Tides gearing up for the big games The Jersey Shore Tides took three of their four games last week as they prepared for the opening round of playoffs starting tomorrow. The playoffs feature best-of-three series that put the higher regular season seeds against the lower seeds. The Tides have been competing for the league lead throughout the regular season, so when the final scores are in, they expect to be playing their first series at their home field of Holmdel High School with a 5:30 p.m start time. The playoffs culminate with the championship game, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 4, at Monmouth University. The Tides will also be playing a postseason matchup against the Russian National Baseball Team on Saturday, Aug. 11, at Brookdale Community College with a tentative start of 1 p.m. The Russian team is on a tour of the United States this summer, playing top collegian summer league teams and national teams, including Team USA and the Chinese National team. This is the 20th year of competition for the Russian National team. Several Russians have signed contracts with Major League Baseball teams, and one had reached the majors. The U.S. tour is the team's preparation for the European Championships held in September, which are a qualifier for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.