World Series

The pitchforks and burning torches are out for Joe Girardi today; this in the wake of A.J. Burnett's epic failure in Philadelphia.

They're saying that Girardi's decision to use Burnett on short rest has set in motion a chain of events that will now bury the Yankees.

This is all about as predictable as the failure of a Michael Strahan buddy sitcom.

In a perfect world, Chien-Ming Wang was on the mound in Game Five, coming off another 19-win season and primed for postseason vindication.

We all know the story of the 1951 New York Giants.

They mounted a historical comeback on the Brooklyn Dodgers and finally won the pennant on the final day of the season behind Bobby Thompson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.”

But, as it would be discovered later on, they did it with the help of a camera mounted in centerfield.

Now let’s flash forward to 2007.

I wrote an article last week arguing that J.A. Happ doesn't deserve the National League Rookie of the Year. Apparently, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel agrees with me.

It's already Game Six of the World Series, and J.A. Happ has yet to start a game in either the NLCS or World Series. He's been used sparingly as a mid-game reliever and in occasional situations involving left-handed batters.

Johnny Damon and Alex Rodriguez provided the heroics for the Yankees in their 8-5 win Sunday night in Game Four of the 2009 World Series, but when there are heroes in the game of baseball, there also must be goats.

Unlike other sports, baseball is mostly a zero sum game.

A couple weeks ago, with the 90th anniversary of the 1919 Black Sox Series having just past and this year's World Series coming up, I went through the Chicago Tribune archives and put together a post on their coverage of the end of that series and the gambling rumors that were circulating around it.

As the World Series winds down and baseball gets ready for its winter break, all eyes will soon turn to 2010. Mine will too, as I'll be watching to see how Mark McGwire will be welcomed back into baseball.

Let me state for the record right now, I am NOT a Cardinals fan, never have and never will. I just had my half-century birthday and as for long as I can remember I have, and will always be a Chicago Cubs fan.

“Brad Lidge and Cole Hamels have cost us the Series.”

Those are the words coming out of many of the Philly Phaithful’s mouths just a day after the Yankees put the Phillies in a 3-1 World Series hole.

Is that REALLY the reason?  Can you blame Lidge and Hamels for the hole?  After all Lidge did give up 3-runs in the ninth inning of a game four loss after Pedro Feliz tied the game at four in the eighth inning.  Plus Cole Hamels gave up five runs in the Phillies game three loss.

The only thing I could think of after watching Game Four of the 2009 World Series last night, was something so obvious, that I'm surprised no one brought it up.

Haven't we seen this before from the Bronx Bombers?

Who is a White Sox fan supposed to root for during this World Series?

Do I root for the Yankees because they represent the overall strength of the American league? Or do I root against them because they’re the “Evil Empire” and represent what’s wrong with salary cap-less baseball?

On the other side there’s the Phillies. Do I root for the defending champions and their fan friendly trio of Rollins, Utley, and Howard? Or do I root against the National league purely out of spite for their brand of baseball.