Evam Longoria celebrates with teammates after his game winning, playoff clinching home run in the bottom of the 12th Wednesday against the Yankees.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Two wild card races coming down to the very end (and in extras). One National League outfielder trying to become the first player in forty four years to win the Triple Crown. A World Series winning manager leaving his team of eight years to play in sunny South Beach. All these, and more, transpired in what will go down as one of the most exciting regular season conclusions to an MLB season in recent memory. And for that reason alone, I have decided to bring back the Thursday random thoughts after a long seven-and-a-half month hiatus: to give my take on the past four to five days in baseball that was. Enjoy!
- Wow. Last night...was...awesome! I have been a fan of the game since I was a wee innocent seven year old, and even I could not recall any ninety minute period in MLB history that was as exciting, as suspenseful, and as riveting as when both wild card races were were coming to an end. Here's a quick recap of how the two wild card races played out in game 162:
6:10 p.m.- Both the Red Sox (vs. the Orioles), the Tampa Bay Rays (vs. the Yankees), and the Braves (vs. the Phillies) all begin their respective games, with the Cardinals (vs. the Astros) set to start in one hour.
6:18 p.m.- Phillies draw first blood thanks to a Ryan Howard double in the top of the first, scoring Hunter Pence.
6:20 p.m.- Yankees score the first major run of their game with an RBI single by Robinson Cano, scoring Curtis Granderson.
6:26 p.m.- Chipper Jones counters for Atlanta in the bottom of the first with a Chipper Jones sacrifice fly, tying the game at 1-1.
6:48 p.m.- Red Sox score off a Dustin Pedroia RBI single down the middle, scoring Mike Avila.
6:53 p.m.- Grand slam by Mark Texeira in the Yankees/Rays game off of David Price, who was not having any good stuff when he needed it most. All of a sudden, it's 5-0 New York in Tropicana.
7:02 p.m.- With Cole Hamels pitching his first relief effort of his career for the Phillies after the team had Joe Blanton start, Braves second baseman Dan Uggla (better known as the guy who had that unexpected 33 game hit streak over the summer) hits a two-run HR to left-center field, scoring himself and Martin Prado to have his team go up 3-0.
7:06 p.m.- The Red Sox only consistent pitcher during their September choke job, Jon Lester, pitching on three days rest, gives up a two run home run to J.J. Hardy. Both the Rays and the Red Sox are trailing.
7:10 p.m.- With the Braves still leading 3-2, the Cardinals finally are under way in their game against the Astros (of which Chris Carpenter is starting for them). They got off to a great start, with Albert Pujols scoring John Jay thanks to a smash to the left-field scoreboard.
7:13 p.m.- Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simone balks, scoring Marco Scutaro who was at third. Red Sox and Orioles are tied 2-2 in the top of the 4th inning.
7:14 p.m.- The Cardinals completely man-handle Astros starting pitcher Brett Myers. Right after Pujols scored St. Louis' first run of the game, the next batter (Lance Berkman) hits an RBI single of his own. This was followed in the same inning by three more runs scored by David Freese, Skip Schumaker, and Nick Punto, respectively, one inning in, and St. Louis is up 5-0.
7:35 p.m.- Another home run by Mark Texeira! Meanwhile, in Baltimore, Dustin Pedroia delivers once more, with his 21st (and most important) home run of the season. Currently, the Red Sox lead 3-2 while the Rays are behind 7-0. Obviously, Boston has a major advantage at this point.
7:54 p.m.- So far so good for both the Braves and the Cardinals. Braves starter Tim Hudson holds the Phillies to five straight scoreless innings, keeping their 3-1 lead in check, while Chris Carpenter helps his team on the offensive side of the game as well, scoring David Freese from second on an RBI single. The Cardinals now lead 6-0, and looking very comfortable (much like the Yankees in their game).
8:10 p.m.- An error by shortstop Jack Wilson (a man usually known for his great defensive plays) helps the Phillies get their second run of the game, with Raul Ibanez scoring. Tim Hudson was commanded to sit as a result. Luckily for Atlanta, the next batter, Shane Victorino, grounded into a double play, so they still preserve the lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
8:30 p.m.- With the Braves still leading a close 3-2 game in Turner Field, the Cardinals are simply cruising in Minute-Maid Park. Schumaker has his second RBI of the day, increasing St. Louis' lead to 7-0, while Chris Carpenter is pitching than any of the eighth starters that were asked to pitch in tonight's four big games, with five scoreless innings and an impressive eighth strikeouts. He is certainly playing much like the ace he was supposed to be this year, and not the pitcher who struggled for the earlier parts of the season.
