The games 1, 2 and 5 -- if necessary -- will be home games for the higher seeded team in this best-of-5 series. Injuries are turned off for the playoffs, meaning a player can be injured only for that particular game, but can return for the next game. Pitching rotations are on a four-man skip rotation, meaning the fourth starter will be skipped if the first starter is ready to pitch. Since there are off days off games 2 and 4, some game 1 starters will be available in game 4 on three days' rest.

The No. 3 seeded Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta will take on the No. 6 seeded D.C. Bushslappers, and the No. 4 seeded Honolulu Sharks take on the No. 5 seeded Hoboken Cutters. (The two division winners each have byes in this round.)

The top seed to survive this round will take on the No. 2 seed, the Morris Division champion Philadelphia Endzone Animals; the lower-seeded survivor faces the Hanover Division winner, the top-seeded Newark Sugar Bears.

Amazingly, this is the first year in league history that the playoffs don't involve any of the league's founding teams. In fact, this year will be the first time a World Series will be played that doesn't involve the Arkansas Golden Falcons or the Vancouver Iron Fist. Long live the revolution!

Brother Against Brother

Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta (#3, 93-69) vs. D.C. Bushslappers (#6, 81-81)

Landsman Nation is divided against itself! David Landsman and his Marietta Mighty Men and Jamie Landsman and his D.C. Bushslappers are facing off for the sixth intra-family post-season series in league history -- but the first not involving Steve Zajac and Yaro Zajac, a sibling rivalry that included the very first DMBL World Series. The Bushies and Mites have never met in the post-season before; in fact, the Bushslappers are in the playoffs for the first time, in just their second year of existence. The Mighty Men, on the other hand, have been around for 12 seasons, and are in the playoffs for the ninth time (and the fifth straight year). Interestingly enough, while the Quad-M's had the much better regular season record, the two teams split the season series, 6 to 6, with each team winning three games at home and three on the road.

The Mighty Men are making their fifth straight trip to the post-season, a run that began when they were still located in Stanhope. Over that five-year stretch, this will be the rubber match when it comes to first round series: They advanced to the second round in 2003 (as the #3) and 2005 (#4), but were knocked out in the first round in 2004 (as the #4) and 2005 (as the #5). Overall, in seven wild card appearances, they've advanced three times. (They had a bye in 2000 as the Hanover Division champion, and would go on to win the World Series that year.) Manager Graig Nettles led the Mighty Men into the post-season as the league's top wild card this year after winning 11 out of their final 14 games. Even though they have the league's third-best run differential at +142, they actually have the league's second-best offense (959 runs scored) and second-best defense (817 runs allowed). Needless to say, they are a very balanced team with two top starting pitchers, a very deep bullpen and a powerful lineup.

Manager Kevin Elster's Bushslappers are the only team making their post-season debut this year, and they're losing their cherry in just their second year in the league. It's all the more shocking when you consider the franchise Jamie purchased -- the Columbia Crusaders/Rattlesnakes -- never made the post-season in their 14-year existence. However, the pre-season pundits weren't shocked; the sims saw them as the fourth-best team in the league, while the Swami ranked them as the third-best team in the division. However, it should be noted the Bushslappers limped into the post-season after going 13-26 over the final quarter of the season. In fact, while the Mighty Men won 7 out of their final 8 games, the Bushslappers lost 7 out of 8, including four in a row to end the season, but backed into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed because the seventh-place Arkansas Golden Falcons ended the season by losing two out of three -- to the Mighty Men! The 81-81 Slappers are just the fourth team in league history to make the post-season without having a winning record; the Tijuana Banditos also went 81-81 in '02 and were swept in the first round. (The two teams that reached the post-season despite having losing records each qualified by winning a play-in game -- the Hillsborough Destroyers, who went 81-82 in 2003, and the Banditos, who went 80-83 in 2004. And the team Tijuana beat to make the post-season? Columbia!) The track record, as expected, isn't good for non-winning teams in the post-season; the '02 Banditos and '03 Destroyers were knocked out in the first round, but the '04 Banditos made it all the way to the seventh game of Round 2. This year's Bushslappers will hope to emulate their example. Their offense is mediocre, ranking 8th (847 runs scored), while their pitching staff ranks fourth (848 runs allowed). Their -1 run differential is sixth-best in the league. But their numbers are somewhat skewed by a miserable start and finish to their season. In fact, it's eeriely symmetrical: In the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the season, they had the league's second-best record (24 games over .500), third-best offense and second-best defense, for a second-best +95 run differential; in the 1st and 4th quarters, they had the league's worst record (24 games under .500), second-worst offense and fourth-worst defense for a third-worst -96 run differential. Will the real Bushslappers please stand up?

