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| August 31, 2003 |
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We're into the final week of games, but the playoff race is far from over: Four teams are in, four teams are out, leaving six teams to battle it out for two spots as we head right down to the wire! Print the Tickets The Newark Sugar Bears (107-49, .686) have already clinched the best record in baseball and their third-straight Hanover Division title. The only thing they have left to play for is the record book: The Sugar Bears need to win three of their six remaining games to set a new division record for most wins in a season. The previous record, set by the 1997 Louisiana Lightning (109-47), has been tied twice -- both times by the Sugar Bears (1998, 2002)... The Arkansas Golden Falcons (91-66, .580) finally clinched the Morris Division title with a win Sunday. Even though the Falcons may not finish with the league's second-best record, they'll still get a first-round bye as division champs... Without a division title, the league's second-best record is good only for bragging rights, but the Stanhope Mighty Men (92-65, .586) remain a game ahead of the Falcs and have clinched the No. 3 seed as the league's top wildcard team... The only post-season team still playing for position, the Carolina Mudcats (85-72, .541), can clinch the No. 4 seed with their next win. Wait 'til Next Year The Tijuana Banditos (64-94, .405), Columbia Rattlesnakes (65-91, .417), Harrison Rats (66-92, .418) and Phoenix Dragons (70-87, .446) are officially eliminated from post-season contention. The Dragons can't finish any worse than 12th this year, so the Banditos, Rattlesnakes and Rats still have something to play for -- a chance to escape the ignominy of the league's worst record. Six Teams, Two Spots, One Dream When the dust settles at the end of this week, four of these six teams will be hitting the golf course, but two more will get at least one more week of baseball and a shot to claim the Diamond Mind Baseball League title!
Honolulu Sharks (80-77, .510) 
With five games to go, the Sharks have all but locked up their first playoff appearance in their six-year history, and they control their own destiny when it comes to claiming the No. 5 seed. Their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is 3; for the fifth-best record, their magic number is 5 with five games remaining, so they don't need any help from anyone else. They do have some tough games remaining on their schedule, though: A big test comes Tuesday night with a home game against the sixth-place Bean Counters, followed by fourth-place Carolina, then a road game in Newark. But they do get to close out the season with a game against the woeful Rattlesnakes, a team they've gone 9-2 against this season. Brooklyn Bean Counters (78-78, .500)
Vancouver Iron Fist (78-80, .494)
Hillsborough Destroyers (75-81, .481)
Philadelphia Endzone Animals (74-82, .474)
Hoboken Cutters (73-84, .465)
Cecil Fielder was the first selection in the DMBL's inaugural draft in 1991. Since then he's enjoyed a solid career as a member of seven DMBL teams. He is now retired and serves as the color man for the Columbia Rattlesnakes radio team. Click Here for past articles. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The sixth-place Bean Counters are in good position to reach the playoffs
in their third year of existence, with a magic number of 5 to clinch the
final playoff berth, with the second-easiest remaining schedule of the six
playoff contenders. However, all but two of their final six games are on
the road, and including away games against the Sharks and the Mighty Men.
If the Beanies can steal one of those two, win both home games (against Hoboken
and Hillsborough) and then stomp the nothing-to-play for Rats and Dragons,
they'll reach the playoffs no matter what anyone else does. 
Will this be the first year since 1992 that Vancouver doesn't reach the
post-season? After spending much of the year fighting to get back into the
division race, the Fisters have found themselves in the unfamiliar position
of fighting for their playoff lives, a game out of sixth-place with just
four games remaining. Even if they win all four -- and that's not guaranteed,
with road games against Carolina and Arkansas -- the Iron Fist still need
the Bean Counters to oblige by dropping at least two of their six remaining
games. 
This franchise could reach the post-season for the third straight season
in a different town, but it certainly isn't likely. The Destroyers -- who
went to the post-season as the Vatican City Cardinals two years ago and as
the Wanaque Wolverines last year -- have the second-toughest remaining schedule.
Although four of their six remaining games are at home, their road games
are against the sixth-seeded Beancounters and the first-place Sugar Bears,
plus they bookend the season's final week with games against the Morris Division
champion Golden Falcons and the fourth-place Mudcats. If they can somehow
win those four games, they shouldn't have a problem overcoming Columbia and
Philadelphia to finish the season exactly at .500 and a shot at the playoffs
-- assuming Brooklyn and Vancouver have losing weeks. Hey, you never know.
At first glance, the Animals look like the longest of longshots
to reach the post-season, with all six of their remaining games on the road.
But Philly actually has a better road record (.480) than they do at the Eagle's
Nest (.469), and they have the easiest remaining schedule with games against
cellar-dwelling Columbia, Phoenix and Tijuana. And, although no one looks
forward to playing in Arkansas, the Animals are a surprising 7-5 against
the Falcons this season. Finally, the other two games remaining on their
schedule are against the Iron Fist and the Destroyers, two teams they have
to get past in the standings. It all sounds good on paper, doesn't it?
They're not dead yet, but with one more loss, they will be. The Cutters,
who reached the playoffs in just their second year of existence last year,
are still clinging to life after winning six out of their last 10. But it's
just about time to pull the plug on the Hobos, who would have to win out
despite the toughest remaining schedule of any hopeful -- and all but one
of their games on the road -- plus they'd need just about everyone else to
have a disastrous final week. The Cutters will have to hope for road wins
against the fifth-place Sharks, the first-place Sugar Bears, the sixth-place
Bean Counters and the second-place Mighty Men. Sandwiched in between those
games, at least, is a breather against the last-place Banditos -- but Hoboken
has gone just 4-7 against them this season! Assuming they win all five and
climb to 78-84, the Cutters need the Bean Counters or the Iron Fist to lose
all their remaining games to secure a tie for the league's sixth-best record
and force a one-game playoff to decide who goes the post-season. Talk about
a mission impossible... But such is the stuff that Cinderella stories are
made of.