It's hard to beat the World Series. There's always an electricity in air that makes it something special. Even though the Reds didn't make it, the Series never fails to disappoint. Anyway, just thought I'd post some thoughts from the game, so here goes:
** For the seventh year in a row, there will be a new World Series Champion this year. It's not a great system, but I don't think MLB's business model is as bad as it is made out to be.
** I still think the Tigers have the best uniforms in baseball. The Tigers home uniforms with the Old English "D" trumps them all.
** It's hard to not like David Eckstein. I'd have to imagine that he never got a word of encouragement from anyone about his MLB dream. I wonder how many times people told him he wouldn't make it.
** The more I see him, the more I like him. I'm talking about Brandon Inge. I always thought he looked good behind the plate, but he never took off back there. I have to tip my cap to the Tigers moving him over to third base, as his career has taken off since he took over the hot corner. They showed a lot of faith and confidence in Inge and they are now reaping the benefits. His bat is improving and he plays a very strong third base.
** It's good to see Sean Casey get to a World Series, but as nice as he is, I can't say that I miss watching his obsessive compulsive tics, gyrations, and kicks.
** I have to question the Tigers' handling of Carlos Guillen. He's a very impressive ballplayer (carried my fantasy team this year), but I have to question shifting him over to first base to open up a spot for Ramon Santiago. Carlos is a helluva hitter, but he's also solid defensively. So, I'm not sure why you'd move him to first, when his bat plays great at short. Wouldn't you think you'd be MUCH better off keeping Guillen at short and plugging in someone at first who can out hit Santiago? It seems like you are robbing yourself of some offense by moving Guillen the wrong way on the defensive spectrum and that may come back to haunt you in the long run. Even though he tailed off after a hot start, I suspect Chris Shelton could out hit Ramon Santiago without too much difficulty.
** I think it's fairly sad that the Cardinals are the best the NL has to offer. A few years ago, a middle of the order of Pujos/Edmonds/Rolen, etc was very impressive. Now, the Cards just seem OLD. Let's hope the NL bounces back a bit next year and actually produces a few teams without massive flaws. Watching them play, I'm not even sure how the Cards got to the Series, as they don't look overly impressive.
** I think I'd rather freeze to death than wear what Placido Polanco was wearing on his head tonight.
** Scott Speizio bothers me. Always has, probably always will.
** I can't stand Fox baseball broadcasts. Can't stand them!!! I don't even know where to start. Do we really need "sideline" reporters on baseball broadcasts? They add nothing and just interrupt the flow of the broadcast. Do we really need to see an interview with the manager during the game? Personally, I think it's ridiculous, let them concentrate on the game. And, finally, do I really need 5 innings of "what was on Kenny Rogers' hand"? And, of course, they asked both managers what was on Rogers' hand. This is the World Series, let's focus a bit more on the game. I don't know why, but something about the Rogers incident rubs me the wrong way. I don't condone cheating, but this seems a lot like the people who sit at home watching golf on TV, then call up to say they think they saw a professional commit a rule infraction that wasn't enforced.
** I think it should be a requirement that any broadcast featuring Tim McCarver has Deion Sanders and a large bucket on stand by. No sooner than McCarver mentions that Tyler Johnson is the only person in the entire city of Detroit not wearing long sleeves, then Craig Monroe steps up to the plate without sleeves. I knew Monroe wasn't wearing sleeves and I wasn't even paying attention to wardrobe, much less getting paid big bucks to actually be there providing commentary on the game.
** Why is it when teams hand out towels to the fans, they are always white? Doesn't that make it harder for the players to pick up the ball? A white ball coming out of a sea of flying white towels doesn't seem like fun to me.
** Curtis Granderson looks like a good young ballplayer. The Tigers may be set in the outfield for years to come with Granderson and uber-prospect Cameron Maybin on the way.
** I think Todd Jones proves two things: 1) that just about anyone can close out ballgames and 2) limiting walks is arguably the most important aspect of a closer/reliever.
** Has anyone ever slipped out of the goat horns faster than Kenny Rogers? How soon Fox forgets the cameraman rolling around on the turf liked a beached whale. I guess 20+ scoreless innings in the postseason is the fastest way to revive a reputation.
** It's good to see Magglio finally healthy, but he's still a shell of his former self. He used to be an elite hitter, but now he's just a nice complimentary player.
Anyway, Los Tigres tie it up 1-1 and it's on to game three. Gotta love October, even if the Reds are again out fishing and playing golf.
