The countdown has begun!

The month of September is finally upon us. And for the baseball world, that means we start talking magic numbers a.k.a. the road to the playoffs. For those who are not familiar with magic numbers, there is a simple way to follow them. The teams who are division or wild card leaders have magic numbers that they keep track of towards the end of the season. As their magic numbers are reduced as the days go by, the closer the teams get to clinching their respective division or wild card spot.

For example, the Detroit Tigers' magic number is 23 with the Cleveland Indians 5 1/2 games back in 2nd place in the American League Central Division. When Detroit wins & Cleveland loses, the number is reduced by two. If both teams win or lose, the number reduces by one. If Detroit loses & Cleveland wins, the number stays the same. If either team is idle on a particular day & Detroit wins or Cleveland loses, the number goes down by one.

It is projected that the teams will begin clinching divisions & wild card spots roughly two weeks from now. With the Tigers holding the Indians at bay in the AL Central, here's the rest of the field looking to make the playoffs.

AL EAST - Boston's magic number = 27 ; N.Y. Yankees 1 1/2 games back

AL WEST - Texas' magic number = 23 ; L.A. Angels 3 1/5 games back

AL WILD CARD - N.Y. Tankees' magic number = 21 ; Tampa Bay 7 1/2 games back

NL EAST - Philadelphia's magic number = 22 ; Atlanta 7 1/2 games back

NL CENTRAL - Milwaukee's magic number = 18 ; St. Louis 8 1/2 games back

NL WEST - Arizona's magic number = 20 ; San Francisco 6 games back

NL WILD CARD - Atlanta's magic number = 19 ; St. Louis 8 1/2 games back


TODAY'S KEY GAMES
Oakland at Cleveland - 12 pm
Philadelphia at Cincinnati - 12:30 pm
Kansas City at Detroit - 1 pm
St. Louis at Milwaukee - 4 pm
N.Y. Yankees at Boston - 7 pm
Washington at Atlanta - 7 pm
Tampa Bay at Texas - 8 pm
L.A. Angels at Seattle - 10 pm



With the regular season coming to a close on September 11, the playoff hunt is alive and well. In the Eastren Conference, first-place Indiana (19-10) & Connecticut (18-12) have already clinched playoff spots, but are still battling for the regular season conference crown. Meanwhile, New York (17-13) & Atlanta (16-13) are on the verge of playoffs & at the same time, going head-to-head to be the 3rd seed in the playoffs.

In the Western Conference, the regular season crown has already been awarded to the team that currently holds the best record in the league, the Minnesota Lynx (24-6). Led by their rookie star, Maya Moore, Minnesota appears to be on the right path to claiming their first ever WNBA title. Also in the mix for a playoff run in the West are Phoenix (17-12), Seattle (17-13), & San Antonio (14-15).




And of course, next week, we officially kicked off the new NFL season. Lions fans, after all those years, finally have something to cheer about, considering the team ended last season on a good night. But before then, the Lions travel to Buffalo for their last preseason game against the Bills. Game time is set for 6:30 pm. After this Friday, the real deal begins with the Green Bay Packers having another banner night as they take on the New Orleans Saints next Thursday (9/8/11) at 8:30 pm.

In addition, college football kicks off tonight with Central Michigan in action as they host South Carolina State at 7 pm. On Friday, #17 Michigan State takes center stage as they face Youngstown State at 7:30 pm. Then on Saturday, Western Michigan travels to Ann Arbor to face Michigan at 3:30 followed by an Eastern Michigan home game against Howard at 7 pm.