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Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
Start Spreading the News! The Milwaukee Brewers Are World Series Bound!
On Thursday night, the Milwaukee Brewers swept the team they went up against in last year's NLDS who swept them. Now, they're heading to the World Series for the first time in 44 years. Jake Bauers was named NLCS MVP. Someone on X said that the world was finally healing. In other words, people didn't have to worry about seeing the Dodgers in the World Series again. So, no three-peat and no 2004 Red Sox monumental kind of comeback. Now, they'll have a week to rest and recuperate before the World Series begins on October 23. Their opponent has yet to be decided, as the Brewers will either face the Cleveland Guardians or Tampa Bay Rays in the seven-game series. A weight has finally been lifted off the shoulders of baseball fans and Dodgers haters everywhere. Keep in mind that the Brewers are one of the few teams that have yet to win a World Series title. They've been spectacular during the 2026 regular season and the Postseason. One final test awaits them and if they are successful of winning the World Series, it would be an event that people will talk about for years to come. The players, without a doubt, have performed well during the Postseason. However, the real star of it all has to be manager Pat Murphy. The two-time National League Manager of the Year deserves an abundance of credit for helping his team make it to the Fall Classic. Finally, let's talk about the Brewers player who has been the backbone of this ballclub: Christian Yelich. In case you've been living under a rock, before the Postseason began, he was named the team Captain of the Brewers, wearing a C on his jersey. No MLB team had been given this honor to any player. This was a first for the league. I would love to see Christian win a World Series title, because he's a hard worker and has been dedicated to the Brewers for years. If anyone deserves it more, it's him. I would love to see him retire as a Milwaukee Brewer once his career is over. As for the Los Angeles Dodgers: the Milwaukee Brewers definitely humbled them. They've given each player a slice of humble pie. This is what they get for talking over other teams, not letting other teams succeed in the Postseason, being selfish, narcissistic, ego driven, and think that everything had to be about them all the time. This wasn't the first time they were swept in any round of the Postseason. In the 2023 NLDS, they got swept by a young Arizona Diamondbacks team. During the first game of the division series, every player in the D-Backs lineup recorded at least one hit off the starter of that game, Clayton Kershaw. So, them being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers Thursday night showed that the Postseason didn't revolve around them. If baseball is played in 2027, there might be at least one or two Dodgers players that have already hung up their cleats for good. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the most overhyped and overrated team in Major League Baseball. That's not me being a hater or jealous. I'm being absolutely real with everyone on that. I'll make this one point clear to everyone: I'm not one to wish the Dodgers well. The Brewers gave the Dodgers the biggest reality check. I refused to drink the Dodgers Kool-Aid or give them any sort of props. Their downfall in the NLCS is now complete while the Brewers celebrate their NL Pennant victory. I couldn't be any happier, because I'm glad a team like the Brewers were able to stand up to them. The Dodgers got exposed and they're the kind of team that doesn't take losing or embarrassment well. They needed to learn how to lose, because the Brewers successfully stopped what I would call The Dodgers Agenda from spreading any further. What do I mean by The Dodgers Agenda? MLB's social media pages highlight them at least 85 to 90 percent of the time. They've been cramming this team and Shohei Ohtani down our throats. Not only that, but brainwashing and pushing this toxic agenda towards Dodgers fans and other baseball fans. We desperately needed someone new to be in the World Series this year and I'm pleased with the Brewers. I'm looking forward to see if they can achieve the impossible. We've been suffering from Dodgers Fatigue for way too long. Now, we can all breathe a sigh of relief and sleep comfortably tonight. I hope the Milwaukee Brewers win this one for the late, great Bob Uecker. He's definitely smiling down at this ballclub.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard about 6 hours ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Stay Mediocre, San Diego
The San Diego Padres. Debuted in 1969, just a few years after the AFL's Chargers moved from LA to San Diego. Their debut came in the same year that Divisional Play began in MLB, and during baseball's original Divisional Play period (1969-1993), the Padres only won the NL West once--in 1984. That did result in their first pennant, but it would be another decade-plus before the Padres would play October baseball again. 1998 saw them in another World Series, and they had hopes for appearing in another one.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 days ago in Unbalanced
Drexel Hill Resident Michael Hoover Reflects on a Once-in-a-Lifetime Philadelphia Sports Summer
A few weeks ago, the best golfers in the world walked the fairways at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, a few minutes up the road from Drexel Hill. The PGA Championship does not come to Delaware County often. The last time the major visited Aronimink in 1962, the grandparents of today’s young fans were the same age as their grandchildren. For one week in May, a corner of the county was the center of the golf world.
