we've seen a lot of the Cardinals in the World Series in the past decade, but at least this time we wouldn't have to sit through Tony La Russa's endless pitching changes. And wouldn't you just love to get inside Albert Pujols' head if his ex-teammates reach the World Series without him while he spends October at home (or more likely, on his own private island)?
GIANTS. RQ: 63.78 - After rebounding from that awful early season-ending broken leg last year, Buster Posey deserves to have this MVP-caliber season extended for several extra weeks. Matt Cain could throw a no-hitter. And the Giants are entitled to some extra followers for declaring that regardless of how far they advance, Melky Cabrera will spend the entire postseason at home watching on TV and regretting his decision to cheat. (Just don't mention Guillermo Mota.)
TIGERS. RQ: 89.49 - Detroit fans deserve this after the many challenges and misery brought on by the past decades. And in addition to the Lions, the city has endured rough economic times as well. Meanwhile, the Tigers haven't won a World Series since Tom Selleck was wearing a Detroit cap in primetime and manager Jim Leyland was just a one-pack-a-day guy. It also would be interesting to hear Cy Young stud Justin Verlander account for his All-Star Game performance (when he was more concerned with hitting 100 than his spots) that helped cost the American League home-field advantage, though not as interesting as seeing whether Miguel Cabrera steps to the plate wearing a batting helmet or his Triple Crown.
So if it's anyone other than Detroit and San Francisco in the World Series, I doubt I'll stay up to watch all the games. St Louis won the WS last year; the Giants the year before that, and the Yankees the year before that. We've seen all those guys before.
Trivia Time: The 'wild card' format was introduced in 1995. Since that year, how many times have the Yankees been in the playoffs? Would you believe that 2008 was the
only year they stayed home in October? Sure, they left in the first round some years, but still.... 17 years is practically an entire generation of fans that
hasn't known futility and disappoinment