Non-Yankee Related Baseball Article - Where We Talk About The Teams Still Playing
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by Manny Stiles
Manny Stiles' Smattering of Newsy Sports items:
NLCS
- I'm going to Game 1 tonight and (if) there is a Game 7, my ass is THERE!
- I've seen the Diamondbacks up close and often this year.
- I live in Phoenix, so I've seen and have been subjucated to following them all year.
- The Rays came into Phoenix for a 3 game set and I got press creds and watched them take BP sharing analysis with and sitting next to Don Zimmer.
- My wife is a total "homer" and has rooted for the D-Backs since she moved to Arizona - Fall of 2001. And we went to several games this season - She has been a Suns fan forever (She grew up in Dan Majerleville, (aka Traverse City, MI) though!
- I live in Arizona so there is a heavy Colorado influence here and believe me, I've seen my share of the Rockies, too. But never in person! They were the last team I hadn't seen in the National League (I haven't seen the Nationals play, but I saw the Expos a bunch).
The Diamondbacks
- Sure they went to the new colors to move on with new ownership, reflect Arizona better (WTF was with the Purple and Teal?) - it's called Sedona Red - and it's the most beautiful color when you're in Sedona; where the vortexes distort your senses. It is not a beatiful color on a baseball uniform. It really makes them look like Houston Stros rejects. I also like the "D-Bags" knockoffs that showed up INSTANTLY.
- "Any given player, Any given game" - it's not their motto, it's their raison d'etre
- Where do they get it? Look no further than Bench Coach Kirk Gibson
- Why does everyone miss the Kirk Gibson factor here? "Hello, 1988 is calling. They say they need Brandon Webb as Orel Hershiser and the D-Backs to play the role of the sack of crap (Mickey Hatcher, Mike Davis, Alfredo Griffin, John Shelby, bleeech) called "the '88 Dodgers".
I was in the same dugout as the '01 Yankees
- It's organizational. They capitalized their dip into the trough. Everyone forgets that the D-Backs had a monumentally horrible season - a season worse than any Tampa Bay Rays season. They built from the ground up!
- They did this without Randy Johnson. JUST IMAGINE if he was healthy? I'm sure Yankees fans are failiar with THAT type of imagination.
- Everyone can get over the fascination with Pythagorean Number mystery - the lost big and won a lot, A LOT of close games.
- They had two games where they had a fielder pitch early in the season.
- stats only tell you what you want them to. Understand this, I would get Bill James' Baseball Abstract as an annual Christmas gift - in the early 80's. Back before most of you were born. I get stats, I understand how they aree used and can't help but focus on how they are individually flawed. You can't predict the future with stats. You can feel the game being played out in ways numbers can't measure. Read the Physics of Baseball sometime if you want to understand the game.
- The Diamondbacks can be summed up in one game in June against the Devil Rays. Arizona got crushed 10-2 the night before, they were 0-7 All-time against their expansion mates. It was 8-2 in the fifth, Tampa was cruising until it got to the bullpen. They went hitless after the fifth inning. The D-Backs chipped and held, clawed and held, and FOUND a way to get a guy on for Tony Clark as a pinch hitter, who hit a game tying HR in the bottom of the ninth of Al Reyes - (Sorry Al, I swear it's my fault you give up HRs when I'm watching). The game went to extra innings. I was sitting next to a MLB.com writer who typed his runner (headline) as "Young hits HR in 10th to Cap D-Back's Comeback" as the Rays were batting in the top of the 10th! He said "I didn't mean to do that, but I'll leave it up...". Sure enough - Chris Young hit his 10th Major League HR and ended the game.
- I'll take credit for calling their first win over the Rays as the turning point for their season. Afterall, the Rays just got done spanking the Rockies in Denver! (I love interleague play)
- WHY did they win the close games? Bullpen. Their bullpen is their unique strength. What do you need more than anything in the playoffs? Pitching. And you DEFINITELY need a real Bullpen. I think Arizona's is the best bullpen left standing...
- Don Zimmer wowed over the D-Backs power display in batting practice. to quote (with Mark reynolds at bat): "We just came from Denver and I thought those guys could hit, wow"
- Zim is right. The D-Backs have some pop. A bunch of different guys can go yard at any moment.
