Baseball playoffs..?

Baseball playoff chase creates shifting fan alliances

By Mike Lopresti USA TODAY

These are the times that try fans' souls. Or at least their serenity. Twelve days to go and the baseball season has more loose ends than DNA. The first-place lead in the American League entering Tuesday play was a mere 4½ games - for all three divisions COMBINED. The Indians-Yankees wild-card race may end up being fought between the White Sox and Red Sox. It is possible in the National League wild card to go from first to third in 48 hours.

For the jittery faithful, this requires multiple rooting interests that change nightly. So let us gaze at the scoreboard, like stranded passengers at an airport monitor, and try to figure out what all the blinking numbers mean.

You are a Yankee fan. That means you root against Toronto and for Baltimore this weekend, but for Toronto and against Baltimore next week.

You are also rooting for the first-place White Sox to beat the second-place Indians, thereby helping the Yankees win the wild card. Unless Cleveland passes Chicago, and then you will be rooting for the Indians to beat the White Sox.

Got it so far?

You are a White Sox fan. You are rooting for Kansas City to slow down the Indians, though your own manager didn't sound very comforting when he mentioned how hard it is for the hopelessly downtrodden to keep focus. "You take the Kansas City Royals," Ozzie Guillen said Monday. "I guarantee you, they don't want to come to the ballpark."

You don't care about the Red Sox or Yankees. Unless, of course, the White Sox fall into second and must hope for the wild card. Then you'll want whoever is in second in the other division to keep losing. So next week you could be rooting for the Red Sox against the Yankees. But then again, you might be rooting for the Yankees against the Red Sox.

You are an A's fan. You want Tampa Bay to play well when it meets the Angels, just like White Sox fans want Tampa Bay to play well when it meets the Indians, just like Yankee fans want Tampa Bay to play well when the team meets the Red Sox.

For a 63-88 team, the Devil Rays are as popular as the pope.

You are an Astros' fan. You are on the Nationals' bandwagon because they play both Philadelphia and Florida. But you don't want the Nationals to do too well, because they're still alive. So you'll be rooting for the Mets and against the Nationals this weekend. But for the Nationals next week.

You are a Phillies' or Marlins' fan. You love the Cubs more than Haray Caray ever did because they have seven games left with the Astros.

You are a Cardinals' fan. Your team has had the division wrapped up since Father's Day, so now you fill the idle time by pulling for the Astros. That's because if Houston wins the wild card, the Cardinals' first round opponent would be the Padres, an assignment that sounds a lot cushier than Florida's Dontrelle Willis in Game 1.

But then, if you're a Braves' fan, you're hoping the Astros disappear, because who wants to face Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Roy Oswalt in a short series?

So you're rooting for the Marlins and Phillies. Except your Braves play them, so what do you do now?

Some of the snooty players take the easy way out by claiming they're not worried about scores from other zip codes.

"I don't think you guys believe me, but we really don't care," Cleveland's Aaron Boone was saying Monday night. "If we play well, we'll be where we want to be."

Sure. But isn't it more fun to be confused?