Saturday, October 11, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
100 Year- Old Curses and Suicide Squeezes
So, with the Division Series' finished up in both the AL and NL, the two teams with the best records in their respective divisions have both been knocked out of the playoffs. For one team, it was an absolute meltdown that their fan base half expected and the other just couldn't produce when it counted most.
For the Chicago Cubs, going into the playoffs you almost half expected something to go wrong at some point that made them meltdown and lose. But it didn't happen that way. There was no Bartman this year to blame- the Cubs just flat out failed. Watching game 1 of that series in Wrigley, if you just listened to the crowd you knew the Cubs fans were shook. Each one of them knew the Cubs' history and it seemed like they were scared to cheer, because they felt like the curse was just around the corner. After Dempster tanked game 1 with 7 walks and the Cubs down a game, it was a manageable deficit to come back from but it didnt turn out that way, the Cubs never recovered. I'll give credit where credit is due though, no matter how much I hate the Dodgers, they did a hell of a job shutting down the Cubs' big bats. After seeing the Cubs swept out of the playoffs in embarrassing fashion, I could only feel bad for them. With no team in the NL that i was really pulling for, I had hopped onto the Cubs bandwagon at the start of the playoffs, because despite the face that they had the best record in the NL, they still seemed like underdogs playing against their plagued past. The worst part of it all is, I think this might have been their best chance in a long time at winning the World Series. After the brutal sweep, i don't know if the cubs can put this past them. This was really a miracle season for them, everything was going right- Dempster was great (except when it mattered) moving from the bullpen to a starter, Harden was both healthy and dominant for them, much of their lineup was having career years like DeRosa (again, except when it mattered), Kerry Wood was mostly healthy and their bullpen was dominant. Plain and simple, the Cubs choked and i really don't think that everything can go as well as it did this season for them to be in a similar situation heading into the playoffs next season. Oh well, at least possibly having a president will be a sufficient consolation for Cubs fans.
On the other hand, there was the Angels, the best team in baseball against the defending world champion Red Sox. After being pushed to the brink of elimination due to the dominance of Jon Lester and a freak out fielding error, the Angels clawed their way back and looked like they were sending the series back to Anaheim with all of the momentum, the now infamous suicide squeeze play happened. I personally don't like how much some writers and analysts are blasting Sciosca for calling the squeeze play. I thought it was the right play in that situation- all the conditions were right and it was a tie game in the top of the 9th. If Aybar just makes contact on that bunt play, they're up a run, K-Rod comes in to close it out and most likely, we're looking at a deciding game 5 in Anaheim, with the momentum on the Angels' side. I agree with most people when they say that the Angels were the better team, but the playoffs are the playoffs and it only matters who shows up when it matters most. The Angels hitters looked lost against the Redsox staff, despite the fact that their middle relief was terrible. I don't feel like the Angels choked as much as they were just outplayed by the gritty Redsox. Sciosca made the right call on that squeeze play- you have Aybar swinging that bat there, there is a much better chance that he gets the run in bunting than swinging the bat. However, in the end, the Redsox stepped up in the 9th to get a walk off single.
If anything, these two playoff series were just another example, that it doesnt matter what you do during the regular season- everyone has a clean slate in October. The Angels and Cubs didnt show up when it mattered most and the Dodgers and Redsox got hot at the right time. Also, its a lesson that its hard to swing the bat, when your hands are around you neck. (choking)
For the Chicago Cubs, going into the playoffs you almost half expected something to go wrong at some point that made them meltdown and lose. But it didn't happen that way. There was no Bartman this year to blame- the Cubs just flat out failed. Watching game 1 of that series in Wrigley, if you just listened to the crowd you knew the Cubs fans were shook. Each one of them knew the Cubs' history and it seemed like they were scared to cheer, because they felt like the curse was just around the corner. After Dempster tanked game 1 with 7 walks and the Cubs down a game, it was a manageable deficit to come back from but it didnt turn out that way, the Cubs never recovered. I'll give credit where credit is due though, no matter how much I hate the Dodgers, they did a hell of a job shutting down the Cubs' big bats. After seeing the Cubs swept out of the playoffs in embarrassing fashion, I could only feel bad for them. With no team in the NL that i was really pulling for, I had hopped onto the Cubs bandwagon at the start of the playoffs, because despite the face that they had the best record in the NL, they still seemed like underdogs playing against their plagued past. The worst part of it all is, I think this might have been their best chance in a long time at winning the World Series. After the brutal sweep, i don't know if the cubs can put this past them. This was really a miracle season for them, everything was going right- Dempster was great (except when it mattered) moving from the bullpen to a starter, Harden was both healthy and dominant for them, much of their lineup was having career years like DeRosa (again, except when it mattered), Kerry Wood was mostly healthy and their bullpen was dominant. Plain and simple, the Cubs choked and i really don't think that everything can go as well as it did this season for them to be in a similar situation heading into the playoffs next season. Oh well, at least possibly having a president will be a sufficient consolation for Cubs fans.On the other hand, there was the Angels, the best team in baseball against the defending world champion Red Sox. After being pushed to the brink of elimination due to the dominance of Jon Lester and a freak out fielding error, the Angels clawed their way back and looked like they were sending the series back to Anaheim with all of the momentum, the now infamous suicide squeeze play happened. I personally don't like how much some writers and analysts are blasting Sciosca for calling the squeeze play. I thought it was the right play in that situation- all the conditions were right and it was a tie game in the top of the 9th. If Aybar just makes contact on that bunt play, they're up a run, K-Rod comes in to close it out and most likely, we're looking at a deciding game 5 in Anaheim, with the momentum on the Angels' side. I agree with most people when they say that the Angels were the better team, but the playoffs are the playoffs and it only matters who shows up when it matters most. The Angels hitters looked lost against the Redsox staff, despite the fact that their middle relief was terrible. I don't feel like the Angels choked as much as they were just outplayed by the gritty Redsox. Sciosca made the right call on that squeeze play- you have Aybar swinging that bat there, there is a much better chance that he gets the run in bunting than swinging the bat. However, in the end, the Redsox stepped up in the 9th to get a walk off single.If anything, these two playoff series were just another example, that it doesnt matter what you do during the regular season- everyone has a clean slate in October. The Angels and Cubs didnt show up when it mattered most and the Dodgers and Redsox got hot at the right time. Also, its a lesson that its hard to swing the bat, when your hands are around you neck. (choking)
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