EDITOR’S NOTE: Boyd Bergquist was the sports director at KETS-TV in East Tree Stump, Nebraska for almost 40 years.  Known across the Husker state as the voice of the Boy’s High School Basketball Tournament, Bergquist was a four-time winner of the Marv J. Butz “Golden Cob” Award For Excellence In Nebraska Broadcast Journalism.  That background, along with his quick if not cliché-riddled wit and love of single-malt scotch makes Bergquist a perfect fit to be our “Question” guy. 

Like the song says, Camptown Race Track might be five miles long, but that’s nothing compared to 162 games.  As we find the calendar landing on Labor Day, every team in major league baseball has somewhere around 25 games to play, which puts us firmly in the home stretch of this horse race. And like a horse race, I break the baseball season down into four parts; the last obviously being the run for the roses.

But before we get down to the home stretch, let’s recap where we’ve been. If you recall, I’m not about the usual “power ranking” stuff.  Instead, I started this season by breaking down all 30 major league squads into six easy-to-understand groups based on what I thought these teams could realistically expect in 2023. Those original six categories were as follows.

• Ready To Win Right Now: These are teams which are ready to climb the mountain right now…no ifs, ands or buts.
• There’s Just One Thing Missing: Did you ever almost complete a jigsaw puzzle, but the three pieces you have remaining don’t fit the holes you have left? Welcome to the stories of these teams.
• Need Some Things To Go Their Way: Welcome to a collection of clubs who almost have the goods to win on their own; but anything is possible if they get more than one “lucky break.”
• At Least They Don’t Suck: Do I really need to explain this one?
• Why Wait For Next Year? One way or another, these teams need to make a decision about the future.
• It’s Going To Be A Long Summer: Everybody has hope on Opening Day, but some lose it far faster than others.

Once we got to Memorial Day, I had six new categories at the “far turn;” which again should be fairly self-explanatory.

• Just As We Expected: Teams performing just as expected.
• So Far, So Good: Teams which are very much in the thick of the race at this point.
• Off To A Great Start, But There’s A Lot of Season Left:  Read this as teams potentially over-achieving.
• It’s Not “Panic” Time…Yet:  This is for teams who may have stumbled out of the gate, but still have plenty of time
• Better Figure It Out Quick: A category for teams whose problems are severe, despite the fact there a lot of race left.
• It’s Not Too Early To Say It’s Over: Even at this juncture, it’s a safe bet these teams are finished.

Half-way through the race, there really are only two categories to worry about; is your team a play-off contender and should they be a buyer or a seller at the trade deadline? Here’s how I saw it.

American League

National League

Some teams helped themselves at the deadline, and some teams didn’t; you can see a breakdown of that here. But as we head toward October, it’s time to look at who can get to the Winner’s Circle, and who is going to spit the bit.

The field includes six teams from each league; the three division winners and three wild-cards. Here’s how I see them running as we head down the home stretch.

18) Cleveland Guardians

• Original Category – There’s Just One Thing Missing
• Memorial Day Category – It’s Not “Panic” Time…Yet
• Independence Day Category – Contender/Sell

The only reason the Guardians are still in the race: The Twins are perfectly capable of doing an epic face-plant at any moment.

17) Cincinnati Reds

• Original Category – Why Wait for Next Year?
• Memorial Day Category – It’s Not Too Early To Say It’s Over
• Independence Day Category – Cotnender/Buy

So what happened to July’s wunderkind Reds? Hunter Greene is sporting a 17.55 ERA in two starts since coming off the Injured List. .Joey Votto is behind schedule in returning from his latest injury. Those are the Top Two in the hit parade of reasons why Cincinnati went 9-15 in August.

14) Boston Red Sox

• Original Category – At Least They Don’t Suck
• Memorial Day Category – So Far, So Good
• Independence Day Category – Contender /Buy

There was an excellent example of Boston’s biggest flaw on display in the recent series against the Dodgers. Because the Red Sox starters only go 4 1/3 innings on average, the bullpen is worn out, and that’s only going to get worse.

13) Minnesota Twins

• Original Category – At Least They Don’t Don’t Suck
• Memorial Day Category – Just As We Expected
• Independence Day Category – Contender/Sell

I checked. There’s an actual rule that somebody has to win the AL Central. The Twins have a six-game lead and host the second-place Guardians for a three-game series starting today. If Minnesota can take two out of three, that should seal the deal. Watch them not get it done…again.

…And the Academy Award for being secretly mediocre goes to <opens envelope>… Remember when this team ripped off an 18-9 start? Don’t look now, but this team has barely been over .500 since then, despite the fact their 3.24 team ERA in the second half is baseball’s best in that time. Am I the only one who keeps waiting for this team to hit another gear?

