While rummaging through The Bill James Handbook 2011, I found some interesting items. Without wishing to dwell on the past, one such item is a list providing the number of days each team led (or shared the lead of) their division, as well as each team’s largest lead. Here are the top 10 in MLB from 2010:
Days in First
- Texas Rangers, 153
- San Diego Padres, 146
- Minnesota Twins, 141
- Cincinnati Reds, 110
- New York Yankees, 108
- Atlanta Braves, 105
- Tampa Bay Rays, 94
- St. Louis Cardinals, 82
- Philadelphia Phillies, 78
- San Francisco Giants, 35
Largest Leads
- Minnesota Twins, 12.0
- Texas Rangers, 11.0
- Cincinnati Reds, 8.0
- Philadelphia Phillies, 7.0
- Atlanta Braves, 7.0
- San Diego Padres, 6.5
- Tampa Bay Rays, 6.0
- St. Louis Cardinals, 5.0
- New York Yankees, 4.0
- Chicago White Sox, 3.5
As we are all too aware, how long a team stays in first or how far ahead of the competition it gets doesn’t matter. In the end, everything comes down to which team is left standing after all others have fallen.
Yes, I would like the extra-strength salt bath for my open 2010 wound. Please try not to scrub so hard that my 2007 scar opens up.
Now that the Chargers have been eliminated in humiliating fashion… thanks for the pick-me-up, Geoff!
Happy New Year!
And so ends another wonderful year in SD sports. It would be one thing if either the Chargers or Padres were like the Pirates, where it wasn’t reasonable to have any expectations, but this is starting to get old quick.
Hey, at least the Cardinals didn’t get the chance to eliminate the Padres in the playoffs once again! (Wait, the Cards didn’t make the playoffs? Dang.)
And I thought I was a Debbie Downer.
Hope The Ducksnorts Family are having a wonderful Holiday Season!
Excuse me – I need to grab a kleenex…