It's Been 17 Hours Since First Pitch

Bud Selig has a rulebook, so you know he means business. Seriously, this guy is such a complete doofus -- can we please get someone less embarrassing to run MLB? What a clown. And what was with all the dramatic pauses and frowns during the press conference? It rained, Bud. Big freaking deal. You don't get to be all pensive about it when you signed your deal with Fox and other media outlets to let them designate when games begin and how many off-days there are, etc. If each team hosted just one doubleheader a month during the season, you'd pick up a week on the calendar right there and you could be playing these games earlier than the end of October in Philly. I have zero sympathy for clowns like Selig and MLB -- you want to play World Series games damn near November? This is what you get. Oh, and you want to play them in the dead of night? Again, this is what you get.

With something like this, though, I always think about the weird little logistical things that might be going on. Like....

What about the fan who, like I would, let their ticket get soaked in their pocket during the rain last night and now needs that same ticket to get back in tonight? Ruh-roh!

Will the parking lots and garages in the area charge full price for tonight? (Of course they will.)

Will they cut off beer sales in the 7th inning tonight, even though that's one inning into this evening and could occur at 8:30 PM?

Do we re-sing the national anthem? And does that mean they have to exhume John Oates again:


GAHHH!!

(Sorry about that.)

Are people really going to "stretch" after one inning is played (bottom 6 and top 7)?

Will there be a first pitch ceremony?

Will Tim McCarver get confused?

And as far as game strategy....

Since it's the World Series and could be the clincher, do you consider keeping Cole Hamels in the game if you're Philly? He's technically still in the game right now and if he says he can get loose, do you take that chance? I think if you're leading say 3-1 in the game, you MIGHT consider it. But since it's tied, they probably don't. Becuase now, if tonight winds up washed out, too, then there will be enough time to rest Hamels for three days and bring him back for Game 7.

If you're the Rays, and you obviously need to win this game... and it's a new evening... do you bring a starter into the game? I mean, why not? I know Maddon said he's saving Sheilds for Game 6 and Garza I think would pitch Game 7... but is this something to think about?

Anyway, we're back at it -- or trying to -- at 8:00 Eastern tonight, though they're calling for more rain, 40 MPH wind gusts and a wind chill around 31 degrees. A lovely night for baseball!

World Series Predicto -- Rays versus Phillies

[Yes, I know theses lasses were featured in an earlier playoffs post but they're just too good to pass up on and remind us all what's great about having a Florida team in the World Series.]

Tampa Bay Rays versus Philadelphia Phillies

So here we are, with the World Series beginning tonight in Tampa Bay. Well, more accurately, in St. Petersburg. I've never really understood why they're called "Tampa Bay" since "Tampa Bay" isn't even a city. Tampa Bay is just that... a freakin' bay. I can't think of another pro sports franchise that's named for a body of water instead of either a city or a state -- can you?

And raise your hand if you had Rays-Phillies in the World Series. Now, if your hand is up, close it into a fist... and now bring it down quickly and slam it into your testicles. Because you're lying and we punch liars in the balls.

What's even better, though, is that to mock the "experts" on ESPN, we don't even have to go back to the beginning of the season... we can go back to... October 1. Of 2008. When they were all asked to make their playoff predictions, now with the helpful knowledge of which eight teams actually made it in. And backed with the knowledge one assumes baseball analysts at ESPN have -- which is to say, thousands of baseball games' worth of viewing during the season, thus knowing more about the teams in play than any of us schmos. And out of 18 "experts," here's their collectively wonderful showing:

-Zero of them got the World Series matchup correct.
-Zero of them picked the Phillies to make the World Series.
-Two (out of eighteen!) picked the Rays to make it to the World Series.
-ONE (Keith Law) picked the Rays to win the World Series.

So if the Rays win it, Keith Law is officially the only guy at ESPN who knows anything about baseball. And if the Phils win, then they all should be fired.

