October Skies: A Playoff Preview
October 6, 2006
Summer is over. The grass is being removed; the seats are being covered with tarps. Players are booking their vacations with their families, while others are booking meetings with their agents, hoping to score a fat winter contract.
Yes boys and girls, baseball season is over. No longer will you be able to turn on the television every day, hoping to catch a glimpse of your favorite team.
No longer will you be able to sweat over who is going to win the division, or what team is going to score a big deal at the trade deadline.
Isn’t it depressing?
Personally, I’m still dwelling on my Astros, a team that boasted three of the best pitchers of the league yet still wasn’t able to muster a serious run until it was too late.
Why is it that every time Roger Clemens pitches a must-win game for Houston, he can’t get it done? Game seven of the 2004 NLCS, last year’s World Series, a couple of days ago against the Braves; its heartbreaking for us ‘Stros fans.
Anyways, while I, along with 23 other classes of baseball fans, go into winter hibernation, eight lucky groups of fans will still be glued to their TV’s as the “boys of summer” are replaced with the heroes of October.
It’s playoff time; the culmination of a 162-game marathon leading to one exciting month.
This is a time where normal baseball players turn into heroes, and a time where heroes turn into legends.
This is the only time in baseball you’ll see a staff ace make a relief appearance (Randy Johnson in ‘01) or fans get a two-for-one baseball game (the Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves in ‘05).
In the playoffs, there aren’t any guarantees. It’s anyone’s game. Whoever can manage their staff, keep their stars healthy, and take advantage of home games can go all the way to the “Big Dance.”
Hell, if the favorites always win, ask Joe Torre why his collection of zillionaire stars hasn’t won a championship since Paul O’Neil and Tino Martinez ran the team.
However, several big-name teams are absent from postseason play while many surprise teams find themselves with a chance at glory.
First, this year’s losers. In the American League, only one team from last year’s playoffs made it this year, everyone’s favorites (don’t panic Boston, I say that with every ounce of sarcasm and hatred possible), the New York Yankees. The Anaheim Angels couldn’t overcome their inconsistency and the Chicago White Sox just didn’t have enough firepower to challenge their division rivals.
However, when looking at the American League this year, the clear cut winner for the league’s biggest disappointment has to be the Boston Red Sox. There was anticipation going into this year for the Sox, and until mid-season, Boston really thought it was going to be their year. And then came the Yankees, and the Red Sox season literally went into a free-fall.
The solid pitching combo of Curt Shilling and Josh Beckett crumbled down the stretch when Schilling got hurt and Beckett, well, crumbled. The bullpen went to shambles as it seemed neither Mike Timlin, Julian Tavares nor anyone else they tried could get an out and the seemingly untouchable rookie, Jonathan Papelbon, suddenly became very touchable and went out with an injury.
To add insult to injury, these factors, along with “Manny being Manny,” not only ruined the Red Sox return to the postseason, but also put a damper on David Ortiz’s inhuman season.
Big Papi smacked 54 homeruns on his way to breaking the Boston Red Sox single-season homerun record and had Boston made the playoffs, Ortiz would have been a lock for the AL MVP.
Over in the National League, two 2005 playoff teams will not be making a return this October, the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros.
Although I personally believe the Astros absence is a bigger story, any unbiased baseball fan would realize that the fact that the Braves, for the first time in 14 years, will not be the NL East champions is a story in itself.
The Braves simply couldn’t string a set of good performances early on and by the time they started to play their kind of baseball, it was far too late.
Over in the central, the Astros, who made a magical run to the World Series last year experienced much of the same woes that cost them the championship last season.
Their lack of offense led to a scarcity in run-support and as a result, led to the Astros not taking advantage of their star-studded rotation.
They created magic when their nine-game winning streak, along with the collapse of the St. Louis Cardinals, brought them to within a half a game of the NL Central. However, after finishing the season with two consecutive losses, the Astros hope to bolster their offense in the off-season.
While some fans will be sitting at home wondering whatever happened to their beloved teams, the eight cities that are looking forward to October are getting ready for what could be one of the most exciting Octobers we’ve had in years.
In the American League, the Detroit Tigers are going to the playoffs for the first time since 1987. Yes Detroit, you have a baseball team. With big names like catcher Ivan Rodriguez and pitcher Kenny Rogers, the Tigers have been able to build a young, exciting team that should have a legitimate shot at winning the pennant.
If they want to go past their first round, however, they’re going to have to outplay the Yankees, a team which thrives in the playoffs.
With a pitching staff led by Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina, the Yankees should have enough talent to keep runs off the board. On the other hand, putting runs on the board shouldn’t be a problem as sluggers Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, and Alex Rodriguez are only some of the names that will be on the Yankees line-up card.
The other American League match-up will be between the Oakland Athletics and the hottest team in baseball, the Minnesota Twins. The Athletics had the luxury of playing in a division that undeniably struggled throughout the season.\ However, the Twins were able to win a division that included the Tigers and the defending champion White Sox. The As will be relying on the arm of Barry Zito and the bat of Frank Thomas to bring in the Divisional Series. The Twins will hope that MVP candidates Joe Mauer and Jason Morneau will be able to continue their hitting spree throughout the playoffs which should complement a pitching staff that includes future hall-of-famer Johan Santana and veteran Brad Radtke.
The National League, whose winner could have easily been predicted a month ago, is a little harder to foresee as we enter October. The New York Mets, whose offense helped the team to the best record in the NL, will hope they can edge out the Los Angeles Dodgers who were able to clinch the Wild Card, even though their record was equal to that of the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers pitching staff, led by Derek Lowe will hope to quiet the monster bats of the Mets, led by David Wright, Carlos Delgado, and playoff superhero Carlos Beltran.
However, the Mets will have to hope that Tom Glavine can help anchor a staff that is without its ace, Pedro Martinez. The other division series includes the San Diego Padres and the St. Louis Cardinals.
While in the past, almost anyone would say the Cardinals were the favorite to when the pennant, this year has been different for the Red Birds.
The Cardinals struggled all season and showed periods of complete incompetence. Their inconsistent year was marked by the last week of the season, where they went on a nine-game losing streak, allowing Houston to make up eight-games and come to within half a game of taking over sole possession of the central.
The Red Birds will have to hope they can find their old form against the Padres, a team that has now made the playoffs the past two seasons.
As some of you might be putting your baseball cap in the closet, others will flock to the Campus Center in hope of catching a game in ESPN (unless you live in one of those lucky dorms with ESPN in the common rooms).
The playoffs have arrived and the excitement will now begin. Every game counts, every play counts, and every decision could either win a championship or throw a season of hard work away.
So as every analysis of baseball must end, picks have to be made and favorites have to be chosen.
If I were to put money on it (which I probably will end up doing), I’d take the Twins over the A’s and the Yankees over the Tigers.
After a seven game bout, expect the Twins to be holding up the American League pennant and heading to their first World Series since 1991.
In the National League, I’d take the Padres over the struggling Cardinals and the Mets over the Dodgers.
However, I’ll pick the underdog and take the Padres over the Mets in the NLCS.
The series will be an opportunity to prove that the National League is not as bad as everyone thinks and I believe the Padres will push the Twins to a game seven.
However, home-field advantage will kick in and I expect to see the Metrodome go wild as the Twins clinch the series with a dramatic low-scoring win.
It’s October, baseball fans, so sit back if you’re neutral and get those crazy-emotions ready if your colors are going to be on the field because there is nothing better than October in America.