8:33 p.m.- Rain in Baltimore, so the Red Sox-Orioles game had to be delayed for the time being with Boston still up 3-2 in the middle of the seventh inning. With their team up and the Rays losing big, Red Sox fans must be feeling pretty good about how the rest of the night is going to go down.
8:45 p.m.- In the NL Wild Card race, both scores remain the same. The only difference is that the Braves-Phillies game is heading to the top of the ninth inning at this point, three outs away from a victory. Craig Kimbrel, who has 46 previous saves in the bag this season, is going to try to close it out.
8:55 p.m.- Major developments in Atlanta. With two outs and bases loaded for the Phillies, Chase Utley ties the game up on a sacrifice fly, scoring P.J. Orr from third, and Philadelphia ties the game at 3-3. Back in Houston, Cardinals players and fans are cheering the recent developments east of where they are.
9:10 p.m.- The Braves are unable to score in the bottom of the ninth, and this Atlanta-Philadelphia game is heading into overtime. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are heading to the ninth themselves, with a much more comfortable 7-0 lead. Obviously, it is the team with the red bird that currently has the edge right now.
9:14 p.m.- On NESN, Boston Globe writer and unapologetically terrible writer Dan Schaunnesgy, proclaims live on-the-air that the Red Sox will "live to play another day." Hmmm...
9:18 p.m.- Cardinals left fielder Alan Craig hits a towering 426 feet home run, increasing his team's lead to 8-0 heading to the bottom of the ninth.
9:20 p.m.- This is where things start to get truly insane in the AL Wild Card race. It's the bottom of the eigth inning in Tampa Bay and the Rays are still down 7-0 to New York. First, with the bases loaded, Sam Fuld walks, scoring Johnny Damon from third. Second, Sean Rodriguez gets hit by a pitch, scoring in another Rays run. Third, B.J. Upton scores the Rays third run in the inning on a sacrifice fly. All of a sudden, it's 7-3 Yankees. But then...
9:23 p.m.- Three-run home run by Evan Longoria! The Yankees lead has been trimmed down to 7-6 with one more inning left to play in regulation. As all this was happening, everyone in the New England area were watching these developments in fear with their team still in a rain delay.
9:25 p.m.- In the bottom of the ninth with two outs in Houston, Astros outfielder J.D. Martinez grounds out and the Cardinals post the first major final score of the night, winning 8-0 and tentatively holding a 0.5 game lead in the NL wild card race. Chris Carpenter finishes the game with a complete game shutout, and a season high eleven strikeouts. The Cardinals now wait for the final results in Atlanta, where the Braves and the Phillies are still playing in extra innings.
9:47 p.m.- As the tarp was being taken away in Camden Yards and both the Red Sox and the Orioles set to resume play, pinch hitting first baseman Dan Johnson (Dan Johnson!) hits a miraculous solo home run to the very edges of right field. In a span of forty minutes, the Rays had gone from being down seven to tying it up and taking the game to extra innings, someting unthinkable at one point. It's the second extra innings game among tonight's four big ones. Meanwhile, Dan Schaunnesghy is either really worried that he may have just jinxed the outcome of the night, or really excited to have a much better "Red Sox choke" column to write.
10:00 p.m.- No major developments yet. The three games still playing have yet to change scores while the Cardinals are still waiting to see what happens in Turner Field. Boston and Baltimore have gone back to playing, with Daniel Bard filling in for Jon Lester, and the Yankees had a runner at second in the tenth inning, but that's about it.
10:26 p.m.- With runners on the corner, and two outs in the top of the thirteenth inning, Hunter Pence does what the Phillies brought him to do on the team, by softly hitting the ball between first and second, scoring Brian Schneider. Philadelphia has come back to lead 4-3 heading into the bottom half, while Atlanta is three outs away from completing the first of two potential collapses tonight.
10:31 p.m.- Potential NL ROY winner Freddie Freeman steps up to the plate for Atlanta in the bottom of the 13th inning with one out and a runner (Uggla) at first. With the count full, he grounds the ball into what would become a 3-6-3 double play. The final score: Phillies- 4, Braves -3. The St. Louis Cardinals officially celebrate as they officially win the NL Wild Card after an 18-8 September to counter the Braves 9-18 record this month. Atlanta goes from up 8.5 games in the race as of September 6th to pondering what in the world just happened in the past twenty-two days.
