We have a mascot in the World Series, and I know who I’m rooting for!
No, seriously, congrats to our buddy stex for his team, the Houston Astros, making it to the Big Show! Just scant years after being the absolute laughingstock of baseball, this scrappy little team that could and their fuzzy green superior mascot are representing the junior league in the World Series.
I am breaking ranks of my usual rooting interest and going full on American League this year.
Justin Verlander, fresh off two outrageously dominant performances, is your ALCS MVP.
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Yeah but you can’t say Charlie Morton wasn’t dominant too. Whoda thunk it? And was Gattis swinging a lead bat when he absolutely massacred that shot orf Sabbathia?
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Lance McCullers shut people down with a curveball! 28 straight curveballs. This was beautiful, man.
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Then there’s that laser from Bregman that hit McCann’s glove right in front of Bird’s foot. You could make that throw 100 times and on 99 of them, Bird is safe. That play took the air right out of the Yankee’s dugout.
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I loved in the post-game interview, he noted that they’d had a play like that at the end of the season and learned from it that the best option was to try to beat the runner home. And then he threw it perfectly to the right spot for the tag. Dayum.
Just the whole game was awesome. Morton and McCullers were great. That throw from Bregman (and McCann held on); the catch at the wall from Springer. Little Altuve (play your base, son!). All around fun. And, Rick Flair. Wooooooooo!
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This is for you, stex:
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But can we talk about the crappy move by Little R in asking Girardi in the post-game interview if he thought he’d be back next year? Good grief. That stunk. Kick ’em while they’re down, I guess.
And tip of the cap to Hinch for TOTALLY ignoring Verducci’s questions and talking to the fans instead. We’re going to the World Series! Yeeeesssss!!!!
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‘s why I tune out immediately after the last out. BP medication doesn’t work well enough to neutralize that.
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Hold one minute for one brief Fanboy moment:
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
That felt good. I haven’t been able to exhale since Friday evening at 7 PM.
A couple of observations:
1. Very perceptive about Morton, Gator. He has been flying under the national radar as a solid #3 pitcher all season. Glad to see him get a little recognition.
To anyone who said back in August that the Astros paid too much for Verlander:
YOU WERE WRONG. I was a little more circumspect at the time. Not any more.
To philiac, truthfully, I am sure that Kate U. is a lovely young lady. But my true affinities run much more to petite brunettes (like my wife). Ms. Upton’s relationship with Verlander just makes such an easy target for wiseass comments.
Go ‘Stros! Four more wins! I’ve only been waiting 55 years!
But truthfully, the ALCS pennant IS quite an achievement in itself.
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Stex, I am SO THRILLED for you. I truly am. I wanted this for Biggio, Bags, and my boy Oswalt, but this group is tremendous fun and I love their energy. I wish you all the best.
Also. Morton, McCann, and Gattis are all former Braves. So…. ☺☺☺
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Thanks, prof. All of those ex-Braves made key contributions, too.
I read an interesting article in the paper. This is apparently the final triumph of analytics in baseball. The Astros’ analytic staff contacted the pitching coaching staff before the game and told them to have Morton and McCullers throw more curveballs. Their numbers showed the Yankees were just too effective against fastballs. Everyone was commenting about McCullers throwing 24 curveballs in a row. Well, there was a reason……………………..
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I like that Verlander has already benefited from the stats input. I hope the Tigers do succeed at getting better at using that information.
And, someone has to love us tall girls. We can’t all be petite.
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Okay, I’ll say it in a totally non-flirtatious way. All the girls I dated before I met my wife ( 4′!!”) were 5’9″ or taller.
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Also this: the Astros are the only team ever to win pennants in both real and fake baseball leagues. Talk about multiple personality disorder!
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stex, you’re right. The Astros didn’t pay too much for Verlander, they paid too little. Please send Kyle Tucker to Lakeland by spring training 2018. And if the Astros win the WS, feel free to throw in Forrest Whitley also.
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I was surprised they took Daz Cameron instead of Kyle Tucker. I’m sure that was a point of intense negotiation.
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