There is a saying with sports that at the moment, I can't remember exactly, but it ends with: “refs ruin them.”
“Them” being great games.
After yesterday’s AL Central tie-breaker, the saying hasn’t been much truer. Both teams were bad and great at times. Both teams had their chances and the Twins took theirs and won. I like to think the best team always wins.
However, it’s still hard to swallow even when I’m uninvolved and couldn’t have less to do with Michigan and Minnesota when what I thought were clear calls were not made or were called, but incorrectly.
I know it happens in basketball all the time. Football sometimes, but it’s hard to screw up. Hockey, sure; with missed calls. But baseball? Rarely.
First, I think the called strike three on Placido Polanco in the top of the eighth was awful. A Tiger later had a closer pitch (to my eyes) that was called a ball. And then, the clear hit batter (Brandon Inge) cost the Tigers the game.
Was it the only thing that affected the game? No.
But it sure did in a meaningful spot and rules are rules. Shirts are extensions and part of the body and I don’t think the wind coming in from the outfield gaps that expose the beautiful Minneapolis night skyline made the jersey waver and bulge inward towards Inge’s midsection.
Ryan Raburn made his mistakes. I thought his Juan Rivera-like Herculean effort on Orlando Cabrera’s home run was great. I don’t know if he’s ever played basketball or if he can jump at all but if he merely tried he could have patted that ball down and conceded a triple at worst; at least knocked it in to the stands himself.
Later, he went all-out at the wrong time which gave the Twins a triple early in an extra inning. If he’s going to do that, he needs to come up with the ball. Raburn, however, totally redeemed himself by throwing out and doubling up in the process a game-winning run at the plate.
The Tigers should have been leading, though, at the beginning of the bottom of the 12th and I feel for them. Conversely, the Twinkies were more impressive and phenomenal in the last month. Congratulations. Your prize: you get to go to New York and not play the Mets.
American League
4 Twins vs. 1 Yankees
The Twins have more momentum than anyone in the league and are sure to be high off their tie-breaker and knowing the fact they will be able to do their fans proud in the Metrodome one last time (or more if they please).
They start a kid, Brian Duensing, who didn’t even know he’d be a starter in the divisional series, in Game One opposite C.C. Sabathia, a Cy Young candidate. While Duensing has been good, their current state of little rest and being on an emotional rollercoaster is not a good recipe to start off their postseason.
Game Two sees Nick Blackburn take on A.J. Burnett. Both have similar numbers and oddly enough, Blackburn’s '08 and '09 ones are eerily alike and, in some categories, exactly the same. Anyway, where Blackburn may outpitch Burnett, it won’t last a whole game as far as team pitching goes and the Yankees offense will lead them to Minnesota up 2-0.
Game Three goes to the Twins behind Carl Pavano, ex-Yankee, to give the home fans one more win to cheer about. The ride lasts a day as the Yankees close it out regardless of the Twins’ Game Four starter who could be their ace, Scott Baker.
3 Red Sox vs. 2 Angels
Other than the fact that Anaheim owns Boston until exactly Oct. 1 and at that point it switches completely, I like the Red Sox. I’ll go Angels in Game One to give them a game.
You gotta like Beckett in Game Two and it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Boston sweep the first two games in Anaheim behind a strong game from Jon Lester who can also get the job done.
The Sox won’t lose in Boston but Game Three will be tough as Scott Kazmir will start for the Angels. Good pickup by the halos but the Red Sox offense is too powerful, especially at Fenway, and then again, against the Angels in the postseason…especially at home.
Redundant but true; and those factors are that important.
The tragic death of Nick Adenhart has been handled and honoured classily by the Angels, and they’ll continue to push forward for him as they have all season. I don’t think it’s enough as Red Sox win in four but the Angels’ efforts this season show what’s right in this great game.
National League
4 Cardinals vs. 1 Dodgers
Everyone likes the Cardinals in this series. By virtue of people thinking Carpenter and Wainwright are the best pitching duo in the NL postseason, they should think this will be over in three. I pooh-pooh that ideology and see it differently. No, I don’t mean Cardinals in four either.
Dodgers in five. Here’s why:
The Cardinals are much better hitters against right-handers than they are left-handers. And by that I mean they are literally the worst in the Major Leagues as a whole versus left-handed pitching.
The Dodgers happen to have two left-handers waiting for them. Both lefties are scheduled to go Games One and Two versus the Cardinals’ two Cy Young candidates.
The Cardinals will not sweep the opening games in Los Angeles, but the Dodgers can. If it is likely the teams split, it is as likely they do in St. Louis as well.