10:35 p.m.- One playoff spot clinched tonight, one more to go...
10:44 p.m.- The situation in Camden Yards (with the Yankees and Rays still playing extra innings): Top of the ninth. Bases loaded. One out. Red Sox are still up 3-2 with the bases loaded...and catcher Ryan Lavarnway grounds it to the shortstop (Hardy) and the Orioles stop any run insurance for Boston. To the bottom of the ninth we go, with Jonathan Papelbon closing...
10:59 p.m.- Save opportunity over for Papelbon, as he gives up a ground-rule double base hit to Nolan Reimold with two outs on a 2-2 pitch, scoring pinch-runner Kyle Hudson from second. 3-3 tie. Its the third time tonight that a team has given up a lead in the ninth inning with two outs. Midnight, the witching hour, strikes all across the East Coast.
11:02 p.m.- And that's the end of that chapter. Orioles second baseman Ronnie Andino hits the pitch from Papelbon to left-center field, scoring Reimold. Baltimore wins it 4-3, and for the first time since the early parts of the season, the Red Sox are trailing in the wild card race, awaiting the results in Tampa to find out whether the get to play in a one-game playoff, or end their season for good.
11:03 p.m.- As expected, Rays fans celebrate the Red Sox loss in Tropicana. It's the bottom of the twelve inning now, with one out, and their game still tied 7-7. Advantage: Tampa. And now, up to the plate, comes Evan Longoria...
11:05 p.m.- Ballgame over, AL wild card race over. Evan Longoria hits a solo shot off of Scott Proctor, and the Rays win their game 8-7 mere moments after the Red Sox loss. Tampa Bay advances into the playoffs, while the Red Sox officially complete their historic collapse by going 7-20 in the month of September (thanks in large part to the team's 7.08 ERA by their starters) and giving up their once nine-game lead. A sad day for Boston sports fan , indeed, while a joyous day for Northern Florida sports fan and Red Sox haters everywhere.
If you can name a better set of game 162s, good luck.
- The MVP of last night's actions, for me, has to be the MLB Network for their outstanding coverage. As I mentioned earlier in the blog, I am a true new-comer to the network as Dish Network only officially added this to their list of channels as of September 1st. So, this month was actually the first time that I got a chance to watch it in my very home. And, boy, am I glad that I did! Their coverage of the games is fantastic, none better than last night, in which they showed all of last night's major development in real time and on one place. Plus, you just gotta love when the announcers and analysts covering the games get just as excited of whats happening as the viewer...
- Moving on, playoff predictions! Here's how I think the postseason will go down this October:
ALDS:
Rays over Rangers in 4
Tigers over Yankees in 4
NLDS:
Phillies over Cardinals (in 5)
Brewers over Diamondbacks (in 5)
ALCS:
Tigers over Rays (in 7)
NLCS:
Phillies over Brewers (in 6)
World Series:
Phillies over Tigers (in 7)
Let's just hope that the postseason can at least be half as great as what we all saw last night.
- Quick thoughts on Ozzie Guillen leaving the White Sox (my favorite team) to become the new manager of the Florida Marlins: while I love Ozzie, had him on the top of my list as my favorite manager and character in Chicago sports for the past fifteen years, and will always thank him for leading the team to the World Series in 2005, their first in 88 years, a move in the managerial position needed to be done. After all, two division titles in eight years just doesn't cut, especially for a team with as big of a payload as the White Sox had these past few years. Sure, a lot of that has to do with Kenny Williams picking up these players, but that doesn't mean that Guillen had absolutely nothing to do with their lack of playoff appearances. The team under him never had great second halves, and they would usually struggle to win within the mid-August mark after competing for the division title most of the year. I do, however, wish Guillen luck in Florida, and hope to see the same unusual managerial tactics and colorful press conferences that I saw while he was here in this city. Now, Jerry Reinsdorf, bring me Terry Francona (if the rumors of his Boston departure is true) now!
- Kind of interesting how on the seventeenth anniversary of Ted Williams refusing to sit out the final game of the Red Sox 1941 season in favor of getting the .400 avg the old fashion way, through a bit hitting day to finish the year at .406, that Jose Reyes decided to sit out the final game of the season after one at-bat to preserve his NL batting crown with a .337 AVG.
