End of Two Eras?

With the Yankees-Atlanta series in full swing, I've officially started thinking about a Yankee-free October.

It will take a miracle for the Braves to make the postseason this year. The Mets are red-hot, the Phillies are a decent team, and even the Marlins have proven that they're not a $15 million pushover. So the Braves find themselves in a pretty competitive division. Very hard to imagine an October without them, but with the season almost halfway done, they've got almost no shot.

The Yanks are still within striking distance, but this year looks a lot different from years past. First of course is the injury factor, with the Yanks missing so many players and having no bench or farm system. Second, for the first time ever, it looks like the wild card will come out of the AL Central. Detroit has been so hot for so long that everyone is taking them seriously. And the White Sox are as good as ever. Unless the Tigers collapse, chances are both teams are going to October. That would mean that this year would be the first year without both Boston and New York in the postseason since 2002.

- Gotta love how the Red Sox have been playing lately. The Mets series is a big test; if they can beat them 2 out of three, I'll be thrilled.

Hard to take the Yanks-Marlins and Yanks-Braves too seriously. The Yanks are playing two bad teams. It was cool seeing Yankee Stadium empty on Sunday night. I know, I know, it was a makeup game, but with New York turning into Mets town, the Yanks better get used to it.