Nam Y. Huh / AP

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella, left, and closer Kerry Wood will be worth watching in the playoffs.

The Angels haven't played a meaningful game in, what, six months?
They may be the closest thing the American League has to a complete team, and they'll test the theories on whether it's better to wrap up a spot early or keep going full speed.

The Angels won 12 of 16 after clinching the American League West on September 10. Manager Mike Scioscia has had time to rest his regulars, align his rotation and prepare for October.

That doesn't mean his team is going to have the same edge, but it spent so much of this season with a double-digit lead in the American League West that most of its pressure has had to come from within.

Speaking of strange marriages, there's Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez
Torre has done in L.A. what he always does. He has brought stability and a sense of calm. Players respect him for his honesty and patience, not his strategic brilliance. He has proven over and over that it's a people business.

He's the perfect manager for Manny, who pouted his way out of Boston and then put on an extraordinary drive aimed at restoring his reputation and landing millions in the free-agent market this winter.

The Dodgers went from a .500 team to one that has been at its best when the games have counted the most. No player has been better than Manny, who batted .396 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs in 53 games.

The Dodgers had lost eight in a row and trailed the Diamondbacks by 4 1/2 games on August 29. They were facing Dan Haren and Brandon Webb the next two days. They beat both, sparking a 19-8 closing run. They're playing their best at the right time, and with a rotation that's as good as any, they'll force the Cubs to bring their "A" game.

The Red Sox are no longer a novelty
They simply are the smartest franchise in baseball.

There are no more idiots or cowboys. There's no Manny or Schilling. There's just a baseball team, a really good one, one easily capable of winning its third championship in five seasons.

These Red Sox are far different than the 2004 version. They've received an infusion of energy from the farm system, have terrific leadership in guys like Tim Wakefield, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek, and are guided by a brilliant manager in Terry Francona.

With Jon Lester and Josh Beckett at the front of the rotation and Jonathan Papelbon at the back of the bullpen, the Red Sox begin these playoffs an easy team to root for. And to pick.

Generational changes
It has been 18 years since the Braves and Yankees have both missed the playoffs. They were once the gold standards for every other franchise. Now it's the Red Sox, Angels and possibly the Cubs.

The Rays are one of the teams commissioner Bud Selig had in mind when he convinced owners and players to agree to greater revenue sharing between the rich teams and the poor ones in 2002.

Now, 16 of the 30 teams have been in the postseason the last three Octobers, and that number will increase by one if the White Sox — the 2005 world champs — make it. It'll be different when you turn on your television and don't see Turner Field or Yankee Stadium. See you next year when the Royals and Pirates will be hosting the Fall Classic.

More news

Tony Gutierrez / AP

More heroics from Hamilton

Josh Hamilton fights off illness to hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 13th inning, lifting the Texas Rangers to an 8-7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Angels win as Pujols HR streak up to 3 games

SEATTLE (AP) - Albert Pujols hit a home run in his third straight game and pinch hitter Alberto Callaspo came through with a grand slam in the sixth inning to give the Los Angeles Angels a 5-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.

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