The reason we play the games.

Alright, I’ll be honest, my first post was completely wrong. If you are one of the 12 people who actually read my last post, then you will have noticed that I was completely off on my predictions on the MLB playoffs. If I was right, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox would be playing tonight in the World Series, not the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros. Though I made my predictions based on some stats and my own personal preferences and my picks made a lot of sense on paper, but as my high school basketball coach would say, “Games, Championships, or anything for that matter, are not won on paper but on the court, this is why we play the games during the playoffs everyone has a chance.” When I look back picking the Red Sox to repeat was a long shot, I mean them winning it once in 86 years was a long shot, but it happened so I was hoping the baseball gods would smile on the fans of Red Sox Nation twice in consecutive years. I understand that the White Sox were worse off than the Red Sox because they haven’t won it all since 1917, but in 1919 they bet on baseball, they deserved it and I think they still do. Bill Simmons had a good point there. The way things are going the Chicago Cubs will win it next couple of years and everyone that has jumped on the White Sox bandwagon can hop on the Red Line train to Wrigley Field.
Before I move on I just want to scold Major League Baseball on the way they have handled this post season. There have been many instances where Baseball has dropped the ball. Like I said before in my last post, San Diego should not have gotten into the playoffs. Two teams in the same division should not be tied at the end of the season and use a tie breaking system to determine who gets the division, that’s what is great about the one game playoff system, baseball fans want to see the one game playoff and since the players play everyday anyway I don’t see why it couldn’t happen. Most would think that I would have to say something about how it is cheap that the White Sox beat the Red Sox, but lets face it the White Sox outplayed the Red Sox and they deserved to move on, as for the White Sox vs. Angels series, making the Angels travel over 11 time zones in three days and playing games all three of those days was unfair and Bud Selig should have stepped in and said, “Hey, Houston and St. Louis, could you play a day earlier and let the Angels get some rest, they deserve it they just beat one of the greatest franchises in sports history.” That wasn’t the case and luckily the Angels won game one. Then there was the missed call that was obviously a turning point in the series, fire the Ump or at least make him take a class on how to make clear what his call are because that is ridiculous. Lastly, the whole ordeal with Houston and the roof in THEIR stadium, you should let them close it, its one of the advantages to playing in your house you get little things that matter in your favor. OK enough about baseball, who’s ready for some football?
It’s week 8 and my Patriots are at .500, OH NO not that! Now if you’re a Philly fan hold off on the celebration for a little while and if you are a New England fan take your neck out of the noose and step down from that wobbly chair, no need to be Brooks from “Shawshank Redemption” just yet. We’re in a division with the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and the Buffalo Bills. In other words we’re in first place and I don’t see us leaving first place anytime soon. I mean the Jets are on their 4th QB and I believe he just got hurt on Monday. The Dolphins aren’t good with Ricky Williams and they aren’t good without him. As for the Bills, they’re the only team I see giving the Pats any trouble, but without a real distinguished QB I don’t see them lasting long when the games really start to count.
Behind Peyton Manning and a surprising defense The Indianapolis Colts are the lone undefeated team. I can, as much as it hurts to say, see the Colts staying undefeated for the whole season. This is going to be determined by a few things. I can see the Patriots beating them in Foxboro, but only if the Patriots start playing like the team they have been in the past few years (not including 2002). Also they have Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in consecutive weeks, if Cincy puts a beating on them at Cincy I can see the Colts stumbling against the Steelers, another as much as I hate to admit it, but Pittsburgh is a great team and will play the Colts very tough.
The NFC is just as much up in the air with the NFC east looking like the NL east Wild Card race with only Dallas who has yet to have a bye with one extra loss putting them in last place. The whole entire conference is up in the air and is definitely the weaker conference to date. It is going to stay that way too until teams like the Colts Patriots, Steelers, and Cincinnati disassemble their teams, or when guys like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and various others start to get old and not play at the same level they do now.
One more topic I feel the need to cover, I promise this post is almost over. The Vikings, and the Packers; the first word that comes to mind is pathetic. These two teams have been in the upper levels of the league for quite some time and now they are fighting every week just to make it close. The Vikings ordeal is unacceptable with the so called Sex Cruise. If I was Vikings ownership I would have taken it upon myself and suspended everyone on the team and dock their pay just to send a message that this kind of behavior is unacceptable. Who cares how much money I would have lost that week, because athletes are held to a higher standard but they get away with stuff like this all the time; the league dropped the ball on that. Mike Tice should be fired end of story, not because he is losing, but because he is showing a line of behavior that should not be displayed by a coach, player, owner, or anyone involved in this league. The Packers on the other hand are losing because of injury, and their Quarterback has past his good old days and has been for sometime. Brett do me a favor, hang them up soon because I have a lot of respect for you, even though you kicked New England’s ass in the Super bowl in 1996, but I don’t want to see you be the Quarterback version of what Jerry Rice was to Wide Receivers.
Ok I think that covers everything for now, a lot like the Patriots no name secondary covered Freddy Mitchell in the Super Bowl. Oh one more thing Green Bay I know you’re on hard times, but you can’t sink as low to sign Freddy Mitchell. That’s it I’m done, you can now go back to your life.

