An Unforgettable Night: World Series Game 6

Just a short post to pay homage to the unbelievable Game 6 between the Rangers and Cardinals that we all witnessed tonight. Truth is, however, words may not be enough to describe the truly amazing baseball game that was played tonight, it will surely go down in history as one of the most memorable World Series games of all-time. When people started to notice in the Bottom of the 9th that the Cardinals still had a fighting chance, the game was no longer being watched along with another program. David Freese's 2-strike, 2-out, 2-run game tying triple is what woke up the country. All of the sudden, the World Series that had been an afterthought to most people thus far became relevant again and all eyes were fixed on the TV. The drama that would ensue in the 10th inning only increased interest in the game as Josh Hamilton put the Rangers on the brink of their 1st World Series title with a 2-run bomb. It was far from over though as the Cardinals magic struck again in the Bottom of the 10th with heroics from Lance Berkman who tied the game once again with 2 strikes. At that point, a number of baseball fans, such as myself who had no rooting interest in the game were just hoping beyond all hope for a Game 7.

You all know how the rest of the story goes, David Freese hits a walk-off homer to dead center in the home half of the 11th and Cardinals fans went home happy. They'll go to sleep tonight knowing that the baseball season will extend for 1 more day. For those of you who had no clue who David Freese was at the beginning of the night now recognize him as a World Series hero, a title that should truly be cherished forever.

That's all for now, folks. Enjoy Game 7 tomorrow night as we prepare to crown a World Series champion before heading into the long, dark winter months that are consumed by the baseball offseason.

An Epic World Series Continues: Rangers-Cardinals Game 5

One of the main reasons so many people love October is due to the unforgettable moments it has provided over the years of playoff baseball. From Bill Mazeroski to Edgar Renteria to the newest member of the club, Mike Napoli, this World Series has given us a number of lasting images to remember the 2011 season by. Entering the series, people were questioning how great it would be. After all, there was no Red Sox, Yankees or Phillies present, just two teams with some of the most passionate fan bases in baseball. For those who doubted the potential of this match-up, well they have been proven quite wrong thus far with 5 back-and-forth games. Starting with chess master Tony La Russa in Game 1 to Mike Napoli hitting the tie-breaking double last night, these 5 games have been truly enjoyable for baseball fans to watch. The saga continued last night, as mentioned with Napoli's double that may have been set up by one of the most bizarre stories you will ever hear. The phone in the Cardinals bullpen was having issues working and the only name they could hear over the phone was "Rzepczynski". Granted, Marc Rzepczynski has played a huge role in getting the Cardinals to this point, but rest assured, he was not who La Russa wanted in the game to face the right-handed hitting, red-hot Napoli in a key situation with the game hanging in the balance.

Whatever the case may be, the Texas Rangers now sit just one game away from capturing the first World Series in franchise history. For a team that for so long, always had the bats, but never enough pitching is oh so close to champagne showers in the clubhouse. To get to this point, the Rangers have had their fair share of heroes deliver in the clutch this postseason. Raise your hand if you had Mike Napoli with 9 RBIs in 5 games this series. Okay, thought so, the point is, winning a World Series is truly a collective team effort. A team's star players, as good as they may be, are not capable of carrying the team over 162 games and to a World Series title. How many people had heard of Derek Holland prior to Game 4 when he came up big in the biggest start of his young career. Guys such as Napoli and Holland are who people will remember when the book is closed on the 2011 World Series. If the Cardinals win, people will remember unsung heroes such as David Freese and Jason Motte making their mark on this season and cementing their place in World Series lore forever.

For now, it is time to sit back and enjoy potentially the last game of the baseball season tomorrow night before the countdown to pitchers and catchers begins.

