By Ian TassoEditorial. Photos by AP News
Baseball is going to have to wait another year for that dramatic game seven.
This World Series was supposed to have it all.
It had the names: Rodriguez, Rollins, Jeter, Howard, Utley, Teixeira – oh, it certainly had the stars. It had the storylines: Cliff Lee vs. the Bombers, A-Rod vs. The Playoffs, Pedro vs. the Yankees, a potential dynasty vs. the definition of the word– believe me, it was nothing short of Shakespearian.
But in the end, the Yankees were just too good, and the Phillies were just too Chase Utley, and not much else. And even then, if you take away the two games Cliff Lee won for the Phillies, you have a 4-0 sweep and yet another throw away ‘World Series,’ if you can even call it that.
The problem was, for all the big named stars that were hyped, only the ones on the Yankee side actually showed up for the World Series. Aside from Chase Utley and Cliff Lee for one of his two starts, the Phillies were completely strapped of their firepower.
Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies’ vaunted leadoff man and 2007 MVP, posted a meager .217 average through the six game series, with only three stolen bases and just two RBI’s.
Even Shane Victorino, who hit at a .292 clip during the 2009 season, connected for just four hits in his 22 series at bats, equaling a slim .181 average for the World Series. No stolen bases, no home runs, and only two RBI for the ‘Flyin’ Hawaiian.’
And worst of all, Ryan Howard, the hammering slugger who carried his Phillies through the first two rounds of the playoffs, completely fell off during the World Series. Through six games, Howard matched Victorino’s total of four hits, while outperforming every Philly by leaps and bounds in the strikeout department, fanning a glorious 13 times in 23 at bats. I realize one player can only carry his team so far – but come on.
In the biggest games, on the biggest stage, Philly’s biggest bats just didn’t show up. Their pitching depth that carried them into the postseason disappeared. And in the end, the Yankees were just the better team – as much as it kills me to say it.
As a Red Sox fan, I hated this World Series. But as a baseball fan, I really wanted to love it. It was supposed to be the World Series that rejuvenated baseball. You would have to look all the way back to 2002 for the last time a World Series – a collision of baseballs two greatest teams – lasted a full seven games. And even then, it was between the Anaheim Angels and the San Fransisco Giants.
My question is; if the World Series happens, and it’s between the Angels and the Giants, does it make a sound?
The last World Series that was relevant as far as tremendous championships go was the 2001 clash between the Yankees and the Diamondbacks. Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, Jeter, Martinez…the list goes on and on. This series had the names – and each and every one of them showed up. Best of all, it culminated in a final and deciding game seven with a walk-off win, the greatest possible moment in all of baseball.
That is what the World Series is all about. That is what it should be all about. A collision of baseball’s best - not a fizzling finale to an exhausting 162 game season.
Now I’m not asking for every World Series to end in seven games with a walk-off. But I would like more than one in every ten years to go the distance. The game needs it.
While the NFL is soaring in popularity with its dramatic Super Bowl and single elimination playoff games, Major League Baseball needed a collision of epic proportions to remind America of the glory in a seven game series that epitomizes the 162 game grind that is the game of baseball.
The two right teams got in. The script was set. But some of the actors just didn’t get the memo.
And until that happens, baseball will remain second best when it comes to Championships. Just like Bird needed Magic, McGwire needed Sosa and Batman needed the Joker…baseball needs the Diamondbacks and the Yankees. It needs that game seven, the sweet glory, the ultimate pinnacle – it has to get it.
And it will. Until then, we wait.
Pitchers and catchers report in 3.5 months. And the clock ticks…
This World Series was supposed to have it all.
It had the names: Rodriguez, Rollins, Jeter, Howard, Utley, Teixeira – oh, it certainly had the stars. It had the storylines: Cliff Lee vs. the Bombers, A-Rod vs. The Playoffs, Pedro vs. the Yankees, a potential dynasty vs. the definition of the word– believe me, it was nothing short of Shakespearian.But in the end, the Yankees were just too good, and the Phillies were just too Chase Utley, and not much else. And even then, if you take away the two games Cliff Lee won for the Phillies, you have a 4-0 sweep and yet another throw away ‘World Series,’ if you can even call it that.
The problem was, for all the big named stars that were hyped, only the ones on the Yankee side actually showed up for the World Series. Aside from Chase Utley and Cliff Lee for one of his two starts, the Phillies were completely strapped of their firepower.
Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies’ vaunted leadoff man and 2007 MVP, posted a meager .217 average through the six game series, with only three stolen bases and just two RBI’s.
Even Shane Victorino, who hit at a .292 clip during the 2009 season, connected for just four hits in his 22 series at bats, equaling a slim .181 average for the World Series. No stolen bases, no home runs, and only two RBI for the ‘Flyin’ Hawaiian.’
And worst of all, Ryan Howard, the hammering slugger who carried his Phillies through the first two rounds of the playoffs, completely fell off during the World Series. Through six games, Howard matched Victorino’s total of four hits, while outperforming every Philly by leaps and bounds in the strikeout department, fanning a glorious 13 times in 23 at bats. I realize one player can only carry his team so far – but come on.
In the biggest games, on the biggest stage, Philly’s biggest bats just didn’t show up. Their pitching depth that carried them into the postseason disappeared. And in the end, the Yankees were just the better team – as much as it kills me to say it.
As a Red Sox fan, I hated this World Series. But as a baseball fan, I really wanted to love it. It was supposed to be the World Series that rejuvenated baseball. You would have to look all the way back to 2002 for the last time a World Series – a collision of baseballs two greatest teams – lasted a full seven games. And even then, it was between the Anaheim Angels and the San Fransisco Giants.
My question is; if the World Series happens, and it’s between the Angels and the Giants, does it make a sound?
The last World Series that was relevant as far as tremendous championships go was the 2001 clash between the Yankees and the Diamondbacks. Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, Jeter, Martinez…the list goes on and on. This series had the names – and each and every one of them showed up. Best of all, it culminated in a final and deciding game seven with a walk-off win, the greatest possible moment in all of baseball.That is what the World Series is all about. That is what it should be all about. A collision of baseball’s best - not a fizzling finale to an exhausting 162 game season.
Now I’m not asking for every World Series to end in seven games with a walk-off. But I would like more than one in every ten years to go the distance. The game needs it.
While the NFL is soaring in popularity with its dramatic Super Bowl and single elimination playoff games, Major League Baseball needed a collision of epic proportions to remind America of the glory in a seven game series that epitomizes the 162 game grind that is the game of baseball.
The two right teams got in. The script was set. But some of the actors just didn’t get the memo.
And until that happens, baseball will remain second best when it comes to Championships. Just like Bird needed Magic, McGwire needed Sosa and Batman needed the Joker…baseball needs the Diamondbacks and the Yankees. It needs that game seven, the sweet glory, the ultimate pinnacle – it has to get it.
And it will. Until then, we wait.
Pitchers and catchers report in 3.5 months. And the clock ticks…
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