MLB 2005, MVPs to Playoff Races

So here it is, my first ever blog posting of any kind. My roommate gave me the idea with his wonderful liberal view on everything that goes on in this messed up world. However, unlike my roommate I am not going to bore any of you with my views on gas prices, or the war in Iraq or how terrible Bush is doing in office. My sole purpose here is to talk about what I know and that sure as hell is not politics. What I know is sports especially those from Boston so if this sounds a lot like Bill Simmons I apologize but I love the Dirty Water from Boston and the foliage New England has to offer. On a more serious note I hope that this will further enhance my writing skills to a point where one day I can write for Sports Illustrated, or maybe even anchor one day on Sportscenter. So like I said this is my first ever blog and I want your feedback so I can take it and use your critique in a constructive way to make this little blog a little bit better for you, the reader.

Monday is about two minutes away and I am still extremely pleased with the events of Sunday. Today was the first time since October of 1919 that my beloved Boston Red Sox are entering the post season as defending World Series Champs. That's music to my ears as well as every other member of Red Sox nation. My road with the Red Sox has been tested by the likes of Aaron (I want to say bleepin but its become cliché) Boone, Guys who traded their red socks for pinstripes like Wade Boggs and Roger Clemens, and by George Steinbrenner's unmatchable greed. Despite all this I have stayed faithful to my team sitting through the heartbreak and watching as many games as I can and it is finally rewarded from the Red Sox being first, 2004 World Series Champs, to Defending Champs, and finally the Defending Champs in the playoffs.

This whole entire playoff race is ridiculous, not only have the fans and players been on the edge of their seats checking the standings to see how far ahead, how far behind, even who they're tied with and how many games are left, but fans have also had to deal with the constant talk of the MVP race in the American League. David Ortiz is the winner hands down and I can give you 148 reasons why (that’s the league leader in RBIs total who just so happens to be David Ortiz). Home Runs are a lot more fun to watch I'll admit it, there’s nothing I like watching more than Big Papi or Manny Ramirez crushing the ball just to drop their bat and walk down the first baseline until it is out and then begin to trot around the bases. The fact is RBIs are a lot more important to a team winning then hitting home runs. With RBIs that’s how many teammates you helped push across the plate with your bat. Home Runs are how many times you hit your self across the plate. David Ortiz has done both being 3rd in Home runs hit with 47. What is even more miraculous is that it always seems that his bat ties and/or wins the game, something I would think would be very valuable to any team.

A major argument against David Ortiz is that he is a DH (for the baseball illiterate that’s a Designated Hitter, the guy who only hits and doesn't play the field)All I have to say is who gives a fuck!? I mean I understand the point, and can see why most would give A-Rod the edge just for the simple fact that he plays on the field defensively as well as offensively. As this debate goes on I hear commentators, analysts, even anchors throwing around the name Mariano Rivera. He is the New York Yankees (Boo Hiss) closer. How can it be that a man who only pitched in 78.1 innings in 71 games be even brought up for MVP talks? Yes, his stats for 2005 were extremely good with 43 saves, 80 strikeouts, etc. In Rivera’s 10 year career he has never picked up a bat and drove in the game winning run. Though he did drive in the game winning run for the Red Sox a few times, but that’s a different story all together. Ortiz has at least put on a glove and took the field with the intent to play defense and did it fairly consistently before this year. So why I ask is it perfectly acceptable for a closer to win a Cy Young and the MVP but not for a DH to win the MVP.

