2011 MLB Playoffs: I Have a Dream

I have a dream that, one day, the citizens of Kansas City, the citizens of Pittsburgh, the citizens of Cincinnati and the citizens of Toronto will all care about the game of baseball during the month of September.

I know, I know—Wednesday night was an epic night of baseball fun. Intriguing story lines, postseason berths on the line, clutch hits and dramatic comebacks. It was everything we ask for as sports fans.

It was great drama for the 10 teams that were fighting for eight playoffs spots. What about the rest of the league, though? 

Were there crowds of Cleveland Indians fans streaming into bars to watch their finale? Were Toronto Blue Jays fans excited about finishing fourth behind the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays for the fourth straight year? Were Washington Nationals fans excited to watch Stephen Strasburg pick up his first win of the 2011 season in the team's final game?

No, their seasons were finished a long time ago. Those cities are now busy thinking about the Browns, Maple Leafs and Redskins.

Baseball can be an amazingly exciting game for its haves, but it becomes a dreadfully long and painful experience for the have-nots. 

The lack of a salary cap has banished small market teams to dreaming of three-to-five-year windows where they can mature at exactly the perfect time before the inevitable fall back to obscurity.

This happens after their young players become eligible for free agency and the New Yorks and Bostons of the league steal them.

The Twins and A’s had their window, the Rays and Brewers are having theirs now and it could be Pittsburgh and Kansas City next. 

What if it didn’t have to be like this? What if fanbases all around the league could legitimately care about their teams deep into September? What if, instead of the Braves and Cardinals battling it out for the postseason last night, it had been the Reds and Nationals or White Sox and Indians? 

What would the playoffs look like in this new dream world? Sure, we'd have outfielders wearing parkas in early November, and the regular season wouldn't mean what it does today, but it sure would be fun to care about baseball in August and September.

The following slideshow shows the matchups of what could have been the most fun postseason in baseball history.  

No. 1 New York Yankees vs. No. 8 Cleveland Indians

I have a dream of a series where the Indians would have to travel to Yankee Stadium for three games.  

It would be up to Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin to do the unthinkable and win two out of three against the Yankees, in New York, in a postseason atmosphere.  

They probably wouldn't do it, but it sure would be fun to watch them try.

No. 4 Tampa Bay Rays vs. No. 5 Boston Red Sox

I have a dream of a series fresh off a grueling three-day battle for home-field advantage in the first round.

The Red Sox lost out on the final night of the regular season, and now they must travel to Tampa for three games to win the right to face their hated rivals, the New York Yankees, in the second round.

Would anybody be against a David Price versus Jon Lester matchup in Game 1?

No. 3 Detroit Tigers vs. No. 6 Los Angeles Angels

I have a dream that the rest of the nation (people who don't play fantasy baseball) learn about the Angels' young power-hitting first baseman, Mark Trumbo, and speedy outfielder Peter Bourjos in front of the bright lights of the postseason stage.

No. 2 Texas Rangers vs. No. 7 Toronto Blue Jays

I have a dream where Jose Bautista,  the most feared hitter in MLB, gets a chance to play in the postseason.

No. 1 Philadelphia Phillies vs. No. 8 Washington Nationals

I have a dream of watching the Washington Nationals try to pull off one of the biggest upsets in sports history, meaning a postseason series win over the seemingly unstoppable Phillies.

Nuggets versus Sonics, anyone?

No. 4 St. Louis Cardinals vs. No. 5 Atlanta Braves

I have a dream of watching Chipper Jones try to shine in one more postseason appearance.

A dream where we can watch Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman on ESPN, in prime time, in the playoffs, battle against Chris Carpenter.

No. 3 Arizona Diamondbacks vs. No. 6 San Francisco Giants

I have a dream of watching the Giants attempt to defend their World Series championship with three games in Arizona against a young and exciting team like the Diamondbacks.

No. 2 Milwaukee Brewers vs. No. 7 Los Angeles Dodgers

I have a dream where I get to watch 23-year-old Clayton Kershaw, with a 21-5 regular season record, battle against Zack Greinke and the Milwaukee Brewers in the most important postseason for the Brewers since 1982.