As for me, I thought the Rays were the AL champs when the playoffs started -- really! -- because they were clearly better than the ChiSox and I thought that, in the end, they had outplayed Boston all year and would have home field... plus Boston was really banged up. I had the NL all wrong, but hey, so what. Each round I've been 50% correct, which should qualify me to be at ESPN.

As for this series, it's hard for me to pick because I've been so consistently wrong about the Phils. They just don't strike me as that good of a team, plus they've got half-witt Charlie Manual running the show and I just can't imagine him winning a World Series.

In addition, the Phils were a second place team for almost all of the past two seasons and if the Mets were not complete and utter chokers wouldn't have made the playoffs (or won the division) in either of the past two seasons. Think about that -- if the Mets don't make an historic collapse last September and then follow it up with another nearly-historic collapse this September, then the Phillies aren't even a playoff team and Manual is probably history by now.

But the Mets did collapse twice and the Phils are here. So then you look at how they've performed in the playoffs. Well, last year, they barely showed up and were probably spent from chasing down the Mets, and they got swept in the first round against the Rockies. Then this season they got to face the Brewers -- who were the ones who eeked by the Mets for the Wild Card and, thus, had to be exhausted, too. Hell, CC Sabathia was pitching on three days rest for a month. And then they faced a talented Dodgers team that... well, how talented were they? They were a .500 team all season until Manny arrived. And then they become a trendy pick. So if you want to be anti-Philly, it's easy to feel they haven't had to go through much to get here, plus it's not like anyone on the team has eye-popping stats this postseason.

On the Rays side, they actually did have to go through a hot Chicago team and then through a really determined Red Sox team that is always a tough out. They also held off the Sox and Yanks all season and, if ever a young team was battle tested, this was it.

Sure, it's possible that they'll let down and just be happy to be there. But I don't think so. Not after taking out the Red Sox and coming within a few outs of humbling the Sox at Fenway in three straight. After that, I don't think there's anything in Philly that's going to scare them.

As crazy as it sounds to be talking about the Rays being in the World Series, start getting used to the idea of the Rays being World Series champions.

Rays in 5.

I'm Glad The Rays Won

Obviously, I'm glad the Rays won... because I don't like the Sawx, their fans, their players, etc. But more than that, seeing the joy exhibited by the Rays players after they won last night was just one of those really cool things in sports. They were thrilled, relieved, joyful.... and many of these guys were part of the worst team in baseball last season.... and to be part of that journey has got to be just amazing.

And as much as I hate the Red Sox, I do have a grudging respect for them. Bill Simmons, who jumped the shark a long time ago in most peoples' eyes, wrote a column after the 2001 World Series, when the Yankees lost in seven games to the Diamondbacks on a bottom-of-the-ninth rally. Simmons wrote about how much he respected the Yankees and that you can tell the mettle of a champion not only when they win, but in how they are toppled. Like when a dynasty ends, the mark of a champion is in how hard they fight to the bitter end. Those Yankees struggled to push that series to seven games and almost pulled it out in the end... and they fought to the last second.

The same can be said of the 2008 Red Sox. Through the Manny disaster and trade, Ortiz slumping badly this season, Lowell not even being on the ALCS roster, injuries all over the places, etc... this team still played hard to the end and did not give the Rays anything. Down 7-0 in the 7th inning of Game 5, with TBS and everyone else already talking about the Rays versus the Phillies, and with Sox fans (who likely became Sox fans in about October 2004) the Sox players had to be the only ones who still believed they could do it. And they almost freaking did. Incredible.

Back in October of 2004, on my old site, when the Yankees were initiating their collapse to the Sox, I wrote that you couldn't ever take your boot off the Sox throat. Here's what I said on October 18, 2004:

"The Sox are a team I just don't feel comfortable around until they're gone.You need to run them over with the bus, then back over them, then run over them again. And then get out and hit them with the tire iron. Repeatedly. And then back over them again."

And they're still that team. They're still hungry, they still believe they can win no matter what the situation. And last night, if a few things had bounced their way... or if Drew wasn't called out on strikes on a pitch a foot outside that even the pitcher said he thought was a ball in the postgame.

