Monday, April 1, 2013

Baseball Preview

Unlike the NFL, which pretty much always features Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and the Ravens in the playoffs, or the NBA, which is dominated by LeBron James, no one has any idea who will win the World Series.  For one thing, the performance of baseball teams often varies wildly from one year to the next.  Just look at the Nationals -- who came from nowhere to win 98 games last season.  For another, the results of the baseball playoffs appear to bear no relation to how teams did during the regular season.  Indeed, given how short the playoff series are, the results may be wholly random.

These two factors -- the varying performance from one year to the next and the randomness of the playoff results -- have completely altered the focus of the baseball season.  In the old days, interest in baseball built and built until the two best teams met in the World Series -- where the inherent drama of a short series made the Fall Classic the primary event on the American sports calendar.  But these days, the emphasis is reversed.  The focus is on the regular season, as almost everyone (except for folks stuck with truly horrific teams) feel like their guys have a shot at getting one of the 10 playoff spots.  However, since each city's fan base is focused on its team -- and not the sport as a whole -- interest drops off rapidly as teams are eliminated in September and October.  By the time we get to the World Series -- which often features players you've never heard of on teams that just barely scraped into the playoffs -- almost everyone has moved on to football.  Only the cities that are actually in the World Series seem to care about the Fall Classic.

This is, in my opinion, a real shame.  Sports competitions should rise to a peak, not peter out with no resolution as to which team was actually the best.  But this is where we are, and the powers-that-be at MLB have no intention of changing.  If anything, I expect to see more teams making the playoffs in the near future.

On the other hand, the quality of baseball being played right now is outstanding.  We finally have baseball that is not significantly distorted by artificial turf, poor tactics, or steroids.  Furthermore, MLB is by far the most tech-friendly of sports -- no other league on earth, as far as I am aware, makes it so easy to follow games on the Internet or on devices like the Roku and iPad.

Given that there is a lot of high-quality baseball being played, that the games are easy to follow, that at least 15-20 teams have a chance of making the playoffs, and that any team who makes the playoffs could win it all, here is what I suggest.  Pick your favorite team -- whoever they may be, you can find their broadcasts easily enough -- and start following them.  Don't feel like you have to watch every game, or that you have to watch all of any game -- just have the games on in the background while you do other stuff.  If your team stays in contention until Labor Day -- and many of them will -- you will be rewarded with hours and hours of entertaining baseball.  If your team is out of it by Memorial Day, then pick your favorite among the good teams and follow that team.  Also, try to find a few friends (maybe at church) with whom you can talk baseball.  Finally, go out and play catch or Whiffle Ball once the weather gets better.  If you do these things, you will have a great baseball season -- regardless of how the games turn out.

And then, once your team is eliminated, you can go watch football with everyone else.  Don't worry, the Heath Post will follow the season all the way to the end, and you can check with us to see how it turned out.

27 comments:

  1. You propose a good strategy.

    So I flipped to MLB Network late last night before going to sleep, and they're showing live coverage of the Mariners at Oakland. Our A's are trailing, 2-0, but the second batter I see, Seth Smith, whips a double into right field. And then Seattle goes to replace its pitcher, and so I figure my watching had changed Oakland's luck. But, in the commercial break, I fell asleep--and then woke this morning to learn that our A's had lost, 2-0. Clearly, my watching was key to Oakland's successes.

    I learned only late last season that my cable-TV package includes MLB network. It's so fantastic to turn on late at night and frequently see live simulcasts of A's games. I can't tell you how much I would've appreciated this capability in the Mitchell Page days.

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  2. The A's lost, 7-1, to the Mariners last night. This season is a disaster.

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  3. The MLB Network is great. It's pretty much exactly the network I wanted when I was 11 years old.

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  4. It is just amazing that Vin Scully is still calling Dodgers games.

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  5. I downloaded the A's' media guide this morning--please note that I've officially started using A's' as the possessive on the contracted plural for Athletics'--and it appears that the team has no scout assigned to Kentucky. All of the border states are accounted for: Neil Avent is on it in Virginia and West Virginia; Yancy Ayres, western Missouri; Kevin Mello, Illinois and eastern Missouri; Rich Sparks, Indiana and Ohio, and Jemel Spearman, Tennessee. But none of the 26 scouts listed on Page 579 of the media guide appears to be making the rounds across the Commonwealth.

    So, obviously, it's up to me.

