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You heard it right. The Detroit Tigers have won the 2012 World Series before it even starts.

It doesn’t matter who wins between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Tigers are currently the hottest team in baseball.

Most importantly, Justin Verlander is performing like the best pitcher in baseball with a playoff ERA of 0.74.

It is not like he has not been magnificent before, but this is the first year he has pitched well in the playoffs. Before this postseason, the best he performed in any playoff round was when Verlander posted a 5.00 ERA against the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series.

It is great that Verlander is going to get a ring, but his accomplishment doesn’t hide the obvious issue with the Tigers winning the World Series this year—they didn’t belong in the playoffs in the first place.

The Tigers finished the season with a record of 88-74. They won a division title with that record, but the Tigers only had the seventh-best record in the American League.

The Tigers were just 21-18 against the AL East, and finished seven games below .500 against the AL West. The Tigers won the AL Central only because Major League Baseball unjustly believes that one division is equal to the others.

It makes no sense to give a team an unfair advantage based on geography. It is also problematic that so many teams qualify for the playoffs in baseball.

MLB should just put all the teams in each league in one large division and play balanced schedules. That would be the best and fairest way of figuring out who the best teams in baseball really are.

We all realize that money was the major reason for the creation of three divisions in each league and Wild Card teams. MLB seemed to get along just fine from 1903 to 1968 with just a World Series and no playoffs.

Many baseball purists did not like the creation of divisions and the League Championship Series in 1969. Of course, their disdain has increased over time. It is just ridiculous that six more teams have been added since 1969 while there has been an equal rise in playoff teams during that time.

I would have thought that a 162-game schedule would have been of sufficient length to figure out who the best or perhaps the two best teams in each league were each season. I obviously thought wrong.

The regular season is just a waste of time right now.  The best teams in baseball are routinely being defeated by squads that happen to get on a hot streak during the playoffs.

No team that had the best regular season record in a given year has won or even been to the World Series since 2009. In 2009, the New York Yankees led the American League with 103 wins and won the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The issue of too many teams is not just a baseball problem—it exists in all four major sports.

If you count the Washington Nationals and the Yankees from MLB this year, only two of the last 18 teams that won their league or conference have even gone on to play for a championship the same season. The New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl earlier this year, and the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup in 2011.

In 2009, the New Orleans Saints had the best record in the NFC and went on to win the Super Bowl. Also in 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and they won the NBA Championship. The last time an NHL team won the Stanley Cup as a No. 1 seed was in 2008 with the Detroit Red Wings.

The NBA and the NHL exasperate the problem by playing 82-game seasons while having more teams making the playoffs than missing them. It is easy to understand why fans of those sports sometimes say they don’t start watching the sport until the playoffs commence.

Just last season, the NHL had a No. 8 seed win the Stanley Cup. The New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI with a regular-season record of 9-7, the worst mark ever for a Super Bowl Champion.

Fans of teams that win championships after having mediocre regular seasons don’t care about the fairness of the process. It is all about the T-shirt and hat.

Tigers fans will get that T-shirt and hat while most baseball enthusiasts get the shaft.

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Only one round away from the World Series and baseball fanatics are already dreaming up potential pairings in the Fall Classic.

Historic MLB franchises make up the postseason’s final four, with all but the American south represented in the field (they’re a baseball region anyway).

The Giants make up the West Coast, Detroit the blue collar Midwest, St. Louis the midway point between east and west coasts, with lastly the Yankees’ giant American following.

Let’s not forget the World Series history of each these clubs. This postseason is not any of their first rodeos in recent years. All of them have played in the championship series in the past decade, some with more experience than others (Yanks, Cards).

For predictions sake, let’s rank the four juiciest potential matchups.

4. San Francisco Giants vs. Detroit Tigers

I’m a bit of a history buff and this series, has well, no previous postseason chronicles.

What this matchup does lack in history though, it makes up for in bats. David Freese and Carlos Beltran on one side with Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder in the other dugout makes for a fantasy slugfest.

For those attending those potential games, make sure to bring your glove. Bombs away.

