Thanks for the sympathy, Lance, but what I really want for the Dodgers is middle relief.
I'm now left with deciding who to root for in the National League. The Mets, who beat my guys and by winning it all would validate my belief that the Dodgers were pretty good this year, or the winner of the Padres-Cardinals series?
Hmm. These Mets aren't anywhere close to being as likable as the 1969 version of the team, or even as likable as the 1973 team. The Padres? Yuk. They beat the Dodgers 13 out of 18 games this year, so they too would seem to validate my opinion of the Dodgers (see paragraph 2). But they've always been the second or third banana in Southern California teams -- nearly an afterthought when talking about the region's pro sports franchises; I'm not sure I can go that direction. The Cardinals? Maybe back when they had Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee, Tommy Herr and Ken Oberkfell, or further back when they had Bob Gibson, Curt Flood, Julian Javier and Dal Maxvill, but now? I'm not fond of Tony LaRussa, and while I like Albert Pujols, is that enough to sway me?
In the American League it's easy. Although I was born in an Oakland suburb, the As don't know that. I've never been to Detroit, but I remember those Sixties teams with Al Kaline, Norm Cash, Willie Horton and Dick McAuliffe. Besides, they beat the Yankees, the most obnoxious franchise in baseball history.
Posted by Linkmeister at October 8, 2006 02:16 PM | TrackBackI have a similar dilemma. On the one hand, I am an American League fan of an American League team, and after blowing up the Death Star the other night the Detroit Skywalkers have earned my eternal gratitude.
On the other hand, my girlfriend and her entire family are Mets fans. So much so that her father, through his company, has a skybox suite at Shea. If the Mets go to the Series, I will likely get to go to a World Series game for the first time since 1991. If the Mets actually win, not only do my immediate-term prospects for a good evening improve dramatically, but the long-term prospects of getting my girlfriend more into baseball and more willing to go to games also improve dramatically.
My heart says vote Tigers. My head says vote Mets.
Posted by: Curmudgeon at October 9, 2006 06:22 PMWell, it may become academic if neither team gets past the next round. I kinda think the As' pitching is just as good as the Tigers', and if Pujols gets hot, he could match Beltran. The Mets' starting pitching is in flux at the moment, but the Cardinals' is no better.
And, as we've seen, teams can just plain go cold. The Yankees couldn't get hits with runners in scoring position, and neither could the Padres.
Posted by: Linkmeister at October 9, 2006 08:50 PM