Crunch time kicks in this week for pennant chasers

September is usually fun time for those pursuing the postseason.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
For Barry Bonds, Ichiro Suzuki and half the teams in the major leagues, Labor Day means one thing: Be it playoff races or record chases, there's still a lot of work to be done.
Ray Durham, for one, is eager to begin the stretch drive.
"The month of September is fun," the San Francisco leadoff man said. "I've always heard people say they don't really watch the first half of the season anyway because the most exciting time in baseball is after the All-Star break. It's true.
"I think a bad week or so can definitely kill a team that's in contention. Or vice versa, a team can have a good week or a good two weeks the last month of the season and could win the wild card -- like the Marlins did. It propelled them into the playoffs and into the World Series," he said.
Scramble on deck
What a wild card scramble it is this year, heading down to the final regular season game on Oct. 3. And for good reason -- baseball's last two champions, Anaheim and then Florida -- came from that extra postseason slot.
World Series MVP Josh Beckett and Florida are now making a late push in the NL, so are Roger Clemens and his Houston Astros, and San Diego is in it, too.
So is Mr. Bonds, with his 696 career home runs and a shot at a seventh MVP award.
Going into weekend, those teams were all within three games of the NL wild card leaders, Sammy Sosa and the Chicago Cubs. That's good news for the pursuers, based on recent history.
No club has ever overcome a September deficit of more than three games to win the wild card, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The 2001 Cardinals and 2002 Giants were both exactly three games back early in the month before earning their way in.
"It's almost like it was last season -- we know we can come back," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said.
Chase in East
Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling and the Boston Red Sox showed signs of pulling away for the AL wild card as they won nine straight going into the weekend, dropping back Anaheim and Texas.
With six games left against the New York Yankees, the Red Sox still were within striking range of their age-old rivals. Then again, Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield the Yankees are looking for a lot more than the wild card, despite a rotation that's been shaky of late.
Only another championship will satisfy George Steinbrenner and anyone else who takes pride in the pinstripes.
"The Boss is always going to give you the opportunity to get there because he's going to spend the money to put people in your clubhouse. I think everybody is very disappointed if the ultimate doesn't happen," Yankees manager Joe Torre said.
Atlanta (aiming for its 13th straight division title), St. Louis, Minnesota and Los Angeles all held comfortable leads going into the weekend.
"Our best baseball is ahead of us. I really believe that," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said.
Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds and newcomer Larry Walker have given St. Louis the best record in the majors. The Twins, led by Cy Young candidate Johan Santana, held a big edge in the AL Central.
"I hate to be cocky, but if we lose this lead right here I don't think we should have a team," showy center fielder Torii Hunter said.
The Twins led Cleveland by nine games as the weekend approached. According to Elias, no major league team has ever overcome such a large edge in September to win a division or league title.
The Cardinals made up an 81/2-game gap in September 1964 to win the NL pennant, helped by Philadelphia's infamous collapse under manager Gene Mauch. This year, the Phillies' fold may cost manager Larry Bowa his job.
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