The Playoffs Delimma.

As the baseball playoffs fast approach all but the National League Wild Card has been decided. The teams that have made it?

American League East: Boston Red Sox
American League Central: Cleveland Indians
American League West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
American League Wild Card: New York Yankees

National League East: Philadelphia Phillies
National League Central: Chicago Cubs
National League West: Arizona Dimondbacks
National League Wild Card: Either the Colorado Rockies or San Diego Padres, pending tiebreaker tomorrow.

The Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres are tied for the Wild Card in the National League, and since the season is over, they will have to play each other to see who goes to the playoffs.

With my Dodgers officially out of it (they have been for awhile) it's time to decide who to cheer for in the playoffs. That presents me (and fans like me) with a quandry: who to root for if your team isn't in it. Others may choose arbitrarily, but I have a system (that has, until now, resided only in my head) for picking who to root for.

The System
Here is my rough system for deciding who to root for. It is based on the NL vs. AL fued, but also roughly based on geographic loyalty.

1. The Los Angeles Dodgers always take precedent, no matter the circumstances.
2. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim always take precedent, with the exception of the Dodgers.
3. The National League always takes precedent over the American League, with the exception of the Angels, provided they are not playing the Dodgers.
4. West Coast Teams always take precedent over East Coast teams.
5. West Coast Teams always take precedent over Central League teams.
6. Central League teams always take precedent over East Coast teams.
7. Any team in the National League takes precedent over the San Francisco Giants or San Diego Padres.
8. Any team in the league takes precedent over the New York Yankees.

Now, this does not take into account games where West Coast teams play each other. In the National League, this is largely influenced by its effect on the Dodgers in the standings. In the playoffs (where, due to the Wild Card, two West Coast teams may end up playing each other to advance), preference is as follows: Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Padres, Giants. The Dodgers, as mentioned above, always take precedence, and the Padres and Giants are always loathed, due to geographical rivalries. In the case of the Rockies and Diamondbacks, my choice is mandated by geographic proximity.

In the American League West, like the National League West, the Angels always take precedence, and during regular season play I root for whatever outcome most favors their success in the standings. In the playoffs, the order goes as follows: Angels, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers. Texas is an oddball in the American League West, as they are more in the center of the states geographically. The Athletics are from Northern California, and and thus must be brought down a peg. The Mariners are definitely a West Coast team, so they take precedent over Oakland and Texas, but not the Angels.

Regarding possible playoff matches of two Central League teams or two East Coast Teams, my attitude is largely indifferent and my choice completely arbitrary. If the teams had a negative impact on either the Angels or the Dodgers, I will tend to disfavor them. I also may tend to root for the underdog in these cases.

Playoff Priority
Okay, so here is a rough order of preference for teams in the playoffs.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colrado Rockies

5. Chicago Cubs
5. Milwalkee Brewers
5. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Houston Astros
5. Cincinnati Reds
5. Pittsburgh Pirates

6. New York Mets
6. Philadelphia Phillies
6. Atlanta Braves
6. Washington Nationals
6. Florida Marlins

7. San Diego Padres
8. San Francisco Giants

9. Seattle Mariners
9. Oakland Athletics
9. Texas Rangers

10. Celeveland Indians
10. Detroit Tigers
10. Minnesota Twins
10. Chicago White Sox
10. Kansas City Royals

11. Boston Red Sox
11. Toronto Blue Jays
11. Baltimore Orioles
11. Tampa Bay Devil Rays

12. New York Yankees*

* Please, anybody but the Yankees

What It it Means for 2007
Tomorrow, the Rockies play the Padres in a Wild Card tiebreaker. According to the above specs, I root for the Rockies.

Later this week the following playoff series will take place (National League playoffs still to be influenced by Rockies/Padres tiebreaker):

LA Angels vs. Boston Red Sox
Cleveland Indians vs. NY Yankees

The Angels will take precedence over the Red Sox and the Indians will take Precedence over the Yankees.

My ideal American League champion? The Angels, naturally. My ideal National League champion? Right now it would be the Diamondbacks. My ideal World Series Match-up for this year?

Angels vs. Phillies, in 7. Because I love the drama of East vs. West Coast.