Sunday, September 21, 2008

An Acquiescence Autumn Afternoon


Yogi Berra once said, “It gets late early”. Yesterday afternoon in NY was one of those days as the Yankees won their second to last game in front of the hometown crowd. The game was scoreless through nine innings, surging speedily on a Fall day. The leaves on the trees here in NY are starting to scatter on the ground, and there is that smell of the new season in the air already. One of the best things about this time of year is, of course, the Fall Classic. It will be difficult to follow the playoffs without the Yankees for me. As an avid baseball fan though, I can certainly cope.
Robinson Cano drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded to seal the deal for the Yankees. Cano is no Steve Sax in my book (Sax was never terrific at second base either but he appealed to me as a child) but he has so much ability and potential. He reminds me of a young Alfonso Soriano who started out lackadaisical in NY before he got it all together. I really hope Cano continues to develop as a player, defensively and at the plate. His immaturity and cockiness have overshadowed his play this year. I think he misses Larry Bowa’s presence, but hopefully Joe Girardi will put the kid in his place.


Speaking of stellar second basemen and moving on to a team in contention, I loved Ryne Sandberg when he played for the Cubs. Maybe this is finally the year for the Chicago Cubs. After all, isn’t the hype around the nation about the economy and the bear market? Wouldn’t it be ironic if the Cubs won the World Series? The Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Ted Lilly tandem sure sounds solid. Lou really has that club together. I am a big fan of Pinella, so I am pulling for the paws this postseason.


Are you looking for a scare this October? How about Manny Ramirez and what he is doing out in L.A.? The former Red Sox slugger is putting up frightening figures for Torre and the Dodgers. Trick-or-treating in dreadlocks this Halloween could be fun. He is one of the most popular men in L.A. recently. Another five runs driven in behind a three run and two run homerun is impressive. The Dodgers lack the depth of the Cubs but you have to like their chances. The NL is very weak overall.


Are the Rays really respectable? I think so. Joe Maddon makes me mull over what Tampa Bay can accomplish in the post-season. It’s nice to see Rocco Baldelli back on the field. He was one of the most hyped players when he was drafted but his ailing health has set him back. The team does not have a standout player nor do they have any experience in playoff situations. If they are able to win the AL East, they have a good chance making the ALCS. However, if they fail to win the division and only clinch the wildcard, I cannot see them overtaking the Angels in round one of the playoffs.

The Brewers meltdown is similar to what happened in 2007 to the Mets. How does a pitching staff surrender seven homeruns to the Cincinnati Reds? I guess firing Ned Yost helped very little and it’s safe to say the Brewers will miss the playoffs.

Does Derek detest getting dinked by opposing pitchers? It doesn’t seem he minds at all. Jeter was hit by a pitch during the Yankees win yesterday. It’s like he’s trying to break Craig Biggio’s HBP record.

Parting points: My song of the moment is Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends”. The playoff picture curves clearer as Autumn arrives.

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