It was just two years ago that the NL West became a national joke, the Padres taking the crown by going 82-80. Now, this is baseball’s deepest division, as evidenced by the fact the NLCS will be ALL NL West, and neither one of those teams is the Dodgers or the Padres. The Rockies and Diamondbacks combined over the past four days to win twice as many postseason games (six) as the NL West had won over the past four years (three). The Giants won once in their division series loss to Florida in 2003, the Dodgers won once in their division series loss to St. Louis in 2004, and the Padres won once in their division series loss to the Cardinals last year. The Padres were swept by the Cardinals in 2005, and the Dodgers were swept by the Mets last year. Oh, and this guarantees that an NL West team will play in the World Series for the first time since the Giants lost to the Angels in 2002. This division isn’t going to get any weaker — or, sadly for Dodgers fans, any easier to win — anytime soon. Next season should be very interesting for those of us who follow the NL West on a daily basis. …
By the way, Eamus Catulii AC986103 will now become Eamus Catulii AC996200. Extra credit goes to anyone who knows what that means, so if you know, please post.