Fire from the Hip: Thoughts on Sports & Real Life

So a friend of mine contacted me earlier this week, asking for a column about the baseball playoffs. I thought that I ought to oblige her although I am watching this postseason through the lens of last year's playoffs, which involved my Cleveland Indians.

1. Last night, while watching the Angels rally against the Red Sox in the eighth inning while simultaneously witnessing my friend, a die-hard Boston fan, suffer a complete meltdown, I was struck with one overwhelming thought: I am glad I am not experiencing what he is right now. Maybe this is an unrealistic goal, but I hope the next time the Indians are in the playoffs, I can watch in a detached manner. What's the major obstacle to this goal? Die-hard fans watch so many games during the regular season that when the playoffs roll around, the amount of time invested in a team becomes a psychological force so that the team's fortunes dramatically affect the mental state of the die-hard fan.

2. On the subject of the Red Sox, as I said just moments after Jason Bay slid home with the winning run in the ALDS, Boston fans are living a charmed life right now. Despite the fact that Boston has one of the best front offices in baseball and a plethora of talent on the field, results like Monday night's win go beyond talent. There has been an aura around this franchise since October 2004 and it has yet to dissolve, even though as Tom Verducci noted today, the stars from past postseason squads are no longer with the club. Treasure the ride New England.

3. You know the network executives are just praying for a Dodgers/Red Sox matchup in the Fall Classic: two teams with storied traditions, large television markets, and another thing they have in common: a future Hall-of-Famer happened to be traded from one team to the other this season. The Joe Torre-led Dodgers with the red-hot Manny Ramirez against the "scrappy" Red Sox could keep Peter Gammons, Joe Buck, and countless other postseason pundits talking endlessly...for better or worse.

4. Sure, the Brewers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. And yes, C.C. Sabathia didn't pitch well allowing a 300-foot pop fly grand slam to Shane Victorino in Game two. However, I still believe he deserves serious Cy Young consideration in the N.L. Sabathia was the reason the Brewers made the playoffs, going 11-2 in 17 starts with a 1.65 ERA. The Brewers went 14-3 in Sabathia's starts after he was acquired, 11 games over .5oo. In that period, Milwaukee went just 36-29 on days C.C. didn't start. His importance to the Brewers playoff run and his dominance of the N.L. cannot be understated. Are his stats impressive enough to sway voters? We'll see.

5. Though I am not sure the Red Sox are the best team in baseball, I think they'll win the World Series. Tampa Bay is a young team and they'll need to win at least one and I think, probably two games in Boston to defeat the Red Sox in the ALCS. I don't see it. The Boston lineup is filled with hitters that wear down pitchers by working the count. I don't see that same plate discipline for Tampa Bay. Their inexperience will get the best of them and Boston will take advantage winning the series in 6 games. As for the Dodgers or Phillies, Boston will have homefield advantage and are just too fundamentally sound to be defeated by teams that don't have the pitching depth to overcome the Sox lineup.