The Bushslappers' roller coaster season is reflective of their hot-and-cold offense that features plenty of speed and power -- and strikeouts. The team's best player on offense is probably Carlos Beltran, who despite hitting .263 led the team in OPS (.959) and runs created (121.9). Beltran slammed 30 doubles and 40 home runs (109 R, 97 RBI) with 19 stolen bases, but also struck out 121 times. He's joined in the outfield by Carl Crawford (.297, .745 OPS, 13 3B, 11 HR, 44 SB, 124 K) and the team's only offensive All-Star, Alfonso Soriano (.274, .839 OPS, 38 HR, 107 RBI, 22 SB, 163 K). Those three, plus SS Jose Reyes (.252, .731 OPS, 24 3B, 52 SB) and 2B Luis Castillo (.298, .706 OPS, 16 SB), will cause nightmares for Marietta's catchers, who allowed the most passed balls this season and also gave up the third-most stolen bases. The Bushslappers, on the other hand, led the league with 182 stolen bases -- swiping nearly 100 more bags than the runner-up Golden Falcons (88). In fact, the only guy on the team with at least 200 ABs who didn't have a stolen base was DH Frank Thomas (.254, .845 OPS, 34 HR, 84 RBI in 437 AB). Even the corner infielders can run -- 1B Lyle Overbay (.279, .815 OPS, 38 2B, 23 HR, 99 RBI) went 8-for-8 in steals while 3B Ryan Zimmerman (.265, .679 OPS, 7 HR, 34 RBI in 287 AB with D.C.) was 7-for-8 with D.C. and 10-for-12 overall... D.C.'s catcher, Ronny Paulino (.275, .616 OPS, 2 HR, 39 RBI), also has an average arm, but veteran back-up Jason Varitek (.233, .736 OPS, 3 HR, in 90 AB with D.C.) threw out 5 out of 11 potential basestealers... The team's secret weapon might be utilityman Esteban German (.350 BA, .952 OPS, 9 SB in 383 PA), who can start at second, third or outfield or come off the bench. The other reserves are veterans Jeff Kent (.291, .804 OPS in 220 PA) and Mike Lamb (.269, .698 OPS in 273 PA).

While the Bushslappers have just one player in triple-digits when it comes to runs created, the Mighty Men have five (plus one guy at 99.1). The team's most intriguing player on offense is journeyman Wes Helms, who had a most unusual breakout year. The 31-year-old third baseman played just one year previously in the DMBL, hitting .243 (.768 OPS) in 152 ABs between Philly and Arkansas in 2004, then spent the next two years playing in a Pakistani semi-pro league. He must have picked up some pointers from the cricket players as he came back to the DMBL this year as a hitting machine, smacking 50 doubles, 24 triples and 27 home runs (.311, .924 OPS). The 24 triples tied the Modern Era record. It's all the more amazing that he accomplished the feat despite having almost no speed (just 2 SB this year) and an atrocious 45:150 BB:K ratio. Yet somehow Helms just kept slashing balls into the gaps, tying for 2nd in extra base hits (101) and finishing 5th in total bases (396) and 8th in hits (217). The Mites get their power from veteran DH Jim Thome, who reached the post-season 10 times as a Sugar Bear, but is here for the first time in a different uniform. Thome, who usually sat against lefties, hit .293 (1.062 OPS) with 39 HR, 115 R and 115 RBI. He also drew 117 walks, including a team-high 25 intentional passes (second-highest in baseball, behind only Carolina's Travis Hafner with 34). Thome tied for the team lead in home runs with -- surprise! -- Ray Durham, who shockingly slugged 39 dingers this year. Before this year, the most homers the second baseman had in a season was 18. Overall, Durham hit .303 (.918 OPS) with 101 R and 112 RBI. The other source of power came from a more expected source, OF Wily Mo Pena (.277, .795 OPS, 31 HR, 126 RBI), though he also led the league with 225 strikeouts. The table-setter is shortstop Derek Jeter (.324, .818 OPS, 33 2B, 1197 R, 30 SB), who also is the team's only stolen base threat. The rest of the lineup is primarily comprised of line drive hitters: 1B Todd Helton (.304, .853 OPS, 44 2B, 14 HR, 92 RBI); OF Matty Diaz (.292, .699 OPS, 35 2B, 4 HR, 85 R); OF Brian Giles (.288, .787 OPS, 25 2B, 10 HR, 49 RBI) and C Jorge Posada (.285, .878 OPS, 30 2B, 19 HR, 70 RBI). On the bench you'll find back-up catcher Bengie Molina (.325, .900 OPS in 212 AB), outfielder Milton Bradley (.282, .840 OPS in 209 AB), DH Jommy Gomes (.276, .864 OPS in 76 AB), infielder Tony Graffanino (.254, .595 OPS in 63 AB) and 3B Morgan Ensberg (3-for-27, 2 HR, 3 RBI).