The Cards may start Carpenter in Game Four at home, where the Dodgers will use a fourth pitcher in the series: Chad Billingsley.
Billingsley and Kershaw will spearhead the Dodgers’ rotation the next few years if not many, many years to come (esp. Clayton) and you will be impressed with both.
I’ll take Kershaw over Wainwright at home in Game Two and I wouldn’t sleep on LA at home in Game One behind Randy Wolf. Randy will be making his first postseason appearance in his 12-year career. What a situation to debut in for an “old guy.”
I just think the Dodgers’ pitching is nowhere near as bad or inferior to that of the Cardinals and most other playoff teams’ pitching.
In fact, the end of their rotation is stronger to me. By that I mean Vicente Padilla and Jon Garland are better than the third, fourth, and fifth pitchers of their would-be opponents in any series.
I feel they have a good shot on the road in St. Louis to win or even the series if they are behind when they land in Missouri.
The Dodgers’ line-up is better than the Cardinals’ without a doubt and it’s not a requirement to pitch to Pujols even if he’s at bat with just one man on base or no one at all.
Where Pujols, Holliday, and Ludwick may bring power (and not as much as you’d think behind Albert). Manny alongside emerging star Andre Ethier, James Loney, and Matt Kemp who has some pop as well, are not quiet in comparison with their bats.
3 Rockies v. 2 Phillies
The Rockies have momentum; not as much as they did in ’07 when they rode it to the Series (and got swept by the Red Sox), but the big finish was there again.
They have done this before but that’s the only positive I see. Ubaldo Jimenez goes Game One vs. Cliff Lee. Jimenez, like his team, is more experienced but ended the regular season inconsistently after being great in July and August.
Same as his opponent Cliff Lee who was superb in his first four starts for Philadelphia, but average after. I’ll take Lee at home then Hamels in Game Two.
The Rockies won’t have the magic that they had in ’07 this postseason, and I don’t know if they’ll win a game. If their best pitcher down the stretch, Jorge De La Rosa, can go in Game Three, they definitely have a good shot.
However, Pedro Martinez should go for the Phillies then and I’d prefer him to the Rockies’ best effort even in the Mountains.
Champions sweep to announce their defense is for real.
American League Championship
As I said earlier, I like Boston more so than just their ability to beat Anaheim in October. Now, that has nothing to do with the Yankees but as of late, they’ve owned New York in the postseason, too.
I like the Red Sox’ pitching to start with. When compared to the Yankees’, it is superior. The Yankees bought C.C. who’s been nothing short of spectacular, and the overrated A.J. Burnett. Andy Pettitte is a good three but there isn’t great depth and no guarantees, even with C.C.
What helps the Yankees is their overbearing offense and its power. Not far behind in my mind are the Red Sox. The Red Sox are more efficient and can manufacture runs whereas the Yankees have seven players with 20+ HR; a record.
The Yankees will hit home runs but so will Boston, and I am more confident in their ability to score anyway than I am the Yankees' to rely on power in the postseason when pitching seems to matter the most.
If it goes seven, one has to think the Yankees would either demolish Boston or fall behind a couple times; come back again and again and have a pretty magical final inning the way things have gone this season.
Red Sox in six.
National League Championship
I think the Dodgers can win but they shouldn’t. They have the most complete offense in the NL. It’s sort of the same deal as in the AL.
The Phillies have unmatchable power in their league but the Dodgers score different ways other than their power which is also greater itself than people think it is.
Matt Kemp is a top-five all-round player in my view and he is a joy to watch. Manny is entertaining and the best hitter you’ll ever see. He’s had a down year but it’s October and he’s a guarantee in the fall.
All that said about how their offense is underrated, and the thought I have of their pitching being able to keep them in games with the Phillies, they will lose. Because of pitching.
Hamels and Lee are better than Carpenter and Wainwright. Pedro Martinez was the best pickup of any team and I was saying the Dodgers should have done it back in March.
I think he can still be a No. 1 on any team. He is certainly the best 3 in the game and he will make himself seem young again.
The Phillies won last year with mediocre pitching. Cole Hamels wasn’t even great until the World Series. Their offense carried them and Ryan Howard struggled a bit, too.
This year they have only added last year’s Cy Young and one of the greatest pitchers statistically of all-time.
I like the Dodgers, a lot. Apparently a heck of a lot more than anyone else—all the people who suddenly forgot they were the best team all season in the NL (although most of it can be attributed to their franchise record start) who are somehow the least favored to advance in the playoffs.
What will be interesting in this series is the Dodgers’ home-field advantage and how much of an advantage it will actually be. Can their good (but surely inferior to their opponents in this round) pitching become great behind huge 55,000 fan crowds?
