Just hours before the MLB playoffs begin, I don’t count the play-in games as being the official start of the playoffs, the final eight teams are locked in and I have no idea who will win the World Series.
Of course my money is on the Dodgers. The “people in the desert” agree and have made the Dodgers the favorites. Who am I to tell them they’re wrong. The problem is that unlike most other sports, in baseball, momentum is the next day’s pitcher. Also, baseball is probably the most emotional of all the major sports. Year after year, we see that it’s not talent that wins the World Series (don’t be confused, all these players are talented) but rather who gets hot and what team comes together. I don’t have to look far for an example. The last time the Dodgers won the World Series was 1988 and that team might be the least talented team to be champions. Even more surprising than the ’88 Dodgers winning the World Series is that they made the playoffs. This all goes to prove the point that with timely hitting and great pitching any team has a chance to win. Somehow (I believe somehow is loosely translated to Orel Hershiser) the Dodgers made the playoffs at a time when only 4 teams made the playoffs. Then they advanced to play the World Series where the mighty Oakland A’s awaited them. These were the Bash Brother A’s who not only had juiced up hitting and out of the lab athletes, but they had pitchers too. They had Dave Stewart and the best closer in the league, Dennis Eckersley. The Dodgers were given no chance to win but with his only plate appearance of the series and one swing of the bat, Kirk Gibson literally swung the momentum of the series in game 1 and the Dodgers went on to win in five games.
This year’s team almost feels just at “touched” by the baseball gods as 1988. We started off horribly. Almost everyone offensive weapon was injured at some point this season. Mattingly seemed like was headed for the unemployment line and the team that had the highest payroll looked as if it was going in last place this year. But Puig came up, Henley came back, the pitching never fell off (even when Greinke was out for 6 weeks, the staff stayed solid) and the team came together to put on one of the biggest comebacks in baseball regular season history.
It was once a concern that the Dodgers were going to have too many outfielders, once Kemp came back from an injury plagued season. As it turns out, Kemp is out of the entire playoffs and now Either (the expendable outfielder) is hurt too. How does that lead to any post season hopes, well...the Dodgers are the only team in the playoffs that have two Cy Young pitchers, in their prime, that can totally shut opposing teams down. Add in an above average bullpen and solid #3 and 4 starter, the Dodgers might not need to score many runs. Having said that, even without Kemp and Ethier, the Dodgers still have a very potent top of the lineup. Playoff baseball isn’t won with blowouts. Most games are down to the wire. 2-1, 4-3, 3-1, these are the scores that you’ll usually see. Certainly, Puig / Ramirez / Gonzalez / Crawford can get you a few runs. Give me 2 runs and Kershaw pitching, and I’ll take my chances.
In just a few minutes, the 2013 playoffs will begin. The real reason that everyone is excited for this Dodgers / Braves series is because the Braves have elected themselves as the keeper of the “unwritten rule book” of baseball. Brian McCann (the braves catcher) guards home plate and only allows the deserving to cross like some half-assed bouncer at a cheap Atlanta strip club. And guess who’s coming to town? The league champion of bat-flipping and hot-doggin’, Yasiel Puig. Only, McCann might think twice to stand in the way of Puig. For the most part McCann has taken on rookie pitchers and the whose who of the waiver wire. The Dodgers and Puig are no strangers to fights this year. Starting with the aforementioned Greinke injury due to a confrontation between Greinke and the Padres. Then the Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks got into fights throughout the season, resulting in the Dodgers may or may-not have urinating in the D’backs’ outfield pool when they clinched a playoff spot. With any luck, the Dodgers will be dropping deuces in the Atlanta outfield because that will mean we’re on our way to the NLCS.
I think this is the first time I’ve ever cheered for a team to physically relieve themselves on the field of play. But hey, whatever gets us to the World Series...
Let’s go Dodgers!!!
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