October 7, 2002 [LINK]
[Diamondbacks, Yankees eliminated]
Both of last year's World Series contenders have been eliminated after the first round of the playoffs!!? The Diamondbacks had lost their star Luis Gonzalez to injuries, but the Yankees have no such excuse. Apparently, this is the year of the scrappy underdogs, who have won ALL FOUR divisional series. Home field advantage has not made much difference; the home teams won only 8 of the 17 first-round games. Mediocre attendance may have hurt the Oakland A's and (to a lesser extent) the Atlanta Braves, but full houses in Arizona and New York were not enough to guarantee wins for the Diamondbacks and Yankees. Meanwhile, the lowly Angels, Twins, Giants, and Cardinals all drew big enthuasiastic crowds, and that may have helped put them over the top.