- Maybe its because I feel sorry for the Dodgers fans and the state their team is in, or maybe its because I had him on my championship-winning fantasy team this season (more on that later), but I think that Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp should win the NL MVP over Ryan Braun. The guy basically carried a mediocre team by himself with arguably the best statistical season by any National League player in the past decade not named either Barry Bonds or Albert Pujols. Not only did he come close of finishing the year with a Triple Crown (1st in HRs with 39, 1st in RBIs with 126, 3rd in AVG with .326), but also a 40 HR/40 SB season. To put it in perspective, the closest Dodger in home runs was catcher Rod Barajas with 16 jacks while the closest in RBIs was James Loney with 65 driven in and the only guy with an average above .295 was shortstop Dee Gordon (who had 378 fewer at-bats). In addition, he finished the year with 115 runs scored (1st in NL), a .399 OBP, a .586 slugging %, an OPS just below the 1.000 mark (.986), and an astounding 10.0 WAR rating (highest since Bonds' 12.4 WAR in '04). Braun was great as well this year, but he always had someone as good as a Prince Fielder batting right after him, something that can't be said for Kemp.
Other postseason awards thoughts:
AL MVP: Jacoby Ellsbury (Red Sox)
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers) in a slight edge over Roy Halladay (Phillies), though I would understand if it went the other way around.
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander (Tigers), naturally.
NL Rookie of the Year: Vance Worley (Phillies)
AL Rookie of the Year: Marc Trumbo (Angels)
- Speaking of Albert Pujols, he came one RBI and one hit away from becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 30 home runs, 100 RBIs, and a .300 average in a season for eleven years straight. Instead, he's just going to have to settle with a pesky 37 HR, 99 RBI, .299 AVG season. Let's just say that the $250 million + contract people have been predicting that he would get this offseason will stand for whoever decides to be his free agency suitor (Cardinals, Cubs, Yankees, whatever).
- In more selfish news:
It happened again, ladies and gentleman! My ESPN Fantasy Baseball team, the Chicago Sox-Cubs, have just won their second league title in franchise history (and its second in three years, with the first coming in 2009)! Here's the link to check it out. (http://games.espn.go.com/flb/clubhouse?leagueId=22519&teamId=6) Behold by various amount of good free agency moves and prudent draft picks!
/walks self out in shame
And...that's all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed this special all-MLB edition of the RTs and look forward to seeing you return this coming Monday for more. Now, bring on the damn playoffs!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
To e-mail any thoughts, suggestions or tips to mj15, make sure to address it to mj1599@aol.com. I would very much like it if you did.
6:10 p.m.- Both the Red Sox (vs. the Orioles), the Tampa Bay Rays (vs. the Yankees), and the Braves (vs. the Phillies) all begin their respective games, with the Cardinals (vs. the Astros) set to start in one hour.
6:18 p.m.- Phillies draw first blood thanks to a Ryan Howard double in the top of the first, scoring Hunter Pence.
6:20 p.m.- Yankees score the first major run of their game with an RBI single by Robinson Cano, scoring Curtis Granderson.
6:26 p.m.- Chipper Jones counters for Atlanta in the bottom of the first with a Chipper Jones sacrifice fly, tying the game at 1-1.
6:48 p.m.- Red Sox score off a Dustin Pedroia RBI single down the middle, scoring Mike Avila.
6:53 p.m.- Grand slam by Mark Texeira in the Yankees/Rays game off of David Price, who was not having any good stuff when he needed it most. All of a sudden, it's 5-0 New York in Tropicana.
7:02 p.m.- With Cole Hamels pitching his first relief effort of his career for the Phillies after the team had Joe Blanton start, Braves second baseman Dan Uggla (better known as the guy who had that unexpected 33 game hit streak over the summer) hits a two-run HR to left-center field, scoring himself and Martin Prado to have his team go up 3-0.
7:06 p.m.- The Red Sox only consistent pitcher during their September choke job, Jon Lester, pitching on three days rest, gives up a two run home run to J.J. Hardy. Both the Rays and the Red Sox are trailing.
7:10 p.m.- With the Braves still leading 3-2, the Cardinals finally are under way in their game against the Astros (of which Chris Carpenter is starting for them). They got off to a great start, with Albert Pujols scoring John Jay thanks to a smash to the left-field scoreboard.