The lineup may be all about balance, but the Marietta starting rotation is weighted heavily toward its front end: Rookie sensation Francisco Liriano, who appears to be on his way to winning the Listach and/or the McDonald. The 23-year-old lefty is an astounding 17-2 with a 2.35 ERA, 10.1 R/9 and 237 Ks in 179.2 IP; he led the league in ERA, H/9, K/9, QS% and OPS, tied for the league lead in R/9, and ranked 2nd in Ks and W%. As if the Bushslappers needed more bad news when it came to Liriano, D.C. was just 26-29 against lefties this year, including a 1-2 record against Liriano (although in that one win, they pounded him, in Marietta, for 7 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks in just 2.1 innings). Slotted into the No. 2 spot is veteran Mike Mussina, who had his best season in five years (15-12, 3.69 ERA, 11.2 R/9). The third spot is a toss-up between A.J. Burnett (12-12, 4.26 ERA, 13.1 R/9) and Jeremy Sowers (11-10, 5.33 ERA, 13.4 R/9). The Mites will probably carry both pitchers just in case Liriano is too fatigued to go on three days' rest in Game 4. However, it seems unlikely that they will waste a roster spot on Woody Williams (5-4, 5.50 ERA, 13.7 R/9 in 13 starts with Marietta) or Gil Meche (2-5, 6.96 ERA, 15.9 R/9).

The Bushslappers won't have as easy a time figuring out its starting rotation, mostly because all the choices are bad. You can build a case, pro or con, for any of them: Anibal Sanchez, the 2nd overall pick, went 7-13 with a 13.7 R/9, but his 4.57 ERA was the best in the D.C. rotation. John Maine, the 9th pick, went 11-8 with a 4.94 ERA and 13.1 R/9; he led all D.C. starters in W%. Derek Lowe (11-14, 5.02 ERA, 14.1 R/9) has plenty of playoff experience -- he's been here four times, starting with the Austin Outlaws in 2000 -- and led the team with a .500 QS%. Bronson Arroyo went 8-15 with a 5.00 ERA, but his 13.1 R/9 tied with Maine for the team lead in starter's R/9. And Kelvim Escobar, despite a 5.38 ERA and 14.1 R/9, led the team in wins (12-9). And just to muck things up even more, the team could start Matt Morris, Mark Buehrle or Shaun Marcum; all are on the roster and eligible at SP, though none got into a game for the Bushslappers this year. However, it seems unlikely they'll even consider using one of those three -- particularly Buehrle, as the Mighty Men went 34-15 against lefties this year. We honestly don't have a clue as to the Bushslappers' starting pitchers; if they stick to the rotation they've used all year, they'll go with Arroyo-Sanchez-Lowe, with Escobar or Maine as the if-needed fourth guy.

What the D.C. lacks in rotation aces it makes up for with a two-headed monster in its bullpen:  Jonathan Papelbon (7-1, 14 SV, 2.00 ERA, 9.0 R/9, 10.3 K/9) and Joe Nathan (7-7, 14 SV, 2.40 ERA, 8.1 R/9, 12.3 K/9). Either one would be the lights-out closer for another team, but they have to share the job in D.C. That's a formidable one-two punch in the 8th and 9th innings, but the problem -- especially given D.C.'s weak rotation -- has been getting to them. The main setup man is Hector Carrasco (5-4, 3 SV, 10 holds, 4.80 ERA, 10.8 R/9, .200 IR%), aided from the left side by Trever Miller (4.71 ERA, 14.1 R/9) and from the right by Dan Wheeler (5.24 ERA, 13.7 R/9) and Josh Hancock (5.11 ERA, 13.3 R/9), but as you can see from the numbers, all have had their problems this year. The front office tried to address the problem by swinging a huge deal with Las Vegas to bring in right-hander Chris Ray, but he's been a disaster (13 ER, 18 H, 17 BB in 18.2 IP with D.C.); they can only hope he rediscovers the form he had with the Rat Pack (3.66 ERA, 9.4 R/9).

