World Series

I was reading an article the other day where a baseball commentator said the qualities needed to make the playoffs aren’t the qualities needed to succeed in the playoffs

They said that deep starting pitching, production up and down the lineup, good middle relief and steady defense isn't nearly as important as having two dominant starters and a closer.

Intrigued to know just how true this was, I began researching the topic, starting with the 2008 American League.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four…

Right now Yankees and Phillies fans are feeling good about their World Series chances. As for Dodgers and Angels fans, they’re slightly less hopeful.

In any case, one of those four teams will be the 2009 World Series champion, and players and fans alike will feel like champions—but only for a few months.

Most fans of Major League Baseball can remember the Fall of 1996.

Back then, the New York Yankees were a far more lovable bunch (unless you were a Boston Red Sox fan). There was no clubhouse glittering with All-Star after All-Star, no recent history of dominance.

New York did represent the American League also-rans as the 1995 Wild Card, but they floundered away a 2-0 lead in the Division Series to the Mariners. The Yanks proceeded to drop the next three games in Seattle and saw their season end on that memorable, game-winning slide from Ken Griffey, Jr.

Dear Bud,

      The season was memorable, but the World Series needs to change. The game has never been healthier, but not for fans. It's your job to fix it...

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were cold.

No, it's not a cheesy weather pun (see: headline). The Angels have simply been sidelined for too long, slogging through a five-day break between the first and second rounds of the playoffs.

They were just a little sluggish, that's all. Or at least, that's all I'd like to believe.

Because the only other alternative is that their in-game shivers had some deeper and more sinister origin than just the frigid New York temperatures.

Twenty minutes to go before Game One. I am sorry I left this so long, but I've had a lot to look at, and a long week at my real job .

These two teams are absolutely the best two teams in the American League, both by record and by statistics. The winner of this series is the prohibitive favorite to win the World Series, no matter which National League team is left standing.

The deciding factor will be in the one place where there's any true disparity between the Yankees and the Angels: the bullpens.

On October 16, 1969, Baltimore has a runner on base with two outs.  The Orioles are trailing by two runs in the top half of the ninth inning.  They are on the brink of an incredible elimination in the World Series.  Mets' starter Jerry Koosman has his sign and delivers the pitch to Baltimore's second-baseman Davey Johnson.  Johnson swings.  He hits a long and towering fly ball to left field.  Left-fielder Cleon Jones is tracking the fly ball.  He continues tracking the ball back, back, back, almost at the warning track.  Jones reads it.  He opens his glove awaiting the catch, dropping drop

Joe Girardi is fully enjoying his first appearance in League Championship Series as the New York Yankees manager.

Hopefully he would love that his joyous ride continues all the way to the Fall Classic.  However, first of all they have to beat the red hot Los Angeles Angels.