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.
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.
posted by Joe Hegarty at 4:49 PM
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