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M's Overboard?

© Ryan Joseph Robinson

There's a buzz saw clearing a path through the American League leaving the kind of focused destruction that hasn't been seen since Pearl Harbour. The Seattle Mariners are red hot. Check that. The Seattle Mariners are WHITE hot. They are winning games with such super heroic power that I believe these Mariners could kick Aqua Man's scaly butt. But hey, let's not get too carried away with the gushing praise just yet. This is, after all, only the regular season.

Ah yes, the REGULAR season. Real teams are made in the playoffs; that's why you often hear people refer to Reggie Jackson as "Mr. October", and why you will never hear a player referred to as "Mr. May", unless:

1) A player is posing for Play Girl, or 2) You are a smart-ass like George Steinbrenner when he called Dave Winfield (of all people) "Mr. May" because of his early lack of postseason success.

There is no denying the Mariners success to date, but let's not break out the saki just yet. Regular season dominance does not guarantee World Series success--just ask the Atlanta Braves. In fact, in the past ten seasons only one team with the best regular season record went on to win the World Series (the '98 Yankees). The M's are having their way with everyone so far, but a certain postseason nemesis will be waiting.

The Yankees. The Darth Vaders of baseball will no doubt meet up with Seattle before it is all said and done. (Note: If you close your eyes and listen carefully you can hear the Yankees' heavy breathing. Or maybe Steinbrenner just finished walking up one flight of stairs.)

A Yankees - Mariners match-up would likely be the best series in the postseason--even better than the World Series (much like the NFL in the 90's when the NFC title game was--for all intensive purposes--the true Super Bowl). All of New York and Japan (and some of Seattle too) will be riveted to their television sets to watch a colossal series that will be on the same scale as Godzilla vs. Mothra.

Seattle fans, don't be surprised if Mothra--er, the Yankees-- end up winning the (possible) series; here's why:

1) STARTING PITCHING EXPERIENCE. No one can argue with the widespread dominance of Seattle's starting rotation this season, but the playoffs are a whole different ball game. Roger Clemens is the best pitcher in the universe right now, and he proved last postseason that he still has playoff grit. Andy Pettitte has turned himself into a playoff performer, and let's not forget about Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez (5-0, 1.02 ERA in six career A.L. postseason starts). The Cuban defector just might be healthy in time for the playoffs, which would spell trouble for Mariner' bats.