If you haven't followed the 2009 Major League Baseball season to date, here's an informative and well-written article that will get you up to speed. No, it's not a playoff preview, because believe it or not, we are still a couple weeks away from the playoffs. It's pretty much a lament over the lack of exciting pennant races and the fact the the Twins and Tigers are the only two teams with meaningful regular season games left....
Speaking of which, I traveled to Pittsburgh to see the Buccos play Monday night, as I had some free tickets I had to use up, and was treated to a four-hour marathon of what the Pirates post-game analyst called "the worst game of the season." Now, I somewhat took exception to that, as the Pirates did rally from a four-run deficit in the final two innings, only to give up five in the top of the 11th and lose. I'll admit that there were some baserunning and fielding gaffes by both teams - the Pirates were playing the Padres - but I guess after watching little league ball all season, I thought the Pirates were quite impressive...
And yes, it was a beautiful night at PNC Park. We sat behind home plate and were looking out over the wall at the river and the city skyline. And, I got a Primanti's sandwich and a Penn Pilsner, so it wasn't all bad...
Also, if you're wondering what Jerome Bettis is up to, check out this wonderful column of his on the NFL. Go Bus!
Cheers.
Ralph
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4 comments:
In homage to my time spent in the Strip District, I have to point out that the correct spelling is "Primanti's."
Hope you enjoyed yours...
Thanks, I was introduced to the place when a friend of mine who went to Pitt worked at the one in Oakland. When visiting Pitt, I was often in much better condition for eating sandwiches than spelling...
Mike and Mike looked at some numbers today relating to MLB and they said that baseball leads all the other major sports in terms of a plethora of teams making the playoffs for the past eight years or so.
I don't have the numbers on hand--I'll leave that to the sports editor if he cares to look them up--but the numbers are fairly astounding in terms of how so many teams are represented.
Of course, M&M did admit that some small-market teams have to mortgage their futures to win in the present, but still, I was impressed by the stats. Seems like the Yankees and Red Sox are not the only teams winning in MLB these days.
Yeah, but, unfortunately, this year, we're kind missing any Cinderellas, unless the Twins can sneak in past Detroit. Plus, things are pretty bleak locally with the Pirates and Indians both being deep in the toilet and trading off players at an alarming rate.
Part of the this year's trend toward the emergence of larger-market dominance is that many of the large market teams have stopped throwing money around like drunkin' sailors and started investing it wisely. I follow both the Yanks and Sox closely, so I'm aware of how they have changed. The small market teams used to be able to win on smarts - but now the larger market guys have gotten smarter too, it appears. The smaller market guys will have to adjust of the doom that many have been predicting - with a few teams dominating, may assert itself.
Also, perhaps steroid testing will contribute to the landscape change as well, as not-so-good players will not be able to pump themselves up to a higher level as quickly, making it harder for lesser teams, full of not-so-good players, to gain ground quickly. On top of this, the big-money teams will no longer be hoodwinked into signing these steroid freaks (like Jason Giambi) to big contracts only to watch their bodies break down.
Ralph
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