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    1. Page 578 indicates that Rich Sparks is covering Kentucky, as well as Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. But then Page 579 says that Rich Sparks is scouting only Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. And it appears that none of the major- or minor-league A's are from Kentucky. So I think it's very possible that the Commonwealth has simply slipped through the administrative cracks.

      It really might be all up to me!

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    2. You should go over to Bowling Green, watch a couple of Western Kentucky games, and then prepare a detailed report for Rich Sparks. That would be awesome.

      Then you could follow up with a report on the Second Region High School Tournament.

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  6. As a member of the A's Fan Advisory Committee, I can tell you the A's are listening! The committee was formed in September 2008. Since then we've had numerous meetings with management from all areas/departments and the number one goal is to make the game day experience an enjoyable one for all. We've had the A's/O.co Coliseum staff ask questions, listen to what we say, ask more questions and then implement the changes that make a difference for all of us, the FANS!

    - Kevin (Legacy AFAC Member and A's Season Ticket Holder)
    I have been an A's fan for a very long time and until recently my focus has been mostly on the team on the field. However, since I joined the A's Fans Advisory Committee (AFAC), my appreciation of the Oakland Athletics has grown even stronger! Our AFAC provides input and feedback to A's front office management on a wide range of stadium/operations related topics. It has been a very positive experience to understand some of the challenges that the A's face and also to be involved with suggestions for change and improvement. It is all done with the goal of improving the "Fan Experience" at the ballpark. We have seen a most welcome change in customer service assistance of staff, better signage around the parking lot, ballpark, and concession stands, and creation of the Value Deck ticket option. Kudos to A's management for the idea and support of this volunteer group. It is a win-win-win situation for both the casual and the long time fan, and for the Oakland Athletics. Go A's!

    - Marlene (Legacy AFAC Member and A's Season Ticket Holder)

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  7. A's 8, Mariners 2! Oakland is 2-2. #GreenCollar!

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  8. BREAKING: The Messenger of Madisonville is reports on its agate page that the Houston Astros are now in the American League West. Stand by for further developments.

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  9. Hallmark Channel at this very moment is airing the fantastic 1970 "Dropout" episode of The Brady Bunch, in which Greg gets the big head (and then gets deflated) after Don Drysdale suggests he might end up being a bonus-baby pitcher. The writing, acting and production of this episode are all just excellent.

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    1. Now it's "The Babysitters" episode in which Mike and Carol leave Greg and Marcia to oversee the rest of the kids for the first time. Another fine outing. Everything you see and read about this show indicates that Robert Reed was problematic and conflicted as all get out about being on this show, but the old boy brought the wood every freaking episode--so, so underrated. He and (Owensboro's!) Florence Henderson were both just outstanding.

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    2. "You didn't chain the door!" So great.

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    3. Man ... ooh, la, la ... I'd love to be going out with my wife this evening to the same restaurant where Mike and Carol go out this episode. The place looks fantastic, and so do they.

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    4. Instead, we had Mexican. It was good.

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  10. Welcome to the A.L. West, Houston. A's 8 at Astros 3. Houston has struck out 56 times in its first four games--that's a major-league record. And Art Howe was getting ready to do the post-game show on the Astros' TV network.

    The baseball TV network is great.

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  11. 6-3, Oakland over Houston! A's came from behind with four runs in the sixth--all of them coming with two outs (and Jake Donaldson already having two strikes). #GREENCOLLAR!

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  12. A's win, 8-3, Sunday, completing three-game sweep of Astros in Houston. Five wins in a row, 5-2 on the season and first place in the A.L. West. This is great.

    Dear National League:

    Please send us more of your discards.

    Sincerely,
    #GreenCollar!

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  13. So, Oakland got back to work last night, with the first of a three-game series at the Angels. We went out for pizza, and, when I first got a chance to check a score on the late-starting game, the Swingin' A's were up, 4-0. Then I flipped on MLB Network when I stretched out for bed, and the Angels were back to within 4-2. And then I woke up to the TV still glaring, and the A's were now behind, 5-4. Well, I decided, Albert Pujols, Rod Carew and whatever other big-name free agents California bought this season were going to end Oakland's winning streak.

    BUT, NO! #GREENCOLLAR! John Jaso and Brandon Moss--who were born within three days of one another in September 1983--homered in the seventh to account for five runs, and the A's came behind in Los Angeles or Anaheim to make it SIX IN A ROW!

    Oakland is 6-2. The A's are tied atop the A.L. West with Texas, also 6-2. Only the 7-1 Atlanta Braves have a better record in all of baseball! #GREENCOLLAR!

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