7:13 p.m.- Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simone balks, scoring Marco Scutaro who was at third. Red Sox and Orioles are tied 2-2 in the top of the 4th inning.
7:14 p.m.- The Cardinals completely man-handle Astros starting pitcher Brett Myers. Right after Pujols scored St. Louis' first run of the game, the next batter (Lance Berkman) hits an RBI single of his own. This was followed in the same inning by three more runs scored by David Freese, Skip Schumaker, and Nick Punto, respectively, one inning in, and St. Louis is up 5-0.
7:35 p.m.- Another home run by Mark Texeira! Meanwhile, in Baltimore, Dustin Pedroia delivers once more, with his 21st (and most important) home run of the season. Currently, the Red Sox lead 3-2 while the Rays are behind 7-0. Obviously, Boston has a major advantage at this point.
7:54 p.m.- So far so good for both the Braves and the Cardinals. Braves starter Tim Hudson holds the Phillies to five straight scoreless innings, keeping their 3-1 lead in check, while Chris Carpenter helps his team on the offensive side of the game as well, scoring David Freese from second on an RBI single. The Cardinals now lead 6-0, and looking very comfortable (much like the Yankees in their game).
8:10 p.m.- An error by shortstop Jack Wilson (a man usually known for his great defensive plays) helps the Phillies get their second run of the game, with Raul Ibanez scoring. Tim Hudson was commanded to sit as a result. Luckily for Atlanta, the next batter, Shane Victorino, grounded into a double play, so they still preserve the lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
8:30 p.m.- With the Braves still leading a close 3-2 game in Turner Field, the Cardinals are simply cruising in Minute-Maid Park. Schumaker has his second RBI of the day, increasing St. Louis' lead to 7-0, while Chris Carpenter is pitching than any of the eighth starters that were asked to pitch in tonight's four big games, with five scoreless innings and an impressive eighth strikeouts. He is certainly playing much like the ace he was supposed to be this year, and not the pitcher who struggled for the earlier parts of the season.
8:33 p.m.- Rain in Baltimore, so the Red Sox-Orioles game had to be delayed for the time being with Boston still up 3-2 in the middle of the seventh inning. With their team up and the Rays losing big, Red Sox fans must be feeling pretty good about how the rest of the night is going to go down.
8:45 p.m.- In the NL Wild Card race, both scores remain the same. The only difference is that the Braves-Phillies game is heading to the top of the ninth inning at this point, three outs away from a victory. Craig Kimbrel, who has 46 previous saves in the bag this season, is going to try to close it out.
8:55 p.m.- Major developments in Atlanta. With two outs and bases loaded for the Phillies, Chase Utley ties the game up on a sacrifice fly, scoring P.J. Orr from third, and Philadelphia ties the game at 3-3. Back in Houston, Cardinals players and fans are cheering the recent developments east of where they are.
9:10 p.m.- The Braves are unable to score in the bottom of the ninth, and this Atlanta-Philadelphia game is heading into overtime. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are heading to the ninth themselves, with a much more comfortable 7-0 lead. Obviously, it is the team with the red bird that currently has the edge right now.
9:14 p.m.- On NESN, Boston Globe writer and unapologetically terrible writer Dan Schaunnesgy, proclaims live on-the-air that the Red Sox will "live to play another day." Hmmm...
9:18 p.m.- Cardinals left fielder Alan Craig hits a towering 426 feet home run, increasing his team's lead to 8-0 heading to the bottom of the ninth.
9:20 p.m.- This is where things start to get truly insane in the AL Wild Card race. It's the bottom of the eigth inning in Tampa Bay and the Rays are still down 7-0 to New York. First, with the bases loaded, Sam Fuld walks, scoring Johnny Damon from third. Second, Sean Rodriguez gets hit by a pitch, scoring in another Rays run. Third, B.J. Upton scores the Rays third run in the inning on a sacrifice fly. All of a sudden, it's 7-3 Yankees. But then...
9:23 p.m.- Three-run home run by Evan Longoria! The Yankees lead has been trimmed down to 7-6 with one more inning left to play in regulation. As all this was happening, everyone in the New England area were watching these developments in fear with their team still in a rain delay.
9:25 p.m.- In the bottom of the ninth with two outs in Houston, Astros outfielder J.D. Martinez grounds out and the Cardinals post the first major final score of the night, winning 8-0 and tentatively holding a 0.5 game lead in the NL wild card race. Chris Carpenter finishes the game with a complete game shutout, and a season high eleven strikeouts. The Cardinals now wait for the final results in Atlanta, where the Braves and the Phillies are still playing in extra innings.