The End of an Era: Bye Bye Theo Epstein

For the better part of the past decade, two of the more well-known names in the Red Sox organization have been Theo Epstein and Terry Francona. However, in the span of just a couple short weeks, both Epstein and Francona have skipped town. The two departures by the former manager and general manager have truly signaled the end of an era in Boston. Amid all the player changing from year to year, Epstein and Francona were the 2 constants that have always been there. Now, both have left and a new GM and manager will call the shots for the 2012 version of the Boston Red Sox. Francona is expected to take a year off from managing, while Epstein agreed to a 5 year deal with the Cubs. The obvious question that so many fans are asking is who will be the new sheriffs in town. Rumors abound that Ben Cherington who served as Theo's top assistant for the past 9 years will be named the new General Manager. As for the managerial position, the only candidate that has been interviewed thus far is Pete Mackanin, the Phillies bench coach.

Theo Epstein certainly had his share of ups and downs during his reign as the Red Sox GM, but the good outweighs the bad in this case. Upon getting hired in November 2002, Epstein immediately acquired Kevin Millar, Bill Mueller and David Ortiz. After a team that many had winning the World Series in 2003 fell short, Epstein filled the 2 biggest weaknesses by trading for Curt Schilling and signing Keith Foulke. Ultimately, those 2 would prove to be the missing pieces of the puzzle on a team that won the World Series in 2004. At the young age of 28, Epstein was on top of the baseball world and many saw him as one of the best, young GMs in baseball. He also played a huge role in the development of key players such as Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, Kevin Youkilis, Daniel Bard, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jonathan Papelbon. A combination of the home-grown talent and key free agent signings netted the Red Sox another World Series in 2007. Once again, Epstein was on top of the baseball world and things only seemed to be getting better for a team that was absolutely loaded with talent. However, as some teams may know too well, with every good thing a GM does for his team, there is usually a few bad moves that can overshadow the good ones. In Theo's case, he is widely chastised for the signings of J.D. Drew, John Lackey and Carl Crawford. Drew was seemingly always hurt during his 5 years in Boston, Lackey has been both wildly inconsistent and downright terrible at points during his 2 years in Boston thus far and Crawford failed to live up to his $142 million contract with a disappointing 2011 season. Despite the poor signings, prior to the Red Sox collapse, Epstein and Francona were expected to remain in Boston. However, after the collapse of the team and departure of Francona, Theo may have felt it was time for a change and that could explain why he bolted for a team that hasn't won a World Series in 103 years.

Now, the question that so many fans, especially Cubs ones are asking is if Theo Epstein can work the same magic that he did in Boston. Personally, I believe that he can indeed make it work, however the biggest difference is that the 2011 Cubs are a lot farther away from the World Series than the 2002 and 2003 Red Sox were. This Cubs team has a number of missing pieces to the puzzle, although they do have talented young players in Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney to build around. In the next couple years, the fat contracts of Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano will come off the books and give Epstein a chance to start building the future of the Cubs. His first major decision though will be whether or not to bring back Mike Quade as manager. Fans have been clamoring for the GM to hire Ryne Sandberg, the wildly popular former Cub so it will be interesting to see what Epstein decides to do with his first major move.

Either way, the change signals the end of an era in Boston. There will be a new GM and manager in town with different philosophies. At this point, us Red Sox fans can hope for the best until next year when we see the beginning of a new chapter in the storied history of the Boston Red Sox.

Raising the Banner: Boston Bruins Opening Night

Watching the banner get raised to the rafters of TD Garden brought back the memories of an unforgettable playoff run last spring. As everyone knows, the Boston Bruins captured their first Stanley Cup in 39 years last season. The run to that Stanley Cup remained fresh in the mind of every Bruins fans over the summer, nobody will ever forget the dominant Game 7 victory over the Canucks to seal the Stanley Cup. However, we cannot get caught up in the Stanley Cup as it is time for a new season now, with the Flyers in town for Opening Night. With that being said, a little remembrance never hurt anyone so this blog post will be dedicated to remembering the playoff run from last year and looking forward to this year's version of the Bruins.

