I am a Yankees fan, but before you boo, I came by it honestly. Back in the eighties we lived in an area with no cable TV. In fact, they just added cable to dad's area in 2021. But then, our only TV options were the big three networks, and then Fox when it came along, so watching live baseball included the Reds, and well, the Reds. While I loved me some Pete Rose and Eric Davis, it wasn't until dad installed the big Paraclipse satellite dish, affectionately known as "the Satellite", that my world to sports outside of our market was opened. Enter MSN network, and the NESN network. Yankees, Celtics, and Big East basketball. I was in heaven. I could watch Patrick Ewing vs. Chris Mullins, see Larry Bird embarrass the Pistons, and watch my hero, Donnie Baseball win an MVP. Life was good as a 10-year-old boy. But my Yankees sucked. So, before you start making snide remarks, I have been with the Yanks since Toronto and Baltimore were beating them on a regular basis. Mattingly made it to one playoff series. One. Go Yankees!
Series Thoughts and Predictions
Yankees vs. Royals
I would love to say the Yankees have this one wrapped up, that they only need one game at Kansas City to clinch, but I would be a liar. Something broke in my soul when KC won game two and I could not decide exactly what was so disturbing about the loss, until now. My Yankees have no heart this year. I would love to lay this at the feet of Aaron Boone, and do to some degree, but for the first time I saw a bunch of overpaid, under enthusiastic babies giving little to no effort. Prediction: Royals in 5
Tigers vs Guardians
What a stupid name, Guardians. Cleveland had a huge opportunity to go old school, returning to their Spiders moniker, but no. I guess they polled a kindergarten class near the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame and came up with the Guardians. They will always be the Indians to me, with Albert Belle smoking 500-foot homers over pinstriped heads. I want Detroit to win. Detroit, the city, needs their Tigers to win. I hope the ghost of Ty Cobb and some Alan Trammell juju pushes them over the top. Prediction: Tigers in 5
Phillies vs Mets
I can only imagine a worse scenario to push my "I don't care" attitude even further into the abyss and that would be an Astros vs. Red Sox series in the American League. I just typed Astros and American League in the same sentence, and it still pisses me off. Nonetheless, I couldn't care less otherwise who wins this series. I was a Bryce Harper fan for a while, and now he has ties to Knoxville, so I can forgot his tantrums for a bit and pull for him. He has a beard. I have a beard. But there is one guy on the Mets that I like better than either team. That man is Pete Alonzo. He is an old school ball player reminiscent of the days when superstars delivered milk or the mail in the off season. I see Alonzo as a milkman, or an enforcer for the mob, but either way, not just a ballplayer. Prediction: Mets in 5
Padres vs Dodgers
Put this one up there with the Phillies/Mets don't care list. Everyone expects the Dodgers to win. Everyone except the entire city of San Diego and their Padres. I do not like Manny Machado the person, but as a ballplayer, well, he's pretty good. I also will admit that Ohtani, despite the gambling rumors, is the best hitter in baseball. Yes, better than my beloved Aaron Judge. But they just cannot get it done when it matters most. Donnie Baseball could not manage them to a World Series win, and that won't change this season. While I fully expect the highest payroll in baseball to tie up the series, I am still picking the Padres.
Prediction: Padres in 5
Conclusion
I am just a fan. I love baseball, I love my Yankees, but I am also practical. We do not have the pitching this year, and we are running into a hot team that wants to win. The Dodgers are in a similar scenario. Once the dust settles and the Pennant matchups are set, I will make predictions on those games as well. My heart hopes I get to predict a Yankees vs Tigers series and a Mets vs. Dodgers matchup, but I have a feeling at least two of those teams will not be in the discussion.
Until next time...Go Yankees!
J
Comments