Wheaton's answer to Peter Gammons talks of jinxes, playoffs and the Fall Classic
Chuck Platt '10
Issue date: 9/24/08 Section: Sports
Baseball is my favorite sport. But even I, devout fan that I am, lose interest in the "boys of summer" over the summer months. At some point, as June slides into July, the novelty of the new season wears off. Frankly, by this point, it isn't even "new".
Let's face it: the regular season is a drawn out, tedious, 162-game marathon. And its not like baseball is a sport that has ever been known for its speed. However, in its protracted nature, baseball, perhaps more so than any other professional sport, distinguishes its pretenders from its contenders. That's why we know the Tampa Bay Rays are, to put it colloquially, for real. (Although their team batting average of .261 is one of the worst in the AL)
So here we are now, in this month of September, when postseason fortunes are either realized or denied. We are past those "dog days" of August and are now near the end of that marathon that is the regular season. The finish line tape is in sight.
While there is no Rockies-esque team out there this year, sprinting furiously to the finish, this year's edition of September is still producing drama, particularly in the National League. The Milwaukee Brewers, who had a comfortable grip on the wild card for all of August and into this month, now find themselves in dire straights, fighting for their October lives with the equally-cooked New York Mets and the confident and cool Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phillies are, once again, putting the September pressure on the Mets, who are desperately hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's historic collapse. The other division titles lack drama. They have not generated much buzz outside of the Windy City, but the Cubs, yes, the Cubs, are looking like a team that could win it all, barring goat sightings or another run-in with Steve Bartman.
I may have just jinxed them.
That said, the Cubbies have had things pretty well in hand all summer though. And as well as C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee have been pitching, lookout for the equally nasty Rich Harden, who has been on an absolute tear since being traded to Chicago from Oakland.
Let's face it: the regular season is a drawn out, tedious, 162-game marathon. And its not like baseball is a sport that has ever been known for its speed. However, in its protracted nature, baseball, perhaps more so than any other professional sport, distinguishes its pretenders from its contenders. That's why we know the Tampa Bay Rays are, to put it colloquially, for real. (Although their team batting average of .261 is one of the worst in the AL)
So here we are now, in this month of September, when postseason fortunes are either realized or denied. We are past those "dog days" of August and are now near the end of that marathon that is the regular season. The finish line tape is in sight.
While there is no Rockies-esque team out there this year, sprinting furiously to the finish, this year's edition of September is still producing drama, particularly in the National League. The Milwaukee Brewers, who had a comfortable grip on the wild card for all of August and into this month, now find themselves in dire straights, fighting for their October lives with the equally-cooked New York Mets and the confident and cool Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phillies are, once again, putting the September pressure on the Mets, who are desperately hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's historic collapse. The other division titles lack drama. They have not generated much buzz outside of the Windy City, but the Cubs, yes, the Cubs, are looking like a team that could win it all, barring goat sightings or another run-in with Steve Bartman.
I may have just jinxed them.
That said, the Cubbies have had things pretty well in hand all summer though. And as well as C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee have been pitching, lookout for the equally nasty Rich Harden, who has been on an absolute tear since being traded to Chicago from Oakland.
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