College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

If last night is any indication of what to expect out of this season’s playoffs we are in for one hell of a ride. The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers needed more time in the season to determine the winner of the AL Central division. They also needed extra innings, 12 to be exact, as the Twins won the game and the division. So the final spot in the playoffs is filled and things are all set for today’s first round action.

The day kicks off with a National League battle as the wild card winning Colorado Rockies open up on the road against the defending World Series Champs, the Philadelphia Phillies. Bad news coming out of the Mile High State. Team ace Jorge De La Rosa (16-7) will not be available for their series against the Phillies. He’s dealing with a groin injury. Also Jason Marquis (15-3) will not get a start in any of the first three games, but will be in the bullpen if needed. Marquis could off to a great start in the season, but has struggled in the last three weeks.  The other Rox pitchers will have to pick up the slack as they’ll be in tough against the big bats of Philadelphia. First baseman Ryan Howard put up some MVP likes numbers this year hitting 45 home runs and driving in 141 runs. He’s joined by Chase Utley (31/93), Jason Werth (36/99) and off season acquisition Raul Ibanez (34/93). Oh yeah the Phillies have some pretty decent pitchers, starting with last season World Series MVP Cole Hammels. Add to that the reigning AL Cy Young Winner Cliff Lee and veteran Pedro Martinez.  Lee (14-13) gets the call for game one and Colorado counters with Ubaldo Jiminez (15-12).

Next up the New York Yankees welcome the Minnesota ‘We’re Running On Fumes’ Twins to the Bronx for game one of their series. The Yanks are by far the most explosive team in the postseason. They led the league in home runs (244), RBIs (881) and tied the L A Angels for most hits. The only kink in the Yanks armour could be there pitching. CC Sabathia (19-8) started slowly, but ended strong and has to be a strong consideration for the AL Cy Young. The same can’t be said for the rest of the staff. Coming into the end of the season AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain and Sergio Mitre struggled. The Twins have not had a lot of success in the Bronx this season. They have yet to win at New Yankee Stadium. Minnesota comes into this one riding some crazy momentum and they’ll need it to compete. The Twins send Brian Duensing (5-2) to the mound and Sabathia goes for the Yankees.

The final game has the St Louis Cardinals making the trip to the Golden State to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since acquiring Matt Holliday from the Oakland A’s the Cards have been the hottest team in the National League. In 63 games Holliday hits 13 home runs and drove in 55. What Holliday has done most is provide a legitimate big bat behind Albert Pujols and Pujols has delivered. He leads the NL in long balls (47), drove in 135 and had a .327 batting average. The Cards is led by the NL comeback player of the year, Chris Carpenter. he finished the season 17-4 and had the lowest ERA (2.24) in the NL. LA game out of the gates on fire, built a huge lead in the NL West and rode it to playoffs. The Dodgers are hoping Manny Ramirez can bounce back to last seasons form or their postseason run may be cut short. Andre Either and Matt Kemp carried the load for LA in Man Rams absence combining for 57 homers and 207 RBIs. Randy Wolf (11-7) starts for the Dodgers and Carpenter throws for the Cards.

Here are the lineups for the shows at noon:

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

Do or die. Backs against the wall. Must win. This one is for all the marbles. However someone chooses to describe tonight’s game between the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins the message is simple – winner advances, loser goes home. A typical MLB season goes 162 games, but for the Tigers and Twins an extra game is needed to decided who wins the AL Central and secures the last playoff spot.  Minnesota has the slight advantage going into this one. In 18 meetings with their division rivals they have a 11-7 record, which also secures this home field for tonight. Detroit had a 35-46 record on the road, the worst out of all nine remaining teams. The Twins also have experience on their side. There have been eight (four AL and four NL) one-gamers needed to decide a postseason spot. The Twins played in one last season coming out on the wrong side of a 1-0 game with the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers have never played in one. Minnesota goes with starter Scott Baker (15-9). Detroit starts rookie Rick Porcello (14-9). So it all comes down to this -  one more game.

