Playoffs a fitting payoff
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Just when the Red Sox believed they were secure in the saddle with an ace named Schilling, here came the Yankees' Murderer's Duo of Mussina and Matsui.
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Divisional realignment in Central Mass has succeeded in creating playoff fever, with a multitude of teams elbowing for postseason berths.
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There's just something about Thanksgiving that brings out the best in some teams.
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So many angles. So many sub-plots. So much intrigue for a game pitting two non-winning teams holding one-way tickets to irrelevance.
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Mike Matheny, Edgar Renteria and the St. Louis Cardinals can win with singles, doubles and triples, too.
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OK, it's official. There is now an established major league style, an etiquette, for those delightful occasions when one hits a walkoff homer in the postseason.
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Brandon Backe was almost perfect, the most improbable postseason hero for the most unlikely playoff team. Now Backe and the Houston Astros are a win away from an incredible upset.
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How many teams can save a 20-game winner for Game 2 of a playoff series? One. And with Roy Oswalt set for a postseason start four years in the making, the Houston Astros are feeling pretty good.
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DENVER - They have arrived at this juncture in a blink of an eye. When you spend the entire postseason hammering home the notion that you absolutely, positively must not look ahead, then it can be a little bit startling when you suddenly glance up and realize you are nine innings from being sized for a World Series ring.
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You have to hand it to the Houston Astros -- the starting rotation they&#39;ve used in the first round of the playoffs has been not only effective, but interesting, too.
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The New York Rangers got the kind of effort yesterday that they believe can lead them to a successful playoff push.
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Now the Philadelphia Eagles can start thinking about the playoffs, and ending their unenviable run of losses in the NFC title game.
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Pitching, as usual, will play a critical role in these playoffs, positively and negatively.
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The American League playoff teams are set. All that remains to be determined are the first-round matchups.
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There is plenty to play for in the final three weeks of the season -- regardless if a team still is officially alive in the playoff chase.
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The Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins have reached the point of the season where thoughts can get a bit fanciful. Maybe we can win the rest of our games. Maybe 9-7 will be good enough to get into the playoffs this year. Maybe even 8-8.
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The Jets can assure themselves of a playoff spot with a victory next week against New England, which has clinched the A.F.C. East.