Glad That's Over

Well, it didn't take long for the Red Sox to take care of the Colorado Rockies, did it. I told you I have a habit of cheering for the wrong team. But, look at it this way, die-hard Rockies fan -- your team won 21 of its final 26 games en route to its first ever World Series appearance. And as Manny Ramirez always says, "If it doesn’t happen, so who cares? There’s always next year. It’s not like it’s the end of the world.” So, lighten up. He's right. It's not the end of the world, just the end of another season of baseball. So, with that in mind, I've created the countdown timer for Spring Training 2008 (right side of the page). Stay tuned during the offseason, as I plan on providing plenty of baseball blogging goodness, with a little graphic design on the side.

Something Special This Way Comes: 2007 World Series

Finally...

The Colorado Rockies are the hottest team in baseball, perhaps in baseball history, having won 21 of its last 22 games coming into the 2007 World Series, and you and I, and any other shlubs too poor for basic cable TV will finally get to see them. The last team to beat the Rockies was the Arizona Diamondbacks, the same team that the Rockies rolled over in four games, sweeping the National League Championship Series eight days ago. The last National League team to be 7-0 in the post-season was Cincinnati's Big Red Machine in their romp to a World Championship in 1976.But, despite all of this, the fabled Boston Red Sox and their ace, Josh Beckett, stand in their way. Most of you know, and I'll admit to those who don't, but back in first half of this decade, I was high on the Red Sox. Luckily, I've since broken that addiction. I was crushed in 2003 when Aaron Boone launched a Tim Wakefield knuckleball into the left field stands, prolonging the curse of the Bambino. We must know the bitter to taste the sweet, and it didn't get any sweeter than the 2004 ALCS when the Sox rallied against their arch rivals to become the only team to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a seven-game series and win. Their sweep of the Cardinals in the World Series gave Red Sox Nation it's first World Championship since a few front-office folks thought it was a good idea to sell George Herman Ruth (the Babe) to the Yankees to raise funds for the production of the Broadway musical No, No, Nanette. But soon after the rise of the Red Sox, I began to see them as no different than their Bronx rivals. The bullied had become the bully. The larger the payroll, the less likely that I will be a fan. And so, I was through with the Red Sox. I still have the hats in my closet, but I can't remember the last time one got out in public.

So, here's my prediction: Rockies in 5***.

The Rockies should be able to split the first two games in Fenway before heading home to Coors Field, where, I predict, the Red Sox will struggle for a few reasons. First of all, in the World Series the teams play by the home team's rules. Therefore, while in Denver, the Red Sox won't be able to use the DH, which will leave a large hole in its potent lineup. David "Don't-Ask-Big-Papi-For-An-Autograph" Ortiz will have to play first base and trying to work Kevin Youkilis, who has come through big-time for Boston this post-season, could lead to some problems on defense. And, speaking of defense, Manny "So-What-If-It's-Just-A-Single-I'm-Not-Going-To-Run-Hard" Ramirez will have a heck of a time in left field in Colorado. But, because I'm a good sport, I made this for him to help navigate the enormous ground he'll need to cover in Coors Field.


That's my prediction, and I'm sticking to it (unless the Sox win the first two, in which case, I may have to change it to 6 games). If you have a prediction, or any thoughts on this year's fall classic, leave a comment.

***Disclaimer: Todd Reynolds has a history of rooting for the losing team in all sporting events due to a rare medical condition causing him to cheer for the underdog in every situation unless it involves the Kansas City Royals or The BYU Cougars. This World Series prediction is in no way statistically founded enough to use as the basis of any type of wager, sanctioned or otherwise.

The Dance of the Knuckleball

Watching a little of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) last night at a friend's house, I was able to see Tim Wakefield pitch for the Boston Red Sox. Unfortunately, he wasn't doing so well when we tuned in, so he didn't stay on the mound for long. But, seeing him pitch and seeing the frustration of many of the Indians' hitters made me think about the Knuckleball. Having pitched myself, I know how difficult it is to throw a knuckleball and how it is even harder to catch, much less hit. Many times the action on a knuckleball is described as dancing, fluttering, or dipping and diving. It is difficult to get a real sense of just how much movement is on that pitch if you're just watching the game on television. But trust me, I've played catch with an outfielder in college who could throw a good knuckler, and I was always worried that I would miss it and it would hit me in the face.

