I guess the last week of the season means nothing. Seriously, does it? The New York Mets and the New York Yankees – the two teams I assumed would meet in the World Series – have both been eliminated in the playoffs.
And teams that seemingly fell apart at the end of the season beat them both.
For the Tigers, it was a huge skid – they lost the AL Central title to a Twins team that ripped off something like 45-3 towards the end of the season (Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but still) to a red hot Twins team. A team that was on such a roll they lost to the A’s in four games. Right. The Tigers have been, well, rather powerful. They embarrassed the Yankees in the opening round and soundly defeated the A’s in ALCS. They deserve to be in the World Series – there’s no doubt about that – but still, this is the same team that blew a huge lead in the AL Central at the end of the season.
The other team – the St. Louis Cardinals – pulled the same stunt, on a much larger scale. They dropped something like 12 games in a row before the playoffs, almost losing their spot to the Houston Astros. And they had a worse record then the two teams they beat – the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets – to boot. Granted, they limped through the playoffs – they only won game seven on the ninth – but still. We now have the World Series for 2006 all set.
And both teams skidded into the playoffs.
I’m not even going to go into what the last week of the season means. Some guy at Baseball Prospectus can do that – he’s about a million times more qualified, actually – and hell, it’s an article I’d read. Right now… Well, I’m going to try and let the idea sink in…
The two teams that I least thought would make it – including one that I didn’t even think would make the playoffs in September – are in the World Series.
Jeez, what’ll happen next? Will the Texan’s whip out a string of victories and win the Super Bowl? Will the Columbus Blue Jackets win a Stanley Cup? Will the Knicks win the Finals? Hopefully not - I'd like to keep my sanity, if I could, please.
Showing posts with label World Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Series. Show all posts
Friday, October 20, 2006
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Sweeping up the dust
Maybe it's just me, but it seems that this season is not one that has been kind to Palmeiros.
With Orlando Palmeiro's groundout (a very close groundout, I should add) up the middle, the Chicago White Sox won the 2005 World Series. But never mind that they haven't won since 1917 - a year before the Red Sox's drought started in 1918. Never mind that each game was pretty close. Never mind the squabbling over the roof being closed. None of that matters. This was a series that the Sox not only dominated, but one that was never in doubt. Tonight the Sox had 8 hits to Houstons 5. They pulled a double play, unlike the Astros. They left seven runners on base, whereas Houston left nine (five of those in scoring position with two out).
Tonight in almost every category, and in each one that counts, the Sox either led, or came very close to leading, the Astros. And it wasn't just tonight, either. In all four games, the Sox (for example) outhit the Astros 44 to 29 while leaving 36 baserunners on (Houston left 34). It's key factors like this that show that the Sox were, for the vast majority of the series, in complete control.
Take game three, for example. In the bottom of the 9th inning the Astros loaded the bases (Burke, the hero from the 18 inning marathon was at third) with only one out - but were unable to score. By the 12th inning, the Astros had left 12 runners on since the bottom of the 9th - with the winning run in scoring position in every inning. Numbers like that are unacceptable to any team, let alone one fighting for it's life in the World Series.
The fans knew this - the Astros barely made it into the playoffs and barely won their first series against the Braves in an 18 inning marathon - as detailed in a previous Blog entry. While they did routinely beat the Cardinals, a Tony LaRussa team, they showed themselves to be the Wild Card team they were.
Yes, the Astros kept it close, barely losing in each game. But, to paraphrase Vince Lombardi, you show me someone who almost won and I'll show you someone who lost.
With Orlando Palmeiro's groundout (a very close groundout, I should add) up the middle, the Chicago White Sox won the 2005 World Series. But never mind that they haven't won since 1917 - a year before the Red Sox's drought started in 1918. Never mind that each game was pretty close. Never mind the squabbling over the roof being closed. None of that matters. This was a series that the Sox not only dominated, but one that was never in doubt. Tonight the Sox had 8 hits to Houstons 5. They pulled a double play, unlike the Astros. They left seven runners on base, whereas Houston left nine (five of those in scoring position with two out).
