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At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

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MLB Playoffs: A Little Something for Everyone

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It’s not very often that you have four playoff games in a single day. Yesterday was an instance where you had roughly 10 straight hours of baseball on TV so if you happened to be unemployed, or bored with your job, Tuesday served as an excellent opportunity to kill valuable brain cells.

Yankees 10 Tigers 1 – Heading into last night, I was surprisingly confident that the much maligned AJ Burnett would help the Yankees force a game 5 in their series against the Detroit Tigers. All thanks and praise should go to Curtis Granderson who made two PHENOMENAL run saving catches. Now, as they had back to the Bronx, smart money moves back to the Bombers. However, should the Tigers win Thursday night, expect New York sports radio to be filled with all kinds of “fire Joe Girardi and ARod” talk.

Rangers 4 Rays 3 – Rays manager Joe Maddon is a pretty enlightened dude. From the horned rim glasses to the flowing white locks, throw a black turtleneck on him and he becomes something out of a Kerouak autobiography. Wouldn’t Maddon fit in perfectly alongside Dean Moriarty and Sal Paradise cruising through the Salton Sea? Unfortunately, “the Dude” couldn’t help the Rays overcome Adrian Beltre and the Rangers who move on to the ALCS to face the winner of Yankees/Tigers.

Diamondbacks 8 Brewers 1 – The Diamond Dogs live to fight another day in the desert. Very rarely do sideline reporters say anything newsworthy, however, last night was an exception. Sam Ryan, reporting from the dugout, mentioned how Arizona pitcher Josh Collmenter developed his strange “ferris-wheel” like pitching mechanics by throwing a small axe at a tree stump. As I joked last night, if the Coen brothers were watching the game, Collmenter should expect a phone call soon to star in their next movie, Fargo 2: What Lies Below Paul Bunyan’s Beard.

Phillies 3 Cardinals 2 – My favorite opening round series is the matchup between the Cardinals and Phillies. Two great baseball cities with boat loads of marketable stars and two iconic managers. Unfortunately for St. Louis, most of their players seem to be walking around the diamond with some sort of limp or in the case of Lance Berkman, a pretty sweet mullet.

view from Busch Stadium courtesy of @JNW218

It Happened on 125th Street

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Not to get all Ken Burns on you, but I’m watching more of this year’s MLB playoffs because of the final day of the regular season. For baseball fans like myself, September 28th was a reminder of how dramatic and exciting the game can be. As a country, Americans have slowly started to trend away from our national pastime, choosing instead to set the DVR for the less time consuming and faster paced football or basketball. And to be fair, I myself did not intend to watch any baseball that Wednesday evening after agreeing to attend a special screening of Pearl Jam Twenty in New York City, which, in retrospect, was a fairly radical decision for a 32 year old male who no longer wears flannel.

Flash forward three hours. My first move after hopping on the 10:22 out of Grand Central Station was to fire up the MLB At Bat app on my iPhone, a feature which I have not used since the Orioles dropped twenty games below .500 in Mid July. Standing there in the nearly vacant bar car, I was pleasantly surprised to find that neither the Yankees/Rays or Red Sox/Orioles games were over. And then, just as the express train cruised passed Larchmont, Dan Johnson hit the homerun to tie the game at 7 causing the Chris Christie look-a-like sitting across the aisle and drinking a Coors Light to stand up and give a jubilent, yet solitary fist pump. I never did bother to ask the New Jersey governor if he was a Rays fan or Yankee fan just happy that the Red Sox path to the playoffs was about to take an even more circuitous route. Either way, thanks to baseball, that 52 minute non-stop trip from Midtown Manhattan to Stamford, CT felt like it took no time at all.

That night, I was back on my couch in time to watch the conclusion of both games and I guess I’m telling you this story today because here it is Tuesday morning, with another long work week looming, and I’m already fighting serious sleep deprivation having stayed up to watch Yankees/Tigers. As John Sterling says, “you just can’t predict baseball”.

view from Comerica Park courtesy of @MissCoryCoffey

 

 

Quick Snaps: NFL Week #4

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Before we pull the trigger on a week 4 recap, it must be October in the NFL as players, coaches, and officials alike began adorning a variety of pink garments in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. My eyes weren’t nearly as strained by any of the well intentioned accessories – even the whistles – and find the pink towels much more palatable than the pepto-bismol bats MLB uses for a very similar cause on Mother’s Day.

