Here we are sports fans. Three weeks left in the regular season. This is about the time of year that we start to see the various playoff scenarios. The contenders play in meaningful “must win” games, while the pretenders look to play spoiler. Each year, the NFL has 12 postseason invitations. The eight division champs all make the playoffs, along with four wild card teams (two from each conference). So far, three teams have already locked up their division – Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, and New England Patriots. The Houston Texans have clinched a playoff berth, but are still battling the Indianapolis Colts for the division crown. With eight spots still up for grabs, there are still a significant number of teams battling down the stretch. Here’s my take on teams that look likely to punch their ticket for the playoffs:

Green Bay Packers – at 9-4, they are in control of the NFC North. They have a huge rivalry game this weekend in Chicago, and a win would clinch the division title.

San Francisco 49ers – With one of the stingiest defenses in the NFL, the 49ers are on the verge of clinching either the division or a wild card berth. They need to play hard though, because the Seattle Seahawks are right on their heels with rookie Russell Wilson leading the charge. Even if Seattle doesn’t catch the 49ers, I still look for them to wrap up a wild card berth and advance to the playoffs.

Baltimore Ravens – Leading the AFC North, but reeling from a 2 game losing streak, it’s time for the Ravens to put up or shut up. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are both right behind them in the division race.

Indianapolis Colts – Yes, the Colts are a surprising 9-4 with rookie sensation Andrew Luck. They play the Houston Texans twice in the final three weeks, so Indy can think about a division championship or at least a wild card berth. I don’t know anyone who predicted they would be back in contention so soon after losing Peyton Manning.

Any teams I didn’t cover are either on the bubble, like the entire NFC East, or far from contending. No worries though, as we’ll keep you up to date on all the playoff races, and offer you the freshest gear to cheer your contender on in their playoff quest. If all goes well, they will be playing in New Orleans in February.

Hey baseball fans, it’s game 162 today, and we are looking at two open division races and a battle for home field advantage. We could have a one game playoff between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. Today’s matchup between the Texas Rangers and the Oakland A’s decides the AL West. All of that before we get into the new one game wildcard round. What a thrilling way to end the season! With the new rules for the baseball postseason, we have five teams qualify in each league, instead of the traditional four. The three division winners will sit back and watch the one game playoff between the top two wildcard teams. Once that game concludes, we’ll be down to four teams in each league, and the playoffs will continue as they have in the past.

The NL is all set, but the playoff matchups can change based on what happens today. However, the AL is still up in the air. Here’s a breakdown of the playoff races so far:

AL Division Champs:
Detroit Tigers

AL Playoff Teams:
Texas Rangers
Oakland A’s
New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles

NL Division Champs:
Cincinnati Reds
Washington Nationals
San Francisco Giants

NL Wildcard Teams:
St. Louis Cardinals
Atlanta Braves

Postseason gear is now available for all the playoff qualifiers, but if you are a fan of one of the teams still battling for their division crown, I suggest waiting to see what plays out today. I’m sure you’ll want division champs gear if your team wins. Either way, keep up with the postseason here at FansEdge and sport some new gear to root your team on to the World Series. Good luck!

I am always amazed at how technology keeps advancing. Whether it be the transition from a time when there were but a mere three television stations broadcasting in black and white to a wired new world where satellite television and hundreds of high definition stations rule the waves, one thing is certain—progress is everywhere. Take for example our newly launched MLB photo store. Not only can you choose from an endless assortment of high quality Getty images, you can also virtually see how that particular photo looks with specific, customized matting and framing options. With over 1,100 matting combinations and more than 20 frame styles, options are endless and now you can peer into the future and see how your picks line up.

Long gone are the days where you have to second-guess what the final product is going to look like or question whether the color combinations you selected and frame styles work together. While some surprises are welcomed, nothing is worse than ordering something, envisioning how it will look and being disappointed. Now, at FansEdge.com, you can peruse through hundreds of high quality baseball images taken at both historic and cutting-edge ballparks across the country. Want to see what a custom framed and matted framed baseball photo looks like? Not a problem—surf our online MLB photo store where you can experiment and explore various combinations so you can order in confidence, silence any doubt and shop with assurance. All of our photos are printed on semi-gloss Kodak Endura paper and our individually assembled matting and framing combinations provide you with professional grade artwork that will look great on your walls for years to come. Shop our photo store now and stop back often, we’re adding hundreds of images to our gallery daily and now that playoff season is underway, capture a piece of history and select a photo from a playoff game!

What a wild and crazy night it was. Heading into the final day of the 2011 MLB season, four teams were tied for the final two playoff spots. The National League Wild Card race came down to a contentious battle between the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals, while the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays slugged it out for the coveted American League Wild Card spot. Within a span of two hours, two teams were knocked out of the MLB playoff race and two were getting ready for October baseball.

Amazingly enough, the Atlanta Braves began September with a firm 8.5 game lead in the Wild Card standings against the St. Louis Cardinals however, injuries and poor starting pitcher performance proved to be their downfall. Their comfy lead all but disappeared and they were tied for the Wild Card spot with the Cardinals heading into the final game of the season. St. Louis played their last game earlier in the day and dropped a final notch in the W column with a victory over the Houston Astros. From there all the Cards could do was wait to see if the Braves could top the Phillies and force a one game playoff but as midnight approached on the East Coast, the Braves couldn’t hold their ground and fell to the Philadelphia Phillies, thus ensuring a final playoff spot for the Cardinals.

Like the Braves, the Boston Red Sox sat atop a nice lead in the American League East. At the beginning of September, the Bo Sox looked down at both the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, and even held a comfortable 9 game lead over the third place Rays. Boston’s comfortable lead dwindled and they soon found themselves tied for the final playoff spot at the last regular game of the season. Unfortunately, the Red Sox came up short against the Baltimore Orioles. Meanwhile, down 7-0, the Rays staged an epic comeback against the New York Yankees to win thus securing the Rays the final playoff spot.

In terms of tension and fun, you could not have asked for a better day of baseball and an exhilarating end-of-season run. With four teams tied for two playoff spots heading into the final day of the season, September 28 will go down as an epic day in sports history.

Make sure that you are ready for the MLB Playoffs with a great baseball jersey or MLB apparel from FansEdge.com. Our eclectic mix of baseball clothing includes hats, t-shirts and more for the playoff bound Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers. Score your favorite team’s playoff shirts and cheer them on as they look for October glory. And, don’t forget to stop back for great deals on World Series merchandise and gear as well!