Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Eatin' Crow
Let's see, three of my four first round predictions were dead wrong, and the one I got right turned out to be a one-sided sweep instead of a five-game grind-a-thon. Such is playoff baseball, I guess, where pure ability can sometimes give way to sample size randomness, and where four games can supposedly turn an All-Star into a baby-eating choker, at least according to the New York Post.
So just for fun, let's see where I was off-base the most. Here are some comments I made about each series.
-About Yanks/Tigers:
The Tigers are a great story, their fans should be proud, but they're dead meat.
In yo' face, Ryder! The Tigers totally took it to the Yankees, who dissolved into a steaming, finger-pointing mess. If the Yanks could have just won one game in Detroit, they probably would have taken the series, but Joe Torre's bizarre lineup machinations and awful starts from Randy Johnson and Jaret Wright (should we have been surprised?) ended any chance of that happening.
Even though I looked like an ass in predicting the Tigers to get swept, it was nice to see the underdog win, and it's a ball watching the New York media skewer the pinstripes on an hourly basis right now. The Tigres deserve the credit for coming through, but I still say this series is case file #3754 in why the playoffs (especially the first round) are such a crapshoot. I don't think there's any debate that the Yankees were a better team than Detroit, but the Tigers dominated in two games and that turned out to be the difference. Hey, I'm just glad we're now free of Yankee/Red Sox postseason baseball.
-Mets/Dodgers:
This should be a close, exciting series, and at least with the Dodgers around we have a clear villain.
I said it before and I'll say it again: DODGERS GOT SWEPT.
And you know what? It was really never in question.
-Cards/Padres:
The Cards, on the other hand, just stink. Any lineup with Albert Pujols in it can put runs on the board, but their pitching staff, behind Chris Carpenter, is just bloody awful.
I'm still convinced the Cardinal pitching staff blows (other than Carpenter, of course), but this team clearly doesn't stink as bad as I thought. Tony LaRussa did a superb job managing his bullpen, and Carpenter was lights out in Games One and Four. I will say this: if Jeff Weaver breaks out another performance in like Game Two, against the Mets lineup, I'll eat my frigging mouse pad.
I actually like the Padres a lot in the postseason this year. Their offense is underrated and their starting rotation is deep and imposing. If Jake Peavy and Chris Young are both on, watch out. The Pads have decent depth and have been playing very well in the last month or so, and at this point they're my pick to come out of the NL.
Another prediction that looks like crap. The Padre offense was underrated, but when you can't come through against a chump like Weaver you deserve to lose in the playoffs. Also, starting Josh Bard in Game Two instead of Mike Piazza seemed a tad questionable.
As for the A's series, I don't think anybody predicted a sweep by either team. I thought it was a toss-up going in, but the A's pretty much dominated, and the Minnesota offense was just anemic. Their inability to exhibit any patience at the plate was front and center in Game One when they repeatedly swung early in counts against Barry Zito, who led the AL in walks allowed.
So just for fun, let's see where I was off-base the most. Here are some comments I made about each series.
-About Yanks/Tigers:
The Tigers are a great story, their fans should be proud, but they're dead meat.
In yo' face, Ryder! The Tigers totally took it to the Yankees, who dissolved into a steaming, finger-pointing mess. If the Yanks could have just won one game in Detroit, they probably would have taken the series, but Joe Torre's bizarre lineup machinations and awful starts from Randy Johnson and Jaret Wright (should we have been surprised?) ended any chance of that happening.
Even though I looked like an ass in predicting the Tigers to get swept, it was nice to see the underdog win, and it's a ball watching the New York media skewer the pinstripes on an hourly basis right now. The Tigres deserve the credit for coming through, but I still say this series is case file #3754 in why the playoffs (especially the first round) are such a crapshoot. I don't think there's any debate that the Yankees were a better team than Detroit, but the Tigers dominated in two games and that turned out to be the difference. Hey, I'm just glad we're now free of Yankee/Red Sox postseason baseball.
-Mets/Dodgers:
This should be a close, exciting series, and at least with the Dodgers around we have a clear villain.
I said it before and I'll say it again: DODGERS GOT SWEPT.
And you know what? It was really never in question.
-Cards/Padres:
The Cards, on the other hand, just stink. Any lineup with Albert Pujols in it can put runs on the board, but their pitching staff, behind Chris Carpenter, is just bloody awful.
I'm still convinced the Cardinal pitching staff blows (other than Carpenter, of course), but this team clearly doesn't stink as bad as I thought. Tony LaRussa did a superb job managing his bullpen, and Carpenter was lights out in Games One and Four. I will say this: if Jeff Weaver breaks out another performance in like Game Two, against the Mets lineup, I'll eat my frigging mouse pad.
I actually like the Padres a lot in the postseason this year. Their offense is underrated and their starting rotation is deep and imposing. If Jake Peavy and Chris Young are both on, watch out. The Pads have decent depth and have been playing very well in the last month or so, and at this point they're my pick to come out of the NL.
Another prediction that looks like crap. The Padre offense was underrated, but when you can't come through against a chump like Weaver you deserve to lose in the playoffs. Also, starting Josh Bard in Game Two instead of Mike Piazza seemed a tad questionable.
As for the A's series, I don't think anybody predicted a sweep by either team. I thought it was a toss-up going in, but the A's pretty much dominated, and the Minnesota offense was just anemic. Their inability to exhibit any patience at the plate was front and center in Game One when they repeatedly swung early in counts against Barry Zito, who led the AL in walks allowed.