I still don't like them or a lot of their players, but they refused to give up their throne easily and I respect them for that.

"Dude! I know! We was rahbbed! I can't believe the Sawx lost! I'm gonna go home and beat my girlfriend now... should cheeah me up."

October is Different, Part IV: World Series Edition

Colorado Rockies versus Boston Red Sox

I was going to post a nice picture above of Denver and then a crappy picture of Boston but I'm much bigger than that. Just because I hate the Sox doesn't mean I can't be a good guy and evaluate them fairly. Okay, maybe it might seem that way, but the truth is, I picked them to win their first round series and then I picked them to lose in 7 to Cleveland and, had Cleveland not lost a 3-1 lead, I would have looked pretty bright. As it stands, though, I look about as dumb as usual. So let's just get to my breakdown of the World Series.

For starters, I'm just happy there's going to be a game tonight, so we can stop seeing Rockies players being asked what the 8-day layoff is going to mean. They don't know, guys. They've never even been to the World Series, so how can they tell you? Of course they're going to say they enjoy the time off and resting up and OF COURSE we all know they'd rather get right into it. Might they be "rusty"? I guess it's possible, but if Todd Helton sees a Josh Beckett fastball really well and puts it into the seats in the first inning, does all that "rust" talk simply vanish? Probably. And if Beckett shuts them down, like he's done to the Angels and Indians, will people comment on Colorado's rust? Of course they will. It's kind of dumb. But it's hard to think a week off is helpful when you've played baseball pretty much every day since March.

Why The Rockies Might Win: Basically, because they've looked unstoppable for the past month. And with this 8-day layoff, they've now lost one game in the last 38 days. How ridiculous is that? 22-1 in their last 23 games. Supreme confidence. Outstanding hitting. They have the comeback kids kind of mentality that has helped the Red Sox in '04 and '07; that is, simply believing you're going to come back and win no matter what happens. The Rox were down two runs in extra innings of their one-game playoff against San Diego and they came back and won. They were 7+ games out in mid-September and they got in. They haven't lost a game in the postseason yet. (Even those vaunted, always-talked-about Yankees teams from the late-90s didn't sweep their way through the playoffs, so consider that.) The Rockies pitching has been excellent and their bullpen has been lights-out.

Why The Rockies Might Lose: Well, they're the Rockies. Can you imagine the Rockies being the World Series champs? And just like the Phillies that they ousted in the first round, could the Rockies eventually run out of gas? I mean, consider all they've had to do to get here and how much winning baseball they've had to play the past month. They've been in do-or-die playoff mode since about September 15. Teams that have to overcome such deficits often peter out just a bit too early. But hey, you could have made that argument about the Red Sox comeback in '04 over the Yankees and it didn't turn out to hurt them. They just kept plowing along. And so might the Rockies. Another reason they might lose is because they haven't faced a team like the Red Sox yet. The Rockies beat the overrated Phillies (a second-place team only in the playoffs because of an historic collapse by the Mets) and then the overrated Diamondbacks (a team that got outscored on the season and happened to buck statistical trends and eek out 90+ victories). The Red Sox are far, far better than either of those opponents.

Why The Red Sox Might Win: As I just said, on paper they're a better team than the Rockies. Colorado was a fourth-place team for much of the season, trailing the D-Backs, Padres and Dodgers almost all year. Read that again. The Rox were worse than the D-Backs, Padres and Dodgers all year long... until the last two weeks of September. So no matter how hot they are, if you look at things equally, they're not as good as the first-place-all-year Sox. The Sox have the best starter in the series, and among the best in baseball, in Josh Beckett. They have Bloody Sock Schilling, who is good for at least one "heroic" performance each series. And then they have a pretty good stable of pitchers in the bullpen, leading up to Riverdancer Jonathan Papelbon. The Sox also have David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, who both hit over .400 in the ALCS. These guys are fantastic hitters, plain and simple. They're not the concern for Colorado. I think the Rockies will pitch around these guys if they have to, so the question becomes can JD Drew, Dustin Pedroia, Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek, et al, come to play and cash in when they get up there with guys on base.