9:47 p.m.- As the tarp was being taken away in Camden Yards and both the Red Sox and the Orioles set to resume play, pinch hitting first baseman Dan Johnson (Dan Johnson!) hits a miraculous solo home run to the very edges of right field. In a span of forty minutes, the Rays had gone from being down seven to tying it up and taking the game to extra innings, someting unthinkable at one point. It's the second extra innings game among tonight's four big ones. Meanwhile, Dan Schaunnesghy is either really worried that he may have just jinxed the outcome of the night, or really excited to have a much better "Red Sox choke" column to write.
10:00 p.m.- No major developments yet. The three games still playing have yet to change scores while the Cardinals are still waiting to see what happens in Turner Field. Boston and Baltimore have gone back to playing, with Daniel Bard filling in for Jon Lester, and the Yankees had a runner at second in the tenth inning, but that's about it.
10:26 p.m.- With runners on the corner, and two outs in the top of the thirteenth inning, Hunter Pence does what the Phillies brought him to do on the team, by softly hitting the ball between first and second, scoring Brian Schneider. Philadelphia has come back to lead 4-3 heading into the bottom half, while Atlanta is three outs away from completing the first of two potential collapses tonight.
10:31 p.m.- Potential NL ROY winner Freddie Freeman steps up to the plate for Atlanta in the bottom of the 13th inning with one out and a runner (Uggla) at first. With the count full, he grounds the ball into what would become a 3-6-3 double play. The final score: Phillies- 4, Braves -3. The St. Louis Cardinals officially celebrate as they officially win the NL Wild Card after an 18-8 September to counter the Braves 9-18 record this month. Atlanta goes from up 8.5 games in the race as of September 6th to pondering what in the world just happened in the past twenty-two days.
10:35 p.m.- One playoff spot clinched tonight, one more to go...
10:44 p.m.- The situation in Camden Yards (with the Yankees and Rays still playing extra innings): Top of the ninth. Bases loaded. One out. Red Sox are still up 3-2 with the bases loaded...and catcher Ryan Lavarnway grounds it to the shortstop (Hardy) and the Orioles stop any run insurance for Boston. To the bottom of the ninth we go, with Jonathan Papelbon closing...
10:59 p.m.- Save opportunity over for Papelbon, as he gives up a ground-rule double base hit to Nolan Reimold with two outs on a 2-2 pitch, scoring pinch-runner Kyle Hudson from second. 3-3 tie. Its the third time tonight that a team has given up a lead in the ninth inning with two outs. Midnight, the witching hour, strikes all across the East Coast.
11:02 p.m.- And that's the end of that chapter. Orioles second baseman Ronnie Andino hits the pitch from Papelbon to left-center field, scoring Reimold. Baltimore wins it 4-3, and for the first time since the early parts of the season, the Red Sox are trailing in the wild card race, awaiting the results in Tampa to find out whether the get to play in a one-game playoff, or end their season for good.
11:03 p.m.- As expected, Rays fans celebrate the Red Sox loss in Tropicana. It's the bottom of the twelve inning now, with one out, and their game still tied 7-7. Advantage: Tampa. And now, up to the plate, comes Evan Longoria...
11:05 p.m.- Ballgame over, AL wild card race over. Evan Longoria hits a solo shot off of Scott Proctor, and the Rays win their game 8-7 mere moments after the Red Sox loss. Tampa Bay advances into the playoffs, while the Red Sox officially complete their historic collapse by going 7-20 in the month of September (thanks in large part to the team's 7.08 ERA by their starters) and giving up their once nine-game lead. A sad day for Boston sports fan , indeed, while a joyous day for Northern Florida sports fan and Red Sox haters everywhere.
If you can name a better set of game 162s, good luck.
- The MVP of last night's actions, for me, has to be the MLB Network for their outstanding coverage. As I mentioned earlier in the blog, I am a true new-comer to the network as Dish Network only officially added this to their list of channels as of September 1st. So, this month was actually the first time that I got a chance to watch it in my very home. And, boy, am I glad that I did! Their coverage of the games is fantastic, none better than last night, in which they showed all of last night's major development in real time and on one place. Plus, you just gotta love when the announcers and analysts covering the games get just as excited of whats happening as the viewer...
