1. NY Yankees (1) – Injuries to pitchers Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina hurt their playoff chances.
2. Oakland (3) – Will this be the first team under GM Billy Beane to win a first-round playoff series?
3. Minnesota (4) – Speaking of smart GMs, why doesn’t Terry Ryan get more recognition for what he does with his limited resources?
4. Detroit (5) – No one should be bummed about their finish. Just making the playoffs was an accomplishment.
5. NY Mets (2) – Liked their chances a whole lot better with Pedro Martinez on the mound.
6. San Diego (7) – This is how weak the NL is: Padres wouldn’t finish second in any of the AL divisions.
7. LA Dodgers (8) – Game 7 of the NLCS, a tiring veteran pitcher on the mound. This is manager Grady Little’s nightmare.
8. Chicago White Sox (9) – Congratulations! White Sox win the not-so-coveted award of best team not to make the playoffs.
9. LA Angels (6) – They are the favorite to land free agent Alfonso Soriano.
10. Philadelphia (10) – With or without a playoff appearance, crazy season yielded a much-needed change in clubhouse atmosphere.
11. Houston (20) – For two years running, these guys have a finishing kick equal to Seabiscuit’s.
12. Toronto (13) – Might need to spend another $50 million this offseason to surpass the Yankees in the standings.
13. St. Louis (11) – Say this for them, these Cards really know how to fold.
14. Boston (12) – Because of age and injury, will have to rethink their entire pitching staff for next season.
15. Cincinnati (19) – Give them credit for making tens of moves in an attempt to stay in the race.
16. Texas (15) – With team stuck in place, will manager Buck Showalter get walking papers?
17. Florida (14) – Don’t worry about Joe Giradi. He’ll be gainfully employed come spring.
18. Atlanta (16) – It’s no coincidence their pitching failed the year their 14 consecutive division title streak was snapped.
19. Cleveland (23) – I deserve 10 lashes with a wet noodle for buying into the Indians’ rebuilding plan.
20. Seattle (18) – GM Bill Bavasi and manager Mike Hargrove remain at the helm so the ship will stay the course … for now.
21. San Francisco (17) – The lesson learned here is no team should have more than three 40-year-olds if it wants to win a title.
22. Arizona (21) – If the Russ Ortiz fiasco taught them anything it is be careful when going after free agent pitchers.
23. Milwaukee (24) – Made strides but was tripped up by one of the worst road records in the NL.
24. Colorado (22) – The pitching improved but the team didn’t. Now what?
25. Washington (25) – With no pitching, no minor-league talent and probably no Alfonso Soriano, this team has no hope to be better in 2007.
26. Baltimore (27) – Once model franchise enters another rebuilding offseason.
27. Pittsburgh (26) – With strong second half, they think they’ve turned the corner.
28. Chicago Cubs (28) – Don’t be surprised if pitcher Carlos Zambrano wins the Cy Young Award.
29. Tampa Bay (30) – Same story as the last three years: Love their manager, love their young hitters, hate their pitching situation.
30. Kansas City (29) – They’ll be better next year because they’ve got a GM who knows what he’s doing and talent in the pipeline.