Sport’s Crystal Ball: Looking Ahead to October

I am the first to admit that I am fair weather fan when it comes to hockey. Coming from Florida, where hockey is almost as popular as lacrosse, I root for the Florida Panthers and the Washington Capitals, but I wouldn’t say I am a die hard fan. That’s not to say that I am totally ignorant and have no clue who is on the roster for the teams. But, if they don’t win, then its not the end of the world.

I am however, a big fan of basketball. As a Chicago Bulls fan, this has been another disappointing year. It has been an exciting year as an up-and-coming fan of the Washington Wizards, but sadly, as I predicted yesterday, there playoff run has ended. So while I will continue to watch the playoffs, I have lost a team to route for. So, I must now focus my attention to October.

Is this going to be the year where one of my teams will actually make it to the World Series? As of right now, I am “sitting pretty” as a fan of both the Oakland Athletics and the Florida Marlins. As a fan of the Washington Nationals, I just need to smile and say, hey at least we have a new stadium. Regardless of how the rest of the season turns out, this season has provided me hope that if not this year, then one of my teams will be showing up in the World Series in some of the coming years. Coming into the season, no one predicted that the Oakland Athletics would have a shot at making the playoffs. Now, they are currently third in MLB with runs scored and share the top spot with the Los Angles Angels in the AL West Standings going into tonight’s game. In fact, even the front office was surprised by the team’s progress and instead of having a “rebuilding year,” they have signed Frank “Big Hurt” Thomas. And the best part, is that they only need to pay $337,000 for the year. The A’s have now moved up to the #2 spot on ESPN’s Power Rankings.

The Florida Marlins have also been a surprise thus far. While I am very satisfied with the Marlins’ World Series record, I do look forward to the day they shed the reputation of “buying” the World Series. Truthfully, with the Yankees still in the MLB, I think the phrase “buying a World Series” for any other team cannot be used. It is interesting to note that for 2008, the Yankees' payroll is over $209 million, while the A’s and Marlins' payrolls are the bottom two teams with only approximately $48 million and $22 million, respectively.

While Las Vegas still has the A’s and the Marlins as a long shot for the World Series, it will definitely be a season of surprises. Play ball!