Monday, October 17, 2011
THE BATTLE OF THE BARBECUE STYLES? Normally I can locate some easy cultural fault line between the two cities vying for one of America's major sports championships, but Texas (Dallas) v. St. Louis in the 2011 World Series isn't yet doing it for me. Or, put another way, I need something more than Nelly and fried ravioli around which to build a post. In the meantime, I've got two pitching changes and a quintuple-switch to arrange.
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You know what's only slightly more interesting to me than this World Series? Coming up with other pairings that would actually cause me to care less about the outcome of the World Series than these two teams. Maybe Padres-Royals.
ReplyDeletewell, there's always hoping a random foul ball hits Tony Larussa in the face.
ReplyDeleteI care less about this series than the outcome of the Japan Series. The Softbank Hawks are dominant in their league, but there seems to be a good pennant race between the Chunichi Dragons and the Yakult Swallows.
I think I actually would care more about Padres-Royals. I can now follow up not watching a single inning of either LCS with not watching a single inning of the WS. Major League Baseball fever - catch it!
ReplyDeleteIt's especially a shape because Tigers-Brewers would have been *highly* entertaining, I think. So close but yet so far......
ReplyDeleteI do think Pirates-Mariners would be worse. But just barely.
Here comes Isaac in 3....2.....1....
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a Pirates fan, so that would be more interesting, but I realize that's personal to me. Prior to marriage? Yeah, not that interested.
ReplyDeleteThe best player in the game is playing in the World Series, in what may be the last 4-7 games he will ever play for his team. That should count for something.
ReplyDeleteI would add that if you don't like this matchup, you probably would not be really happy with any matchup that does not involve your favorite team. These are two really good teams with really good players. Aside from getting to see Pujols in what could be an end to an amazing run as a Cardinal, you get to see stars like Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz, who just had one of the most amazing playoff series of all time. You also get great pitching matchups, albeit mostly from the bullpens. If you want tradition, you get the St. Louis Cardinals, the NL team with the most World Series wins all-time playing in a city that is often described as the best baseball city in America. If you want upstarts, you get the Rangers, a team that has only been to one World Series and a team whose own security guards have never heard of the movie The Natural even though they play the music from the movie after every Ranger home run. First pitches could come from Stan Musial, one of the greatest hitters of all time, and Nolan Ryan, one of the greatest pitchers of all time. For quirky side characters, you have one team managed by a former middle infielder with a law degree and the other by a former middle infielder with a coke habit. For good measure you also have a hitting coach with his own drug issues, not that he is here to talk about them. And for what it's worth, St. Louis and Dallas have great climates to host late-October baseball (at least in comparison to New York/Boston) and this year the World Series actually ends before Halloween. Plus, as always, a Molina is involved.
ReplyDeleteI understand the Rangers get no respect because they were so bad for so long. But last year should have done something to remedy that - I suppose that season was considered a "one-off" - and this season should have proven that wrong.
ReplyDeleteAnyway... the TX/Detriot series was some very exciting baseball. Hell, a walk off grand slam!! The most home runs by one player in any series. Extra innings. And a near total blowout to end the series. It was all fantastic baseball.
And I love Ron Washington, I love how animated he is and how much he clearly loves the game and his players - he's fun to watch. I love Elvis Andrus - a player who smiles all the time and, again, is having fun.
Go Rangers!!!
Heck, the Pirates are the local team now and it's hard to imagine caring. Except, of course, for the off-chance of being able to walk right up and buy World Series tickets at the box office day of game.
ReplyDeleteI am as a big a baseball fan as you can find, and I will certainly be watching the World Series, but I can't get excited about either of these teams because: 1) I am an A's fan, so I have built-in dislike of the Rangers, and 2) my husband is a Cubs fan, with his requisite Cardinals dislike. So, for us, pretty much any of the other possible combinations coming into the playoffs would have been "better", by which I mean we would have had a rooting interest.
ReplyDeleteI think the closest we can come is rooting for the Rangers because my antipathy is not nearly as great as his, and also, the no wave movement at Arlington.