Tonight in almost every category, and in each one that counts, the Sox either led, or came very close to leading, the Astros. And it wasn't just tonight, either. In all four games, the Sox (for example) outhit the Astros 44 to 29 while leaving 36 baserunners on (Houston left 34). It's key factors like this that show that the Sox were, for the vast majority of the series, in complete control.
Take game three, for example. In the bottom of the 9th inning the Astros loaded the bases (Burke, the hero from the 18 inning marathon was at third) with only one out - but were unable to score. By the 12th inning, the Astros had left 12 runners on since the bottom of the 9th - with the winning run in scoring position in every inning. Numbers like that are unacceptable to any team, let alone one fighting for it's life in the World Series.
The fans knew this - the Astros barely made it into the playoffs and barely won their first series against the Braves in an 18 inning marathon - as detailed in a previous Blog entry. While they did routinely beat the Cardinals, a Tony LaRussa team, they showed themselves to be the Wild Card team they were.
Yes, the Astros kept it close, barely losing in each game. But, to paraphrase Vince Lombardi, you show me someone who almost won and I'll show you someone who lost.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
The World Series and a Final Farewell
Well, with the loss last night of the NL-Leading St. Louis Cardinals we saw the end of two major things: The Astro's luckless Postseason streak, rivalled only by that of Tony La Russa, and the old, if somewhat forgettable, Busch Stadium.
It was a landmark among ballparks, really, with it's long-outdated look bringing back memories of Barry Goldwater, freezing games in the NFL playoffs and the Johnson administration. Yes, it was truly a sight for the ages. And that is where it's headed, off to the history books and a page on Wikipedia under the "Default Sports Facilities" heading.
I had never been there, personally. I had rarely seen it on television (We don't get too many NL games in Jays Country). And it didn't even mean anything special to me. Why, I'm not even too sure why I'm writing about it, in all honesty. Whatever.
The point that I never even addressed is that finally, after years of being so goddamn close (1986, 2004 come to mind) the Astros have finally done it, finally made it to the Final Series, as it were. Finally getting a chance to not only beat the best team in a league, but to actually become it. And, as usual, they couldn't have had worse luck.
They are facing the Chicago White Sox, the best team in the AL, a team that has outstanding hitting and pitching, a team that has something to prove, even if it's only to those damn Cubs fans (George F Will, et al). They don't just want this win, they need it - to finally put that damn Black Sox scandal (the one that everybody remembers only because of a semi-decent movie) behind them for good. The Cubs have the "Billygoat Curse", the Red Sox the "Curse of the Bambino" and Billy Buckner. The White Sox have a gambling scandal that would curl Pete Roses hair - and a chance to beat those Texans and put Shoeless Joe to rest, for once and for all.
***
Remember how I said that Joe Sakic was the Last Nordique? Well, he ain't for much longer: the Aves will let him become a free agent at the end of the season.
It was a landmark among ballparks, really, with it's long-outdated look bringing back memories of Barry Goldwater, freezing games in the NFL playoffs and the Johnson administration. Yes, it was truly a sight for the ages. And that is where it's headed, off to the history books and a page on Wikipedia under the "Default Sports Facilities" heading.
I had never been there, personally. I had rarely seen it on television (We don't get too many NL games in Jays Country). And it didn't even mean anything special to me. Why, I'm not even too sure why I'm writing about it, in all honesty. Whatever.
The point that I never even addressed is that finally, after years of being so goddamn close (1986, 2004 come to mind) the Astros have finally done it, finally made it to the Final Series, as it were. Finally getting a chance to not only beat the best team in a league, but to actually become it. And, as usual, they couldn't have had worse luck.
They are facing the Chicago White Sox, the best team in the AL, a team that has outstanding hitting and pitching, a team that has something to prove, even if it's only to those damn Cubs fans (George F Will, et al). They don't just want this win, they need it - to finally put that damn Black Sox scandal (the one that everybody remembers only because of a semi-decent movie) behind them for good. The Cubs have the "Billygoat Curse", the Red Sox the "Curse of the Bambino" and Billy Buckner. The White Sox have a gambling scandal that would curl Pete Roses hair - and a chance to beat those Texans and put Shoeless Joe to rest, for once and for all.
***
Remember how I said that Joe Sakic was the Last Nordique? Well, he ain't for much longer: the Aves will let him become a free agent at the end of the season.
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