3. St. Louis Cardinals vs. Detroit Tigers

No disrespect for the Tigers, but any series with the Yankees makes for more compelling baseball, and why Detroit’s finest is absent from the top two.

Still, the revenge factor is in play for Detroit, from St. Louis’ World Series win over them in 2006.

Justin Verlander vs. the World Champions, as well, will make for some intense drama. The Tigers’ ace will be called on to carry his team not once, nor twice, but possibly three times against an experienced postseason squad.

2. St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Yankees

Bob Gibson won’t be pitching in Game 1, but a rematch of the 1964 World Series would have their host of pitching aces.

C.C. Sabathia, the Yankees rock, pitched an opportune Game 5 performance to get his team into the ALCS, while St Louis’ Chris Carpenter has been one of the most underrated aces of the last decade.

Much like the Series in ’64, this one might go the full seven games.

1. San Francisco Giants vs. New York Yankees

The state of New York would have a conundrum on its hands with Brooklyn’s old team facing its former rival from the Bronx.

With 58 World Series appearances and 33 championship rings between the two teams, the history books would welcome a matchup of these two baseball superpowers. Not to mention a West Coast-East Coast clash that would split the country in two.

They haven’t faced each other in the Fall Classic since 1962, but this one would open historic memories, with too many stars to count

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Last night, the Oakland Coliseum was rocking. And no, it wasn’t for the Raiders.

Because of their improbable, amazing second-half run, the Athletics had finally earned the fan support they strived for. It seemed inevitable that the A’s were going to miss the playoffs, especially after entering the All-Star break with a 43-43 record.

Oh, and September wasn’t going to be very kind to the A’s, either.

However, the A’s dominated in July and August, excelling in close games. They didn’t limp through September, when everyone thought they would crumble. The Rangers, Angels, Orioles, Tigers and Yankees were among the teams who faced the A’s, and Oakland dominated in those games.

Their poor hitting didn’t stop them. Their lack of experience didn’t stop them. Actually, nothing stopped them. Now they are in the playoffs, and they are just two wins away from winning the AL West. 

In their game last night against the Rangers, Grant Balfour, Oakland’s inexperienced closer, threw a nasty, cut fastball. It hit 97 mph, and it was enough to fan Mike Napoli. Balfour struck out the side in the ninth, mixing his high heat with his nasty slider to KO the Rangers.

A whole city erupted with joy. Everyone in the country smiled. The A’s did it. A team without much talent or money came through in the clutch, just like the 2002 team that had a movie and book dedicated to them.

A’s fans were clamoring to bring in top prospects and make a big trade. After all, the Rangers and Angels were in their division, the Orioles and White Sox were doing well and the Red Sox were sure to make a run at the playoffs (they didn’t, though). And how could you count out the Rays, who had made an improbable run in 2011.

Then, their offense exploded against the Twins, as they swept Minnesota. The Rangers took the first of a two-game set, but a walk-off home run from Brandon Hicks propelled the A’s to a win in the second game.

The Yankees were next, and that was the series that changed the season for the 47-44 A’s. They won four consecutive one-run games, capping it off with a comeback win. Seth Smith hit a tying home run in the ninth, and Coco Crisp capped off the sweep with a walk-off hit.

Balfour, Ryan Cook and Brandon McCarthy were sure to stay in Oakland. The fans got into it. Everyone started talking about the A’s. Eventually, they climbed into the playoff race, winning nine straight at one point. Now, the team with 14 walk-offs is headed to the playoffs.

Despite having Cliff Pennington (or Adam Rosales), Derek Norris and Josh Donaldson in their lineup, Oakland’s offense exploded. Yoenis Cespedes performed well, Brandon Moss always came up with clutch hits, Crisp and Stephen Drew got on base a lot at the top of the order, Donaldson exceeded expectations while replacing Brandon Inge at third base and much, much more happened.

Jarrod Parker won 13 games while getting the win in the clincher and pitching like an ace, especially with the pressure elevated. Balfour, Cook and Sean Doolittle became a formidable relief trio, while Tommy Milone, Travis Blackley and A.J Griffin exceeded expectations as inexperienced rookies.

