Quick Hitters

All it takes is September to remind me why I love baseball. It is certainly true that my team did mount a historic comeback and the team I most enjoy watching lose found a way to mount a historic collapse. But the essence of baseball and what makes it really different than the other sports is the pennant race and the ultimate tie breaker, the one game playoff. In the end baseball is king because the regular season means something and over a 162 game season you can run but you can't hide. The cream does rise to the top and mediocrity is left to play golf not allowed to serve as first round fodder to generate and extra round of playoff revenue. October is for the elite.

I can hear you muttering, the NFL is not the NBA or NHL, it only has 6 teams per conference make it to the second season. Certainly, you will have 10-6 NFL teams fail to make the playoffs, but for every one of them there are plenty of 8-8 teams that enter as wild cards. The NFL flaunts its parity with pride, the great Alan Selig has tried to emulate this with his prescriptions for "competitive balance", which on balance seem to have worked as you have not had a repeat world series champion this decade. But the greatness of baseball lies in the fact that only 4 teams per league are playing as of October 2.

Baseball's brilliance also lies in the fact that while the regular season is the best at selecting the worthy teams, it is a lousy predictor of who will ultimately reign as champion. Short series are predicated on dominant starting pitching, hot relievers and timely hitting. Baseball is the only sport where pure physicality is not dispositive. Often the "less talented" team will prevail based on key hits and an average pitcher with uncharacteristically good stuff. The only postseason that comes close is the NCAA tournament where a hot team can knock off the better team (see George Mason v. UConn). And while buzzer beaters are nice, nothing beats the walk off home run.

Objectively it is impossible to say that the best team truly wins every year and that is why postseason baseball is the best and most consistent of the playoffs in the major sports.

I cannot say that I have enjoyed a collapse more than the Mets the last few weeks. How stupid can you be to take a team that just wants to go back to South Beach and wake them up. The problem with the Mets all year has been a total lack of focus and leadership. Naturally you blame the manager. You would be wrong to do so. Willie has never gotten a fair shake from the Wilpons, being stuck with coaches he didn't choose and spies from the front office he cannot be held accountable. You have to look first at Omar Minaya.

One of the smart things the Yankees have done the past few years is bring in older players to help mentor the younger up and coming latin stars like Luis Sojo, Jose Vizcaino, Miguel Cairo, Chili Davis, Tim Raines, Ruben Sierra, all good clubhouse guys by the end of their tenure. The clubhouse is also ruled by Jorge Posada's hot temper and iron will. You think a Yankee would be allowed to get away with the antics the Mets displayed? You think Jeter or Posada would allow Cano to stand at home plate while the ball trickles down the base line in a must game? Would never happen.


Earlier in the season many Met fans proclaimed Reyes as the best shortstop in NY, he isn't even the best in his division. Jimmy Rollins, who should be the NL MVP, imposed his will on the stretch run the way Reyes did in the early season before the Mets became disinterested with the season. Rollins, knowing the Mets were down big, stole both second and third in the first inning, Reyes has failed to steal a base since September 15, in fact he had only 1 attempt since then.

A few other thoughts

Sherm Ave Fantasy Football - not to brag but I have rallied the troops after an abysmal 0-2 start to do what the Jets couldn't and square my record at 2-2. I suffered one of the all time worst defeats in the history of Fantasy Football where if you totaled my starters and bench points I still would have lost to my opponents starters. Look out

Boxing - it was great to be able to see a real live fight and not have to drop fifty bucks. Pavlik vs. Taylor was a refreshing trip to the fights of our youth where the two guys actually try to punch each other more than once a round.

Giants - great to see the new D coordinator Steve Spagnoulo exploiting the strengths of his unit by mixing blitz packages and making sure he had more guys rushing than could be blocked. ITs the only way to disguise the awful secondary play. Even Corey Webster can cover for 2-3 seconds. I'm still not sold on Eli, he makes too many dumb mistakes per game. I know his completion pct is up but he has thrown some of the most god awful intercepts I have ever seen and he still would rather try to float a pass off balance rather than step into a throw and take a hit or toss the ball out of bounds and live to fight another day. The offensive line is one fo the most underappreciated units in the game. The border war with the Jets Sunday will allow one team's season to continue and one will come to an end. Two enter, one leaves.

Rutgers - Its hard to believe that Rutgers was ranked as high as it has been based on its name. Yes, I will repeat that, Rutgers has garnered a high ranking based on its name and a Heisman candidate. Until Schiano finds a way to get his defense to use its speed to beat the bigger opponents it could be a long year. They are truly feeling the loss to graduation of an All Big East Nose Tackle and two linebackers who had been in the system for 4 years and understood the defense in and out. Never underestimate experience at the college level.

