Opinion

Small stumbles can be unforgivable offenses when races are so close. 

The slightest advantage this late in the process can be too large to overcome. And if the competition is outpacing everyone else anyway, well then it becomes that man’s race to lose.

Incomparable. You've probably heard that word thrown around in connection with Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw, the dynamic duo that's poised to pitch the Los Angeles Dodgers into October.

Certainly, the likes of Greinke and Kershaw don't come around often, and even less frequently do such immense talents occupy the same rotation.

But there is a comparison for the Dodgers' two-headed mound monster, if an imperfect one.

Two weeks ago, Marcus Stroman still hadn't thrown a major league pitch this season, yet Alex Anthopoulos already had him in the playoff rotation.

The Toronto Blue Jays general manager is a smart man.

Late Tuesday night, Hall of Fame catcher and MLB manager Yogi Berra died in West Caldwell, New Jersey, at the age of 90.

"It ain’t over till it’s over," he once told us, and now that it really is sadly, touchingly and poignantly over for the great man, say this: He leaves us smiling.

Yogi Berra is the only Hall of Famer who was part fact, part fiction and all American.

There's a sadness that comes at the end of September because Major League Baseball's regular season is coming to an end, but it quickly gives way to excitement knowing the World Series will be decided in October. 

This year's postseason is especially enticing than ever because there's not one dominant team clearly playing better than everyone else. The National League Central has arguably the three best teams in baseball, but one of those teams will be sent home after the Wild Card Game. 

As of Tuesday, the playoff odds from BaseballProspectus.com gave eight teams a 99 percent or better chance of making the playoffs. Two others were a little above 90 percent (the Texas Rangers at 90.8 and the Houston Astros at 90.5).

There are 10 spots in the tournament. Eight are basically wrapped up, and the other two aren't exactly close.

Is it time to turn your attention elsewhere and rejoin baseball when the postseason begins October 6 with the American League Wild Card Game?

1. Young Manager Trend Is Getting Old Fast 

There could be as many as 10 managerial openings before the first tee times of the offseason are scheduled, and looking at the potential junkyard of spare parts and rusted-out chassis, the early question of the winter is this:

Is the trend toward hiring young skippers with no coaching experience who recently retired as players headed the way of the black-and-white scoreboard?

The historic accolades are flowing in for Jake Arrieta.

And with those, the Chicago Cubs ace is setting himself up to bring in the big one—the National League Cy Young Award. 

The most middling players in Europe's top soccer leagues are guaranteed transformational wealth, supermodel girlfriends and unrivaled celebrity.

A sea of people stacked five deep around the entrance to a nightclub will part ways for one of its soccer stars to enter. Restaurant reservations will be honored—so long as a player doesn't show up unannounced. It's a utopia for most European men that few get to enjoy and nearly all envy.