11) San Francisco Giants

• Original Category – At Least They Don’t Suck
• Memorial Day Category – Better Figure It Out Quick
• Independence Day Category – Contenders/Buy

The Giants have been on a secret “fade job” since the All-Star break. There are no teams with less than a dozen wins since then. What are the teams with only twelve wins? The Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, and Oakland A’s. Those teams obviously are out of this race. San Francisco has only thirteen. Draw your own conclusions.

10) Chicago Cubs

• Original Category – Need Some Things To Go Their Way
• Memorial Day Category – So Far, So Good
• Independence Day – Contender/Buy

Of all the middlin’-to-shitty contenders in the NL Central, the Cubs just might have the most upside. Cody Bellinger has solidly returned to his MVP form with his 50-ish RBIs in the second half. If Seiya Suzuki can manage his mercurial nature to get hot at the right time, the Cubs have just enough defense and just enough pitching to make anything possible.

9) Philadelphia Phillies

• Original Category – There’s Just One Thing Missing
• Memorial Day Category – So Far, So Good
• Independence Day Category – Contender/Buy

Just like last year, the Phillies are rounding into form at exactly the right time.

8 ) Milwaukee Brewers

• Original Category – Need Some Things To Go Their Way
• Memorial Day Category – Better Figure It Out Quick
• Independence Day Category – Contenders/Sell

I don’t care about the “resurgence” of Christian Yelich. I don’t care about the Brewers recent hot streak. This team might as well move to Missouri, because they need to “show me.” Even if they win the NL Central (because like I said, there’s the “somebody has to” rule), until they win a play-off series, I’m sticking to my declaration this team is 100% “fool’s gold.”

7) Houston Astros

• Original Category –  Ready to Win Right Now
• Memorial Day Category – Just As We Expected
• Independence Day Category – Contenders/Buy

Houston has not had a winning streak of more than three games since before the All-Star break. But they are still in the midst of the race. In fact, of the three current contenders in the AL West, the Astros have the most-favorable remaining schedule…including six games with Kansas City and three with Oakland.

6B) Texas Rangers

• Original Category – There’s Just One Thing Missing
• Memorial Day Category – Just As We Expected
• Independence Day Category – Contenders/Buy

In a call-back to the classic TV game show To Tell the Truth, will the real Texas Rangers please stand up? In other words, we’ve asked all the questions, and now it’s time for you to show:

1. Are you the Rangers who traded for entire pitching staff, then after the deadline rattled off eight wins in a row and 12 of their first 14 in August, or…
2. Are you the Rangers who recently dropped 9 out of 10, falling from leading the AL West to the third AL wild-card spot?

6A) Seattle Mariners

• Original Category – Need Some Things To Go Their Way
• Memorial Day Category – It’s Not “Panic” Time…Yet
• Independence Day Category – Pretenders/Buy

Measured in team games, this is the latest point in a season in which the Mariners have had sole possession of first place in 20 years. So how did they do it? The Mariners had best record in baseball in August (19-5) driven by a +62 run differential and led by having three of the hottest hitters in the game during that time in Julio Rodríguez (1.139 OPS with 27 RBI), Teoscar Hernández (1.050 OPS with 17 RBI) and Cal Raleigh (.890 OPS with 9 HR and 21 RBI).

4) Tampa Rays

• Original Category – Need Some Things To Go Their Way
• Memorial Day Category – Just As We Expected
• Independence Day Category – Contenders/Buy

Are they back? The Rays started 2023 at a blistering pace, but then came back to the pack with a not-so-great 8-16 mark in July. But Tampa is now just coming off stretch having won 6 out of their last 7a ,have won six of their last seven, and have chalked up five straight series wins.

• Original Category – At Least They Don’t Suck
• Memorial Day Category – Off To A Great Start, But There’s A Lot of Season Left
• Independence Day Category – Contenders/Buy

Losing Felix Bautista (arguably the best closer currently) is going to hurt, but this team still knows how to just win games. That’s obvious considering their 24-12 mark in one-run games. Need more on that score? Baltimore has not had a three-game losing streak in two months.

1) Atlanta Braves

• Original Category – Ready To Win Right Now
• Memorial Day Category – Just As We Expected
• Independence Day Category – Contenders/Buy

The Dodgers were on fire until they ran into the extinguisher known as the Atlanta Braves. Coming into Sunday’s games, Los Angeles has dropped three straight to the Braves. Atlanta has a veritable lock on the best record in the bigs, and barring a catastrophe not seen since Sherman’s “March to the Sea,” they have the NL East in the bag. The troika of Max Fried, Spencer Strider, and Charlie Morton are performing as well as anybody’s top three starters. Combine that with a guy who has a shot at being baseball’s first 40 HR, 80 SB guy (Ronald Acuna Jr.) and another with 50 HR in his sights (Matt Olson) means betting against the Braves is just jumping into the lifeguard-less pool…enter at your own risk.

Next stop: Play-off Previews!

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Got a question for our 70’s TY Sports Anchor? Got your own take? Nothing is “off-limits,” and no take is “too hot.” The only questions or comments Boyd Bergquist can’t handle are the one you don’t send!

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