Conventional (Eastern big media) wisdom states that the NL West is clearly the worst division in the big leagues. But as it stands Tuesday night, each team is at least two games over .500, and the division has the best cumulative record in the big leagues as well.
So what constitutes the sportswriters' definition of strength of division? Two or three strong teams with a couple of patsies, or a bigger group of above-average teams.
The same argument could be applied to the NHL, where Edmonton certainly wasn't close to contending for the Presidents Cup. By playing an unbalanced schedule in a division with several good, but not great teams, however, they were better prepared for the playoffs than the Detroits of the world, which piled on points at the expense of St. Louis and Chicago and the likes night after night.
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