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For a decade and a half, the Yankees and the Red Sox have been in a club by themselves. But the Tigers, the Rangers and the Angels are knocking on the door to superpower status.

The Angels and Rangers have legitimately joined the Yankees and Red Sox in terms of operating on an extremely high payroll level.

The stakes are higher for Rangers manager Ron Washington than they are for Cardinals manager Tony La Russa because Washington must overcome perceptions about his competence.

It's too bad non-playoff news has drawn more attention than the Texas Rangers, who are most worthy of the game's attention after winning their second straight American League pennant.

The Tigers and Rangers have gone at it for five games, and the possibility of two more to decide the winner makes for great anticipation.

The Rangers haven't dominated the first two games of the ALCS, but what they have done is produce in the biggest moments.

The Rangers, who have undergone several changes in the past year, are back on the national stage with the potential to become the American League's next superpower.

Entering a new season as the defending AL champions, the Rangers survived an offseason of uncommon turbulence that could make them stronger.

Bud Selig talks about parity, but winter moves shift the power in baseball even more firmly to the east. A salary cap or other equalizing measure would limit the ability of its biggest, most watched teams to dominate.