Researcher extraordinaire and elitist Brandon Chizum checks in with his take on the last week of the season:

With Diet Coke in hand and my MLB.TV subscription in full effect, I have begun the task of watching as much baseball as possible this final week, and hence, have placed an understandable emphasis on viewing those integral “pre-playoff” games.

If one were to glance at the current league standings, in particular the A.L. West and N.L. Wild Card battles, it would become apparent that the game of baseball can be dangerous for those with high blood pressure (unless you’re Larry Bowa). So please, relax these next few days, find a comfortable chair, unplug the phone, and imbibe that frosty beverage so near to your heart, because the end of this season is certain to provide a nail-biting experience.

And sure, the old-timers (i.e., LaRussa, Cox, Torre) are already at “dinner,” their seats reserved near the buffet line, but Baker, Alou, Scioscia, Showalter, et al., are engaged in dogfights, each determined to gain the upper hand, and in turn, secure a seat on baseball’s greatest stage where anything is possible; just ask Jack McKeon.

This season has been filled with many wonderful games and terrific athletic feats, at times surpassing even our own expectations for baseball greatness. So here’s looking forward to MLB’s postseason -- a time when America gathers to celebrate the beautiful game with which we are all enamored. And to reflect upon what a wonderful season we have witnessed.

So my question for you is: What team will provide the most fireworks, and hence, will be the most dangerous team in the playoffs this year?

And by the way, Jeff Buckley’s “Live at Sin-ê” is beyond description; I’m disappointed with myself for not learning of his musical existence earlier. Also, another soon-to-be-gem, Elliott Smith’s “from a basement on the hill,” will be released on October 19. I’m not sure if “Only the Good Die Young” can be labeled a maxim, but that statement is certainly worth a bit of reflection.