Preview/Prediction

Since the franchise was born 127 years ago, the Philadelphia Phillies have never finished the season with the best record in the MLB.

Their 11-5 win over the Atlanta Braves, coupled with a loss by the Tampa Bay Rays, have given the Phillies a 2.5-game lead over the Rays, with two games remaining.

Though the 2010 season in Major League Baseball has not quite ended, most fans have an idea of who they think deserves awards to symbolize their excellence this year.

Some votes should be extremely close, while others may not be as close as expected.

Here are my predictions for the 2010 MLB Postseason Awards for debate and perhaps even ridicule by all the experts out there.

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The age-old axiom so often quoted in baseball circles that pitching and defense win championships is just as true today as it has always been. Of course, loaded lineups and the ability to score runs in bunches are always a plus, but those aspects of a team don't always show up in the playoffs when you're facing the best pitching staffs in the league.

Tim Wallach says he's ready to manage in the bigs, and after being passed over by the Los Angeles Dodgers, he may finally have his chance.

According to Bob Nightengale of the USA Today, the Blue Jays currently have their eyes on Colorado Rockies hitting coach Don Baylor, but he also says that Wallach is quickly emerging as a front-runner for the managing job in Toronto.

Tonight, a showdown in San Francisco could pop the top off of what up until now may have been this year’s most underrated story in sports: the San Francisco Giants clinching an MLB postseason appearance for the first time since the Barry Bonds era.

Oakland, CA simply cannot support the Oakland Athletics. Moved to Oakland from Kansas City for the 1968 season after the completion of the then state-of-the-art Coliseum in Oakland, the team has enjoyed profound success in the “other” city by the Bay – capturing 4 World Series Championships and 7 AL Pennants since 1968. Their time in the Oakland sun, however is fading fast. Here are the reasons why relocation is the only answer to the A’s small-market dilemma and potential (and theoretical) new homes for the vagabond A’s.

One more.

That's all the San Diego Padres can afford before their off season officially begins a lot sooner than they thought it would.

Looking back to the end of August, the Padres had what most would consider a big lead in the National League West over the San Francisco Giants. Fast forward one month, and not only is their lead gone but the deficit has reached its breaking point after losing 22 of their last 34 games.

San Francisco Giants have been one of the hottest teams in all of Major League baseball since the start of September. After a rough August that saw them play unimpressive baseball to the tune of a .464 winning percentage for the month, they have bounced back to be one of the best teams in baseball.

The season is almost over, bones and hearts have been broken, while arms and dreams have been restored.  We have come a long way since April, but for Cincinnati, the fun is only beginning. 

This 2010 edition of the Reds was picked by most to finish fourth or worse in the NL Central this year.  Not enough offense, not enough pitching, not enough experience, and on and on and on.

The Reds didn't get the memo.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the magic number is one, and the Padres are coming to town. With the postseason scent filling out nostrils, it is time to take inventory, which provides good information and fun speculation. First, it is necessary to recall what we know as facts, as much as there can be in sports.