Final 2007 Standings (well, sort of...)

The Divisions

AL East
Red Sox ~ 96-66 ~ --
Yankees ~ 94-68 ~ 2.0 (E)
Blue Jays ~ 83-79 ~ 13.0 (E)
Orioles ~ 69-93 ~ 27.0 (E)
Devil Rays ~ 66-96 ~ 30.0 (E)

AL Central
Indians ~ 96-66 ~ --
Tigers ~ 88-74 ~ 8.0 (E)
Twins ~ 79-83 ~ 17.0 (E)
White Sox ~ 72-90 ~ 24.0 (E)
Royals ~ 69-93 ~ 27.0 (E)

AL West
Angels ~ 94-68 ~ --
Mariners ~ 88-74 ~ 6.0 (E)
Athletics ~ 76-86 ~ 18.0 (E)
Rangers ~ 75-87 ~ 19.0 (E)

Thoughts: It stayed close until the final weekend, but the NL East was finally decided on a blown save by Mariano Rivera and an extra inning loss by Edwar Ramirez on Friday night. The Blue Jays had a good week and got themselves a few games over .500 to end the season. The Orioles had a terrible season, but I'll give them credit. I thought for sure they were going to be passed by the Devil Rays but it didn't happen. They found a little life at the end of the season. ... We knew the Indians could be good this season, but I don't think anyone predicted league-leading good. Fantastic season by Cleveland. The rest of what was supposed to be the best division in baseball, however, fell short. One month ago, did anyone guess that the Tigers would fnish eight games behind the Indians? Disappointing for last year's American League Champions. And I guess, as far as those White Sox go, at least they can say they made that last week push to finish fourth in the division. It's small consolation, but it's something. ... No surprise in the AL West. The Angels dominated, the end. Not a geat showing from last year's AL Wild Card Athletics, though. They ended flat as well, picking up only one win in the last week of the season.

NL East:
Phillies ~ 89-73 ~ --
Mets ~ 88-74 ~ 1.0 (E)
Braves ~ 84-78 ~ 5.0 (E)
Nationals ~ 73-89 ~ 16.0 (E)
Marlins ~ 71-91 ~ 18.0 (E)

NL Central:
Cubs ~ 85-77 ~ --
Brewers ~ 83-79 ~ 2.0 (E)
Cardinals ~ 78-84 ~ 7.0 (E)
Astros ~ 73-89 ~ 12.0 (E)
Reds ~ 72-90 ~ 13.0 (E)
Pirates ~ 68-94 ~ 17.0 (E)

NL West:
Diamondbacks ~ 90-72 ~ --
Padres ~ 89-73 ~ 1.0 (E)
Rockies ~ 89-73 ~ 1.0 (E)
Dodgers ~ 82-80 ~ 8.0 (E)
Giants ~ 71-91 ~ 19.0 (E)

Thoughts: We knew they were close one week ago, but even last week 2.5 games seemed impossible to overcome with just one week to go and the Nationals and Marlins playing at Shea. The Phillies deserve credit for their final week surge to clinch the NL East on the final day. But this one is going to sting in New York for awhile. ... The Brewers cut last week's deficit from 3.5 games to 2.0 to end the season, but it just wasn't enough. Give Ned Yost's crew credit, though. After being beaten by the Padres and eliminated from contention in the NL Central, they didn't sit back on their heels. The Brewers' continued effort is a big reason why the Padres will be playing on Monday instead of resting for the first round of the NLDS. ... The Padres closed to within one game in the NL West after being 2.5 games out last week, but it just wasn't enough. The lost final weekend against the Brewers was the nail in the coffin in the division. Similarly, with the Rockies, they climbed from 4.0 games back to 1.0 game, but it was too little too late.

The Wild Cards

American League
Yankees ~ 94-68 ~ --
Tigers ~ 88-74 ~ 6.0 (E)
Mariners ~ 88-74 ~ 6.0 (E)
Blue Jays ~ 83-79 ~ 11.0 (E)
Twins ~ 79-83 ~ 15.0 (E)

Thoughts: I think everybody expected it to be closer, but there it is. But Detroit also suffered from injuries late in the season that led to their latter-half collapse. Still, even with all the excuses, what the Yankees managed to do after their terrible record at the beginning of the season is incredible.

National League
Padres ~ 89-73 ~ --
Rockies ~ 89-73 ~ --
Mets ~ 88-74 ~ 1.0 (E)
Braves ~ 84-78 ~ 5.0 (E)
Brewers ~ 83-79 ~ 6.0 (E)

Thoughts: The Rockies picked the right time to get hot, and the Padres picked the wrong time to fail. It's amazing, on the night when Trevor Hoffman put the nail in the coffin in Milwaukee, I said that the all-time saves leader looked as efficient as he'd looked all year. The very next night, he blows the save and the Padres' best opportunity to clinch a playoff spot. The Mets did their part by losing 2-out of-3 against the Marlins, but the Rockies pushed ahead against the NL West winners and came away with the tie.

We know that the Yankees and Indians will play the ALDS series starting on Thursday, and all other series will begin on Wednesday. (Cue the groan from Colorado, as the Rockies and Padres will only get one day to set their playoff rosters and rotation.) But, with the Wild Card not decided, no game times have been announced yet. We do know the match-ups:

Red Sox-Angels
Indians-Yankees
Diamondbacks-Cubs
Phillies-Padres/Rockies

I'll post the TBS division series' schedule once it's been made available. For now, I'm assuming Red Sox-Angels will get that primetime 7-8pm ET start. But it's a difficult call because all four series have what one would consider "big market" baseball teams involved: Red Sox AND Angels, Yankees, Cubs, and Phillies.