Don't forget to pick up your copy of Magic, hitting stores October 2. The new Springsteen Cd is an interesting compilation of pop hits, strong guitar driven rock and some 60s infused sound. There is an underlying political tone to the work but you have to real delve into the lyrics to find it, but it lurks within if you so desire. So far I am partial to Long Walk Home and Devil's Arcade. This album took me a few spins until I really appreciated the nuances and now i find myself singing the hooks.

The play in game just ended and I have a few thoughts:

With so much on the line, amazed at how boring the 8th thru 12th innings were

You had to know that the deadlock was ending when the Rockies brought in Jorge Julio, you know you are bad when you can't even pitch in the Mets bullpen.

How about Kaz Matsui in the playoffs, Jose Reyes at the salon frosting his hair.

Matt Holliday doesn't deserve the MVP just for sliding head first into home.

Seriously, who dresses Craig Sager, did he lose a bet as a child, I am happy I don't have TBS HD just so i dont have to see his ridiculous wardrobe in hi def.

Lastly, I don't care what SI says, Trevor Hoffman is not the greatest closer of all time and does not belong in the same sentence as Mariano Rivera.

Filowitz's Friday Five

1) Is there anyone in the National League that actually wants to make the playoffs? It doesn’t seem like it. Maybe they have a point – neither the Mets nor the Cubs nor the Brewers nor the Diamondbacks nor the Rockies nor the Padres nor the Phillies look capable of beating Boston, New York, Cleveland, or Los Angeles/Anaheim. Might as well not make it instead of embarrassing yourself in front of the nation, I suppose. And you can’t have your hopes crushed if you never had hope in the first place. So maybe Mets and Cubs fans should be grateful that their teams are falling apart worse than a sandcastle built by FEMA.

2) Does anyone know how many games Tom Brady has missed since he became the starter back in 2002? None. For all the talk of geniuses and model franchises and blah blah blah, it sure does help when your best guy playing the most irreplaceable position is never injured, huh? And is that not more than a touch of luck? Let me put it this way – I doubt anyone looks like a genius if Matt Cassel is your starting QB.

3) It is generally disgusting to me that Boston sports is about to have a phenomenal year. The Red Sox win the AL East. The Patriots look like the best team since the Cowboys of the early 90s. The Celtics get KG and Ray Allen. Giving these people, these insufferably arrogant people who whine and cry all the time and talk smack constantly, who lose horribly and win even worse, to give them all this success? Ugh. It’s exactly how I felt after Bush won his second term.

4) Yes, I’m a Knicks fan. Yes, I’m following the Isiah trial. No, I don’t want to talk about it right now. I’ve got other things to be depressed about, thanks.

5) I know no one cares about anyone else’s fantasy team. But in the Sherman Avenue Block Party league we have going on ESPN, my two starting RBs were Steven Jackson and Deuce McCallister, my QB was Drew Brees, and one of my WRs was Andre Johnson. I’m now left with Brian Leonard, Jerious Norwood, Braylon Edwards, and Chad Pennington. Interns in the back of Stephon Marbury’s truck aren’t fucked more than this team. If I win any more games with this team, I should be arrested for fraud.

Filowitz's Friday Five

1) I wonder what it's like to be a Mets fan right now. It must be agonizing. It must be this incredible mixture of depression and helplessness, like watching some tragedy from afar where you are rendered unable to do anything about it. It must be like, well, exactly what Martin is feeling right now.

2) Here's something to cheer up Mets fans, and Red Sox fans, too: remember the Tigers last year? They did this exact same thing. They were way ahead of the Central for most of the year. They staged a spectacular collapse, eventually losing the division to the Twins and just barely beating out the White Sox to get into the playoffs. What happened to them? They went to the World Series. Um, and lost, but still.

3) It could be worse - you could be a Cubs fan. They haven't won anything in what may as well be forever. I've never seen a fan base so unwilling to believe in their team, and a fan base with such good reason to feel that way. If they end up losing the division to Milwaukee and only have Rex Grossman to look forward to - well, you don't exactly "look forward" to Rex Grossman, do you?

4) Madlib, Beat Konducta In India (Vol. 3-4) If you don't know, remember who told ya.

5) To all the fantasy owners of Steven Jackson and any member of the Saints offense, let me get Bill Clinton over here: I feel your pain. Oh yes, I feel your pain.