Enough about the MVP, I need to talk about the playoffs now. Yankees play the Angels, Red Sox play the White Sox, Astros play the Braves and Cardinals play the Padres. If there is an upset I would like to see it is the Angels over the Yankees. Wait upset? How is that possible the Angels ended the season winning 21 of their last 30 and sweeping their final series? the Yankees on the other hand finished strong erasing a huge deficit in the AL east to catch up with the Red Sox, but they lost 2 of the last three. So I’m not picking an upset I’m picking the Angels in 5. Though, I don’t know if it would be October without the Red Sox and Yankees playing for a chance to go to the World Series. That sums up my pick for the battle of the Sox, Red Sox in 4. The Astros will take down the Braves in 4 and the Cardinals will sweep the Padres because lets face it Major League Baseball should have given away the NL west’s playoff spot for another wild card (Where are the Phillies? That’s for all my friends from Philly where I miraculously go to school).

As it stands I have the Red Sox playing the Angels in the ALCS, even though the baseball gods will most likely find a way to make the Yankees win so they can play the Sox from Boston, and I have the Cardinals playing the Astros in the NLCS. The Red Sox have won 6 of 10 against the Angels this year and I don’t see that changing in the Playoffs, call me biased but with the bats the Red Sox have the only pitcher from the Angels I see the Red Sox having any major trouble against is Bartolo Colon. It’s a rematch of last years NLCS though this time around there won’t be a game 7 because the Astros offense has left their amazing pitching out to dry all season and the Cardinals bats are jus too good, not to mention my boy from NH Carpenter isn’t too bad himself. That’s also not including that the Cardinals won 11 of 16 against the Astros all season.

So what about the World Series? How about a repeat of 2004? As I have it, yes. But it won’t go in a sweep for the Red Sox, because of pitching. The Red Sox don’t have a true closer though Timlin has done a great job this year and I thank him. Boston’s Bullpen is promising for the future with young guys like Papelbon among others, but we have not seen what they can do when everyone who is watching baseball still is watching them. Lastly Starting pitching, lately the only guy in the rotation who has been consistent is Tim Wakefield, you know that 39 year old guy who throws a mean knuckleball, David Wells has been shaky at times but other times has been brilliant. Matt Clement, my twin, (I’ll show you pictures), had an amazing first half, but since taking that ball off the top of the head against Tampa Bay he hasn’t been the same. Curt Schilling will be fine he pitches well in high pressure games it is how he operates, though his season was sub par he played very well against the Yankees and I’m sure he will step it up against the best team in the majors which is the Cardinals. With Arroyo leaving the rotation to go to the bullpen I see the Red Sox winning this series in at least 5 games, Carpenter will win at least one game. The only way I see the Red Sox losing is if Terry Francona pulls a Grady Little and mixes things up with the pitching. That means starters into the 7th unless needed otherwise Arroyo/Papelbon in the 8th and Timlin in the 9th.

Some final thoughts (now I’m starting to sound like Jerry Springer). I’ve heard the final weekend in he regular season was boring, anticlimactic, among other things. In my eyes The last weekend was very exciting 4 teams weren’t sure if hey were in or out of the playoffs until the very last day and others didn’t know until Friday or Saturday. The Red Sox took two of three from the Yankees to get their spot. The White Sox got back to where they were a majority of the season to get theirs. Philly and Houston had an amazing race till the very end with the Phillies coming up short but doing everything they needed to do to win a spot. The Indians came up short after closing a seemingly insurmountable gap of at least 15 games in about a month. The Yankees did the same except it was at the highest 9 ½ games at one point. I already told you the month of September the Angels had. The White Sox didn’t go down in history as the biggest collapse and clinched their playoff spot. The Cardinals were the best all season hands down. As for the Padres they finished the season two games above .500. Ok seriously they suck and I’m not even going to give them the light of day.