No Phillies. No Yankees. This should be a fun World Series. As I was in New York over the weekend, me and my parents listened to game 6 of the Yankees, Rangers series in the car. The Yankees were down 6-1 in the bottom of the 9th inning. There were two outs and Alex Rodriguez was coming to the plate. At this moment, I realized something: we were in the Bronx, home of the Yankees. Rodriguez struck out looking on a curveball from Neftali Feliz and, as we were clapping and fist bumping about a Yankee-less Fall Classic, we saw exit signs towards Yankee Stadium. We drove by the ballpark just after their season was ended, in an eerily coincidental scenario.
While all that was happening, down in Arlington, the Rangers were dismantling the team with the $206-million payroll in a series in which the Pinstripes were outplayed in all games but one. The young, charismatic underdogs beat the hated Yankees. For this World Series, I'm not in a position in which I extremely dislike one (or both) of the teams. Without the Phillies or Yankees, I'm not in a position to root against anyone.
The Rangers, a team propelled by an explosive offense and surprisingly good pitching staff, upended the Yanks en route to their first World Series ever. Until this year, they had never won a playoff series, let alone been to the Fall Classic. Here they are, now playing deep into October (and, if necessary, November) as they battle the Giants for the title of World Champions.
I watched Saturday's Phil's game to the bitter end. The ending--Howard's strike out, looking--also seemed symbolic. The team was totally outpitched, and that was the difference. It was painful to watch.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, as much of a fan as I am, I'm having a hard time getting excited for the series. Perhaps I'll feel differently once it starts.