There we go, the Liberty Series...! I came across an article on espn.com calling this series "The One we've been waiting for" That's right, this one promises to be electric, intriguing, pulsating, competitive and will probably display everything that's great in baseball. These two teams truly deserve to be part of the Fall Classic and despite the never-give-up spirit of the Halos they truly "dropped" the last game. They didn't play great defense in this series (8 errors) and I didn't see the fire in their eyes last night...the House that Jeter built came to know as the House of Horrors for Mike Scioscia and his crew.
I always appreciated Mike Scioscia. He was my favorite player when I was kid; I admired his toughness behind the plate, his personality and the way he handled all those great pitchers in LA in the 198o's. I even wrote him a letter one day and came in my mailbox a few days letter an eveloppe from the Dodgers, with the logo on the left side and everything...my heart jumped; I yelled "Dad, Mike Scioscia wrote me back!!!!" I was so excited until I opened the letter and inside were just Dodgers promotion brochures and tickets information. I lived in France back then so the quick trip to Chavez Ravine to catch a glimpse of my hero would have to wait! But nonethless the Dodgers were great to at least answer to mail from fans, especially when you can make a buck out of it!
I have in my head, lots and lots of memories about baseball, when I was a kid, a teenage and now an adult. I would need soooo much time to write about them all. That's what baseball does for you: Memories of a lifetime and once you catch the baseball bug it stays with you forever, again no matter the ratings, the steroids or the length of games...
Monday, October 26, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Phi-nomenal!!
Well there we are...we now know which National League entry will be part of this year's Fall Classic. I can hear some people already lamenting the Dodger defeat and how great for the game it would have been if the Blue Crew were part of the World Series blah, blah, blah. Let me tell you, this World Series will ROCK! What team can stop the Fightin' Phils right now? The Yankees are the only one with enough firepower to match them in every department of the game; think about it: CC facing Ryan Howard? You got it! Cliff Lee mixing pitches, a package of finesse and precision against that power hitting team from the Bronx! How will Lee fares in that bandbox of ballpark? On tap. Brad Lidge, facing A-Rod in the 9th protecting a one-run lead? You bet! How about having teams with two of the MOST supportive fan bases in all of baseball? There will be booing and cheering and everything in between! A-Rod being "greeted" by Philly fans! Have some ear-plugs on hand if you don't like high decibels! How about some more of the Mariano Rivera spitball incident?
These mini scenarios are many others will be fascinating to watch next week! There will be a lot of star power and intrigue on display. It has the chance to be a classic. This is assuming of course that the Yankees win the ALCS! But you know what? Let's say the Angels benefit of some sort of "divine intervention" and manage to win it all, I'll be watching nonetheless because that would be a formidable story of perseverence and guts...sort of like the 2004 Red Sox.
I'll keep watching the World Series until I stop breathing, no matter how late the games start, because there will always be compelling storylines in every Fall Classic. As one Astros fan said recently, baseball people love baseball, no matter what; it doesn't matter how many times player adjust their cups, how many spit or how many commercials there are.
We love baseball because of the game itself. It's just perfect.
These mini scenarios are many others will be fascinating to watch next week! There will be a lot of star power and intrigue on display. It has the chance to be a classic. This is assuming of course that the Yankees win the ALCS! But you know what? Let's say the Angels benefit of some sort of "divine intervention" and manage to win it all, I'll be watching nonetheless because that would be a formidable story of perseverence and guts...sort of like the 2004 Red Sox.
I'll keep watching the World Series until I stop breathing, no matter how late the games start, because there will always be compelling storylines in every Fall Classic. As one Astros fan said recently, baseball people love baseball, no matter what; it doesn't matter how many times player adjust their cups, how many spit or how many commercials there are.
We love baseball because of the game itself. It's just perfect.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
well, baseball has done it again!
