The 2006 MLB regular season is not even a quarter of the way done yet, but judging by how things have gone thus far, I get the feeling that this year is not going to lack any of the surprise and suspense seen in 2005 and 2004.
Take a look at the standings as of Tuesday morning and ask the following:
What if the MLB regular season ended today?
As of April 17, there’d be only four teams making a repeat appearance in the postseason.
How many from the National League, you ask? One.
Atlanta’s streak of 14-consecutive division crowns would be halted, the Cubs and Giants would be playoff-bound for the first time in three years, a sub-.500 team would represent the American League West, and the City of Cleveland would have a postseason team.
It comes as no surprise that the AL East has no teams under .500, including Baltimore, which is threatening to take over first place. The Orioles are 1 1/2 games behind the front-running Red Sox.
With 14 games under their belts, the Os are in contention thanks to reliable pitching. They have a three-game winner in Erik Bedard and their closer, Chris Ray, already has five saves.
Both Central divisions have teams showing promise, but it’s their traditional bottom-feeders who are making headlines.
In the AL Central, Cleveland is tied for first with the defending World Champion White Sox. At the same time, the Indians are fighting off Detroit, who trails by one game. Yes, Detroit. I’d be surprised if you can name three players on their roster. Chris Shelton should be one of them.
Shelton is one of the biggest stories in baseball this year. His league-leading home runs (9) and RBIs (17) earned him a montage on Sunday’s Sportscenter.
In the National League, Houston is in first place with a half-game lead over Chicago.
Phat Albert Pujols and the gang have St. Louis rebounding after being swept by the Cubs two weeks ago. Trailing the Cardinals by one game is Milwaukee, who has lost only one of its six games at home this season.
In the NL West, the Rockies have found new life despite making few roster changes in the offseason. Skipper Clint Hurdle currently has his sophomore-heavy club vying for the top spot in the division. Colorado trails San Francisco by 1 1/2 games.
This is the same team that finished 15 games out of first place in 2005 and was outscored 862-740.
Now the Rockies boast a 5-1 road record and have six players batting better than .300, one of whom is Garrett Atkins, whose .436 average is tops in the National League.
As I mentioned earlier, the regular season is just getting started so yes, everything can and will change in a matter of months.
But if anything can be guaranteed from these first opening weeks, it’s that this season won’t fall short of thrilling.

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