Quick Snaps

Lions 34 Cowboys 30 – So maybe Tony Romo can’t close after all.

Bengals 23 Bills 20 – Mike Nugent didn’t seem all that excited after he kicked the game winning FG to lead the Bengals over the formerly undefeated Buffalo Bills. Perhaps his lack of exuberance was due to the noticeable fact that there were plenty of good seats still available at Paul Brown Stadium. Was this apathy for a mediocre franchise or more indicative of the tough economic times on the Ohio River?

49ers 24 Eagles 23 – The best thing that can happen to the Philadelphia Eagles is for the Philadelphia Phillies to reach the World Series. That way, the “fans that booed Santa Claus” won’t channel as much energy and blinding venom towards a campaign to fire Andy Reid. I’m sure firebigred.com is already a hot commodity with Go Daddy.

Giants 31 Cardinals 27 – Eli Manning, like most quarterbacks, is a totally different quarterback in a dome. Would his older brother Payton be as prolific a passer if he spent his entire career outside in the Meadowlands instead of indoors at the RCA Dome now Lucas Oil Field?

Chiefs 22 Vikings 17 – As Buster Olney suggested on twitter, maybe the Vikings should consider trading RB Adrian Peterson in a “Hershel Walker” type deal instead this time around Minnesota ships the superstar in return for a gluttony of draft picks. Also, do you really need to keep trotting Donovan McNabb’s carcass out there when you have Christian Ponder, your QB in waiting, holding a clipboard on the sidelines?

Patriots 31 Raiders 19 – Tom Brady gets a much needed haircut and the Patriots transform into a running team. Stranger things have happened but one things for sure, unless New England keeps chewing up yards on the guard, and develops a consistent pass rush, they’re still a long way from New Orleans.

Packers 49 Broncos 23 – Quite a weekend for the state of Wisconsin. First the Badgers take it to Big Ten newbies the Nebraska. Then the Brewers go up 2-0 in their NLDS series with the Diamondbacks before the weekend was topped off by a record setting fantasy performance by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Good news for me, the team I played started Jay Cutler.

view from Paul Brown Stadium courtesy of @cincynowsports

View My Picks: NFL Week 4

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Detroit (+1) over DALLAS: Yummy!!!! You can’t have these two teams play eachother and not think about the glorious holiday of over eating holidays that is Thanksgiving. And for the first time in 20 years, the 12:30pm kickoff in Detroit between the Lions and Green Bay Packers means much much more than the Cowboys game vs the Dolphins.

New Orleans (-7) over JACKSONVILLE: Speaking of the Bayou, I watched LSU beat up West Virginia last Saturday night and I was flabergasted by the amount of NFL talent on the field for the Tigers. Their entire defense is comprised of athletes who will soon play on Sundays and if their QB remains even semi-competent this season, I can’t see how they don’t end up making it to the BCS championship game. Also, the WVU coach looks like a frothier version of Clint Howard.

San Francisco (+7.5) over PHILADELPHIA: I love how Jim Harbaugh kept the 49ers in Youngstown, Ohio this week instead of flying them back to the west coast after their game in Cincinnati before having to turn right back around to play the Eagles in Philadelphia this weekend. I wonder if the team took a trip to the cinema to watch Lion King 3-D?

Washington (PK) over ST. LOUIS: The Rams looked terrible last week and the Redskins didn’t look much better. Count me as one of the many baseball fans who cannot believe the St. Louis Cardinals made it back to the postseason. I thought the biggest story out of Busch Stadium this season was going to be whether or not Albert Pujols resigns with the club this winter.

Tennessee (-1) over CLEVELAND: Wouldn’t it be just Cleveland’s luck if pieces of that space junk had landed somewhere near their city? The whole time NASA was talking about how they weren’t quite sure where and when the satellite debris was going to strike I kept hoping that it would end up somewhere near Peter Angelos backyard in Westminster, MD.

CINCINNATI (+3) over Buffalo: Upset Special!!! Upset Special!!! Classic letdown game for the Bills of Buffalo who better hurry up and build that new stadium before retreating to Toronto like the British during the War of 1812. Too soon? Maybe, but just remember that a few months back I predicted this Rust Belt Revival.

Minnesota (-1.5) over KANSAS CITY: I’m not so sure this game will be carried in either the Minneapolis/St. Paul or Kansas City local markets. The Vikings better keep giving the ball to Adrian Peterson or else they’re going to have a pissed off $100 million man on their hands.