It's not the first time someone blogs about baseball and why we love it so much...Well there would not be enough time to list all the reasons why it's a great game. I thought I should write something about it however, because I'm still hungover; not from excessive drinking mind you, but hungover from an overdose of drama courtesy of a little ball tournament named ALCS and NLCS...I'm so happy for the Angels, although tonight won't be easy task, facing CC. They injected some drama in the ALCS and it proves that in baseball it ain't over until it's over and that anybody can win at any given time. It's all about perseverance and team effort in the heat of the battle. The Halos were down early, clawed back in the latter innings and the rest is history.
Last night's NLCS offered drama as well, but for me and many other fans pulling for an L.A win this was a blah kind of night. My heart sank like Jimmy Rollins line drive game winning RBI triple in the gap. Exciting game for sure, but what are the odds of this happening? It's what makes baseball great though...you NEVER know! This whole postseason despite at times being one-sided (ie sweeps) is tough for the nerves, it doesn't matter if you have a rooting interest or not, October baseball is just NERVE RACKING but FUN!
So there we have for our enjoyment: Some big dramatic games, tense moments on the field or in the stands, some superb athleticism and big time power displays. You want strategy, you bet, baseball has it! Just check out the blogosphere today commenting on the managerial moves by Joe Girardi yesterday, the genius of Mike Scioscia, the guts of Joe Torre and the "always push the right button" skill of Charlie Manuel...baseball in October is the perfect showcase for our sport, the leafs turning, the crisp sky and basketball on TV but before we go into hibernation we need our pastime once more; the perfect early Christmas gift for a true ball fan? A long, hard-fought, 7 game battle World Series...a hard fought 6 game battle would do just fine as well, thank you!
But the true fan of course NEEDS baseball year-round. He can't get enough of the hot-stove, the GM meetings, the Winter meetings, the latest A-ROD gossip...until its time to head south, for the warmer climates of Arizona and Florida...Spring Training....then it starts all over again, following the seasons, adapting to modern life, baseball has always been there for all of us who enjoy it so much. Baseball gets a lot of press time comes the Playoffs but for us, the FANS, baseball is a 365 days-a-year passion. This superb combination of power, speed, athleticism, strategy and suspense has capitvated a wide range of people, young and old, and despite all the nay-sayer claim, it'll still be part of our sports landscape for a long time to come!
Last night's NLCS offered drama as well, but for me and many other fans pulling for an L.A win this was a blah kind of night. My heart sank like Jimmy Rollins line drive game winning RBI triple in the gap. Exciting game for sure, but what are the odds of this happening? It's what makes baseball great though...you NEVER know! This whole postseason despite at times being one-sided (ie sweeps) is tough for the nerves, it doesn't matter if you have a rooting interest or not, October baseball is just NERVE RACKING but FUN!
So there we have for our enjoyment: Some big dramatic games, tense moments on the field or in the stands, some superb athleticism and big time power displays. You want strategy, you bet, baseball has it! Just check out the blogosphere today commenting on the managerial moves by Joe Girardi yesterday, the genius of Mike Scioscia, the guts of Joe Torre and the "always push the right button" skill of Charlie Manuel...baseball in October is the perfect showcase for our sport, the leafs turning, the crisp sky and basketball on TV but before we go into hibernation we need our pastime once more; the perfect early Christmas gift for a true ball fan? A long, hard-fought, 7 game battle World Series...a hard fought 6 game battle would do just fine as well, thank you!
But the true fan of course NEEDS baseball year-round. He can't get enough of the hot-stove, the GM meetings, the Winter meetings, the latest A-ROD gossip...until its time to head south, for the warmer climates of Arizona and Florida...Spring Training....then it starts all over again, following the seasons, adapting to modern life, baseball has always been there for all of us who enjoy it so much. Baseball gets a lot of press time comes the Playoffs but for us, the FANS, baseball is a 365 days-a-year passion. This superb combination of power, speed, athleticism, strategy and suspense has capitvated a wide range of people, young and old, and despite all the nay-sayer claim, it'll still be part of our sports landscape for a long time to come!
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