Baseball
Considering that the NLCS begins tonight and the Dodgers got knocked out four days ago, I'd better blog about it now before the Dodgers' season turns from old history to ancient history. Obviously, it's disappointing to see the Dodgers get swept again. Since 1988 the Dodgers have somehow managed to win only a single game in their four trips to the postseason. They usually field a good team, but rarely do they put together a great team. What added insult to injury was how in the elimination game, so many Mets who hurt them were ex-Dodgers, from the much-missed Paul LoDuca and Shawn Green to Guillermo Mota and even Jose Valentin. Man, that stung.
I'm not sure which direction the Dodgers will be going next year. Free agents Nomar and Gagne are great contributors and fan favorites as long as they stay off the disabled list, which seems to be pretty difficult for those two. A lot of rookies made big contributions this year, and will likely get better next year (and for a discount price, too), so presumably we'll have money to spend on free agents. I don't think we've really had a big-impact slugger since we traded Mike Piazza, and while some people tout Derek Lowe or Brad Penny as Cy Young candidates, that's mostly because the pickings are so slim in the NL this year; another top-grade starting pitcher would give the bullpen more rest.
It's hard to see the future, though; if the young players play to their potential and we make a couple of good free agent signings, we could have a great team next year. But if we instead see the Andre Ethier of September, the post-All Star Break Matt Kemp, injuries, and/or free-agent fizzle-outs, we could be in for a bad one. I really can't say.
I will say that the Tigers seem to be the Team of Destiny right now. Their pitching looks phenomenal and their offense is putting hits together when they need to. The celebration at Comerica Park when they beat the Yankees in the ALDS was the biggest outpouring of joy I've seen on a ballfield for anything short of an actual World Series championship.
I'm having a hard time feeling excited about the NLCS, however. I'll have to watch it tonight and see what sort of vibe I get. I may end up on the Mets' side after all just to cheer on Lo Duca and Green.
Correction: Jose Valentin, not John Valentin
posted by Adam Villani @ 10/11/2006 12:45:00 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Meanwhile, your team had a bunch of ex-Braves. Never a good bet in the postseason.
I'm pulling for World Series match-ups now. Cardinals v As and Cardinals v Tigers both have some historical resonance. Mets v As would be nice too ... ghosts of 73 and all that. The worst possible match-up is Mets v Tigers, although it's always nice to see New Yorkers get tripped up by an underdog. (Al-Quaeda excepted.)
I'm still pulling for the As in the ALCS because I love Barry Zito -- my favorite non-Braves player for the last six years. And I'm pulling for the Cards in the NLCS except when Glavine's pitching for the Mets. I can't stand Tony LaRussa, and would love to see him eat it again, but I live in Cards country, and their win would make a lot of my friends and neighbors happy. (It's the same reason I root for the Hogs on Saturday, even though I can't stand U of A as an institution.)
-Noel
Just a correction: Jose Valentin is on the Mets. John retired a number of years ago. (Although the way Jose played for the Dodgers it was as though he had been retired).
Oh yeah... I noticed that last night and was just about to fix that. Whoops, I guess somebody noticed.
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