It all started on April 14, the hated Canadiens were in town for the start of a much anticipated playoff showdown. The Bruins lost Games 1 and 2 in front of the home crowd though and all of the sudden, a trendy pick to win it all before the playoffs turned into a team everyone left for dead. The team responded by posting back-to-back victories in Montreal and there was a series again, the Bruins weren't dead yet. The final 3 games of the series featured thrilling back and forth affairs with Nathan Horton cementing himself into Bruins lore forever with the game-winning goal in Game 7. As much energy that was exerted in the Canadiens series was equal to the amount saved in the Flyers series with a quick sweep of Philadelphia to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Lightning were the next opponent, the only thing standing between the Bruins and advancing to their first Stanley Cup finals in 20 years. A series that featured both high-scoring affairs and goaltender showdowns entered the 7th and deciding game with nobody knowing what to expect. The game remained scoreless for the first 53 minutes and had fans of each side on the edge of their seats with a number of close scoring chances. Finally, at long last with 7 1/2 minutes remaining in the final stanza, Nathan Horton struck again and netted what would turn out to be the only goal of the night. The party was on in Boston and immediate preparations were made for the Vancouver Canucks, the final road block between the Bruins and the Stanley Cup. As much as it felt like a dead weight was lifted off of the shoulders of the fans after the Lightning series, that same dead weight came back as soon as the puck was dropped for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup. Marred by the biting of Alexandre Burrows, the Bruins lost heartbreakers in Games 1 and 2. Heading back to Boston down 2-0 and just a mere two losses away from elimination, little did the team that know that a cheap hit by Aaron Rome on Nathan Horton would be the rallying point for the Bruins. The hit propelled them to a decisive 8-1 victory in Game 3 and a 4-0 shutout in Game 4 to even up the series heading back to Vancouver. Once again, the home team won in this series as the Canucks won Game 5 1-0. With their backs against the wall, the Bruins won Game 6 5-2 and you know the rest. 2 nights later, the Boston Bruins were Stanley Cup Champions for the first time in 39 years and fans could finally forget about all of the heartbreak endured recently.

Going back to this season, the Bruins have as good as a chance as any of the other recent champions to repeat as Stanley Cup champs. Not done since the 1998 Red Wings, however should make people realize how hard it truly is to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. In order to have any chance at a repeat, the Bruins will need continued production from their core of young players such as Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin. The two-headed monster of Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask returns in goal with Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg leading the charge on defense. The change in role may also pkay a huge part this year as teams want nothing more than to dethrone the defending champion. Let's hope the Bruins don't suffer the Stanley Cup Hangover like so many recent champions.

NLDS Playoff Preview

As promised, here are my NLDS playoff predictions for this year. Without further ado, let's get straight into the breakdown of each series.

Diamondbacks-Brewers: I think its safe to say that many people wouldn't have predicted a playoff series between these two squads at the beginning of the year. Granted, the Brewers do have star power with Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, but there were questions about the pitching staff going into this year. However, Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke have helped to shore up the rotation and John Axford has been lights out in the closer role. In the other dugout, the Diamondbacks have a roster full of names that most people have never heard of, outside of Justin Upton that is. Despite the lack of star power, this team won 92 games and has more than enough talent to win this series. Look for a relatively high-scoring series, with a lot of home runs given the power in each lineup. The Brewers led the NL with 185 home runs this year and the Diamondbacks finished 4th with 172 bombs.
Prediction: Brewers in 5

Phillies-Cardinals: The Cardinals have the same question as the Rays going into the playoffs, can they keep up the hot play after a September to remember that saw them propel past the Braves and into the playoffs. The Redbirds are rewarded with a visit to Philadelphia to take on the Four Aces and the rest of the league-leading Phillies. Featuring a dynamic offense with stars Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins, along with the afore-mentioned Four Aces, it will be very difficult for the Cardinals to win this series. That could be made harder given the injuries to Rafael Furcal and Matt Holliday, although both are expected to play. Look for a series that will be closer than expected with lots of solid pitching from both teams. The Cardinals are also no stranger to the postseason and know how to play on the big stage.
Prediction: Phillies in 4

ALDS Playoff Preview

Now that I've had some time to for the events of Wednesday night to sink in, although I'd rather forget about it altogether, its time for my predictions for the ALDS, which begins tonight on TBS. Look for my NLDS predictions tomorrow when those series get underway.

