Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Postseason 2008, so far

It's nearly impossible keeping up while traveling in Yunnan Province (I'm writing from a Lijiang Internet bar as we speak), but this must be said: the baseball playoffs are absolutely amazing. I just got the first inning of the second game of the Dodgers-Cubs series on MLB.tv, and when Manny Ramirez struck out on three pitches, I momentarily forgot everything I'd read about how Cubs fans have given up on the team and hate the team and are saying "It's Never Gonna Happen" and etc., etc.

Of course, then I remembered: this was when the series was still 1-0, before the Cubs would commit four errors the next inning while giving up four runs, lose 10-3, then get swept.

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I don't know what to say about losing a series due to a missed suicide-squeeze bunt. Gut-wrenching. The call was absolutely correct, though: Reggie Willits was out.

I think Thom Brennaman put it best: "Sometimes you play for a run. Sometimes you lose by a run."

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Another word on Boston: I don't know what it is about Fenway, but the place just looks different in the postseason, in a way you can say about only a few other stadiums or arenas. I don't just mean the paint and bunting: it feels different, even on Internet TV. Hard to explain.

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Milwaukee's crowd > Philly's crowd? Philly's crowd vs. LA's... no contest.

Not sure if any of them compare with the White Sox crowd, however, with their black out. White homer hankies are so 1991... and not to mention they inhibit people from applauding.

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Evan Longoria is awesome. And sort of related: Harold Reynolds may have plenty of detractors, but I for one am happy to hear him back in the booth.

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A World Series prediction: Dodgers over Rays in 6.

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