- The Diamondbacks weren't supposed to win yet. Next year was supposed to be the year. This was the breaking in year - new colors, new mantra, new attitude. They didn't make any moves at the trade deadline and wanted to keep their core intact for the future. They have a logjam of talent coming and decisions to make on the future and a deep playoff run/World Series certainly gives them a good problem to have.
- I've been in denial about them all year. And "you know what" - to quote Eric Byrnes - this is their year. It's clear to me now. I took the glasses of sensibility off and have seen the ugliness of truth. It's their year. Most years, it wouldn't happen, but it did and it has and I guess it's gonna... No other explanation.
Rockies
- Wonderful run, lots of things to be proud of...
ALCS
- I'm not going to any of the ALCS games but I did get to see the Indians play three games in Tampa way back in April. From the press box and in the dugouts.
- I did see most of the Rays - Red Sox games on TV (or at sports bars) plus I read articles on ArmchairGM.com so I am familiar with the Red Sox from the hype aspect as well.
Indians
- Granted, I was so overwhelmed by getting to know the Rays that I didn't focus on the Tribe as much as I could.
- Travis Hafner is one of the few people I have ever seen that felt physically imposing. I'm a big dude and he is an oak tree with a human heart. If you put me (6'6" 260) and Elijah Dukes (thickness) together you'd get a Travis Hafner, that's how big he is! He hit a ball into the catwalk that was probably the farthest I had ever seen a ball hit. Unfortunately I was wandering around the stadium abusing my press pass, checking out roped off areas and I was just in a position where I couldn't see it hit the catwalk, only hear it (BONG!). And I watched it land in a roped off area where I was taking pictures from minutes earlier.]]"
The only game I saw the Indians lose in person all year!
- Travis Hafner is one of the few people I have ever seen that felt physically imposing. I'm a big dude and he is an oak tree with a human heart. If you put me (6'6" 260) and Elijah Dukes (thickness) together you'd get a Travis Hafner, that's how big he is! He hit a ball into the catwalk that was probably the farthest I had ever seen a ball hit. Unfortunately I was wandering around the stadium abusing my press pass, checking out roped off areas and I was just in a position where I couldn't see it hit the catwalk, only hear it (BONG!). And I watched it land in a roped off area where I was taking pictures from minutes earlier.
- The Indians are a team. They are together, they have been together, they win together. They remind me an AWFUL lot like the '05 White Sox without needing the magic to get them here. Maybe Victor Martinez keeps a rally alive with a swinging third strike, or maybe Victor Martinez shows why HE is the most underrated player in baseball.
- If Hafner continues his hotness, awwwwww shit! Martinez and Hafner can do everything Papi and "Manny not being Me" can do, trust me. And regardless me saying it, or of how many drugs I'm possibly on, it's still true.
- Their records were identical. But since the All-Star break, they're not...
- The Indians pitching staff just dispatched a MORE potent offense than Boston's. I don't think that the Indians are scurred.
- Eric Wedge - he's better than you think. He's well respected amongst his managerial brethern.
- Said it before, will say it again - how many Indians players can you name? If you're a Red Sox fan - the less Indians players you can name, the less your chances of getting to the World Series becomes. Or... They ARE that good, and maybe you're not?!?!?
- Indians came into Tampa in April just after the Joe Borowski meltdown in New York and took 2 out of 3 with Borowski getting two very clean 1-2-3 saves. Easily, the turning point of their season! They came into Tampa at 6-6 and off a sweeping by the Yankees. They left Tampa with a Ryan Garko extra innings HR and took a record over .500 with them and never looked back! - I'll take the credit on behalf of them.
Red Sox
- Be happy with little things - like 2007 AL East Champs Banners. It's worthy of pride.
So there you have it
I'm taking D-Backs and Indians from here since my earlier predictions were half wrong. It would just "figure" that I got to root for the Rays while the teams I watched them play the most against end up playing each other in the World Series.
It really is all about Manny Stiles... I'm like Head-on commercials. See 'em enough and you need their product.
If my feeling the pulse of things is in tune, I'm going to the World Series!!
So there's another reason for me to "Root" for the "home team"!
- P.S... Arizona Fall league reports coming soon!
