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A’s, Tigers locked in AL arms race

By WTOP Staff

NOAH TRISTER
AP Baseball Writer

DETROIT (AP) — Maybe this year they’ll play seven.

When the Oakland Athletics and Detroit Tigers met in the postseason the last two years, they pushed each other to the limit — which in the Division Series means Game 5. Justin Verlander pitched the Tigers to victory both times, but that will feel like a mere prelude if there’s another rematch this October.

The A’s have baseball’s best record, while Detroit has the game’s biggest division lead. The postseason is familiar ground for both franchises, but it’s been 25 years since Oakland’s last World Series title, and 30 since Detroit’s.

And if the trade deadline was any indication, the A’s and Tigers are both willing to go for broke. Oakland acquired left-hander Jon Lester on Thursday, only for Detroit to answer a few hours later by trading for lefty David Price. It was all part of an arms race precipitated by two of the game’s most successful general managers — Billy Beane of the A’s and Dave Dombrowski of the Tigers.

“It didn’t surprise me because Dave Dombrowski, he knows how to make big deals,” Beane said. “He’s been doing it for a long time. Dave is very good at what he does and he’s very good at making big deals.”

There’s been nothing subtle about Detroit’s pursuit of a championship. The Tigers may have baseball’s most recognizable roster in terms of star power. Every American League Cy Young Award and MVP winner from 2011-13 currently plays for Detroit.

Oakland is known for its modest payrolls, but this year’s A’s look nothing like an underdog. They boldly traded top prospect Addison Russell to the Chicago Cubs in a deal for starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. Then Oakland decided that wasn’t enough and added Lester too.

There’s a long way to go before the A’s and Tigers can start preparing for another postseason matchup, but if they meet this year, perhaps it’ll be in the AL championship series — and if that happens, five games may not be enough.

Here are five things to watch around the majors this week:

ONE BY ONE: Those three Cy Young winners in Detroit’s rotation are Max Scherzer, Price and Justin Verlander — and they’ll start in that order at Yankee Stadium beginning Monday.

LOCAL RIVALS: This is what baseball fans in the nation’s capital envisioned when the game returned to Washington in 2005: The first-place Nationals host the first-place Orioles on Monday night. The two division leaders will play only one game, however. It’s a makeup of a rainout from last month.

LOCAL RIVALS, PART II: The Dodgers and Angels play four games — two in each team’s ballpark — starting Monday. Both Los Angeles teams are in tight division races. The Dodgers lead San Francisco by 2 1/2 games in the NL West, while the Angels trail the A’s by only one in the AL West.

REMATCH: This certainly isn’t what the Boston Red Sox had in mind when the schedule first came out. They’ll play at St. Louis in a World Series rematch this week, but the last-place Red Sox are already looking to the future after trading Lester, John Lackey, Stephen Drew and Jake Peavy before the deadline. Lackey was traded to the Cardinals, but he is not scheduled to start against his former team.

RACE TO WATCH: The most compelling division down the stretch might be the NL Central, where Milwaukee, St. Louis and Pittsburgh are now separated at the top by only 1 1/2 games. Fourth-place Cincinnati is only 4 1/2 games behind the division-leading Brewers.

Even with two wild cards in each league now, there won’t be enough room in the postseason for all of them.

STAT OF THE WEEK

There are currently 26 pitchers with ERAs at 3.00 or below, led by Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers at 1.71. Fifteen years ago, Boston’s Pedro Martinez led baseball with a 2.07 ERA — but only four other major leaguers were at 3.00 or below. (Randy Johnson, Kevin Millwood, Mike Hampton and Kevin Brown.)

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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