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

With only three games remaining for most teams in baseball it’s tough to ignore what’s happening in the AL Central. The Detroit Tigers still have a two game lead over the Minnesota Twins. So if the Tigers win and the Twins lose tonight the division title and final playoff spot would be claimed by Detroit. Both teams are at home. Detroit welcomes the Chicago White Sox, while Minnesota hosts the Kansas City Royals.

If baseball is not your thing you can always turn to hockey. The NHL season kicked off last night. Tonight the two teams that battled for the Stanley Cup last season are in action, just not against each other. The Detroit Red Wings are on the road tonight, a long way away from Detroit. They’re in Sweden to take on the St Louis Blues. Even though there are more Swedes on Detroit, St Louis is the home team. The Red Wings lost a little depth over the off season and hope that Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom have enough in the tank to lead the winged wheel back to a third straight final series. The defending champs, the Pittsburgh Penguins, open their season at home as they battle the New York Rangers. Pittsburgh lost some depth at the blue line, but with superstars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin leading the team the Pens should be a lock for postseason play.

Here are the lineups for the shows at noon:

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

Two teams are in must win positions tonight and for one of them a win may not be enough. The Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves have battled valiantly for a chance at a playoff spot, but it may be all for not. The Twins dropped game three of their four game series last night with the Detroit Tigers. That puts Detroit three games up on Minnesota with four to play. If Detroit wins they claim the AL Central title and the remaining AL playoff spot. So the Twins need to win just to keep a float. Minnesota hopes tonight’s starter Scott Baker (14-9) can channel his inner John Travolta so the Twins season keeps ‘Staying Alive’. Detroit counters with Nate Robinson (2-2).

For the Braves they not only need to win tonight, but they also need a Colorado Rockies lose. Colorado has a four game lead over Atlanta in the NL wild card race with four to play. The Rockies play the Milwaukee Brewers this afternoon, so Atlanta may be out of it before they even start their game with the Washington Nationals. Tommy Hanson (11-4) starts for the Braves. Garrett Mock (3-10) goes for the Nats.

TSM NOTE: Of course it’s also opening night in the NHL and our Toronto Maple Leafs take on the rival HABS. The time for talk is over. Let’s see how good Burke’s boys really are.

Here are the lineups for the shows at noon:

All Mats Sundin hall of fame talk!

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

Including today there are five days left in the 2008-09 Major League Baseball season and there are still four vying for two playoff spots. In the American League the New York Yankees locked up the East, the Angels took the West and not surprisingly the Boston Red Sox clinched the wild card. The only question mark is in the Central division where the Detroit Tigers hold a two game edge over the Minnesota Twins. With weather wreaking havoc on game one of their four game series, the Tigers and Twins played a double-header yesterday which they ended up splitting. So with two games left in their series the Tiger’s still hold a two game lead. Tonight Carl Pavano (13-11) goes for the Twins and Eddie Bonine (0-1) starts for the Tigers. Both teams end their season at home. Detroit plays three games against the Chicago White Sox while Minnesota battles the Kansas City Royals in a three gamer.

In the National League both the St Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers have punched their tickets into the playoffs. The Philadelphia Philles’ magic number is one to clinch the East. The Phillies have a five game lead over the Atlanta Braves. So it’s just a matter of time before their in. What is in doubt is the wild card. The Colorado Rockies went into last night holding a two game edge over the Braves. The Rox won. The Braves lost. The lead is now three. The Rockies play two more games against the Milwaukee Brewers and then finish up on the road battling the Dodgers. While the Braves play finish up their series with the Florida Marlins tonight and end their hosting four games against the Washington Nationals.

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

Yesterday’s game between the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers was rained out so to make things even more dramatic tonight they’ll play a double header. The Tigers have a two game lead over the Twins in the AL Central and a sweep of this evening’s games would mean they would clinch the division crown. If the Twins sweep they pull into a tie with the Tigers and things become even more interesting. Starting game one will be the two pitchers that were to go last night, Rick Porcello (14-9) for D-town and Nick Blackburn (11-11) for Minny. In game two the Tigers hand the ball to Justin Verlander (17-9). The Twins counter with Brain Duensing (5-1).

