baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
Part III: My Most Memorable New York Sports Minutes
Photo by Larry Neuberger The 1976 Word Series was humbling for Yankee fans. Putting up a crooked number would have been much appreciated, but a sweep was pretty startling after the game five heroics.
Rich MonettiPublished 2 years ago in Unbalanced2022 Division Series Preview
I do love the Division Series, which once served as the opening round of the MLB Postseason. The League Division Series (LDS) officially debuted in the 1995 season, and has been played under a best-of-five format ever since. From 1995 until 2011, the Division Series marked the beginning of the postseason, with three wins advancing the two winners in each league to the League Championship Series (LCS). Since 2012, the LDS is the second round after the Wild Card Game (now the Wild Card Series), and the LDS means, as Jim Ross often says, "Business is about to pick up."
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedWhat Went Wrong: Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda
The New York Mets' 61st season was full of immense promise. They won 101 games this season, which was only their fourth 100+ win season in franchise history. The other seasons: 1969, 1986, and 1988. In those first two years, the Mets won the World Series, with 1969 being the famous "Miracle Mets" year where they came back from 10 games down in the National League East to win the division, while 1986 was the infamous Bill Buckner series; Mookie Wilson's walk-off RBI single going in between Buckner's legs in Game Six. The Mets did not win the pennant in 1988, but would win two more pennants in 2000 and 2015. 2016 was their last postseason until this year, and their journey would begin with the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedWhat Went Wrong: The Last Hurrah
Without question, the centerpiece of the St. Louis Cardinals' 2022 season was the return of their beloved legend, Albert Pujols. The Cards were coming off a 2021 season that saw them go on a winning tear in September to nab one of the National League's Wild Card spots. This year, the winning tear started about a month or so early, basically nabbing control of the National League Central from the Milwaukee Brewers, and never looked back. The Cardinals faced off against the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card Series, and Game One looked like it would be quiet, until Juan Tepez struck with a pinch-hit two-run HR in the sixth inning.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedInspiration Through Failure
I normally do not write about sports; I just partake in them as often as possible. But living in Japan while being a Seattle Mariners fan has sufficiently destroyed my work and sleep schedule enough, that today I felt compelled to write a bit about the Seattle Mariners. Also, if I did not incorporate them into this week's blogpost, then I'd be suppressing a lot of what was going on in both my writing life and non-writing life. Something that's definitely counterintuitive to any creative writing.
BK JohnsenPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedWhat Went Wrong: It Was 8-1
Ooh, boy. Well...that happened. You know, as a fan of a division rival, I only save my actual hatred for the Boston Red Sox. I have no reason to hate the Toronto Blue Jays. I remain fascinated by their team history; joined the American League in 1977, won their first division title in 1985, and became an AL powerhouse throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, which led them to back-to-back World Championships in 1992 and 1993. Many moons passed before they would become a playoff team again, but the Blue Jays appear to be a perennial playoff team at the current moment.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedWhat Went Wrong: Where's the Offense, Rays?!
In any postseason, it is never good to be the first one eliminated, but someone has to carry that burden. In the case of the 2022 MLB postseason, that unfortunate dishonor went to the Tampa Bay Rays, who were ousted in two games in the best-of-three Wild Card Series by the Cleveland Guardians. For the Rays, this is their second straight postseason appearance since their run to the World Series in 2020. 2021 saw the Rays win a franchise record 100 games and capture the American League East, but they were ousted in the Division Series by the Red Sox. This year, they had a strong campaign that saw them nearly capitalize on the New York Yankees' late-summer skid, but once the Yankees woke back up, the Rays fell off in September, going from the #4 seed (the home Wild Card position) to finishing as the #6 seed, but still qualifying.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedAnna Laura and Title IX at Year 40
At the after-school program I work at in Westchester, I work with a 6-year-old spitfire named Anna Laura. Among the many games we play, she displays no fear in running into the corners against boys twice her size in the make shift game of indoor hockey that we play. “She doesn’t get intimidated,” says 11-year-old Stephen Mains. But had she grown up in an age minus Title IX, it’s not just her athletic acumen that would be in jeopardy.
Rich MonettiPublished 2 years ago in Unbalanced2022 Wild Card Series Preview
The MLB Postseason is here! I've always enjoyed baseball's playoffs, I love everything about it, even the little things, such as MLB using the word "postseason" instead of "playoffs." Out of the three leagues that use a series format, MLB has the shortest postseason; the quest to crown a champion takes under a month with very few days off. This year begins the modified postseason that was made official during the lockout in March and April of this year, which features the 12 best teams participating in this round robin tournament. The single-game Wild Card round that has opened the postseason since 2012 is now changed to a best-of-three Wild Card Series, with one series pitting the #3 seed (the lowest division champion) against the #6 seed (the lowest Wild Card), while the other series features the other two Wild Cards (seeded #4 and #5).
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedPhillies Complete 2022 Postseason Field
When the Seattle Mariners ended their 21-year postseason drought on September 30, 2022, the Philadelphia Phillies ended up becoming the new owners of the longest current postseason drought in MLB...for three days. At the time of Seattle's clinch, the Phils were on their own path, and on October 3, 2022, it was completed. The Phillies defeated the Houston Astros, 3-0, to clinch the last overall remaining spot in the 2022 MLB Postseason, and end a drought that lasted 11 years.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedSeattle Parties Like It's 2001
The date was Friday, September 30, 2022. After the New York Yankees game ended, I saw the ESPN ticker and noticed that the Seattle Mariners were in the bottom of the ninth tied at one, so I switched to MLB Network to see the Mariners at bat. The reason is simple: the Mariners could clinch a postseason berth that evening. Carlos Santana came up short, leaving Cal Raleigh to come to the plate with two outs--one out away from extra innings. I was pulling for a walk-off HR, because it would be so fitting if the long suffering of Mariners fans would end on one swing. Sure enough, that's what happened. Raleigh's shot went long, it went far, and it hit the foul pole. When that ball hit the foul pole, the 21-year itch came to an epic end.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedThe Story of Mickey Mantle
Recently, a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card fetched $12.6 million in an auction. This card has become the most iconic and valuable card in the entire sports card hobby. But why? Why this card? In this article, we're going to look at who Mickey Mantle was, and reflect on the why this card has become so iconic in the world of sports card collecting and investing.
Javad LuckeyPublished 2 years ago in Unbalanced