Now, the lights are shining even brighter. Blackley and Griffin are in charge of winning the AL West for Oakland, which would make them the top seed. Even if they can’t, there will be a one-game playoff at Camden Yards, Yankee Stadium or the Coliseum. 

Playing in Yankee Stadium would frighten most young, inexperienced teams. But the A’s aren’t like those teams. They come up with big hits, key pitches and great performances. Usually, that leads to wins. It has certainly led to wins in the second half, where Oakland is 49-25.

Oakland has power, pitching and clutch hitting. This formula has been amazingly successful in the second half, and Bob Melvin has helped. He has mixed and matched his team to perfection, and his strategy is working perfectly.

Can the A’s continue their magical run? Certainly. The teams around them won’t overwhelm the A’s. They’ve had success against the Yankees, Rangers and Orioles, and the Tigers are definitely beatable.

Parker will have to pitch like an ace and continue to hit his spots. Griffin will have to keep his magic going. Blackley will have to piece together a decent performance, and Milone will, too. Balfour will have to be as dominant as he was against the Rangers, and Doolittle and Cook will need to lock down the seventh and eighth innings.

But in all honesty, there’s no limit for the A’s. They are a great team, they play the game the right way and they come up clutch. So, while it might seem like the A’s are going to falter, they won’t. Because they aren’t going to back down. So unless the A’s are outplayed, they won’t lose. What does that mean?

It means that the A’s can win the World Series.

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports. 

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A World Series Championship is the greatest accomplishment for a Major League Baseball player, no matter what team he plays for.

But for the institution of Major League Baseball itself, the team that wins its ultimate prize carries heavy implications.

Like it or not, a small-market Cinderella team bringing home the trophy bears little impact compared to one of baseball’s legendary franchises. Teams like the Oakland A’s or the Pittsburgh Pirates are difficult to market for baseball, leaving the more casual fanbase apathetic to the story of the season as a whole.

By the same token, any sport is happy to tap into a potentially expansive market would gladly put exciting fresh blood at the forefront of advertising the sport.

For these reasons, the Washington Nationals are the perfect team to capture the World Series this year.

The Nationals moved to Washington D.C. before the 2005 season after baseball failed to catch on in Montreal. Since the move, the Nats have never finished above .500 or made the playoffs. Despite the large market of the District of Columbia and surrounding states like Virginia and Maryland, the Nats could not put up significant attendance figures due to the futility of the franchise.

Nonetheless, the area has the potential to be a big baseball market. Population is not an issue, the way it might be for teams like the Royals or the Brewers.

Other D.C. teams like the Wizards (NBA) and Capitals (NHL) have not completely monopolized the fanbase, largely because neither team has won a championship in more than thirty years.

A parade in the capital could turn the attention of millions to the Nats.

Additionally, youngsters Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper have already proven to be two of the most marketable future stars in baseball. Strasburg, of course, is shut down for the remainder of the season, but his bright future would correspond nicely to marketing a Nats‘ championship defense.

Harper is one of the most-followed baseball figures in years, and he does not shy away from the spotlight.

Strasburg, Harper and their supporting cast, including Jayson Werth, Gio Gonzalez and Ryan Zimmerman fit nicely in baseball’s strategy of promoting key players on successful teams.

Cole Hamels, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard became household names across the league as a result of Philadelphia‘s 2008 World Series victory. Tim Lincecum and Buster Posey were catapulted to stardom in 2010.

Thanks to their big-stage success, these names are as recognizable as Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Josh Hamilton.

More so than any other surprisingly successful team in baseball during 2012, the Nationals present baseball with the opportunity to add a new squad of players to its nationwide identity.

The team has compelling stars that the league can market and the potential to create a brand new rabid fanbase in the nation’s capital.

Like it or not, baseball wants to see the Nats in the World Series.

Dan Kelley has been a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist since 2011. Follow him on Twitter: @dxkelley

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