When most TV shows and movies are in the editing room, producers have some idea of the story that they want to tell and are able to portray that story throughout the course of the show. With live sports, there is a story being told everyday, albeit one that is not controlled by editors or producers. Everyday of the baseball season is a part of a six month marathon show, and with every episode, twists that are unforeseen to the whole world are added to the story. Players emerge as superheroes. Triumph and tragedy blossom.
The epic of the regular season is often overshadowed by the epilogue that is provided by the playoffs, and ultimately the World Series. Each postseason takes on a distinctly different flavor from the one before it. Cinderella stories, curses, dominance and despair often compose this unique story. This year, the playoffs have given rise to two vaguely similar yet wildly different glory stories, those of the Giants and the Royals.
In San Francisco, fans are hardly new to the idea of postseason dominance. For 2 of the past 4 years, the Giants have emerged victorious at the end of October led by a cast of homegrown talent and timely imports. The Giants have fallen from their October glory in each of the following seasons but have emerged from the ashes twice, seemingly caught in a cycle of glory and disaster. Although the Giants are no strangers to the postseason, their is a different type of story surrounding the team this year. After barely making the playoffs, they have dominated the offences of the Pirates, Nationals and Cardinals, allowing only 24 earned runs in 98 innings (a 2.20 ERA). Their MVP has been Madison Bumgarner, a player who has matured over the Giants incredible five-year journey from a rookie fourth-starter who had yet to gain the trust of many to a playoff machine, an ace who has pitched almost a third of the Giants total innings. His supporting staff, three equally competent albeit less dominant starters, an electric bullpen and an offence that provided just enough support to win, have helped the Giants reach a third consecutive World Series in an even year.
Halfway across the country, a Cinderella of a very different kind has arisen from the city that nobody is sure exactly where it is (Kansas? Missouri?), one almost 30 years in the making. The Royals have become yet another poster child for the team that rises from obscurity just the year before to make the playoffs. However, unlike so many of these teams that have fizzled out once they faced the pressure of the playoffs, the Royals have excelled under the October competition, blazing through the competition and going undefeated on their way to the World Series. Although it's been close and they have pulled out many one-run games, it is the way in which the Royals wins that make their run so exciting. In the age of the long ball, the Royals have won by playing small ball, relying on bunting and speed to keep games close until they win them in the most dramatic fashion possible. Wonder Twins Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas have both brought their fare share of dramatics, finally showing the potential that the baseball community has seen in them for years.
The story is unfinished. The final chapter is yet to be told. Nobody knows how the tale will end, but we all hope that it is a fitting end to a crazy postseason.
~TBC
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Something...
Why hello there! I'm finally back after another multi-month break (blame senior year!), and today I will be writing...something...I guess it will be like a postseason preview but not really since the postseason already started lol. Bear with me...
Sooooooooo....anyway, postseason baseball is back and I am so excited! I have a good feeling about these playoff teams because there really isn't one team I have anything against personally, and I have rooted for a lot of the teams in playoffs past. I honestly have not tried making any predictions because I am actually rooting for a specific team and I think that clouds my judgment a bit...also, I was basically psychic last year and I don't feel like embarrassing myself. Let's take it series by series:
Nationals vs Giants: I guess that we should probably get this one out of the way right off the bat (no pun intended). Those who pay attention will know that although I am a Phillies fan first and foremost, when they're out of it I wholeheartedly root for the Nationals and that is not about to change! It is honestly so exciting watching a Nationals team that continues to become a force to be reckoned with and basically rolled to a division title unchallenged this year. I feel like I've been on a journey with these player since 2011 when the team almost finished .500 for the first time, and that I've watched so many of these player mature. It amazes me how much of the Nationals talent is home-grown and I am super happy that Desmond, Rendon, ZNN and others have been doing so well! So good for them, and although they are down 1-0 at the time of this post, I think that they will come back and makes this series exciting and hopefully pull out the win. Although if they don't, I won't be that mad because the Giants are actually a pretty cool team too, and while I don't have a long-term vested interest in the team, I did realize the other day that some of my all-time sentimental favorite players have found a spot on this team. Buster Posey has been one of my favorites since I started actually watching baseball and Pablo Sandoval is honestly so funny that you cant help rooting for him. It also helps that Hunter Pence, who I wanted on the Phillies as soon as he was a viable option, and Michael Morse, who might just be my personal favorite Nationals player (BEAST MODE!), play on the Giants too. So overall, I'm rooting for the Nationals, but won't be upset if the Giants win.
