As The Playoffs Near Does Anyone Really Care
This year Major League Baseball has experienced a number of interesting stories. Toronto’s Jose Bautista and his sudden emergence as a power hitter, the plethora of no hitters and perfect games, and even the excitement of teams like the Reds, Padres, Giants, and Rangers who weren’t expected to compete for the playoffs but are. This year’s Major League Baseball season has been very special. For every Stephen Strasburg and Aroldis Chapman freak demonstrate, there’s a million fans who get fired up to see these two special pitchers debut. There is also finally signs that the steroid and HGH usage is down across the board. Competition is finally dazzling from a player standpoint despite owners like Larry Dolan(Cleveland Indians) and Jeffrey Loria(Florida Marlins) who put cheapness next to cleanliness. Baseball is seemingly channeling the spirit of the veteran days but nobody seems to care.
While Major League Baseball is bewitching, especially heading into the playoffs, the NFL is just entering their regular season. Everyone is excited, and Major League Baseball is suffering because of it. There is absolutely no reason the two should reflect off of one another. If Major League Baseball had a sunless out rule ala the NFL, there would never be any baseball on television. Is the race for the American League East between the Novel York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays less exciting than a regular season game between the Arizona Cardinals and Oakland Raiders? The Raiders and Cardinals game was sold out, while three straight games between the Rays and Yankees were not. The average NFL ticket heed is far more expensive than a ticket to a Major League Baseball game, so the economy should not be a deterrent to the lack of MLB notice purchases compared to the strong NFL ticket purchases.
One could argue that the story of this year’s Texas Rangers is the most intriguing in all of baseball. The team and it’s ownership were in bankruptcy, forcing the sale of the team to a group led by Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. What seemed like a done deal between the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees for star pitcher Cliff Lee was interrupted by the Texas Rangers who somehow acquired the left handed ancient Cy Young winner. Lee has struggled since coming to Texas but has pitched well enough to help lead the rotation to their first playoff appearance since 1996. The team itself has one lifetime playoff win, over the Yankees. That should change in short order. The story of Vladimir Guerrero, the veteran slugger whom many thought was done as an everyday player was comparable to Randy the Ram in the movie the Wrestler. Guerrero has been spectacular in his come back season. In 147 games, Guerrero has 111 RBI, 28 homers, a .301 batting average, and 26 doubles. Guerrero and the Rangers might not be the favorites in the post season but he has a great story. That story is enough to give even the casual fan a rooting interest in the Rangers and Guerrero.
How about the Tampa Bay Rays? This is a team taking on the hated Current York Yankees with every weapon they can find. This is the same team in the Rays that will likely lose two of their three best offensive players to free agency in the coming off season (1B Carlos Pena and LF Carl Crawford). While the New York Yankees recount corporate greed and a legacy of great baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays are a small business built from the ground up. It’s the perfect storm for their club as they compete with the big spenders, only when they all come together as one under manager Joe Madden. The Tampa Bay Rays are another team of intrigue that fans can get behind in rooting against the hated Yankees.
In the National League The Cincinnati Reds are for real. This team has enough pitching to last all the way through November. Freak show reliever Aroldis Chapman and his 104 MPH fastball will do enough in the for the team out of the bullpen when they need an out. First Baseman Joey Votto leads the team in batting average (.326), Home Runs (37), RBI (111), On Base Percentage (.426) and Hits (174). Votto is a Triple Crown Candidate that hits shockingly capable in the clutch for such a young player (27 years old). Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, Homer Bailey, and Travis Wood are the starting rotation. It’s hard to find a better 1-2-3 punch in the starting rotation anywhere in the game of baseball.
This year’s Philadelphia Phillies have had a ton of injuries. Stars Ryan Howard, Scamper Utley, and Jimmy Rollins have all missed significant time. However the “Brothers Roy,” Halladay and Oswalt have led the starting rotation and comprise the best 1-2 punch in all of baseball. Both pitchers have been acquired within the last year by astute General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. With everyone healthy, heading toward October, Manager Charlie Manuel has very small to do, everything is coming together for the Phillies who as of September 27, 2010 have a six game lead over Atlanta in the National League Eastern Division. The Philadelphia Phillies are ready to fire up as one collective unit for October baseball and are the favorites to once again approach the World Series.
There’s four reasons to secure excited for October baseball. The Rangers, Rays, Reds, and Phillies are all very appealing teams to study. Major League Baseball may not have the visually inspiring 450 foot home run hitters anymore but they do have the dazzling pitchers like David Price of the Rays, Neftali Feliz of the Rangers, and C.C. Sabathia of the New York Yankees. This October there will be five nights during the week without NFL football. Tune in and check out what MLB and it’s young guns have to offer. The viewer will enjoy what they see.
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Filed under Monopoly Bankruptcy by on Apr 2nd, 2011. 
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