If they win this series, the Jim Thome deal becomes huge.
Oh, and their manager just happens to be one of the best ever. It’ll be a good, tight, close series.
I’m convincing myself to Go Blue. Before it’s too late: Champions in seven to get you really thinking we’ll finally see a repeat in professional sports once again.
2009 World Series
Prior to the first pitch being thrown out, I picked Boston. I really liked the stable of pitchers they had (of course Jon Smoltz blew up) which would come in handy by October.
I had the Red Sox and Rays coming in from the East. I didn’t think C.C. would be as good as he was and the same goes for Teixeira. I expected average pitching from Burnett and that’s what he gave.
It was fun and interesting to see New York more youthful. I think the easing of the clubhouse and pieing of the faces every game it seemed were crucial in developing togetherness.
They aren’t going to fail in October because they are immature. They will lose because they are not the best team on the field.
Their closeness became evident when they swept Boston in that four-game early August home stand. The new Yankees' ways are fine and have improved the team and they will win it all in the near future.
The Angels constantly dominate the regular season and make nothing of it later on.
The Mets were overhyped as usual and the Phillies returned about the same team. Los Angeles was going to win the West but their start was unimaginable (along with Manny’s suspension), and their play throughout the season to maintain their overall lead in the NL was impressive.
I thought the Cardinals would win but with more of a threat from Chicago. The curse lives on? No, they just disappointed like no other.
Speaking of curses, I think the Yankees are cursed and without mention, that’s another reason I will not pick them to win this year. Back to the Final:
The only team that can match the Phillies in pitching is the Red Sox. The Phils post bigger names and more hardware, but the Sox have young guns who may win awards later in life.
Both teams have experience—Philly last year and Boston in ’04 and ’07. Josh Beckett will not pitch poorly in the postseason regardless of how inconsistent and poor he was late. That’s just crazy thinking.
The three-headed monster of what could be three MVPs in Rollins, Howard, and Utley may be the best in baseball, but the Red Sox are deeper.
J.D. Drew has to contribute something for the Red Sox to have success, but with a lineup that includes last year’s most valuable and a kid who’s a threat to steal even when he’s not on base (Ellsbury is that good) before you meet Youkilis, Victor Martinez (best AL pickup), and Jason Bay, that’s tough stuff.
Oh and only two players have more HR than David Ortiz since he finally hit his first of the year on May 20 (and his second was on June 6)!
The depth at hitting and pitching, which wins championships they say, gives the Red Sox the edge everywhere. The AL won the All-Star game (big surprise) and that’s even more reason.
Brad Lidge was awful in ‘09. When they say he went from the best to worst, they really mean it. He was the first perfect closer and this year he has the worst numbers of any player who’s pitched as many innings as he has in the closer’s role.
He was great in ’08 regular season AND postseason; no reason to think he’ll perform well this postseason following his horrible showing during the regular.
As for Daisuke Matsuzaka, I think he will pitch well and pitch very well in a game or two. The talk early on with his fitness and injury was his participation in the World Baseball Classic.
Players like Dice-K and Ichiro play because it means something to them and they’re better than the rest of the worldly players talent-wise and mentally.
I would love a player like Daisuke on my team. I think he pitches well and hushes all the doubters and critics who question him, his play, his choices, motives, and his passion.
Once you get past their starters, you have the deepest bullpen in baseball. Ex-closers everywhere can set up the second-best current close Jonathan Papelbon. Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito in addition to star set-up man before this season Hideki Okajima trounce the Phillies stumbling ‘pen.
MLB postseason is the greatest of the major sports. Baseball is such a skilled sport that its intensity is not comparable to anything else. In hockey and basketball, there are so many teams in the playoffs it is a mockery in the opening stages. Mistakes determine games and risky play isn’t as harmful.
Football is closer to baseball where one blown assignment or coverage can be crucial, but baseball dominates. The atmosphere with the noise and towels; all of it.
The crucial decisions a manager has to make and the player having to decide on his feet quickly too and also carrying out the right play. Everything can ride on one pitch. The pressure is mind-bending and playoff baseball is edge-of-your-seat stuff regardless of personal interest. It’s fantastic.
Enjoy. :)
The Sox reversed the curse then won it again in three years. Last year they were first-hand witnesses to the greatest story of all-time as division foe Tampa Bay put the world on notice that they’d grown up and had enough of the cellar.
But this time their next title will take half the time that their most recent took from their previous before that in ’04 when they finally won one. It’ll take seven.
Your 2009 MLB Champions: Boston Red Sox
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments