Monday, October 08, 2007

In the best interest of baseball

Thank you, Cleveland Indians.

But I still think Bud Selig should consider my suggestion of league contraction. Delete that pesky New York Yankees organization, and we can avoid these playoff concerns altogether.

Other baseball thoughts:

1. Regular season? Still doesn't matter. Wake me up when September ends.

2. The wild card concept has won its fair share of support, but no one has noticed an unfortunate side effect. Say the Colorado Rockies lose the NLCS. What, exactly, can they claim to have won on their caps and T-shirts?
The Cubs can say they won the NL Central. The Phillies can boast winning the NL East. And if the Diamondbacks were to lose this series, they can still advertise themselves as NL West champions.

But the Rockies, or any wild cards, are a bit screwed if they lose at this stage.
They didn't win their division, and they aren't representing their league in the World Series. "2007 NLDS champions" is a bit lame, the emotional equivalent of "Whee, we were the wild card." Clearly, no one has considered this.

3. I find myself indifferent about the Red Sox ever since they won the World Series. I understand that their big-budget financial moves are a necessary matter of self-preservation, but don't be surprised if the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Devil Rays now have two voodoo dolls in their clubhouses. Without competitive balance, the whole division is a bit of a yawn now. I'm beginning to understand how basketball people at N.C. State must feel.

4. Go Indians! Beat the white man and take back your land! And heck, I'll root for Cleveland, too.

6 comments:

K-Lyn said...

Yes, Thank you Cleveland, indeed. And what the Yanks are doing to Torre is yet another perfect example of why I hate them so very VERY much.

1. Welcome to October, the one month when we agree.

2. I'd like Wild Card T-shirts that say "I went to the playoffs and all I got was this lousy T-shirt". But I digress from your point. We have considered this. We don't care. 4 teams are needed to make the games even. It also gives incentive and reward to teams with great records stuck in a competitive division. Yay, Wild Card. It is up to the team what they do with it.

3&4. Still LOVE the Sox but frankly I'm still content from the WS win in '04. I figure it is going to carry me for about a decade or so. I remember well Cleveland's pain and wouldn't mind if they won over the Sox. But, as per usual, it's much more about the ALCS than the actual WS for me.

I wanted a Sox/Cubs WS but alas it was not to be.

Heck, I wanted an M's/Sox ALCS but THAT was September...

Neel Mehta said...

I'd like Wild Card T-shirts that say "I went to the playoffs and all I got was this lousy T-shirt".

Well, sure. All Mariners fans would prefer that.

Heck, I wanted an M's/Sox ALCS but THAT was September...

I was picking the Padres over the Mets about 2 weeks ago.

Anonymous said...

What K-lyn said, still thrilled about '04. Another win would be great, but I'm not greedy. Not like a Yankee fan...

K-Lyn said...

Actually, we WERE the wild card in 2000...beat the ChiSox only to have the Yankees take it from us at the ALCS in 6 games. (At least they won the game I was at)

That didn't feel any different than 2001 one when we won 116 games for the Division title, beat the Indians only to have, oh yes, the Yankees take it from us at the ALCS in 5 games. (They did NOT win the game I was at)

So, I can only speak as a fan, but there is NOTHING like being at a playoff game. No one in Safeco cared how we got there. Or what the T-shirt said.

Neel Mehta said...

Recent annoyance: the FOX ads for the ALCS describe the Cleveland Indians as a Cinderella. Uh, they finished tied with Boston with the best record in baseball, and had home field advantage against the Yankees.

Cinderellas overachieve in the postseason. Teams that exceed expectations in the regular season are just pleasant surprises.

K-Lyn said...

I'm confused...no one ever complains about FOX...hmmm. This must be the first time they've ever said or done something stupid!!!

~insert sarcasm~