Strike Three...You're Doomed
Hey all, it's been awhile since I rapped at ya, but I been real busy.
Since I was last regularly updating around this time last year, I've meant to update about a number of significant moments, including post-World Series thoughts, my engagement/marriage, shows or baseball games that I attended, etc. I never did that (though I still may with my engagement/marriage stuff), so I suppose it is appropriate that I'm going to fire this back up as the ALDS looms.
So, last year's playoffs. As I reflect back on last October/November, I know I was super nervous and running around in my own head (or living room), but we were playing with house money. We lose to Boston? Fuck, that sucks. I hate that fucking team and their lunkhead fanbase, but we had 2.5 starting pitchers in Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, and *shudders* Josh Tomlin. Of course we shouldn't win that series. But then we won (swept 'em!).
So we play Toronto in the ALCS, and we lose to them? Fuck, that sucks, but hey, we eliminated shitty Boston and retired David "Preeeeeeeetty Sure This Guy's Career was Inflated by Steroids" Ortiz, and there's no shame in losing to a team that has one of the best starting pitching staffs in baseball, on top of a lineup that features Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, and Edwin Encarnacion. And let's not forget that we go from 2.5 starting pitchers to 1.5 starting pitchers after Trevor Bauer's drone chewed the shit out of his finger. Y'know, I could even see myself rooting for the Blue Jays in the World Series - they've got some players I like, I'd be happy for Mark Shapiro, and their uniforms are baller. But then we won (4-1!).
The World Series was rough though. We shouldn't have been there, and then we defied all odds for the next 3.5 weeks to stake ourselves to a 3-1 lead over the Cubs. We just had to win one more game, and 2/3 of those potential games were going to be in Cleveland. We all know how it ended, but one thing that I've been constantly thinking about that series is how, after it was over, Kruszer and his siblings and my Dad and Uncle Bob left the ballpark as quickly as they could. And from last year and into this year, people constantly ask me why I sold a ticket for games 6 and 7 to a Cubs fan (for face value, no less). There are a few reasons for this:
1. A promise is a promise. I told him if I got tickets to any of the World Series games in Cleveland, he was welcome to one of them for each game.
2. Were the roles reversed, I would want someone to do the same thing for me.
So as my friends and family jetted out as quickly as they could, Roni and I decided that it was important for Adam to soak it all in. This guy loves his Cubs as much as I love my team, maybe even more, and they had just won for the first time in 108 years. THAT'S LIKE A LIFETIME AND A HALF! They hadn't even BEEN to a World Series since 1945 - 71 years! It did sorta hurt, but I was trying to take in the experience myself. As Adam and I started talking around 10 minutes later, he started talking about how he got into the Cubs from his Mom and his maternal grandfather, and how it would have meant so much to him to see the Cubs win the World Series. As he is saying this, he starts to cry and I give him a big hug as he's letting it all out.
Think about that for a second. HIS team just beat MY team in the World Series, and I'M consoling HIM. In what other sport would you see something like that happen?! It is why baseball is the goddamn best.
So fast forward to today, and Cleveland is the favorite to win the World Series this year. The playoffs are a total crapshoot - the best team is absolutely not guaranteed to win. In fact, it is not that often that the team with the best record wins the World Series, or even gets to the World Series, and that makes me nervous. It's been such a great season, and I've invested so much into it, between signing Edwin Encarnacion as a free agent, going to the home opener (after missing last year's to the cold) and seeing Michael Brantley hit a walk-off down the left field line, to seeing 22 wins in a row (people got free windows from Windows Nation if they had purchased windows from them in the month of July AND Cleveland exceeded last year's high-mark 14-game win streak, and they did...and then won 7 more!), including the last win in person with DRoll. Would I look on this season as a lost cause if they were not to win the World Series, or even get to the World Series? I mean, no, but it would be a real dickpunch. I've seen them crush it in the regular season so many times and either lose the World Series and fail to get there, and it sucks. Like Terry Francona says, I'm just trying to take it one game at a time and enjoy the ride.
Enough babbling. Predictions:
National League
National League Division Series
Chicago Cubs over Washington Nationals (4 games)
Arizona Diamondbacks over Los Angeles Dodgers (5 games)
National League Championship Series
Chicago Cubs over Arizona Diamondbacks (6 games)
American League
American League Division Series
Houston Astros over Boston Red Sox (3 games)
Cleveland Buckeyes over New York Yankees (4 games)
American League Championship Series
Cleveland Buckeyes over Houston Astros (7 games)
World Series
Cleveland Buckeyes over Chicago Cubs (5 games)
I was actually right on the outcome of every match-up last year, barring the World Series. I'd settle on getting only the World Series winner right this year.
Live responsibly and lovingly. Be positive and creative. You're beautiful. Peace.
