Where the Wild Times Are

A poll recently published in the Geezer Monthly (aka the AARP Bulletin) cited only 17% of seniors 65 -plus who named the World Series as their favorite sporting event (a close second to the Super Bowl, at 19%). Sadly this 17% was the high-water mark for baseball's seasonal climax. For youngsters 45-64, the group in which I fall, the number is a mere 6%. I'd hate to see how the Series would score with Gen Xers, Yers, and Millennials. Then, to my shock, I realized it was not even my favorite sporting event any more, although my heart remains with baseball.

The problem is that the World Series has become not so much a climax as an anticlimax in the elongated post-season. So much drama and conflict has been packed into the three-round play-off system, with its dramatic eliminations, that by the time the two surviving teams reach the World Series, both they and their fans are exhausted. The Series has become more of a showcase than a competition. To make matters worse, most World Series of the Ought Decade have been undistinguished and boring. There hasn't been a competitive one since 2002. And what memorable moments have the Series provided since Scott Spezios's home run to ignite the Angels' brave comeback in Game Six? Not a one.

On the other hand, the League Championship series--purportedly the penultimate events of the Season--have been the source of most of the postseason highlight reels and lingering memories. A brief list includes the Aaron Boone Yankee win over the Red Sox; the epochal Red Sox revenge on the Yanks in 2004; the Yadier Molina homer that beat the Mets in 2006 after Endy Chavez made a miracle catch; the Albert Pujols two-out homer that briefly reprieved the Cards against the Astros in 2005; , the Jeffrey Maier homer interference that got the Yanks going in 1996; the Robin Ventura 15th inning single/grand slam that extended the Braves in 1999. Etcetera. Somehow it seems there is a lot more drama in the qualifying rounds than in the Finals.

This season certainly promises the same potential for high LCS drama in both pairings. For a change, the two most deserving teams in the two leagues are competing. (An argument can be made for the Cardinals, though the op three NL teams were all equally matched). I have a slight rooting interest in the Dodgers, but only because I placed a World Series wager on them back in June when the odds were a propitious 5-1. I also like Joe Torre and would be happy to see him succeed (up to a point of course, that point being a Yankee participation in the finals). The NLCS is a quality match that repeats last year's event, which the Phils won rather easily. The Phils are slightly favored this year, but their relief pitching has to hold up against an improved Dodger offense. Getting Cliff Lee may have been the master stroke for Philadelphia, though. Like all quality AL starters, he is overwhelming in the NL. The Dodgers will need breaks to win this one, like when Matt Holliday dropped the ball in the NLDS and handed a pivotal game back to the Dodgers.

As for the ALCS, it's about time that the Yanks and Angels met in a seven-game series, a truer test of comparative skills. Over the past decade the Angels have figured out how to beat the Yanks with their combination of speed and timely hitting. They will certainly default to that strategy again, now that Posada is getting older and Sabathia and Burnett are not the best in holding runners on base. One advantage the Angels don't have as they did in their 2002 and 2005 LDS victories over the Yanks is that the Yanks' relief corps is stronger, so the L.A. late-inning rallies may not find the same fruition.

Although the Yanks have been pegged by Vegas and the Media as this year's best baseball team, I worry for them as a unit if they continue as they did in their series win over the Twins. In their three victories the team batted about .223, which sucks. Damon struck out about a million times, Cano was wretched, and Melky and Swisher did very little at the plate (though they contribute defensively). The Yanks won because of timely homers (thanks Arod for being good), clutch pitching, and some horrific baserunning by Minnesota. There's no reason to expect the same formula this time. The Angels are too well-coached. I would prefer to see Girardi replace Johnny Damon, who seems to be exhausted, with Brett Gardner, to add a dimension of speed to the offense and improve the outfield defense as well. It's not going to happen, though, and perhaps I am mistakenly assuming that performances in the LDS will be repeated now (though I hope so for Arod's sake). But wating for those late home runs is not a superior strategy.

Based on seasonal performances, a fair prediction would be the Yanks in seven and the Phils in six. I can certainly be wrong--I'd prefer a Yanks/Dodgers finale, which would return to the historic roots of the Fall Classic and make the execs at Fox very happy. In any case it will be a more marquee match-up than in past years. But I expect the most memorable competitive moments to occur in the next ten days, and the pageantry thereafter.