By Michael Hoover2 days ago in Unbalanced
Brutally Honest Takes About the MLB Salary Cap
December 1: This represents the date of a potential lockout if players and the Players Union cannot agree on the current proposal in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which will expire. Some details in the proposal include a cap ceiling of $245.3 million and a floor of $171.2 million starting in 2027. Limits on player contracts by service time and a $446 million payroll gap reason. Meanwhile, the Players Union are asking for no salary cap. Many players stated that they would refuse to play in 2027 because they wouldn't agree to a salary cap. Workers and ushers who are employed at the ballparks will also be affected by the lockout if a deal isn't made and will be out of their jobs. According to the Morning Consult in November 2025, 79% of avid baseball fans support a salary cap and 69% of casual fans are also in agreement of one. Finally, a lockout would also affect camps at ballparks. The 2027 regular season might be delayed until at least late May, which players will miss at least three or four paychecks. I'll keep an eye on this story and will share an update soon.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 3 days ago in Unbalanced
2026 League Championship Series Preview
The Division Series is in the books, and now it is on to the League Championship Series. This is the last true playoff round before the World Series, the point where the room for error shrinks even further and the pennants are decided in best-of-seven format. After the Wild Card Series forced teams to earn their way into the best-of-five Division Series, the survivors now get the longer series that rewards depth and adaptability. The four teams left are a mix of dominant regular-season clubs and one that refused to die.
By Clyde E. Dawkins4 days ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Owning Boston is NOT Enough, Yankees
I've been a Yankees fan for 30 years, and I've seen my share of wins, championships, and of course, eliminations. When the Yankees lose in the postseason, it does hit me, depending on how it happens and especially who we lost to. I still want to forget the 2022 ALCS because it pissed me off so much.
By Clyde E. Dawkins6 days ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Remember 2021?
Where were you on the evening of November 2, 2021? You know what was doing? I was switching my TV between two programs. One, the second season finale of Stargirl , which included an awesome moment where we get an evil and possessed Stargirl, and two, Game Six of that year's World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros. The Braves won that game and locked up their first championship in 26 years, and that was the first World Series I wrote about, game by game, on Vocal.
By Clyde E. Dawkins6 days ago in Unbalanced
A Token of Appreciation: David Freese
Back in 2025, I wrote a story on Vocal about an event that I've avoided discussing for well over a decade. A moment that broke my heart and never got over. That event was Game 6 of the 2011 World Series between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The evening of October 27 of that year had me on my feet and the Rangers were one out away from clinching their first World Series title in franchise history. Unfortunately, they blew an opportunity to clinch a championship in the bottom of the ninth and again in the bottom of the 11th inning. The player behind the walk-off home run that helped the Cardinals force a Game 7 was David Freese. The final score was 10-9, and they would end up winning the final game of the Fall Classic, securing their second World Series title in six years. Freese was named World Series MVP, and I've talked about him briefly in my previous story about this topic, which you can read down below. We're going to learn more about David Freese's life, career, and what he's up to now as of 2026.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 6 days ago in Unbalanced
2026 Division Series Preview
The Wild Card Series is over, and now it's on to the Division Series! It's been 15 years and I'm still getting used to the fact that this is actually the second round of the postseason; it had been the first round for 17 seasons between 1995 and 2011. The current format that's been in MLB since 2022 creates an atmosphere that forces teams to earn an increase in the room for error, as the best-of-three Wild Card series winners now get to play in a best-of-five format.
By Clyde E. Dawkins13 days ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Nearly Three Hours of Red October
You know, I do love that the Philadelphia Phillies' postseasons have always been known as "Red October." It's an obvious play on the famous war film, The Hunt for Red October , but still, it fits them. Despite the fact that they're not the only team in MLB who wears red, I think "Red October" solely fits the Phils. I don't know when that started; the easy answer would be "since they've had Bryce Harper," but I want to say I heard "Red October" as early as 2011.
By Clyde E. Dawkins13 days ago in Unbalanced
Somers Keeps up the Energy Despite Loss to Lakeland
On Tuesday September 15, Somers hosted Lakeland, and the visitors definitely had a whirlwind of hitters to stand down. On the other side, Tuskers had at least one blaster for the Hornets to contend with, and his first set kill to make it a 6-5 game matched the hitter’s overall mindset.
By Rich Monetti14 days ago in Unbalanced
