ESPN

Buzzmaster

  (12:03 PM)

Steve will be here shortly, everyone!

Steve Phillips

  (12:06 PM)

Good afternoon, everyone! We're winding down, but teams are still moving in different directions. Some are hot, and some are fading. What's on your mind?

Terry (Madison, WI)

Assuming the White Sox hold on and win the AL Central...do you see them as a threat to make the World Series?

Steve Phillips

  (12:08 PM)

If I were to seed the AL playoff teams, and include the Sox in the mix, I would put them as such: 1. Red Sox, 2. Angels, 3. Rays, 4. White Sox. That doesn't mean I don't think they have a chance, I just like the chances of the other teams better. The White Sox can be outpitched in comparison to the othere teams, and they are too reliant on the home run in their offense. That is not a good formula for postseason success, although just about anything can happen in October.

Thomas (Orlando)

How concerned should the Rays be about their pitchers inning counts heading into the post season?

Steve Phillips

  (12:09 PM)

The concern is less now than it will be next year. The Tigers and White Sox learned this over the past few years. I think it will hold up fine now because they are focused and energized, but it could end up taking a toll next season.

Drew- Milton, WI

Steve, the Brewers had another epic breakdown this year after another great season. Do you think they'll pull it together and get the wildcard? Who can you see taking the manager spot for them next year? Possibly an old Brewer such as Robin Yount or Paul Molitor?

Steve Phillips

  (12:11 PM)

I think right now, in looking at it, the Mets and Phillies will make the playoffs, and the Brewers will not, unless they somehow dramatically turn things around. It's a shame, because it sure looked like this was their year, for the first time in 26 years. As far as managers for next season, it's a bit too early to tell, but a name I thought about recently was Bob Brenly--he knows the league, division, and the Brewers, and has a WS championship to his name.

Garrett (CT)

Are the Yankees going to throw a ton of money at free agents this winter, pursue trades, or stick with Cashmans plan to build from within?

Steve Phillips

  (12:13 PM)

The Yankees have 90 million dollars coming free off of this year's roster, and I expect them to spend it in a significant manner. They will still try to give some kids an opportunity, but look for them to go after CC Sabathia and/or Mark Teixeira in a significant way. I also wouldn't be surprised if they went after Manny Ramirez as well. I think they need to get younger and more athletic, but where Manny doesn't fit that part of the plan, he certainly could upgrade their offensive production.

Jamie (San Diego, CA)

If the Mets collapse and don't make the playoffs do you see them making some big changes?

Steve Phillips

  (12:15 PM)

I do think that, if they collapse this year, they will have to dramatically change the team's personality. Jerry Manuel said that last year's collapse is part of who they are, and they cannot ignore that. He's right. If it happens again, then it's part of who they are twice over. They're going to have to change quite a bit. It would be hard to bring Manuel back if they miss the playoffs this year. They will have to figure out who is part of the problem, and who is part of the solution, long-term.

Xander (Philly)

I cant believe there is even an argument over NL MVP...by definition, Howard should win easily, assuming the Phillies make the playoffs.

Steve Phillips

  (12:19 PM)

I guess it depends upon your definition. Is it the player who has the best season, the player who would create the biggest void if you took him away from his team, the player who got the most clutch hits? I think Albert Pujols is the NL MVP, and here's why. If Albert Pujols took his production this year and played for the Philadelphia Phillies in place of Howard, would the Phillies be a better team? He has a .357 BA, a .460+ OBP, and an outstanding slugging percentage. If you took Howard's .249 BA, .343 OBP, and good slugging percentage, would the Cardinals be a better team? I can't imagine any argument where the Cardinals would be better without Pujols and with Howard. The Phillies, on the other hand, would be a dramatically better team with Pujols instead of Howard.

Steve Phillips

  (12:19 PM)

Howard has been very good in September, but if Pujols were a Philly, the Phillies would be ahead by ten games. Pujols is the NL MVP.

sage(chicago)

Was at cubs/brew game last night. Fukodome came in as substiution. He looked absolutely awful at the plate. What is there to expect of him ?

