It's a 21-game season

We awake today to find the Wild Things, Evansville Otters and Southern Illinois Miners tied for first place in the East Division (technically, Evansville is .003 ahead of the other two).

The first 75 games of the season now are basically meaningless, unless they are used to break a tie. To win a division title and avoid the dreaded one-game playoff as a wild card or missing the playoffs, the Wild Things must be better than the Otters, Miners and fourth-place Lake Erie Crushers, who are only 3 1/2 games out of first place, over the next 21 games.

The Otters will play another 22 games because of a makeup game remaining against Florence. Evansville and Lake Erie each will end the season with only 95 games because of contests that have been rained out and will not be rescheduled, so winning percentage will be more important than games behind in the standings.

Analyzing the remaining schedules for each of the East Division contenders, we find that all four have three series left at home and four on the road. That, however, is where the similarities end. If you look at the number of games remaining against teams currently with winning records, and the winning percentage of the nine opponents to be played, two things become obvious: 1. The Wild Things are at a distinct disadvantage. 2. Southern Illinois is the favorite to win the title.

The schedulemaker did hit a home run as Evansville will end the season with a three-game series at Washington while Southern Illinois plays at Lake Erie.

Here's a breakdown of each team's remaining schedule:

Washington
At home: River City, Gateway, Evansville
On road: Windy City, Evansville, River City, Gateway
Doubleheaders left: vs. River City
Games left vs. teams with winning record: 18
Winning percentage of remaining opponents: .569

Evansville
At home: Washington, Windy City, Florence (4 games)
On road: Schaumburg, Traverse City, Rockford, Washington
Doubleheaders left: vs. Windy City, vs. Florence, at Traverse City
Games left vs. teams with winning record: 9
Winning percentage of remaining opponents: .489

Southern Illinois
At home: Greys, Florence, Normal
On road: Rockford, River City, Traverse City, Lake Erie
Doubleheaders left: None
Games left vs. teams with winning record: 6
Winning percentage of remaining opponents: .461

Lake Erie
At home: Gateway, River City, Southern Illinois
On road: Joliet, Traverse City, Normal, River City
Doubleheaders left: None
Games left vs. teams with winning record: 12
Winning percentage of remaining opponents: .527