Marietta also has a superb bullpen, but going by the statistics anyway, D.C. might be slightly better. The Bushslapper bullpen ranked second, behind only Philly, with a .700 SV%, compared to .661 for Marietta; they also had a .332 IR%, which ranked 8th -- but still better than Marietta's .343. But fans of the Quad-Ms will dismiss those numbers and just look at the names. While the Bushslappers can brag about having two closers in their 'pen, the Mites have three -- Mariano Rivera (6-4, 27 SV, 3.07 ERA, 10.3 R/9), Trevor Hoffman (6-4, 4 SV, 4.25 ERA, 14.9 R/9) and B.J. Ryan, who has been nearly unhittable since coming to Marietta in a mid-season trade (3-0, 3 holds, 0.64 ERA, 7.7 R/9, 39 K in 28.0 IP). Just in case another guy is needed, there's Rafael Betancourt (4.13 ERA, 11.2 R/9), plus garbage man Brad Hennessey (4.84 ERA, 13.8 R/9). Third-round pick Pat Neshek was banished to Triple-A after a rough start to his DMBL career (5.58 ERA, 13.6 R/9) and it remains to be seen if he'll be brought back to the post-season roster.

The bottom line: Usually the No. 3 vs. No. 6 match-up is a cakewalk -- in the 10-year history of the Wild Card Round, the No. 6 has pulled off the upset just three times. But the Bushslappers are a very dangerous No. 6 seed given their extraordinary success over the middle part of the season, when they ranked among the best teams in baseball. Are they as good as they were in the second and third quarter, or as bad as they were in the first and fourth? That fifth game being played in Marietta would appear to be a huge advantage for the Mighty Men, as the Bushslappers are a miserable 36-45 (.444 W%) away from home. That, coupled with the fact that the Mighty Men finished the season red hot and the Bushslappers stumbled into the post-season ice cold, would usually be enough to convince us to back the Mighty Men. But as history has shown us time and time again, you never want to pick sides in a civil war. There's more than 30 years of sibling rivalry at stake here and the outcome will have ramifications that go far beyond the baseball diamond. Can the Bushslappers' high-octane offense disrupt Liriano enough to steal Game 1? That would appear to be the key to this most intriguing series. But if we have to choose, we'll go with the short odds and the big brother: Matthew's Mighty Men of Marietta will claim the Landsman Trophy and move on to the second round.

Ho vs. Ho

Honolulu Sharks (#4, 86-76) vs. Hoboken Cutters (#5, 86-76)

Manager Gary Carter's Sharks were in the thick of the playoff race all season long -- in fact, at the midway point, they had the league's third-best record. But they stumbled coming out of the gate after the All-Star Break, going 18-24 over the third quarter of the season, then reeled off 15 wins in 20 games to secure their post-season berth. They slowed down at the very end, dropping 6 of their last 9, but their playoff tickets were already printed at that point, and the focus was on getting healthy and rested for the post-season. The Sharks make up for their mediocre pitching staff and defense, ranking seventh with 867 runs allowed, with a formidable offense -- they ranked third in runs scored (920), for a fourth-best +53 run differential.

Cutter fans -- and manager Wally Backman -- popped a lot of Tums this year as the team had to fight all season long for its trip to the post-season: They had the 6th-best record at the end of the first quarter, were tied for 7th at the end of the first half, in 7th at the three-quarter mark, but then  went 24-17 over the final two months of the season to clinch a playoff berth. In fact, as the Sharks coasted into the post-season, the Cutters won three out of their final four games to tie for 4th place (but the Sharks held the tiebreaker), 5 games ahead of the 6th place Bushslappers. The Cutters are the most extreme team in the post-season tournament, with the league's fourth-best offense (906 runs for) and second-worst defense (919 runs allowed). They're also the only team to advance despite giving up 13 more runs than they scored to rank 7th in run differential. If Pythagoras picked the post-season teams, the Cutters would be sitting at home with an 80-82 record and the Hillsborough Hired Hitmen -- with a fifth-best +18 run differential -- would be the No. 5 seed at 83-79. The Cutters also would be out of luck if the playoffs were decided by the pre-season sims -- they predicted they'd be the league's second-worst team, expecting them to have the fifth-worst offense and third-worst pitching staff. But that's why you don't play the games on paper! But let's give credit to The Swami, who called the Cutters "a team that could surprise."

