My friend Susan is a big Texas Rangers fan. We were in college during that late 90s period when the Rangers won the AL West every year (usually to be swept in the first round by the Yankees). In 1998, the Rangers clinched their division, thanks to an Anaheim loss, while being crushed by the Mariners. We managed to commandeer a dorm TV for the occasion. After the game, the Rangers had the obligatory champagne spraying celebration anyway, to the great confusion of the international student who had been asking us questions about the game most of the evening.
“But they lost, right?” he kept asking. Susan and I attempted to explain about the division title and playoffs, but he couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. “But they lost by a LOT, right?” Eventually, Susan and I left him to figure it out and went down the hall for some celebratory Baskin Robbins. (God, I miss that dorm.)
In similar fashion, the Dodgers clinched the NL West yesterday thanks to the Cardinals’ big win over the Diamondbacks (you’re welcome, LA), lost to the Padres, and had a wild party. In exactly that order.
Are the Dodgers an under-rated sleeper in the mode of the 2006 Cardinals or headed for yet another first round exit? Either way, we have a few more weeks to look at these guys:
Casey Blake
Andre Ethier
Chad Billingsley
Congratulations, Dodgers !
(Source: LA Times)
Ladies... 
It would be better if you clinched because someone else you waited until you won your next game then celebrated big time. It’d be way cooler, especially if you had to wait 5 days to pop the cork.
I totally agree. I remember the Yankees refusing to celebrate one year when they kind of backed into the playoffs. Of course, that was when they expected to win the Series every year, so a playoff spot was no big deal anyway.
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I take it no one here likes the way Manny looks?
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