Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Rooting Interest

After last year's extended run into the playoffs I decided I haven't quite had my fill of baseball; well that, and until basketball starts there are no other sports to watch during weekdays.

So I've decided to adopt a team as my team for the playoffs, but before we get to my actual pick, let's take a quick look at each club to see how I got to my decision.

Let's start out east...The Yankees.

I suppose it would be fun to watch a 200 million dollar team win it all. I suppose it would be fun to listen to New Yorkers gloat in that awful accent. I suppose getting drawn and quartered would be a good way to spend an afternoon. I can't stand the Yankees, and I seriously hope no one outside of New York cheers for them. I can't imagine why anyone would want to support them. If they go anywhere in the playoffs we're going to have to deal with an unbelievable amount of slurping by ESPN, because they loooove the Yanks, we'll have to listen to more nonsense about the Yankee Mystique, and we'll have to hear people wax poetic about how Jeter is a True Yankee and A-Rod sucks and yadda yadda yadda, just thank God the BoSox flamed out. I'm going to cry if the Yank-me's win the World Series for the 27th time, but if they do win, the one thing I can enjoy is the endless amount of puns and penis jokes. Johnson follows Wang to the rubber after a solid performance. Etc.
So no, the Yanks aren't my team.

The Mets

I normally would have dismissed them just as easily as the Yankees, considering they're from New York and they have a huge payroll, but they've suffered a bunch of injuries. It would be interesting to see a team decimated by injuries somehow win the WS. It would be cool to see some more October Magic by El Duque, but I can't get over how they've just completely bought their team. Plus them winning, would only encourage them to try and spend more. So peace to the 'Mazings.

The Twins

In a word, NO! How could I cheer for our biggest division rival? Next thing you'll have me do is cheer for the Packers. I hope Johann gives up a baker's dozen to kick off the playoffs, even though I know it's as likely as the Cardinal's winning the World Series.

The Red Birds

I've had enough heart break this year. My adopted team needs to have a shot at the winning it all, and these guys are on life support. If they clone Pujols, fine, then they're my team, but until then I can't stand to give my undying allegiance to another losing effort. (Yes, by undying, I mean until the end of the playoffs.)

The Motor City Kitties

Again, they're a floundering team; for crying out loud they got swept by the Royals with the divison on the line! There are some perks to the Tiggers winning. For some reason I wouldn't mind Mags doing well, and plus them winning the World Series means they beat the Yanks in the first round. I'm not going to choose them, but if they win, I wouldn't be overly distraught.

San Diego Padres

The prospect of more Geoff Blum heroics is very tempting. Plus, if they do well we get to hear Hells Bells over and over again. I have no reason to hate them, except for having palm trees in their stadium, so let's count them as a contender.

The LA Dodgers

I always liked Nomar and not just because his name is Ramon backwards. It would be nice to see him earn a ring to replace the sympathy ring he got from the Bo-Sox. This is another team that I don't really have anything against, and that gets them further consideration.

The A's

This comes down to Frank Thomas. Simple as that. I am not one of those fans who (for no reason) are bitter about Frank leaving, or the way Frank acted. Frank was the greatest player in White Sox history, and one of the top hitters ever. The only negative I can think of for this team is that they absolutely owned the Sox and emotionally ended our playoff hopes this year.

So it comes down to three California teams, and the fact that I'm currently at UCLA in no way affected my pick. What, you don't believe me? Fine. I'm eliminating the Dodgers from contention.
It would be bad if they won it all. After seeing the celebrations following the Lakers NBA Chamionship, I'm worried to see the type of distruction that would go down if they were to win. The thing about riots is that will result in more traffic on the freeways.

I'm left with the Padres and the A's.

I've got to go with the Big Hurt. A World Series campaign led by Frank would really cement his first ballot Hall of Fame status. No, I don't know why people would question that status, but people do, nonetheless. So for the playoffs I'm cheering for my man Frank, and by default his team. So Sox fans feel free to join me on the A's bandwagon!

8 Comments:

Blogger jamesmnordbergjr said...

Baseball talk, Jeeves? Not at ChiSox Blog? What did I do to deserve the honor?

If the Tiggers weren't reeling I'd root a little for Maggs and Granderson and Leyland, but who likes to hitch their wagon to a dead horse? Oh, that's right, Cubs fans.

As for the NL, in all honesty, I don't have a clue about any of the teams. I probably couldn't name more than one or two starting pitchers for each team, and my knowledge of their lineups consists maybe of one or two all-stars at best.

My blinders have had me focused solely on the AL Central and the periphery divisions only come into focus cuz of playing them.

But with that said, I'll root for Oakland and (using a dartboard for my NL team) St. Louis.

Oh, and once again, Jeeves, welcome aboard!

5:30 AM, October 03, 2006  
Blogger Jeeves said...

Thank you, thank you...I must say it felt good writing as a sarcastic bastard.

7:07 PM, October 03, 2006  
Blogger jamesmnordbergjr said...

Hey Jeeves, check out Fornelli's "Hang Ten" from today. You might get a nice chuckle out of it.

7:13 PM, October 03, 2006  
Blogger Jeeves said...

Gah, I saw that. I dunno what he's thinking.

8:12 PM, October 03, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm abstaining from rooting this year. I have a deep seated hatred for the A's, going back to the AL west days. And of course the Tigers and Twins are out.. No way on the Stankees.

I'm not an NL fan, so I won't pick one of those teams either.

Guess I'll just have to wait until next year.

2:01 PM, October 04, 2006  
Blogger Soxually Repressed said...

Formal hello, Mr Jeeves, sir.
Since I agree, by default if nothing else, with all your choices (minus the Mets a bit, always had a soft spot for teams that soundly trounced the Cubs in my youth), I must agree with your logic. Even the Big Frank stuff.
My only difference is more indifference. Without the hometeam in it, my interest will be far more accidental and/or passive. But, uhh... GO BULLS!

2:02 PM, October 04, 2006  
Blogger Jeeves said...

thank you, thank you Soxually. Hopefully I'll be contributing here a bit more regularly.
But yah, I agree, Go Bulls. I can't wait to see Ben unleash the 'fro this year.

2:38 AM, October 05, 2006  
Blogger jamesmnordbergjr said...

I am flat amazed that Torii Hunter made the same mistake twice against the same team in the same situation in diving for a ball he had no chance at getting. The Twins are, happily to me, self-destructing.

3:14 AM, October 05, 2006  

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