The Sharks may have scored 14 more runs than the Cutters -- mostly thanks to having hit 12 more home runs over the course of the season -- but Hoboken beats Honolulu in almost every other offensive category -- team BA (.288 to .281), SLG (.478 to .461), OPS (.827 to .811), runs created (962.4 to 921.2), doubles (371 to 302), triples (38 to 13) and stolen bases (68 to 54), and the two teams are tied in OBP (.349). The Cutters also beat them in another category: Kevin Mitchell Award candidates! No one on the Honolulu roster has had a season like Cutter third baseman Miguel Cabrera, who hit .363 (.989 OPS) with 235 hits, 50 doubles, 30 home runs, 104 runs and 114 RBIs. Cabrera -- who, it needs to be said, is still only 24 years old -- is the centerpiece of a lineup that also includes C Josh Bard (.324, .844 OPS, 45 2B, 16 HR, 119 R, 101 RBI), CF Mike Cameron (.275, .835 OPS, 41 2B, 25 HR, 108 RBI, 13 SB) and SS Hanley Ramirez (.255, .716 OPS, 37 2B, 19 HR, 106 R, 33 SB). The team platoons at the other five positions. First base is shared by Mike Jacobs (.285, .807 OPS vs RHP) and Greg Norton (.292, .879 OPS vs LHP); second base is Jose Valentin (.238, .744 vs RHP) and Ian Kinsler (.185, .602 vs LHP); left field is Chris Duncan (.307, 1.018 vs RHP) and Jose Bautista (.262, .807 vs LHP); right field is Geoff Jenkins .316, .844 vs RHP) and Bobby Kielty (.337, 1.055 vs LHP); and the DH duties are typically given to a regular (usually Bard or Ramirez) who needs "half a day off," with Mike Napoli taking over behind the plate against righties (.255, .930 vs RHP) and Omar Vizquel playing shortstop against lefties (.331, .803 vs LHP). With all that platooning, there's not much room for a bench -- the only options are 3B Chad Tracy (.261, .774 OPS in 155 PA) and defensive replacement/pinch runner/fan favorite Aaron Rowand (1-for-3, 1 RBI).

The Sharks don't have anyone with Cabrera-caliber numbers this year, but their veteran lineup is deeper -- they don't have an A+, but they have more B's. In fact, while there's no doubt as to who is the best hitter in Hoboken's lineup, you can make a case for five different guys on the Sharks: SS Miguel Tejada (.321, .789 OPS, 19 HR, 102 R); C Brian McCann (.314, .943 OPS, 29 HR, 99 RBI); 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.307, .858 OPS, 49 2B, 107 RBI); RF Jermaine Dye (.277, .903 OPS, 49 HR, 129 RBI) and DH Jason Giambi (.267, .996 OPS, 50 HR, 121 RBI). Joining those five on the field every day is veteran CF Johnny Damon (.261, .734 OPS, 40 2B, 88 R, 13 SB). Second base started out as a platoon between Brian Roberts (.232, .623 vs RHP) and Jamey Carroll (.250, .613 vs LHP), but that was abandoned about two months into the season and the full-time job handed over to Ryan Freel. The speedy Freel (16 SB) is hitting a solid .288/.395/.385 vs lefties, but just .197/.267/.260 vs RHP, and he doesn't have the glove that Roberts does. We'll see if in the post-season the Sharks try Roberts again vs righties, or if they continue with the Freel deal. The Sharks have very effective platoons at the other two positions -- third base between Eric Chavez (.260, .834 vs RHP) and Rich Aurilia (.305, .778 vs LHP), and left field between Frank Catalanotto (.334, .858 vs RHP) and Torii Hunter (.268, .866 vs LHP). The bench consists of whoever's not playing second, third and left, plus two catchers. Kenji Johjima (.298, .749 in 180 PA) typically starts vs LHP to give McCann a breather, while Jason Kendall (.211, .531 in 88 PA) generally rides the pine. However, the team has more flexibility than you might expect as several players can play multiple positions: Carroll can play 2B or SS, Freel can be used at 2B, 3B or OF, Giambi can still play 1B in a pinch, and Aurilia is eligible at every infield spot.