Tigers-Yankees: The postseason is starting the same way for these two teams as the regular season did, with C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander on the mound. Both pitchers enjoyed great seasons, especially Verlander who posted a 24-5 record with 250 strikeouts. Each teams comes in with a lineup loaded with stars, more so on the Yankees side with former Tiger, Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, A-Rod and Mark Teixeira. However, the Tigers lineup is no slouch in itself with Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez leading the charge. Watch for a great series, featuring a solid mix of great pitching in Game 1 and maybe a few high-scoring affairs in Games 2 and 3.
Prediction: Tigers in 5

Rangers-Rays: Can the Rays keep the good mojo going following the September comeback? It may be a tough go in game 1 with unproven rookie Matt Moore taking the hill, opposed by C.J. Wilson who looks to lead the Rangers back to the World Series for the 2nd year in a row. The edge in lineups goes to Texas, which features Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli and Ian Kinsler among others. The Rays may have a hard time generating runs outside of Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist. Overall, this seems like the series that could end in a sweep, although last year's ALDS proved to be better than expected. The only question for the Rays is how will their young guns perform in the October spotlight, many of them making their 1st appearance in the playoffs.
Prediction: Rangers in 3

2 Wildcard Teams? A Bad Idea for Baseball

Late September drama is something that has become a common occurrence in baseball, almost as common as the Red Sox and Yankees being involved in the playoff race. From year to year, the wildcard and divisional races often come down to the final week, final series or even the final day. That is what makes baseball so exciting to watch at this time of the year as teams are either desperately clinging to a playoff spot or fighting tooth-and-nail to have a chance to compete for baseball's biggest prize, the World Series. However, if the potential new baseball CBA is completed in its current format, MLB could be sapped of all  its late season drama. Major League Baseball wants to add a 2nd wildcard spot to the playoffs and have the 2 teams that finish in those wildcard spots play either a 1-game playoff or a best-of-3 series. I'm sorry, but who does that benefit other than the TV networks who would air those games? It would take away a lot of the drama and that is the stuff that fans love to see at this time of year, if you're not a Braves or Red Sox fan that is.

If the 2 wildcard idea was in place for this season, Jacoby Ellsbury's season-saving home run for the Red Sox in the 14th inning last night really would not have meant much at all. Of course, those in support of the new playoff format will say that teams always want to win and will always put forth their finest effort, but that alone won't put fans on the couch in front of their television sets. Ellsbury's home run is another example of something that makes fans want to watch the game and reminds us why we  contine to watch and to love baseball. For the better part of the past month, every pitch of every at-bat of every inning of every game has had potential to be the difference between life and death for the Red Sox, Rays and Angels. Despite how much stress the playoff races can put on fans of those teams, it certainly provides great theatrics for baseball and fans of the game. People love to see and hear about the races that end in dramatic fashion.

Similar to the story in the American League, the Cardinals have gotten hot at the right time and find themselves just 1 game back of the Braves, after trailing by 8.5 games on September 1. When the Braves lost to the Nationals yesterday, if the new idea for the playoffs had been in place, it would have meant about as much as the result of the Reds-Pirates game. Thankfully, there is just 1 wildcard spot available and that loss now has the Braves on the brink of a potentially historic collapse. Other than Braves or Cardinals fans, the possibility of a 1-game playoff is very exciting to most baseball fans. Think about the drama that was provided in the most recent 1-game playoff, Alexi Casilla hitting a walk-off single to win the AL Central for the Twins in 2009. The point I am trying to make is that people enjoy watching games that have playoff implications and the difference between going to the playoffs and going home can come down to one pitch. If the 2 wildcard spot idea is adopted, a lot of the dramatic wins that we have seen over the years may be reduced to just another regular season game.

For now, be thankful that we still have just 1 wildcard spot and enjoy the last series of the season with the 2 wildcard teams still to be determined. That is of course, unless you're a fan of one of the afore-mentioned teams which will be playing for their playoff lives in the coming days. In your case, calling in sick to work on Thursday will be perfectly acceptable, especially given the stress that you will endure between now and Wednesday.