10/12/2005
Talkin' Baseball...
How about those Angels last night? Obviously they were at a competitive disadvantage and the game probably should have been moved back a day. Good call, ESPN pundits. Bunch of damn dumbasses. As long as methamphetamines are still legal according to MLB's drug testing policy, travel fatigue and lack of sleep will never be an issue in baseball.
Before I go any further...
Has anyone else ever gotten Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time" stuck in their head before? It's been playing on loop in my brain for the last two hours and I feel like shooting myself.
Anyway...Back to the matter at hand: NLCS, Game One.
I don't have much to say about this series that has not already been said. From a Cardinals standpoint; Cardnilly, The Reasoning, and VEB already have written better previews than I ever could, so just go read theirs (if you want to, you can read them in my voice to make it seem like I wrote them.) Also, if you want to find out what the fat asses down in Texas (hey, don't blame me for your obesity, Houston, I'm just calling it like I see it) check out The Crawfish Boxes.
What I basically think is going to happen this series? A nearly identical series to last years NLCS, minus a few runs (both pitching staffs should be better than last year's) and I think the Cardinals might steal one away down in Houston. Final outcome: Cards in Six.
Meanwhile, over at the Post Dispatch, overweight sports writer Bernie Miklasz is being too cool for school and picking the Astros to win. His reason: because the two teams pitching staffs are lined up so that it will be Roger Clemens v. Matt Morris if it goes to seven games. That's a valid point if it wasn't for the fact that Clemens lost to Jeff Fucking Suppan in last year's game seven. Precedent, Mr. Miklasz, has been set in this argument and Clemens does not, in fact, always win in the playoffs. Also, Bernie would like to remind everyone that while he is a total douche, he's not the guy in the Fredbird costume.
Speaking of ass-hats, as I was watching the White Sox-Angels game last night on FOX, I was stunned to find out that the announcing crew of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver was being joined by hot head extraordinaire Lou Piniella. "Strange," I thought "but, hell, maybe he's going to give us some good insight. He couldn't possibly be any worse than McCarver, right?"
Wrong. He STUNK.
Case in point: During the third inning, Sweet Lou questioned Sox manager Ozzie Guillen calling for his infield to do a massive swing right shift on Garret Anderson. Lou claimed that Anderson was the type of hitter who could find any hole that you give him. Right on time, Anderson grounds precisely to where second baseman Tadahito Iguchi was stationed in shallow right field. That right there, Lou Piniella, is a huge reason why your team lost 95 games this year. Sometimes, you need to think outside of the box.
Also, since Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are doing the ALCS, that basically ensures that the NLCS will be covered by T(h)om Brennaman and Steve "Dumbass" Lyons. Brennaman isn't too bad, and yes, Lyons isn't worse than McCarver by any means (is that a compliment or not? Discuss.) but, really, this is what we're left with for television announcers?
Can't FOX bring in some fresh blood. Maybe someone with some talent? Steve Stone immediately comes to mind. That man has forgotten more about baseball than Steve Lyons will ever know, plus he doesn't talk to the audience as if they are eight-year-olds watching their first ever baseball game (I'm looking directly at you with that one, McCarver.) What about Bob Uecker? Joe Magrane? Anybody else!
Anyhoo, I digress..Hopefully Al Leiter will be in the booth as well for the NLCS. He was pretty solid last year in the playoffs.
To be truthful, I don't really care who's announcing tonight, as long as they call a winner for the Redbirds.
I'll be down at Busch Memorial in the great Standing Room Only section, drinking beers and making noise.
Have I ever mentioned how much I love October?
Before I go any further...
Has anyone else ever gotten Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time" stuck in their head before? It's been playing on loop in my brain for the last two hours and I feel like shooting myself.
Anyway...Back to the matter at hand: NLCS, Game One.
I don't have much to say about this series that has not already been said. From a Cardinals standpoint; Cardnilly, The Reasoning, and VEB already have written better previews than I ever could, so just go read theirs (if you want to, you can read them in my voice to make it seem like I wrote them.) Also, if you want to find out what the fat asses down in Texas (hey, don't blame me for your obesity, Houston, I'm just calling it like I see it) check out The Crawfish Boxes.
What I basically think is going to happen this series? A nearly identical series to last years NLCS, minus a few runs (both pitching staffs should be better than last year's) and I think the Cardinals might steal one away down in Houston. Final outcome: Cards in Six.
Meanwhile, over at the Post Dispatch, overweight sports writer Bernie Miklasz is being too cool for school and picking the Astros to win. His reason: because the two teams pitching staffs are lined up so that it will be Roger Clemens v. Matt Morris if it goes to seven games. That's a valid point if it wasn't for the fact that Clemens lost to Jeff Fucking Suppan in last year's game seven. Precedent, Mr. Miklasz, has been set in this argument and Clemens does not, in fact, always win in the playoffs. Also, Bernie would like to remind everyone that while he is a total douche, he's not the guy in the Fredbird costume.
Speaking of ass-hats, as I was watching the White Sox-Angels game last night on FOX, I was stunned to find out that the announcing crew of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver was being joined by hot head extraordinaire Lou Piniella. "Strange," I thought "but, hell, maybe he's going to give us some good insight. He couldn't possibly be any worse than McCarver, right?"
Wrong. He STUNK.
Case in point: During the third inning, Sweet Lou questioned Sox manager Ozzie Guillen calling for his infield to do a massive swing right shift on Garret Anderson. Lou claimed that Anderson was the type of hitter who could find any hole that you give him. Right on time, Anderson grounds precisely to where second baseman Tadahito Iguchi was stationed in shallow right field. That right there, Lou Piniella, is a huge reason why your team lost 95 games this year. Sometimes, you need to think outside of the box.
Also, since Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are doing the ALCS, that basically ensures that the NLCS will be covered by T(h)om Brennaman and Steve "Dumbass" Lyons. Brennaman isn't too bad, and yes, Lyons isn't worse than McCarver by any means (is that a compliment or not? Discuss.) but, really, this is what we're left with for television announcers?
Can't FOX bring in some fresh blood. Maybe someone with some talent? Steve Stone immediately comes to mind. That man has forgotten more about baseball than Steve Lyons will ever know, plus he doesn't talk to the audience as if they are eight-year-olds watching their first ever baseball game (I'm looking directly at you with that one, McCarver.) What about Bob Uecker? Joe Magrane? Anybody else!
Anyhoo, I digress..Hopefully Al Leiter will be in the booth as well for the NLCS. He was pretty solid last year in the playoffs.
To be truthful, I don't really care who's announcing tonight, as long as they call a winner for the Redbirds.
I'll be down at Busch Memorial in the great Standing Room Only section, drinking beers and making noise.
Have I ever mentioned how much I love October?
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No, I've never had that song stuck in my head. But I did have the Smurfs song stuck in my head for like two weeks a couple of summers ago. It's frightening to step out of the house and catch yourself humming "fa, la, lalalalah, fa. . . ".
As for the announcing teams, that's why some wise soul invented the mute button. it's all that kept me from killing Joe Theismann years ago. And if you think they might actually say something useful, closed captions and hope the person typing knows what they're doing.
As for the announcing teams, that's why some wise soul invented the mute button. it's all that kept me from killing Joe Theismann years ago. And if you think they might actually say something useful, closed captions and hope the person typing knows what they're doing.
Brennaman and Lyons are awful. One is more childish than the other. Lyons never makes an intelligent comment. Fox ought to get Gary Thorne from ESPN who is about the best there is at baseball. As far as Leiter, he was great in last year's post-season, but he was mediocre (and that's being generous) on Yankee broadcasts this year--- no insight at all.
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