The field of contenders includes four (Playwright, Sidewalk Cafe, Shannon's, and Spartans) who have enough pitching, hitting, and defense to win it all. Not since the 1988 season when the Jimmy Burgio led United Cleaners were crowned champions has four teams entered the playoffs with a legitimate chance of winning the title.

Additionally, the upset-minded Boston Beer Garden is looking for some due respect this year and has the potent offense to carry them. Following closely behind the Beer Garden is the Il Giardino Cafe, who had a great run (11-1) in the early part of the season but then struggled by season's end. They will try to find that early form to knock off their playoff opponent in the first round. The Junction and the Hit Dawgs round out the field of eight with both looking for monumental upsets. The quarterfinal pairings are the following:

The Playwright (17-3, 1st place) vs. Hit Dawgs (6-14, 8th place) - This best of three series started on Monday and could be over by the time we go to print. The powerhouse Playwright is looking for a championship and will not let the pesky Dawgs stand in the way. The Dawgs on the other hand, got into the playoffs last Friday when they scored nine runs in the fourth inning against the Playwright in an 18-12 upset victory. If the Dawgs win this series then it will go down as the biggest upset in the thirty plus years of M Street softball playoffs.

Sidewalk Cafe (17-3, 2nd place) vs. The Junction (7-13, 7th place) - the four time defending champion Sidewalk Cafe are playing their best ball of the season and are focused on another championship run. The Junction has some talented ball players who could give the Sidewalk fits if they get rolling. This best of three series started on Tuesday with game two scheduled for tonight (Thursday, Aug. 26) at 8pm on the N Street field.

Shannon's Tavern (16-4, 3rd place) vs. TBD (6th place) - Shannon's will hope to regroup in the playoffs as they struggled in the last three weeks with a pair of losses to the Sidewalk, and a loss to the Spartans. They have enough talent to win it all and have high expectations but will need to improve defensively to go the distance. Their playoff opponent was not determined at press time as the Beer Garden and Il Giardino were scheduled to play a playoff game for fifth place and sixth place on Tuesday. Shannon's will play the loser of that game in a best of three series. The series was scheduled to start yesterday (Wednesday, Aug. 25) with two games and continue on Friday (Aug. 27), if necessary.

Spartans (15-5, 4th place) vs. TBD (5th place) - the Spartans have enjoyed a great season of softball and could be the "dark horse" that rides in and steals the championship away. They were 2-4 against the top three teams in the league with each of their losses being tightly contested games. They added an additional pitcher (Maurice Wiggins) to compliment their speed, youth and talent. The Spartans are scheduled to start their best of three series with two games tonight (Thursday, Aug. 26) against the winner of Tuesday's Beer Garden and Il Giardino game.

In addition to the great playoff pairings, the M Street Softball playoffs will feature countless individual efforts by all-star caliber players. Some of the stars to watch for include Playwright's pitcher Jerry Thomes (1.57 ERA), the leadership of the Spartans pitcher Jimmy McNiff, the awesome hitting of Sidewalk's Charles Zaniboni (.683), the power of Beer Garden's Danny McElaney (11 HR) and Mark Landolfi (10 HR), and the gloves of Playwright's Mike Smith, Spartans Matt Rogers, and Sidewalk's Jason Allen.

However, as much as the star players are needed to win the title will most likely be decided by the input from the role players. The guys whose names are not well known at the time but then go out and play above their expectations, play an incredible series, or do something spectacular to win a game.

Folks you won't want to miss this opportunity to witness the city's finest softball players go head-to-head. The weather has been great and the on field action will be intense. The players really enjoy playing in front of spectators and will appreciate your attendance. The games are played nightly Monday through Thursday starting at 6:30 PM at M Street Park. Admission is free and my uncle Tony will even save a seat for you. We hope to see you there!