If you're a fan of about half of the teams in MLB, your September is going to be a thankless venture, chock full of games that have no impact on your team's playoff chance. If you're a fan of say, the Twins, your team isn't officially out of the playoff picture yet, but that'll be coming sooner rather than later.
And really, who wants to watch a team that isn't playing for anything at all? I thought I'd do my best to talk all baseball fans off the ledge over the season's final month, and possibly prevent them from giving their full attention to football. So if you're a fan of any team or not, playoff contender or not, here's why you should keep watching your team this month.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Watching Paul Goldschmidt mash taters is really fun. Also, watching every fly ball hit from left center to right field die in the glove of AJ Pollock or Gerardo Parra must be pretty exciting. And if you like being depressed at the expense of a more entertaining baseball game, The Heath Bell Experience is in full effect.
Atlanta Braves: Andrelton Simmons does something in the field every night that makes your eyes pop out of their sockets. Plus, Craig Kimbrel's ability to make batters look foolish is simply hilarious.
Baltimore Orioles: Chris Davis' quest for the highest single season home run total in Orioles history is nearing its inevitable conclusion.
Boston Red Sox: These could be the last days of the frustrating, yet rewarding, Jacoby Ellsbury era. This Red Sox team is at least a lot more likable than last year's squad, that's for sure.
Chicago Cubs: Uh…Alfonso Soriano is gone, so just to go Wrigley, enjoy an Old Style, and hope Anthony Rizzo is having one of his "on" days.
Chicago White Sox: These *are* the last days of Paul Konerko, who looks like a shell of his former self. He's one of the greatest White Sox players of all-time, and paying your respects to him is recommended, because it might not get much better on the South Side over the next few years. Oh, and Chris Sale is awesome.
Cincinnati Reds: Billy Hamilton, pinch runner extraordinaire. The buzz at Great American Ballpark when Hamilton is on first base is amazing. Also, Joey Votto's brilliance at the plate is underrated and something that should be lauded.
Cleveland Indians: This is the best Indians team in five years, and Tribe fans deserve to see a player like Jason Kipnis have himself a 20/20 season.
Colorado Rockies: Bidding farewell to Rockies legend Todd Helton, one of the more underrated players of the last 20 years, is a nice reason to go to Coors Field. Getting to see legitimate superstars like Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez healthy and productive is just another perk.
Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera's chase for a second Triple Crown could be derailed by his abdomen injury, but it's still a possibility. Max Scherzer's Cy Young candidacy on the other hand, is alive and well.
Houston Astros: The future is now in Houston, and most of the mediocre veterans that made up the Astros' early season roster have been jettisoned. If George Springer joins the club at all this month, watching his plate appearances will be appointment viewing.
Kansas City Royals: Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler are killing the ball in the second half, and those two are ridiculously fun to watch. Don't forget about Greg Holland, the best reliever in baseball that you haven't heard of.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: In a lost year for the Angels, Mike Trout remains awesome, seven homers shy of another 30/30 season.
Los Angeles Dodgers: You never know what Yasiel Puig is going to do next, be it throwing out runners at third from right field, smashing monstrous home runs, or causing all sorts of drama on and off the field.
Miami Marlins: This could be it for Giancarlo Stanton in Miami, and wouldn't it be cool to tell your friends that you saw him when he was with the Marlins after he gets traded to the Yankees?
Milwaukee Brewers: Carlos Gomez and Jean Segura, proving that when the Brewers trade their star players, they generally get a solid return.
Minnesota Twins: This is a more somber one – Joe Mauer's career might never be the same again following his recent concussion. If he plays again this season, Twins fans owe it to themselves to take in a game and hope that he recovers better than Justin Morneau did.
New York Mets: Um…because the Jets are probably going to be even worse than the Mets this year? In reality, after all of the injuries the Mets have suffered over the last month or so, there isn't much of a reason to watch the Mets, so I'll just go with the stock response of "because it's baseball, and baseball is awesome".
New York Yankees: Mariano Rivera's farewell season is going to be a sight to see. This also could be the last year of Robinson Cano in pinstripes, and may also be Derek Jeter's swan song as well.
Oakland Athletics: Beards. Raging. Yoenis Cespedes hitting moon shots. Coco Crisp's unbelievable recent hot streak. Josh Donaldson's breakout season. Anything to avoid the Raiders, really.
Philadelphia Phillies: Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee are still awesome. This also is looking like the end of the road of Roy Halladay as an ace. Darin Ruf is also getting regular playing time, and while he might not be a long-term answer for the team, he's at least fun to watch play.
Pittsburgh Pirates: This is the best season of Pirates baseball in 20 years, with an extremely fun to watch team and a bona fide franchise cornerstone. If there's any fanbase that *should* tune in to every game in September, it's the Pirates.
San Diego Padres: Andrew Cashner is finally developing into the guy the Padres thought they were getting from the Cubs in the Anthony Rizzo trade.
San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey is still awesome, and will be a Giant forever.
Seattle Mariners: Bow down to the King, even if he has back tightness every so often. Felix Hernandez is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and one of the few redeeming things about Seattle's season.
St Louis Cardinals: Watching Yadier Molina's masterful handling of the Cardinals' pitching staff is like watching a great composer at work. Speaking of great composers, Adam Wainwright's ability to simply not walk anyone is astounding.
Tampa Bay Rays: David Price could be heading out of Tampa after the season, so squeeze every drop you can out of watching him and Matt Moore confound opposing hitters.
Texas Rangers: You've got Adrian Beltre, one of the most underrated players in baseball, and Yu Darvish, one of the best pitchers in baseball, on the same team. Where can you go wrong?
Toronto Blue Jays: Edwin Encarnacion is just as good this year as he was last year, while Brett Lawrie is finally tapping into his limitless potential now that he's healthy.
Washington Nationals: Seeing if the organization can further alienate and piss off Bryce Harper is absolutely fascinating, and if you're a Nationals fan, infuriating.
Enjoy the final three and a half weeks of baseball, everyone!