Dodgers vs Cardinals: And here we come to the series I care least about! I guess I'm rooting for the Cardinals here, but for no reason other than I feel like it, and they'll probably win even if I don't want them to...seriously they been in the NCLS for 3 years in a row so whatever honestly, I just don't want either of these teams in the World Series so there's that. And I hope that the series goes to game 5 so that Kershaw and Wainwright cant pitch 3 times in the NCLS . Although considering ow last night went maybe I want them to pitch as much as possible...it's funny how that played out...two aces outpitched by two rookies (in Anaheim).
Orioles vs Tigers: Here we have the team that are always contenders vs the upstart team who plays an hour away from me and had Delmon Young on their team...it's pretty obvious who I'm rooting for! I'm kidding about the Delmon Young part (you knew that right?) but it is pretty cool to see a local team doing so well! I'm picking this post up after a multiday break so the series is now over (I got to see the end live!), but I'm so glad that the Orioles let the Tigers know who's boss because I'm sick of the Tigers!
Royals vs Angels: Well, this series is over and went exactly like I wanted it to! I don't have much to say about it but I'm so excited about an Orioles vs Royals ALCS and one of those teams in the WS!
So that was just about the most random thing but its something! I'll try to post before the World Series (but I'm not promising anything...)
~TBC
Sooooooooo....anyway, postseason baseball is back and I am so excited! I have a good feeling about these playoff teams because there really isn't one team I have anything against personally, and I have rooted for a lot of the teams in playoffs past. I honestly have not tried making any predictions because I am actually rooting for a specific team and I think that clouds my judgment a bit...also, I was basically psychic last year and I don't feel like embarrassing myself. Let's take it series by series:
Nationals vs Giants: I guess that we should probably get this one out of the way right off the bat (no pun intended). Those who pay attention will know that although I am a Phillies fan first and foremost, when they're out of it I wholeheartedly root for the Nationals and that is not about to change! It is honestly so exciting watching a Nationals team that continues to become a force to be reckoned with and basically rolled to a division title unchallenged this year. I feel like I've been on a journey with these player since 2011 when the team almost finished .500 for the first time, and that I've watched so many of these player mature. It amazes me how much of the Nationals talent is home-grown and I am super happy that Desmond, Rendon, ZNN and others have been doing so well! So good for them, and although they are down 1-0 at the time of this post, I think that they will come back and makes this series exciting and hopefully pull out the win. Although if they don't, I won't be that mad because the Giants are actually a pretty cool team too, and while I don't have a long-term vested interest in the team, I did realize the other day that some of my all-time sentimental favorite players have found a spot on this team. Buster Posey has been one of my favorites since I started actually watching baseball and Pablo Sandoval is honestly so funny that you cant help rooting for him. It also helps that Hunter Pence, who I wanted on the Phillies as soon as he was a viable option, and Michael Morse, who might just be my personal favorite Nationals player (BEAST MODE!), play on the Giants too. So overall, I'm rooting for the Nationals, but won't be upset if the Giants win.
Dodgers vs Cardinals: And here we come to the series I care least about! I guess I'm rooting for the Cardinals here, but for no reason other than I feel like it, and they'll probably win even if I don't want them to...seriously they been in the NCLS for 3 years in a row so whatever honestly, I just don't want either of these teams in the World Series so there's that. And I hope that the series goes to game 5 so that Kershaw and Wainwright cant pitch 3 times in the NCLS . Although considering ow last night went maybe I want them to pitch as much as possible...it's funny how that played out...two aces outpitched by two rookies (in Anaheim).
Orioles vs Tigers: Here we have the team that are always contenders vs the upstart team who plays an hour away from me and had Delmon Young on their team...it's pretty obvious who I'm rooting for! I'm kidding about the Delmon Young part (you knew that right?) but it is pretty cool to see a local team doing so well! I'm picking this post up after a multiday break so the series is now over (I got to see the end live!), but I'm so glad that the Orioles let the Tigers know who's boss because I'm sick of the Tigers!
Royals vs Angels: Well, this series is over and went exactly like I wanted it to! I don't have much to say about it but I'm so excited about an Orioles vs Royals ALCS and one of those teams in the WS!
So that was just about the most random thing but its something! I'll try to post before the World Series (but I'm not promising anything...)
~TBC
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