Steve Phillips

  (12:22 PM)

He has clearly lost his confidence and run out of gas. Somehow, they will have to try to get him right in October. His lefty bat can be an improtant asset in the postseason. I really think he will come up with some big hits in October for the Cubs. He's played in a lot of big games in Japan, and I expect him to be rejuvenated in October by the playoffs.

Javier (New York)

Who is the 2008 NL Cy Young Tim Lincecum or CC Sabathia?

Steve Phillips

  (12:24 PM)

Lincecum. Sabathia has been great, but I don't think he's been that much better in 40 percent of the season than Lincecum has been over the entire season, and I bet Sabathia would tell you the same thing. Sabathia has been the best NL pitcher for 40 percent of the season, but to be fair, you'd have to consider his entire season, which would disqualify him because of his poor early start.

BK (mpls)

It appears that the a couple of teams will clinch within the next week or so. What is your strategy for a team that has clinched and has a couple weeks left in the season?

Steve Phillips

  (12:26 PM)

Get healthy, get rested, but stay sharp. Everybody is dinged up at this point of the year, and a selective day off here or there would be welcome. You certainly don't want to give a long period of rest to a player, as rythym and routine are important to performance. Mike Sciosia with the Angels will be a good guy to watch--he's been there as a player and manager. Look for him to continue to get playing time for his players, but be sensitive to their need to back off a bit physically. Interestingly, though, the Cubs might be the only team able to have much time to manipulate their playing time. I guess maybe the Dodgers, if they stay hot, and the D-Backs continue to fold.

Josh (Wisconsin)

Who is the AL MVP? I can't think of anyone still who deserves it more then Carlos Quentin.

Steve Phillips

  (12:31 PM)

I think that fans of Justin Morneau and Dustin Pedroia might beg to differ. Certainly Quentin was impressive in his time with the White Sox. But it's hard to give him an award when he's missed the past month of the season. I think Pedroia deserves the award--he has been the energizer for the Red Sox all season long. He seems to get on base and score, finds ways to drive in big runs, and has been outstanding defensively. The Sox lost Manny, Ortiz, Lowell, Drew, and Lugo for good parts of their season, but never really missed a beat because of Pedroia. He's leading the league in hits, among the leaders in average--it's hard for me not to give him the award.

Nathan (New York)

Would Joe Torre have led the 2008 Yankees to the playoffs?

Steve Phillips

  (12:33 PM)

No, I think the Yankees were flawed coming in. Not even Torre would have been able to salvage this team. I don't believe that Joe Girardi would have been able to get the Dodgers into the playoffs, however. That unique combination of old and young players really benefitted from Torre's experience, and it would have been a difficult roster for Girardi to manage.

Jesse CA

How good are the Dodgers chances of re-signing Manny?

Steve Phillips

  (12:35 PM)

Manny has made it clear that he would love to stay in LA, but ultimately, I think he takes the biggest contract. That may be from the Dodgers, as I think Manny's behavior may have scared some teams off, but I think there's still some question as to how willing Dodger ownership is to spend the big bucks. Remember, they got Manny, Maddux, and Casey Blake for free.

Mike(San Diego, CA)

Thank you for making a clear case for the NL MVP. If Pujols doesn't win because he isn't on a playoff team then we had better go back in time and give the 2006 award to Albert(which he deserved anyways). How often do you think voters get caught up in gaudy HR and RBI totals when voting for MVP?

Steve Phillips

  (12:39 PM)

There certainly is value in looking at home runs and RBIs for a player, but there are other things to look at as well. If you went through and added up all of the at-bats in which Pujols helped his team by either getting on base, by walk, or hit, driving in runs, scoring runs, or making productive outs, and compare it to Ryan Howard's production, I think you'll find that Pujols blows Howard away. Where there are times when one hitter can be better for a certain number at-bats where he hit home runs, that doesn't discount, say, the 140 ABs where Howard struck out and Pujols did not. One of the arguments that people use about hitters that K is that it's better than hitting into a double play, but Pujols has only hit into 3 more double plays this year than Howard.

Steve Phillips

  (12:40 PM)

The countdown has begun, and by this time next week, we may only have two races yet to be determined. We'll talk again then. Have a great week!