In the National League, the wild card race is heating up. The Colorado Rockies are still first in line for the postseason’s extra invitation, but the Atlanta Braves are only two games back and looking to bud in front. Last night the Braves blanked the Florida Marlins 4-0 in the first game of a three game series. The Rockies didn’t play so the Braves gained a half game on them. For game two tonight, Atlanta turns to veteran pitcher Tim Hudson (2-1). Florida goes with their ace Josh Johnson (15-5). Colorado is in action tonight. They play the first of three against the Milwaukee Brewers. Jason Marquis (15-12) starts for the Rox, while Chris Narveson (2-0) gets the call for the Brew Crew.

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

Even though there’s seven games left for most teams in major league baseball two teams start their playoffs tonight. The Detroit Tigers sit in the top spot of the AL Central with a slim two game lead over the Minnesota Twins. Tonight the two teams  are in Detroit where they’ll meet in the first of a four game set. Split the series and the Tigers still have a two game lead with three to play against the White Sox. If Detroit sweeps the series they claim the division crown. If the Twins sweep the series they would have a two game cushion with three to play against the Royals. Neither team comes into this series riding any type of momentum. Detroit got doubled up by the Chicago White Sox 8-4, while Minnesota got Greinke-d by the Kansas City Royals 4-1. Rick Porcello (14-9) gets the start for the Tigers. The Twins counter with Nick Blackburn (11-11).

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

If you’re paying attention to baseball’s standings you will notice that pretty much every division in the league is locked up. The New York Yankees were the first team to punch their postseason pass and for the St Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers it’s just a matter of time. Even the wild card race is pretty much done. The Boston Red Sox have a seven game lead over the Texas Rangers while the Colorado Rockies have opened up a five game lead over the San Francisco Giants. Well the same cannot be said about the Detroit Tigers. They’ve been atop the AL Central for pretty much the entire season, but with a dozen games left they only have a two and a half game lead over the Minnesota Twins. Their schedule doesn’t do them any favours either. Yes they still have two more games against the Cleveland Indians (nine straight loses and counting), but then the play a three game series in Chicago against the White Sox (who would love to spoil the party) and finish up at home against – yes you guessed it – the Twins. The only way to make the playoffs is to win of course and the Tigers did last night. Edwin Jackson pitched a strong game and Detroit edged Cleveland 3-1. Tonight rookie Rick Porcello (13-9) gets the call for the Tigers. Justin Masterson (4-8) goes for the Tribe.

Minnesota used the long ball last night to keep pace with the Tigers. The Twins hit four home runs en route to a 8-6 over the White Sox. Brian Duensing (4-1) toes the rubber for the Twins. Mark Buehrle (12-9) starts for the White Sox.

College of Sports Media Game of the Night:

For most baseball teams there are only a dozen games left in the season and they can’t wait for it to be over. Either they’re so far out of a playoff spot the last month has just dragged on or they’ve locked up their division or wild card and are just waiting for their magic number. In the case of the Detroit Tigers, they’re not looking forward to the next couple of weeks. The Tigers lead in the AL Central has dwindled to two and a half games and the thoughts of losing out of postseason play is sickening. Tonight the Tigers open up a three game set against the Cleveland Indians on the shores of Lake Erie. Good news for Detroit – Cleveland is the second worst team in the AL and have lost eight straight. The bad news – well there should be no bad news the Tigers should be able to feast on the Indians. Edwin Jackson (12-7) goes for Detroit and Cleveland counters with Aaron Laffey (7-6).

By the way the team hoping to catch the Tigers by the tail are the Minnesota Twins and they’re in Chicago playing game two of their three gamer against the White Sox. The Twins blanked the Sox 7-0 last night and are looking for a similiar result tonight. Jeff Manship (0-1) starts for Minnesota, while the John Danks (12-6) gets the ball for Chicago. If memory serves me correct weren’t the White Sox in the middle of this playoff race as well before they picked up a certain right fielder from Toronto?

Here’s your bikini of the day from bikinibeat.org:

On Fan 590 Tonight- thanks to Mike S.

McCown hosts…

- Dave Feschuk and Michael Grange join McCown and Brunt on the Roundtable

On 640 with Brady and Watters:

- Bob The Bear Cowan with his NFL picks for the week

- Mario Impemba, television broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers

- Discussion on all of the latest Phoenix Coyotes developments