Baseball Season is Over for Me
As a Mets fan, the season ended a few weeks ago. As a baseball fan, I was still watching, and enjoying. The way teams play in the postseason is what baseball is all about, and what it should be about for the 162 games of the regular season. Somehow, though, it doesn’t always work out that way.
This year, the Wild Card games and divisional playoffs were exciting — how often does every series go the maximum number of games? Further, there were a number of underdogs and feel-good stories to follow.
Mainly I was pulling for the Orioles and Reds; the former because they had no business getting this far and the latter because, well, I’m not entirely sure; partly because of a longstanding man-crush for Joey Votto, partly for fascination for Aroldis Chapman, partly because they used to have a player with the last name of Janish, and partly because my nephew now lives in Cincinnati. My third-favorite team in the playoffs was the Nationals, mainly because of Davey Johnson, partly because I genuinely like most of the players, and also because I feel some kind of geographic / familiarity-based loyalty to the NL East.
(By the way, how did the O’s — who may have had a worse offense than the Mets and a no-name pitching staff — get so far? Is it all Buck Showalter? If so he should not only be named Manager of the Year, but they should name the award after him going forward.)
Now, however, the season is over, as there’s no one left for me to root for. I hate the Cardinals, hate the Giants, hate the Yankees, and don’t care one way or the other for the Tigers, so, there you go.
Did I mention I hate the Cardinals? I may hate them more than the Yankees. Truly. If it comes down to Yanks-Cards in the World Serious, I might be slightly less indifferent if the Yankees win.
If you pinned me down and asked me for my preferred WS matchup, based on the teams still competing, I’d go for Giants and Tigers. I MIGHT root for the Giants if only because they play actual baseball, whereas the Tigers play the commercialized, short-attention-span rendition in the Adulterated League that I despise fiercely.
But from this point forward, it’s complete indifference. Just thought I’d share.
How about you? Were you rooting for any teams that are now eliminated? Will you watch the NLCS and/or ALCS? Who are you rooting for now, and why? Post your notes in the comments.
If you hate Tony LaRussa as much as I do for the way his managing screwed up the game, then you should root for the Cards. If a rookie manager can win with this team it would show the baseball world that LaRussa was no genius.
Sorry Joe, but that’s all I’ve got.
Though, honestly, I thought La Russa’s pitching changes last postseason absolutely did win the Cardinals games. Regular season, maybe not so much.
Strongly agree with you on the Adulterated League. Not as strongly on Cardinals. I don’t care for them, but I would root for them over the Yanks due to Beltran, who I caonsider a class act. Also, I must say that I did not shed a tear seeing the Nats blow that one last night.
Naturally, it is your choice, but embracing hate does little but rob you of the opportunity to enjoy some extraordinary baseball.
As always, love the spot-on characterization of AL baseball. New Yankee Stadium is an admission than AL critics have been right all along.
I recently discovered the perfect way to describe my life having lived near Yankee and now Cardinals fans: it is like going to the wedding of two people you hate on the same day your dog died. I’m surrounded by happy idiots, and nothing can make me happy right now.
And yes, another reason was the 80s, set off by the Terry Pendleton grand slam.
Albert Pujols’ smugness never helped, either.
Part of it too is St. Louis getting hot at just the right time, as it seems to devalue the 162 regular season games.
From their in-game behavior on TV, I actually thought Cardinals fans were the best in baseball. Tons of team spirit, plenty of baseball knowledge, and no hatin’. I’m sorry to learn the truth about the hatin’.
The Cardinals are at least playing the same sport as 28 other teams. Can’t really hold it against them for coming up clutch. (Though this was the way I felt about the Phillies for quite a while too, so maybe I’m a heretic.)
As far as 2012 rooting interests, I’m rooting against the Yankees, and don’t really care beyond that. If the Tigers lose, I’ll root for the Cards, as they have a much better shot to beat the Yanks than the Giants do. In a Tigers-Giants world series, I’d root for the team that didn’t just win it 2 years ago, from the city that could use a little good news.
So yeah, I’m rooting against the Yankees too.
Tigers/Giants have that bland feel to it that allows you to watch it just to watch it, not upset if someone doesn’t win. It’s like one of those TNF games or something that don’t matter as compared to hoping Ben R. loses.
bit surprised you don’t care much for the Tigers. How can you not like that great starting pitching, DH or not? Fister coming out of three bases-loaded jams in game #1 of the ALCS, the closer shitting the bed, then coming back and winning the game in extra innings?
There are some feel-good stories in Detroit as well, and the atmosphere at Comerica Park truly fantastic – good fans. Not too bad of a team to root for.
Do you genuinely find them boring, or is the AL Central just somehow not on your radar?
I can tell you that I’m pleased they’re up 3-0 on the Yanks.
Today’s 8-1 was unreal, though, since the Yankees managed not more than TWO hits and ONE run in an elimination game. The bullpen no-hit them, ironically without the regular closer. I guess good pitching does get you far in the postseason.