With most pitches, pitchers are trying to increase the amount of spin on the ball, as well as the direction. But with a knuckle, the pitcher is actually trying to minimize the amount of spin on the ball. By decreasing or eliminating the spin on the ball, the movement of the pitch becomes random and somewhat unpredictable. If you've ever played volleyball at a family picnic, you may have experienced a knuckleball effect. When a volleyball is served with little or no spin, the seams of the ball as well as the ridges and valleys of the ball causes it to "float," or to knuckleball.

Here's a good connection to a past posting: In the recent post about baseball movies I talked about "Eight Men Out," a story of the 1919 Chicago White Sox and how they were bought off in exchange for throwing the World Series. One of the pitchers, Eddie Cicotte, is widely credited as the first knuckleball pitcher, and finished his career with 221 wins. Some say he may have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame had he not been (spoiler alert) banned from baseball for his involvement in the Black Sox scandal.

So, would you like to learn how to throw a knuckleball? Me too. I could actually explain how to throw it, but I can't really do it myself (Actually, there are quite a few things about baseball that I could explain mechanically, but I can't actually do well... Maybe coaching is in my future). But I found this video tutorial to help you learn. Notice the sudden movement of the ball back to your right just before the ball crosses the plate.

Taking the Game Away

When I was little, I loved the Oakland Athletics. Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Carney Lansford, Walt Weiss, Mike Gallego, Dave and Ricky Henderson, and Dave Stewart... Those were the days. The A's were tough back, when for me, baseball was more about card collecting and colossal trades with the neighbors. A new package of Donruss baseball cards was 45 cents at the checkout counter in the local grocery store where my mom shopped. I think I bought a new pack just about every time. If I concentrate, I can still smell the wax-paper packaging. Every kid I knew had baseball cards, and we would spend hours and hours counting and re-counting them. At first, you would trade cards based on the player, and if you didn't know a player by name, you would check out his stats. Eventually one of my friends bought the Beckett Baseball Card Guide and trades began to be based in the card's value.

These days, I don't know any kids who collect cards. Who could afford it? The price of your average pack of baseball cards has skyrocketed well past the modest allowance granted to your everyday pre-teen. In my view, this is detrimental to the game of baseball. Where it used to be accessible to all, it has become a past-time for the privileged.

Back when you could afford baseball cards and you knew a player's batting average because of it, my Oakland A's were in the playoffs. Occasionally, an ALCS (American League Championship Series) game would begin in the afternoon on a weekday. I remember running home from school and turning on the television just in time to see the post-game interview with the A's winning pitcher, Dave Stewart. I would have to settle for the National League game that evening, but I knew I would be able to see the next A's game live, on network television.

It's too bad that doesn't happen anymore for kids trying to watch their team. Or, for that matter, for adults who love baseball and just want to be a part of post-season magic. I just saw the TV schedule for this year's playoffs.

None of the American League or the National League Divisional Series will be on network television. There could be as few as 12 or as many as 20 playoff games played in the next 10 days, but unless you have cable or satellite TV, you won't be able to see any of them. Once the final two teams from each division are ready to battle in the ALCS and NLCS, only the American League games will be available to anyone with a TV set and a pair of antenna. I'm sure the executives at FOX Sports are on their knees praying for another Yankees-Red Sox series (Personally, an Angels-Indian series is what I'm hoping for). Then, finally, when the World Series is here, all games will be broadcast on network television.

I hear that viewership of the World Series has been trending downwards recently. I wonder why? Could it be that no one gets attached to the teams during their playoff runs because you can't watch a single National League playoff game without TBS? No one west of Las Vegas would have cared about a World Series between the Anaheim Angels and the San Francisco Giants had it not been for the ability to watch those two wildcard teams battle through the first two rounds. In the weeks of playoff games leading up to the World Series, you formed your alliances, and you knew that the people in the apartment above you were for the Giants and for one week they despised both you and your Rally Monkey.

That won't happen this year. By the time the playoffs come to the homes of the little people with rabbit ears, who cares? Little by little, it seems like they are taking the game away. Exclusive radio rights so you can't listen to a game unless you have an online subscription or satellite radio; $5 for a pack of baseball cards, but now you only get 8 cards instead of 12; the extinction of the playoffs on network television; it's all about making money. As the business of baseball takes over, the game suffers and so does America's love affair with it's former national past time.