Yours, etc.,
<3dane
xoxo
P.S. Lonnie's Johnnies shirt, Ebbetts Field Flannel Cleveland Buckeyes jersey, New Era Cleveland Buckeyes hat
Since I was last regularly updating around this time last year, I've meant to update about a number of significant moments, including post-World Series thoughts, my engagement/marriage, shows or baseball games that I attended, etc. I never did that (though I still may with my engagement/marriage stuff), so I suppose it is appropriate that I'm going to fire this back up as the ALDS looms.
So, last year's playoffs. As I reflect back on last October/November, I know I was super nervous and running around in my own head (or living room), but we were playing with house money. We lose to Boston? Fuck, that sucks. I hate that fucking team and their lunkhead fanbase, but we had 2.5 starting pitchers in Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, and *shudders* Josh Tomlin. Of course we shouldn't win that series. But then we won (swept 'em!).
So we play Toronto in the ALCS, and we lose to them? Fuck, that sucks, but hey, we eliminated shitty Boston and retired David "Preeeeeeeetty Sure This Guy's Career was Inflated by Steroids" Ortiz, and there's no shame in losing to a team that has one of the best starting pitching staffs in baseball, on top of a lineup that features Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, and Edwin Encarnacion. And let's not forget that we go from 2.5 starting pitchers to 1.5 starting pitchers after Trevor Bauer's drone chewed the shit out of his finger. Y'know, I could even see myself rooting for the Blue Jays in the World Series - they've got some players I like, I'd be happy for Mark Shapiro, and their uniforms are baller. But then we won (4-1!).
The World Series was rough though. We shouldn't have been there, and then we defied all odds for the next 3.5 weeks to stake ourselves to a 3-1 lead over the Cubs. We just had to win one more game, and 2/3 of those potential games were going to be in Cleveland. We all know how it ended, but one thing that I've been constantly thinking about that series is how, after it was over, Kruszer and his siblings and my Dad and Uncle Bob left the ballpark as quickly as they could. And from last year and into this year, people constantly ask me why I sold a ticket for games 6 and 7 to a Cubs fan (for face value, no less). There are a few reasons for this:
1. A promise is a promise. I told him if I got tickets to any of the World Series games in Cleveland, he was welcome to one of them for each game.
2. Were the roles reversed, I would want someone to do the same thing for me.
So as my friends and family jetted out as quickly as they could, Roni and I decided that it was important for Adam to soak it all in. This guy loves his Cubs as much as I love my team, maybe even more, and they had just won for the first time in 108 years. THAT'S LIKE A LIFETIME AND A HALF! They hadn't even BEEN to a World Series since 1945 - 71 years! It did sorta hurt, but I was trying to take in the experience myself. As Adam and I started talking around 10 minutes later, he started talking about how he got into the Cubs from his Mom and his maternal grandfather, and how it would have meant so much to him to see the Cubs win the World Series. As he is saying this, he starts to cry and I give him a big hug as he's letting it all out.
Think about that for a second. HIS team just beat MY team in the World Series, and I'M consoling HIM. In what other sport would you see something like that happen?! It is why baseball is the goddamn best.
So fast forward to today, and Cleveland is the favorite to win the World Series this year. The playoffs are a total crapshoot - the best team is absolutely not guaranteed to win. In fact, it is not that often that the team with the best record wins the World Series, or even gets to the World Series, and that makes me nervous. It's been such a great season, and I've invested so much into it, between signing Edwin Encarnacion as a free agent, going to the home opener (after missing last year's to the cold) and seeing Michael Brantley hit a walk-off down the left field line, to seeing 22 wins in a row (people got free windows from Windows Nation if they had purchased windows from them in the month of July AND Cleveland exceeded last year's high-mark 14-game win streak, and they did...and then won 7 more!), including the last win in person with DRoll. Would I look on this season as a lost cause if they were not to win the World Series, or even get to the World Series? I mean, no, but it would be a real dickpunch. I've seen them crush it in the regular season so many times and either lose the World Series and fail to get there, and it sucks. Like Terry Francona says, I'm just trying to take it one game at a time and enjoy the ride.
Enough babbling. Predictions:
National League
National League Division Series
Chicago Cubs over Washington Nationals (4 games)
Arizona Diamondbacks over Los Angeles Dodgers (5 games)
National League Championship Series
Chicago Cubs over Arizona Diamondbacks (6 games)
American League
American League Division Series
Houston Astros over Boston Red Sox (3 games)
Cleveland Buckeyes over New York Yankees (4 games)
American League Championship Series
Cleveland Buckeyes over Houston Astros (7 games)
World Series
Cleveland Buckeyes over Chicago Cubs (5 games)
I was actually right on the outcome of every match-up last year, barring the World Series. I'd settle on getting only the World Series winner right this year.
Live responsibly and lovingly. Be positive and creative. You're beautiful. Peace.
Yours, etc.,
<3dane
xoxo
P.S. Lonnie's Johnnies shirt, Ebbetts Field Flannel Cleveland Buckeyes jersey, New Era Cleveland Buckeyes hat