If newspapers and magazines are any indication, we’re still stuck in this recession. It’s not just the stories in the newspapers, it’s the papers themselves that illustrate the trend. Around here, we’ve been amazed by the micro-sized Record Searchlight, but I’ve noticed the same situation around the country. All the papers are looking like they’ve gone triple Kate Moss these days.
So we know it’s hard times, and I hear enough personal testimonials to know this is the real thing. Heck, I’m a personal testimonial.
But I have but one recommendation: baseball. All summer long I’ve taken a swan dive into the National Pastime. I’m clinging onto baseball so that I don’t have to think about the real problems of the world.
I think this is why baseball exists — to distract us. It was around during the last Great Depression. I’m sure it will be around for the next one (provided we ever get out of this one).
Now, it’s October, so there’s only one more month before the great distraction ends. After that, I guess I’ll have to pretend I’m Steve Brewer and start watching the NFL.
But anyway, for the casual observer or person who’s just reading this because they made an accidental click — I’m gonna break it down for you. The playoffs start Wednesday. Here’s my 2009 Major League Baseball postseason preview (cue the voice of Harry Carey singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”):
• The regular season ended Sunday, and we know all the teams in the playoffs except for one divisional race — the American League Central. I can just hear the miffed voice of my former colleague and Detroit Tigers fan John Crowe growling, “You just know the Tigers are gonna blow this thing!” The Tigers had been leading the AL Central since May 10, but now find themselves in a tie with the Minnesota Twins. They’ll play a one-game tiebreaker game on Tuesday night at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. They would have played it Monday night, but somebody named Brett Farve is playing his former team on Monday Night Football in a game that ESPN has hyped more than the Stupor Bowl. It may not matter who wins between the Tigers-Twins, because the winner plays the AL East Champs, the New York Yankees, who won 103 games this year.
• The Yankees should play in every postseason because they’re the team everybody loves or hates. Why? It’s always been that way. Plus, the Yankees’ payroll is $209 million, which dwarfs every other team. I’m proud of my Colorado Rockies for making the playoffs with their paltry payroll of $72 million. (This might be a reason to hate baseball, but don’t get stuck on it. Keep breathing.) The Yankees pay their star third baseman Alex Rodriguez $33 million a year (the highest in baseball) and A-Rod has had a solid season with 30 homers, 100 RBI and a .286 average. But Rodriguez for the past several years has choked in the playoffs, so it’s compelling to see whether he’ll gag again. In other Yankee news, the brilliant Derek Jeter collected his 2,722 hit to pass Lou Gehrig to become the all-time Yankees hits leader.
• The other American League playoff matchup is between the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels. The Angels used to be the California Angels, then the Anaheim Angels and now they’re the Los Angeles Angels. But I think they’ve always played in Anaheim. If you consider the Spanish part of the current name, they’re “The Angels Angels.” Now that’s kind of silly, but the more serious issue for them is they’ve lost to Boston (otherwise known as the Red Sox Nation) three or the four times they’ve faced them in the playoffs since 2004. And that’s a lot of facing them in the playoffs.
• In the National League, my scrappy Colorado Rockies won the Wild Card and will face the reigning World Series champions, the Philadelphia Phillies. The Rockies came into Philly two years ago in the same situation and routed the Phillies in four games. At that time, the Rocks were on one of the hottest winning streaks in baseball history. They’ll have a tougher time this year, because the Phillies have incredible left-handed pitchers who could neutralize Colorado’s lineup, which is loaded with left-handed hitters. One right-handed hitting Rockie who’s been a real treat to watch this year is shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (.297 average, 32 homers, 97 RBI). He’s a big guy for a shortstop and a great fielder, but I’m slightly concerned about his haircut, which might be a mullet. Anyway, I hope it’s a long RocktoberFest, but I’m actually happy the team made it this far. They’ve helped me ignore a lot of the recession this summer.
• The other National League playoff matchup is between Phil Fountain’s Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. First off, what the heck is a Dodger? Anyone? Anyway this Los Angeles team is loaded with great hitters, including the dreadlocked basher, Manny Ramirez. Truth be told, the Dodgers were playing better baseball when Manny was serving a 50-game suspension for a drug violation (reportedly a drug related to steroid use). People wonder if the Cardinals’ big slugger Albert Pujols has ever used steroids. If you want to anger a Cardinals’ fan, you start bringing this topic up. A big reason Pujols could do damage to the Dodgers is he’s followed in the lineup by Matt Holliday, who St. Louis acquired from Oakland in late July. It’ll be hard for L.A. pitchers to pitch around Pujols with Holliday, a former Rockie, sitting behind him.
OK, there you have it! Are you fired up yet? You should be, because baseball’s all about human failure. A good hitter fails seven out of every 10 times he comes to the plate. Umpires make bad calls and there’s no replay.
But it’s not the recession. I could be out of a job, but, by golly, the Rockies are playing on Wednesday afternoon. It’s a beautiful thing.