Just a few weeks after Ken Griffey, Jr. was traded away from Cincinnati, tonight he stands at the precipice of the post season. If the White Sox can beat the Twins tonight, it’ll be his first trip to October ball since 1997.
And since I don’t have the good luck of following a decent team, tonight I’m saying a little prayer for Griff:
Oh baseball gods, who art in Cooperstown,
Hear my significantly less sarcastic than usual plea.
Bless Junior Griffey and the titanium screws that hold him together,
And deliver him this day into the ALDS.
Did the Cubs have Angel Guzman start just to allow the Brewers to win the wild card? Or was it simply a matter of giving the team’s best starters and relievers another day of rest to prepare for the playoffs?
It was probably the latter, but it’s fun to speculate. Especially if the 2 teams meet in the NLCS. It would be even more ironic if the Brewers were to beat the Cubs then, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
The Brewers scratched their way into the playoffs for the first time in 26 years thanks to, you guessed it, C. C. Sabathia. Sabathia turned in his usual line: 9 innings, 0 earned runs, and 7 strikeouts. Too bad he gets to pitch only once in the first round of the playoffs, unless Milwaukee manager opts for starting him on two days of rest. Nah, that would be crazy, and unnecessarily endanger his future with a team other than the Brewers.
Milwaukee tried to give their season away, but failed and won the wild card, thanks to the Mets repeating their historic collapse from last year. Milwaukee finished in 2nd place, 7.5 games back of the Cubs.
Chicago won their division for the 2nd straight year and hope for better luck in the playoffs than last year. We’ll see how the pressure of that 100-pound albatross feels in their first round against the Dodgers.
The Reds ended the season doing what they spent most of it doing: losing. Oh, and also playing manager Dusty Baker’s favorite crappy players.
The Cardinals ended the year in 4th place, 11.5 games out of first, somehow winning with players that I didn’t think had the combined abilities to compete. Yet there St. Louis was competing for a playoff berth until about a month ago. Not bad. And since they haven’t made any expensive acquisitions, either in terms of monetary commitments or by giving up prospects, they should be in a good place to jump up a few spots in the standings next year.
Cincinnati finished the season in 5th place, 23 games out of 1st place and 7 games ahead of the Pirates. The Reds have tons of great young talent, yet I have no optimism about them competing next year. Their starting rotation has two extremely talented young kids, with more competing for spots. If only the team had someone in charge who knew how to deal with them. Sigh. No, I expect 2009 to be more of the same.
Wow, nothing I wrote there was funny at all. I tried this year, I really did. But there are only so many jokes you can make about the clueless moves Dusty Baker repeats before the well is dry. All I can hope is that the Reds start next year losing 30-40 in a row so Baker will finally be gone, otherwise the misery of Cincinnati will not end until sometime after 2010.
Brad Ausmus played his final game as an Astro yesterday in the final game of the 2008 season. Ausmus provided his team with all the runs they’d need, knocking his 3rd ball out of the park for the year, a 2-run dinger.
Wandy Rodriguez pitched 7 innings and allowed 0 runs to pick up his 9th win. Jose Valverde saved his 44th game.
Houston finished the season in 3rd place, a half game in from of the Cardinals. Their late charge for the wild card was derailed by probability and a hurricane, but the team played better than I guessed. We’ll see how they attempt to rebuild for next year. There are some expensive free agent pitchers that’ll be available, and given the depleted nature of the Astros farm system, I expect Houston to be actively signing players.
I forgot to celebrate the Latin Love Machine’s birthday on September 19 (though I did do my share of talking like a pirate), but that two-run homer he just smacked was enough to remind me to dig up the bouncing Javy head.
Noble of Indiana, a charitable organization that helps people with disabilities to find jobs and provides other services to more severly disabled people, is holding a charity auction.
Both the Brewers and the Mets collapsed at the end of last season. It’s funny how both have done so again this year. The only real difference is that this year, one of the teams will make the playoffs.
C. C. Sabathia started for the Brewers on short rest, but rest is not something Sabathia needs. That’s something required for lesser pitchers. He scoffs at the notion of rest. And of not injuring himself and losing the biggest free-agent jackpot of ever.
But I digress. Sabathia handled the Pirates, allowing just 1 run over 7 innings. He struck out 11, as well.
The win brought the Brewers back into a wild card tie with the New York Mets, who fell to the Chicago Cubs. There are 4 games left for both teams, so this should stay interesting.
Dusty Baker is known for having a serious blindness to the playing abilities of Corey Patterson. He had it when he managed in Chicago, and so it came as no surprise when Patterson joined the Reds shortly after Baker was hired.
No reason for Baker’s cluelessness about Patterson’s ineptitude as a player has ever been put forth. But if you were thinking it was because Patterson was banging Baker’s daughter, think again. John Fay has the details.
“She hasn’t even been to Cincinnati,” Baker said. “This is so far out of line. It’s hurtful to my wife and daughter. How can people stoop that low? I don’t know who started it. But I’ve been hearing from fans, players, announcers.”
So there you go. One reason checked of the list of possible reasons for Baker’s managerial incompetence. Still left in play: blindness, severe brain trauma, man crush, and toothpick wound.
The Astros shut out the Reds last night. The disappearance of the Reds offense was somewhat suspicious. I’m not one to toss out conspiracy theories, but letting the Astros win did keep them in the wild card race. Theoretically.
Ramon Ramirez started for the Reds, and he did well: 5 innings, 2 runs, and 4 strikeouts. All the focus on drafting quality pitchers over the course of this millennium seems to be paying off, as Cincinnati’s system is stocked. I’m trying to feel optimistic about it, but it’s hard with Dusty Baker there.
For example, look at Houston. Here’s a team that doesn’t have the parts to win or contend. Yet here they are at the end of the year with a winning record and not being eliminated from playoff contention until the last few days. The Reds best them in talent, but not in wins, the only thing that really counts.
So hopefully, Walt Jocketty can find Luck available in the free agent market this year. The Reds are going to need it.
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By Red Hot Mama
By Zeldink
