Hey, guys. Crazy days around here lately, at least for me. I had a few interviews and some other stuff going on, so I had to go to bed early… and I totally dropped the ball. I am SO SORRY! Today I don’t have any interviews or anything, so I will have a rare full day at home (laundry, etc.) and I figured I’d post this mega World Series post.
So, let’s get started!
GAME ONE: Kluber vs Lester, Progressive Field in Cleveland
There’s really not much to say except that Corey Kluber is a robot and Roberto Perez came through with not one, but two home runs. The Indians needed to win this game, and if I am honest, I wasn’t really surprised that they did.
As everyone knows, Jon Lester has an issue with throwing to bases. Like you’ve never heard that before. Lester was straight dealing…until Francisco Lindor decided to play chicken with the train and, as far as I am concerned, rattled Lester a bit.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that the umpire was making some crazy calls. When Joe West is part of your ump crew and he’s not the person who is being chirped about on Twitter? You know something’s up.
The big smile for Cubs fans came in the form of our Baby Ruth! Kyle Schwarber joined the World Series roster and immediately did some Schwarber stuff. Talk about a shot in the arm! But no one was going to get past The Klubot.
But what about last night?
GAME TWO: Bauer vs Arrieta, Progressive Field in Cleveland
The first game was decisive; Lester and Kluber both were bringing it. What did Bauer and Arrieta bring? The molasses! Don’t believe me? Well, believe Baseball Reference.
Arrieta wasn’t quite as bad.
In fact, notice something? He had a no hitter going. A no hitter in the World Series! His effort ultimately failed, but it was the first time since 1969 that anyone got that close to a no hitter. (Of course, we all know the one and only no hitter in the World Series was Don Larsen’s impossible Perfect Game.)
The thing that is the difference maker is the return of The Schwarbs in the DH role. Can you believe he’s back? It really does my heart good to see him. And boy, oh boy, it’s not just a placebo. Dude is out there grinding.
https://twitter.com/BBTN/status/791499248781189120
The Cubs are getting hot, and just in time, too, as the series goes to Wrigley Field this weekend.
Will the Schwarbs be able to play now that we’re in an NL park, with NL rules? Will they sit Jason Heyward again? As far as pitching, Kyle Hendricks is up next. Will he channel regular season Maddux or postseason Maddux? And if a Schwarbs tells an Indians player to “suck it” (I’ve cleaned it up here, but if you don’t know, please look it up on Vine) at Wrigley and you can’t hear it because of screaming Cubs fans, will it count?
All this and more in Game Three of the 2016 World Series!
Fan Interference 
Good to see the Cubs become interesting despite being in Cleveland.
I was in Cleveland once for one day. I was so bored that I stayed bored for weeks afterward.
On to Chicago. Save me a slice of Giordano’s stuffed spinach special pizza.
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I’m not sure if I want to see Schwarber in the field or not. On the one hand, his defense is severely lacking. on the other, he sure does hit the snot out of the ball.
The Baby Bears did win 103 games without him there, so they didn’t miss his presence all that much, and they do have quite a lot of good, young, players… and some not young ones, too.
Either way, I’m looking forward to some good baseball.
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Yes, they played their hearts out and won 103 games but the 94-game winning Cleveland Snorefest reaps home field advantage because of Bud Light’s idiotic ploy to “save” an exhibition game. This travesty cheats the fans of the Cubs and fans of the game in general. Can we get back to the old “best team wins home field advantage” scheme, please?
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“Best team wins home field advantage” wasn’t ever a thing in baseball, though, at least not for the World Series, which just alternated between AL and NL each year.
After the 1994 cancellation, it was the AL that had home field in even numbered years, so under the old way, this would’ve been a Cleveland home field, anyway.
I believe that home field should go to the team with the best record (and maybe to the league with the best inter-league record, in the event of a tie for best record and no head-to-head) but it’s not something that MLB ever did for the World Series.
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I am corrected then. But yeah, I’d like to see the best team get home field advantage. I understand why it’s been kept arbitrary – ticket printing would be a nightmare and the lines at the ticket windows would look like Argentine soccer riots if the teams had to wait until all the postseason games were resolved before knowing whether they could print tickets and for how many days. I think, though, that in this era of stupidphone ticket scan codes and print at home tickets these issues might not be as pressing anymore.
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