Carolina (+6.5) over CHICAGO: Are Jay Cutler and Kristen Cavallari really getting back together and if so, can we expect the Bears QB to be present when KC hoists the Dancing With The Stars trophy this November?

Pittsburgh (+4) over HOUSTON: Maybe the Steelers are getting old after all. Maybe this is Houston’s year. Maybe Chris Christie is going to run for President.

Atlanta (-4.5) over SEATTLE: Time for this Falcons team to get serious. If they lose to the Seahawks you can pretty much count them out in the NFC South. And for the Atlanta Braves, it’s going to be a long offseason for Fredi Gonzalez and the rest of the organization. Good news, they’re young and all their top prospects are pitchers.

NY Giants (-1.5) over ARIZONA: Starting to feel like this Giants team could have a little “nobody believed in us” in them. And since we’re talking about New York, I went into the city last night to watch Pearl Jam Twenty and came away with three main observations: 1) How different the world would have been if “Daughter” were actually titled “Brother”. 2) Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain…maybe not the best of friends. 3) Neil Young is so close to the band that Vedder refers to him as Uncle Neil.

Miami (+7) over San Diego: San Diego is going to win or lose every game this season by less than 7 points. It’s a mortal lock, as sure a thing as Whitney being cancelled before the holidays.

Denver (+13) over Green Bay: This weekend, the biggest game in Wisconsin takes place in Madison not Green Bay as the Badgers open the Big Ten season against conference newbies Nebraska. I had some early designs on attending this game in person but soon realized that the entire Midwest would be converging on State Street like an over-served freshman looking for a bratwurst.

OAKLAND (+4.5) over New England: For the Boston Red Sox, after last night put the final nail in the worst September collapse in MLB history, expect some major overreacting and paradigm shifting on Yawkey Way this offseason. Terry Francona shouldn’t be fired but the Sox need to hire some better personal trainers, really anyone to keep their pitching staff in better shape.

BALTIMORE (-3.5) over NY Jets: The Tampa Bay Rays need to send Chris Davis, Nolan Reimold, and Robert Andino a few nice big fruit baskets after what they did to the Red Sox last night. My only wish is that the Orioles were playing for a spot in the playoffs themselves and not set to finish the season 28 games out of 1st place.

Indianapolis (+10) over TAMPA BAY: The big question Monday night, will Josh Freeman vs Curtis Painter be able to outdraw repeats of NCIS airing on USA?

Last week 9-7 (overall 25-23)

view from Camden Yards courtesy of @chitwoodhobbs

 

Leftovers

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Every bit as good as the day it was made.

i – I’m happy for Western New York, it’s been a long time since people traveled to Niagara Falls to celebrate something other than a shotgun wedding. I am however dreading the inevitable Chris Berman/Ryan Fitzpatrick Ivy League slobberfest that is bound to make the front page of both the Harvard Crimson and The Brown Daily Herald. Having been rejected from multiple Ivy League schools I can tell you that the Colby Echo has every bit the journalistic integrity as any Ivy daily. Oh, and the Patriots won’t win another Super Bowl until their pass rush improves and they establish a consistent running game. And Chad Ochocinco couldn’t catch a cold.

ii – Last night, during what seemed like an innocent third down play, Curtis Painter turned very flush and there was a moment where I worried he was going to need to be revived on the field. Between his beet red face and the long curly Spicoliesque blond locks, he looked like a either a Cold War era East German bank robber or a villain in the first Die Hard movie. Also, NBC had a Manning problem last night.

iii – San Diego continues to do just enough to get by. The Chargers are like a college student, showing up to class 5 minutes late and hungover while working hard enough to earn that C+. Never before have I agonized over a lock pick like when the Chiefs brought the score to 20-17, and then had a chance to tie or take the lead in the closing moments. There is also zero doubt that Kansas City is going from first to worst in the AFC West. The only question facing the Chiefs this season is how long before Dexter McCluster becomes the best selling jersey in all of Missouri.

iv – Peyton Hillis wasn’t allowed to play with the other boys this weekend due to an aggressive case of strep throat. Was his being sent home a case of what was best for Hillis or maybe his teammates? As it turns out, the Brown didn’t really need the help, dismissing the Dolphins in the final minute of play. Here’s hoping Peyton is feeling better while convalescing over a steaming cup of camomille.

view from Orchard Park courtesy of @Paul_Barone