Home » Off Topic » Off-Topic: A Matchup Not To Be Missed
3
October 15, 2010 Off Topic Joe Janish

Off-Topic: A Matchup Not To Be Missed

On Saturday night at 7:30 PM the Phillies will face the Giants in Philadelphia to begin the NLCS.

While it’s true I’m a Mets fan, I’m a BASEBALL fan first, and therefore excited to watch this game. Why? Because it pits two of the best pitchers of our generation in a playoff contest — and those two pitchers are coming off two of the greatest postseason pitching performances in baseball history. All signs are pointing to extreme entertainment value for hard-core baseball enthusiasts.

Which team will I root for? Hard to say … probably neither. Likely, I’ll be watching rather than rooting — though what happens during the course of the contest may change that. Sure, as a Mets fan I can’t stand either club, but I’m going to approach this game the same as I would a movie: for entertainment value; to enjoy the story. I will sit and enjoy the plot of the game develop, and “root” for a hero when and if one emerges.

Of course, it’s very possible that one or both of the starting pitchers craps the bed and the game becomes something less dramatic than what we are expecting. And if that’s the case, well, maybe there will be something interesting to watch on Spike! or HGTV … and Saturday Night Live will be on at 11:30.

While we’re on the subject of pitching freaks, be sure to check out Greg Prince’s article about Lincecum and Christy Mathewson at The New York Times. It is a good read by a great guy; Greg and Jason Fry were among the first Mets bloggers on the interwebs (see Faith and Fear, if you haven’t already), and both are truly fine gentlemen. Congrats to Greg for contributing to such a venerable and highly respected publication as The Times — it’s nice to see good things happen to good people!

Tags: , , ,

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
Related Articles
  1. Mike October 16, 2010 at 1:33 pm
    Um, go Giants!!!

    Lousy Ranger’s bullpen melted down. You cannot blame that on Ron Washington, in the end Darren Oliver can’t walk two guys, all the bloops were a result of men on base. I think if the Rangers win game 2 they can still win this series, but they have to regroup quickly.

  2. Greg Prince October 16, 2010 at 9:19 pm
    You’re too kind, Joe. Thank you. SNL’s a repeat tonight, but Lincecum and Cody Ross sounds pretty good on AM 1050.
    • Joe Janish October 16, 2010 at 10:24 pm
      Greg, you’re very welcome — the adulation is well deserved.

      Damn! Why couldn’t Halladay be a repeat instead of SNL? That would’ve been cool — Vander Meer cool.

      Very difficult game to root, particularly with Lin-scum and Ross executing heroics. I might hate Ross more than Pat Burrell (crap! another one!).