Dykstra: The Wheat and the Chaff

And then there were four.

The baseball postseason has progressed from the eight-team division championship to the four-team league championship series in the past week. Arguably, the better team won each of the first round series: the Boston Red Sox were revealed as too one-dimensional, the New York Yankees as lacking clutch hitting, while the Atlanta Braves revived their annual role as bridesmaid. As for the San Diego Padres, they proved they really didn't belong in the postseason, as reflected by their lackluster regular-season record.

As baseball moves toward its climax, the stock market has been having some "climactic" action of its own. Hopefully, the recent selling pressure is paving the way for a sustainable rally, possibly starting with Thursday's advance by the Nasdaq Composite. (Major averages were modestly higher midday Friday.) ...