- Moving on, playoff predictions! Here's how I think the postseason will go down this October:
ALDS:
Rays over Rangers in 4
Tigers over Yankees in 4
NLDS:
Phillies over Cardinals (in 5)
Brewers over Diamondbacks (in 5)
ALCS:
Tigers over Rays (in 7)
NLCS:
Phillies over Brewers (in 6)
World Series:
Phillies over Tigers (in 7)
Let's just hope that the postseason can at least be half as great as what we all saw last night.
- Quick thoughts on Ozzie Guillen leaving the White Sox (my favorite team) to become the new manager of the Florida Marlins: while I love Ozzie, had him on the top of my list as my favorite manager and character in Chicago sports for the past fifteen years, and will always thank him for leading the team to the World Series in 2005, their first in 88 years, a move in the managerial position needed to be done. After all, two division titles in eight years just doesn't cut, especially for a team with as big of a payload as the White Sox had these past few years. Sure, a lot of that has to do with Kenny Williams picking up these players, but that doesn't mean that Guillen had absolutely nothing to do with their lack of playoff appearances. The team under him never had great second halves, and they would usually struggle to win within the mid-August mark after competing for the division title most of the year. I do, however, wish Guillen luck in Florida, and hope to see the same unusual managerial tactics and colorful press conferences that I saw while he was here in this city. Now, Jerry Reinsdorf, bring me Terry Francona (if the rumors of his Boston departure is true) now!
- Kind of interesting how on the seventeenth anniversary of Ted Williams refusing to sit out the final game of the Red Sox 1941 season in favor of getting the .400 avg the old fashion way, through a bit hitting day to finish the year at .406, that Jose Reyes decided to sit out the final game of the season after one at-bat to preserve his NL batting crown with a .337 AVG.
- Maybe its because I feel sorry for the Dodgers fans and the state their team is in, or maybe its because I had him on my championship-winning fantasy team this season (more on that later), but I think that Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp should win the NL MVP over Ryan Braun. The guy basically carried a mediocre team by himself with arguably the best statistical season by any National League player in the past decade not named either Barry Bonds or Albert Pujols. Not only did he come close of finishing the year with a Triple Crown (1st in HRs with 39, 1st in RBIs with 126, 3rd in AVG with .326), but also a 40 HR/40 SB season. To put it in perspective, the closest Dodger in home runs was catcher Rod Barajas with 16 jacks while the closest in RBIs was James Loney with 65 driven in and the only guy with an average above .295 was shortstop Dee Gordon (who had 378 fewer at-bats). In addition, he finished the year with 115 runs scored (1st in NL), a .399 OBP, a .586 slugging %, an OPS just below the 1.000 mark (.986), and an astounding 10.0 WAR rating (highest since Bonds' 12.4 WAR in '04). Braun was great as well this year, but he always had someone as good as a Prince Fielder batting right after him, something that can't be said for Kemp.
Other postseason awards thoughts:
AL MVP: Jacoby Ellsbury (Red Sox)
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers) in a slight edge over Roy Halladay (Phillies), though I would understand if it went the other way around.
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander (Tigers), naturally.
NL Rookie of the Year: Vance Worley (Phillies)
AL Rookie of the Year: Marc Trumbo (Angels)
- Speaking of Albert Pujols, he came one RBI and one hit away from becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 30 home runs, 100 RBIs, and a .300 average in a season for eleven years straight. Instead, he's just going to have to settle with a pesky 37 HR, 99 RBI, .299 AVG season. Let's just say that the $250 million + contract people have been predicting that he would get this offseason will stand for whoever decides to be his free agency suitor (Cardinals, Cubs, Yankees, whatever).
- In more selfish news:
It happened again, ladies and gentleman! My ESPN Fantasy Baseball team, the Chicago Sox-Cubs, have just won their second league title in franchise history (and its second in three years, with the first coming in 2009)! Here's the link to check it out. (http://games.espn.go.com/flb/clubhouse?leagueId=22519&teamId=6) Behold by various amount of good free agency moves and prudent draft picks!
/walks self out in shame
And...that's all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed this special all-MLB edition of the RTs and look forward to seeing you return this coming Monday for more. Now, bring on the damn playoffs!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
To e-mail any thoughts, suggestions or tips to mj15, make sure to address it to mj1599@aol.com. I would very much like it if you did.
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