The Year of the Underdog

The first round of the baseball playoffs are over, and the underdog won every series, resulting in probably the most interesting playoffs baseball has seen since 1997 (unless you count the upstart Padres getting hammered by the juggernaut Yankees in 1998's World Series, which I don't, really):

1. The Anaheim Angels' high batting average hitters hammered the Yankees' starting pitchers and overcame a managerial blooper in game one to defeat the New York Yankees in 4 games.
2. The Minnesota Twins ("The Contraction Kids") overcame some stupendously bad defense (and the mysterious decision to start Joe Mays) to take advantage of the Oakland Athletics' own strange managerial decisions and their shaky bullpen, taking it to the wire in 5 games. I'm especially impressed that they actually managed to score some runs off Mark Mulder, since the Twins can't hit left-handed pitching.
3. The St. Louis Cardinals roared through the Arizona Diamondbacks' vaunted starting pitching, hammering Randy Johnson and then taking a 2-1 game from Curt Schilling, en route to a 3-game sweep of the defending World Champions.
4. Finally, tonight the San Francisco Giants gave Barry Bonds his first-ever postseason series victory by working out of repeated Braves-on-base jams to defeat the Atlanta Braves and their NL-best record.

Beyond that, the Angels won their first playoff series ever, after a decade of some of the bitterest disappointments any team has had to face. Tim Salmon apparently has been relieved of the position of the active player who's gone the longest without even appearing in the postseason; it's his tenth year in the big leagues, and he certainly deserves it. Save for an injury-riddled 2001 year, he's been Mister Reliable for a decade now, and he deserves to appear on the national stage.

Besides that, I'm disappointed that the A's lost, though they certainly didn't earn a trip to the next round with their play. The Twins didn't exactly set the world on fire, either, and I think they'll have a hard time handling the Angels in the ALCS. They do, on the other hand, have a chance to become the only team to win a World Series in the 80s, 90s and 2000s.

Seeing the Giants win was fun, and I really have to tip my cap to Livan Hernandez, who despite being a mediocre pitcher these days has really developed a reputation as a big game pitcher. One can argue about whether such reputations are deserved or are just a matter of luck, but Game 4 was perhaps the best game of the postseason.

The Cardinals I think really deserve their success, given the adversity they had to overcome: The death of pitcher Darryl Kile in mid-season, the passing of longtime Cards broadcaster Jack Buck, the decimation of their pitching staff, and now the shoulder injury to Scott Rolen. They're a true feel-good story this year, making it through some terrible obstacles. Can they keep it up? I predict the Giants/Cards series will be full of home runs and big offensive plays; whoever slugs the most will move on, and it's hard to believe that the team with Barry Bonds won't slug the most. But I suspect the Cards have it in them to take down the Giants' sketchy line-up.

All four of these teams are ones I can root for, though as I live in the Bay Area I'm inclined to stick with the Giants as my personal favorites. But whatever happens, it looks like this will be the first World Series I'll watch since 1997.

Unsurprisingly, that was also the last World Series which didn't feature the Yankees.

Watching Game 5 in Atlanta tonight I'm reminded why I hate the Braves in postseason. I don't really hate them generally, as I think some of their players (Maddux and Glavine, particularly) are admirable people who are fun to watch ply their craft. But I hate their fans, and their stadium, and the stupid and obnoxious chanting and chopping they do. I can't root for a team like that. I'm glad to see them gone just so we're not subjected to more of that junk.

Three of the four remaining stadiums are by all reports great places to see a game. I know first-hand that Anaheim and San Francisco are, and Busch Stadium in St. Louis is supposed to be very nice as well. The Metrodome has a reputation as a hole, but it seems like Twins fans love nothing more than watching their guys play on artificial turf in a packed Metrodome.

My predictions for the next round:

Angels in 6: The Angels' batting order again roughs up the opponents' rotation, reducing the games to a battle of top bullpens, but the Halos' early-inning edge will be too tough for the Twinkies to reach. The Angels will have to endure a couple of losses in the Metrodome, though.

Cardinals in 6: Especially if Woody Williams is available, the Cards' pitching will effectively pitch around Bonds and Kent, and easily extract the weak teeth from the rest of the line-up. The Giants' starters will find handling Vina, Pujols, Drew and (maybe) Rolen a bigger challenge, though. The Giants' best hope is to take good advantage of their three games at home.

This could be the best October for baseball fans in a long time. Let's enjoy it.