Well here we are. Down to the Cubs and Indians. The bracketology is all over, except for the jokes.
Just remember, even if it is true that the Cubs hane no weaknesses, baseball is a game of clustered luck. The Indians have a very good team, too, and a very good chance. Unless all the clustered luck falls in favor of the Cubs.
Enjoy some Pre World Series Links:
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Everywhere In Baseball
Jason Kipnis is going to be playing somewhat gimpy in the WS, as he managed to sprain his ankle going a little overboard during his ALCS-winning celebration.............
Cubs fans ain't quite as lovable as the lore of their favored franchise...........Well, at least one of them is..............
These are the 2016 World $erie$. Check out the ticket prices, and realize that the spot market is sure to drive these UP as things progress...........And then realize that you probably need a place to stay. Yikes.............
Come on, Cleveland, you have already dissed Charlie Sheen in favor of, what, Albert Belle? And nobody can pick up a phone and have a chat with the one last living soul from the history of the franchise that actually played in that last winning World Series way back in 1948???
Kyle Schwarber played in only 2 games this, his second season in the Big Leagues. Those were back in early April, the 4th and 7th. In fact, he has played in 80 games in his career, to date (including post-season). So, really, it's not like he has deep roots yet. But he is still celebrating his, er, entry in this World Series. Schwarber is in Arizona to get some rehab time in the AFL. Apparently, he is doing much better there than Tim Tebow, since it is now a possibility that Kyle could make it into the field in the WS. I would guess that would be a possibility only if the series goes long and the Cubs are taken back to Cleveland, where there would be a DH? Forbes snatches up all these threads and comes up with a great idea: play Schwarber in the WS in order to showcase him, then trade him for a decent haul this winter. Brutal...........
I bring this to you only because it involves Mike Trout. And because I work with a Minnesotan native and, after one very long month, I need something handy to gift to him this morning. But I imagine the kids sitting on those seats right behind him for three hours and not realizing how close they were to the best autograph in school, will be pretty bummed today..........
You might like the idea of setting up an international draft. You might see it as a chance to get your hands on some talent for a change, instead of suffering from Arte's cheap-assed pullout from Latin America. And you might like the idea of getting that talent without seeing a Jerry Dipoto overpay like a drunken sailor, screwing your franchise for half a decade. But, at the end if the day, the odds are quite high that you don't know but a fraction of the facts that Ben Badler knows about international development. And Badler agrees with me. This is nothing more than ignorant people here in America screwing kids from other countries in exchange for money and benefits between the two domestic sides............And, to point the way as to which party it is that knows the International system between - MLB/MLBPA versus Ben Badler - look at the impact even the rumor levels ca have among the prospects themselves.............
Alex Rodriguez, ARod to those of us who didn't realize he could write, posts an essay about Tom Ricketts and Theo Epstein. Surprisingly interesting and informative. ARod his own agent? ARod willing to gut his own contract to play with Boston, but not willing to give the Yankees any such financial leeway?
Look at this list, and consider how close the franchises of the Nationals, Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Orioles are to a pennant. And then think about how far that would drop the Angels. Because, yes, 2002 is a long, long time ago.
Yeah. All this new-fangled math is just so much garbage. Just look at how screwy it was forecasting playoff odds way back in early July. Nailing the top 9 as all teams that would make the playoffs? Meh. People who watch 4000 games could have gotten all 10. Because of grit. And moxie. And spunk...........Of course, let's all get real here. It was pretty easy to predict that Cubs had the best odds. They are, FWIW, the best hitting and best pitching team in baseball..........
Good job, there, FS1, showing rips of one of you comment guys live and in real time while that guy was carrying your water and giving insight on your studio panel broadcast............
When you get front row seats and a pop foul nears your location, here is the proper reaction. It will save you a lifetime of ignominy, and you can always buy all the baseballs you want from the team store. About 8 bucks apiece...........
More commentary riding the World Series wave, chiming in on the Cleveland logo and name, here is theh New York Times, and here is The Sporting News...........It's not such a big deal to walk away from one look and into another. Hell, the Cubs are in the World Series so it hasn't hurt them, and look at all their changes over the years..........
I don't know what it will mean now that AT&T has put a bid in to take over Time/Warner. First of all, I don't know if the takeover will be allowed. AT&T already had Uverse, and then merged into DirectTV. A combo of Uverse/DirectTV/TWC is a pretty significant concentration of broadcast power. But then, so is what Disney is doing. We have to wait, but Disney is ESPN. The Disney power and the AT&T power going head to head for sports content and leveraging various delivery technologies could jsut as easy hold us all back as it could drive us all forward.............
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