Monday, October 11, 2004
Thoughts On The First Round
With three series in the books and one almost done...
The Twins, namely Ron Gardenhire, fell victim to that old ruse: Take out your starter, who's doing superbly, and put in relievers who will undoubtedly save the ballgame for you. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Dude, why pull Santana after only five innings of Game 4? If you were worried that he was going to wear his arm out going on three days' rest, why didn't you just save him for Game 5, a game you would have had to play anyway in order to win the series? It makes no sense whatsoever. Managers need a reality check: Your starters are key. If they are doing well, leave them in, for cryin' out loud. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Santana deserved more national attention than he got this year; a World Series would have done wonders. Instead, he gets screwed by his manager. Nice work, Ron. Yankees win, thuh-uhhh-uhhh Yank--zzzzzzzzzz.
Wow. I don't know whether having Jose Guillen would have helped Anaheim in this one. Save for a grand slam by Vladimir Guerrero, making Game 3 a bit tense, this was a no-doubter. The Sox bats came alive, scoring nine, eight and eight runs in the three games. Yeah, that could lead you to a sweep.
True story: The night before Game 3, I had a dream David Ortiz would hit the game-winning walk-off home run in Game 3. Except in the dream he hit it into the bullpen in right, not over the Monster in left. Still, close enough. Sox and Yankees set to go at it again in the ALCS.
The Twins, namely Ron Gardenhire, fell victim to that old ruse: Take out your starter, who's doing superbly, and put in relievers who will undoubtedly save the ballgame for you. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Dude, why pull Santana after only five innings of Game 4? If you were worried that he was going to wear his arm out going on three days' rest, why didn't you just save him for Game 5, a game you would have had to play anyway in order to win the series? It makes no sense whatsoever. Managers need a reality check: Your starters are key. If they are doing well, leave them in, for cryin' out loud. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Santana deserved more national attention than he got this year; a World Series would have done wonders. Instead, he gets screwed by his manager. Nice work, Ron. Yankees win, thuh-uhhh-uhhh Yank--zzzzzzzzzz.
Wow. I don't know whether having Jose Guillen would have helped Anaheim in this one. Save for a grand slam by Vladimir Guerrero, making Game 3 a bit tense, this was a no-doubter. The Sox bats came alive, scoring nine, eight and eight runs in the three games. Yeah, that could lead you to a sweep.
True story: The night before Game 3, I had a dream David Ortiz would hit the game-winning walk-off home run in Game 3. Except in the dream he hit it into the bullpen in right, not over the Monster in left. Still, close enough. Sox and Yankees set to go at it again in the ALCS.
Didn't see Game 4--kept up with it via cell-phone internet service on the way back from the Seahawks-Rams game--but I understand Phil Garner is on the hot seat right now with some odd managerial decisions. I'll have to look at the tape to see what the announcers said about it. Meanwhile, Game 5 tonight. I said the Astros would win in five games. I don't think so now. Braves take it tonight in a rout.
Pretty much went as expected, except for the Dodgers' shutout of St. Louis in Game 3. Silencing those bats for nine innings can't be easy.
