We are barreling toward the playoffs, which begin next week. But some of the races are not determined officially yet…namely, the Rockies have clinched a playoff berth but still have a shot at the division title. The Twins are hanging tough, having fended off elimination one more day. Other than that, the races are decided. Here are the final power rankings for the regular season…..

1. New York Yankees (102-58)—Absolutely no signs of slowing down, and that’s probably a good thing with the playoffs looming.

2. Los Angeles Angels (95-65)—Will this be the year the Angels finally break their playoff curse against the Red Sox?

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (93-67)—These guys have been playing mediocre ball since Manny came back, and now they are in danger of blowing the division lead.

4. Boston Red Sox (93-67)—The Sox seem to be able to beat up on everyone except the Yankees. And that could prove to be a problem in the next two weeks.

5. Philadelphia Phillies (92-68)—No matter who the closer is, this team has to like its chances with Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels going 1-2 in a short series.

6. St. Louis Cardinals (91-69)—Sometimes coasting to the division title makes a team complacent, and winning 4 of 10 games is complacent. Plus, the NL matchups are yet to be determined, so the Cards don’t know who their first opponent will be.

7. Colorado Rockies (92-68)—You don’t get as hot as the Rockies, who are 74-40 since Jim Tracy took over as manager. I mean, are you kidding me? I’d be really worried if I were any other team these guys might face in the postseason.

8. Detroit Tigers (85-75)—They’ve been in first place just about since day one, but the feisty Twins are making live miserable. Still, the Tigers have had to fight and that could give them momentum against the Yankees. Well, if they hang on to win the division.

9. Minnesota Twins (84-76)—They earn a spot here because they are still in the race.

10. San Francisco Giants (87-73)—Lots of promise this season, but couldn’t fend off a white hot Rockies team in the end.

We’ve reached the All-Star break in the 2009 MLB season and if you’re a true baseball fan, it’s hard not to love what transpired over the first half of the season.

There have been plenty of surprises (Giants, Tigers, Raul Ibanez), letdowns (Diamondbacks, Indians, Manny Ramirez) and of course, the usual horrid play from certain clubs (Nationals, Pirates, Royals). But overall, it’s been a fun year thus far and it’s shaping up to be an exciting finish in both leagues.

Since we’re at the halfway point in the season, I felt it was only appropriate to put together power rankings based on what we saw in the first half. I also grouped each team into one of three categories: Contender, Pretender and Wait-Until-Next-Year. If you can’t figure out what those categories mean, then call your neighbor up and tell him to bring over a bat so he can beat you for your incompetence.

Enjoy the rankings, the rest of the baseball season, and the Kleenex that you’ll have to use for when you cry about how I ranked your favorite team too low.

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