Considering they rank 7th and 13th in runs allowed, it's not a surprise neither the Sharks nor the Cutters have a hurler having a Ben McDonald Award-worthy season. But the edge has to go to the Sharks, who have -- if not better numbers -- at least bigger names. Just as with their offense, it's tough to say who is their ace. Most fans would probably say it's rookie Jered Weaver, the first overall pick in this year's draft: He led the team with an 11.1 R/9 (4th in the DMBL) and .548 QS% (tied for 7th in the DMBL), and ranked 2nd on the team and 9th in the DMBL with a 4.34 ERA -- but he went 10-13 and led the team (and tied for 3rd in the league) with 42 HRs allowed. Lefty Jeff Francis has a 4.09 ERA, which led the team and ranked 6th in the DMBL, but he's 11-11 with a 12.7 R/9, .467 QS% and a miserable 1.7 K:BB ratio (57 BB, 96 K in 196.0 IP). Jason Schmidt led the team with a 17-5 record -- which ranked him 4th in W% and tied for 4th in wins -- but he had a bloated 5.38 ERA and 14.3 R/9. The final two spots in the rotation were shared between Roy Oswalt (12-8, 5.20 ERA, 13.1 R/9), Cliff Lee (5-8, 5.27 ERA, 14.4 R/9) and Kenny Rogers (3-8, 4.80 ERA, 13.0 R/9). How will the Sharks set up their post-season rotation? You would think Weaver is a lock for either Game 1 or Game 2. As for the other two starters, Francis and Schmidt would appear to be the favorites, although given Hoboken has fared a little better against southpaws this year (.569 W% vs LHP, .514 W% vs RHP), maybe Oswalt will get the start, saving Francis if needed for Game 4.

The Cutters avoided a Gordon-Bradford style controversy by making their change earlier in the year. Veteran Jason Isringhausen has been a member of the Cutters since their first season, but it was clear he just didn't have his old stuff any more (5.69 ERA, 13.0 R/9), so the team eased him into a supporting role with former Endzone Animal Juan Rincon (4.53 ERA, 13.5 R/9). Neither one has terrific peripheral numbers, but together they've recorded 35 saves in 41 chances for an impressive .854 SV%. The co-closers are set up by Brandon League (2.70 ERA, 10.2 R/9 in 29 G with Hoboken) and Wes Littleton (4.37 ERA, 14.7 R/9 in 19 G with Hoboken), who were acquired in trades just before the deadline. The only lefty in the 'pen is veteran Darren Oliver (5.54 ERA, 13.3 R/9). Late in the season, the Cutters added David Riske (9 ER, 12 H, 7 BB, 3 K 4 HR in 11.1 IP) and Brandon Lyon (4 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 HR in 5.1 IP), but it would be a surprise if either made the playoff roster.

The bottom line: These two teams appear to be almost perfectly matched -- in fact, they're even exactly tied when it comes to team fielding percentage (.980). On offense they're essentially even; in pitching, the Sharks have a slightly better rotation, but the Cutters have a slightly better bullpen. And although the Sharks won the regular season series, 8 games to 5, as we noted before seven of the 13 games were decided by just one run. Are they so closely matched that the series will be decided by who has home-field advantage in Game 5? The Cutters certainly hope not -- while the Sharks had identical 43-38 records at home or on the road, the Cutters actually posted a losing record on the road (40-41), including a 3-5 record in Honolulu. Will the Cutters' long road back to the post-season end in the first round because they couldn't win just one more game during the regular season? But at least history is on the side of the fifth-ranked Cutters -- since the three-tiered playoff system was adopted in 1997, the No. 4 seed has gone just 2-8 in the first round! We'll say precedence, and Miggy's bat, is enough to carry the Hoboken Cutters past the Sharks and into the second round.

Bye Bye

Newark Sugar Bears (#1, 118-44) and Philadelphia Endzone Animals (#2, 103-59)

Meanwhile, the division champions Newark Sugar Bears and Philadelphia Endzone Animals get to sit out this round. Philly will face the highest-seeded team that survives the first round, meaning Newark will face the sixth-seeded D.C. Bushslappers if they pull off the upset; if not, the Endzone Animals face the third-seeded Marietta Mighty Men and the Sugar Bears face the winner of the show-down between the fourth-place Honolulu Sharks and the fifth-place Hoboken Cutters. During the bye week, the Sugar Bears will stay in shape by playing the Rockford Peaches while the Endzone Animals -- perhaps inspired by the "brother vs. brother" match-up between Marietta and D.C. -- will have a scrimmage against the Carolina Mudcats. "Scrimmage, hell," Mudcat owner Chris Pucci said. "If we win we are tearing down that Division Champions banner and taking it to Bullhead Memorial Stadium!"