I watched more baseball this season than I have in years (partly due to having gotten into Roku and MLB.tv); now the fun part starts. Lets have our own fun with predictions and opinions.
Baseball
Its better than other sports because they play on dirt! And also, because theres no clock, theres never a reason to run it out.
And because the tension in the late stages of a close game; not remotely equaled by any other sport.
MLB.tv
Its really done astonishingly well; the virtues of baseball and the Internet mesh without any visible stress or strain, and I know that didnt happen by accident. I wish Id helped build it.
Wildcard Games
What a stupid idea, drop it next year. The regular season offered plenty enough end-game drama that the extra-team-in-the-mix was superfluous. Also, baseball offers two well-developed modes of competition: the 162-game season and the postseason series. This single-game thing is a distraction, can be derailed by a single umpire error, and devalues the regular-season heroics.
Prediction: The Yankees and Nationals will both win the division series and would have against either wildcard candidate, so it wont have mattered anyhow.
A Theory of the Playoffs
I mean, maybe youre just a fan of one of the teams or another, and thats fine. But for the rest of us, a principled approach is helpful. So here are some principles.
Prefer teams from scrappy underdog cities. Which is to say, Oakland over San Fran and Baltimore over DC.
Prefer teams from your time zone. Because youve seen more of their games and understand them better.
Cheer against the Giants. Because they still owe the world for Barry Bonds, and because I hate that fucking stadium, whatever phone company its named after this year; overpriced tickets, overpriced food, full of hustlers pitching investors on cellphones while they ignore the game.
Prefer teams that employ Ichiro Suzuki. Because hes been playing with so much power and grace for so many years, itd be nice to see him get a ring.
So, of the eight remaining teams, I have positive feelings about five. I loathe the Giants and have no feelings whatsoever about the Reds or Cardinals. That leaves the Orioles (they get no respect), Yankees (Ichiro), Nationals (exciting young team), Tigers (Cabrera, Verlander, Fielder, whats not to like), As (came back from 13 games down, thats just crazy).
The sad part is that the two most appealing teams, the Tigers and As, are playing each other in the first round. In the World Series, Im hoping the Nationals get in and lose against, well, any of the alternatives.
Having said that, Im not sure Id bet on anyone against the As in this month of this year. But if they lose theyll be back, as will Orioles and Tigers. But Ichiro might not.