2011 MLB Playoffs: A Tribute to Baseball's Central Divisions

That’s right: three of the four remaining teams in the MLB are from the central.

The National League Championship Series will pit St. Louis against Milwaukee (both NL Central).

The American League Championship will feature Detroit (AL Central) against Texas (AL West).

And, really, Texas is in the middle of the country (look at a map).

Wasn’t the NLCS supposed to be the defending champion San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies (with their amazing pitching rotation)?

Wasn’t the ALCS supposed to be a showdown of the beasts of the East: the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox?

San Francisco couldn’t hit, Boston choked, and two teams from the Midwest defeated the Fighting Phils and the Brooklyn Bombers.

Let it be known: the best baseball is being played in the middle of the country this year.

And it’s great for the sport.

People in the Midwest have filled their stadiums, with St. Louis and Milwaukee both in the top 10 of MLB attendance. Detroit is not far away at No. 13.

Remember, the Cardiac Cardinals were not supposed to make the playoffs this year.

Milwaukee hasn’t won a pennant since 1982.

Detroit hasn’t won their division since 1987 (let's be honest, it’s because the Twins, No. 4 in attendance this year, are the class of the division—they won the World Series that year).

People in the Midwest are committed to their teams.

There’s financial commitment to baseball in the Midwest: Central Division teams own four of the top 10 payrolls. The Cardinals, No. 11 at $105.4 million, are very close to Detroit, at No. 10 ($105.7 million).

Of course, the big-market teams are going to get the most attention, because ESPN has customized sites for New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas (and rightfully so, there are great fans in each location). However, it comes at the expense of well-supported small-market teams.

Case in point: Milwaukee is the smallest television market in baseball, but they ranked No. 7 in attendance this year (37,918 per game, 90.5 percent)—higher than the Red Sox (small park, I know), the Cubs, Rangers, Dodgers, Mets and White Sox.

There’s a lot of media focus on how Prince Fielder "wants out" of Milwaukee.

Remember, his agent is Scott Boras. It could be a clever ploy to use leverage against the Brewers and get his guy a blockbuster contract—although, reports indicate that’s not the case.

Even if he leaves, there has been little said about Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo, who have all signed long-term with the Brewers.

The impression is that players don’t want to play there. That’s far from the truth. One player, Prince Fielder, has indicated he doesn’t want to play there.

Ultimately, the best teams in the MLB have come from America’s Heartland this year.

That’s how it’s done in the Midwest.

Tom Schreier is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He covers baseball and hockey.

Follow him on Twitter @tschreier3.

This article can also be found on FanManifesto.com.