Why The Red Sox Might Lose: This team has been awfully streaky this season. They came flying out of the gate for two months and then played mediocre baseball for about three months, almost letting the Yankees catch them. Then they played well again right into the playoffs and then, against the Indians, looked awful in falling behind 3-1. Then they seemingly turned it on again and plowed through the Indians. If this team doesn't come out focused against a Rockies team that is sweeping teams out of the playoffs, it could be another 3-1 deficit before they know it. Sure, they've shown they can come back from that, but you see where I'm going with this. In addition, if Schilling or Matsuzaka aren't in top form in Games 2 and 3 (with Matsuzaka tentatively pitching in Coors -- wheee!) the Rockies could get themselves a series lead and even more confidence. Oh, and if Eric Gagne has to pitch, the Sox might as well say goodnight. Man, has he been awful.

Factor Being Talked About That Might Mean Something or Might Mean Nothing: The Rockies came to Fenway in mid-June and took two of three from the Sox, even beating Josh Beckett, who only lost seven games all season. While one might think this could get into Beckett's head, I think it's more likely that he's aware of what he did wrong in that game and is even more focused to take them down. After all, that was a mid-June series when the Sox had a huge division lead and this is the World Series. Hard to compare. But it's good for the Rockies that they know they can win in that challenging venue.

Other Miscellaneous Things I'm Watching For:

Will Manny pose and strut after any home runs? If so, will the Rockies finally be the team willing to knock him down for it? I doubt it, but it's fun to think about.

Will we see significant snow for the first time in a World Series? Quite possible, since it was really snowy in Denver over the weekend. It's not looking to be too bad in the upcoming days but it came show up quickly there. Wouldn't MLB look stupid then if the World Series is postponed by snow. Of course, maybe they never expected the Rockies to ever make a World Series.

Will Eric Gagne be allowed to share in the postgame celebration if the Sox win the World Series?

How many times will we be reminded of the Rockies playing for Mike Coolbaugh? It's definitely awesome that they voted Coolbaugh a playoff share so his family gets it, but I have a feeling we might get hit over the head with it by Fox.

Speaking of Fox, how many crappy sitcom actors will they plant in the stands in Denver or Boston?

How many times will Tim McCarver screw up Troy Tulowitzki's name?

Prognostication: Well, it's about that time. I've gotten the winner right in four of the six series played so far this postseason so I'm doing okay. This is a tough series, as most are, because you just don't know how the teams are going to react. Would anyone have thought the Tigers would look so lifeless and sloppy against the weak Cardinals last season? I mean, isn't it possible to imagine the Rockies continuing their unconscious streak of masterful baseball and getting through the Red Sox to complete their magical season? (Well, okay, magical month.) Sure it is. And isn't it just as easy to imagine the Red Sox simply shutting down the storybook Rockies, simply because they have a more complete, dominant team?

The Rockies have some terrific hitters in Tulowitzki, Helton, Hawpe and Atkins. The Sox have an equally impressive group that includes Ortiz, Manny, Lowell (who led the team in RBIs, betcha didn't know that) and Drew. The Rockies pitching, while outstanding in the playoffs, is not quite the caliber at the top that the Red Sox is. Beyond the top pitchers, though, I think the Rox are a lot closer to the Sox level.

All that said, and as much as I detest the Red Sox, I don't think I can bring myself to actually predict a Rockies win. I'd love to see it happen -- and not just because I don't like Boston. I think the fans of Colorado have seen a mediocre-to-terrible baseball product for most of the time the Rockies have existed. Now, they're finally doing things right and they've gone on an impressive run and seem to have the parts in place to at least remain competitve in the NL West. So I think it'd be great to see a city like Denver, which has won in in the past in hockey and football, get to see a championship-winning baseball team. But I just don't think it's going to happen.

Red Sox in 6.