I just caught this list on a recent episode of “Countdown with Keith Olbermann.” I can’t seem to find a video version of the list, so a heads up would be appreciated. But here is the written version on Olbermann’s own blog.
Tag: World Series (Page 4 of 5)
The Phillies gave up quite the package to acquire starter Cliff Lee from the Indians at the trade deadline, but that doesn’t matter much now because he was definitely worth it.
Lee shut down the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series, taking a shutout into the ninth inning of a 6-1 Phillies’ win. If it weren’t for Jimmy Rollins throwing the ball away in the ninth to give New York a run, Lee would have earned a shutout, although he’ll certainly take a 10-strike out, zero-walk performance.
Chase Utley gave Lee and Philadelphia all the offense they needed, as he hit two solo shots off New York ace CC Sabathia. With his first home run of the game, Utley reached base in his 26th-straight postseason game, which broke Boog Powell’s record from 1966-71. He was also the first player to hit two dingers in Game 1 of a World Series since Troy Glaus accomplished the feat in 2002 against the Giants.
If the trends from previous World Series hold up, the Yankees are in trouble. In the last six years, the team that has won Game 1 have all gone on to win the series, just as the Phillies did last year when they beat the Rays 3-2 in the 2008 opener.
Philadelphia played like a team that had been to the World Series the year before, while New York seemed a little uptight. Not to take anything away from Lee, but it’s a little absurd for a Yankees lineup so filled with talent to only produce one run – especially given the park they play in. It was impressive how calm and collected Philadelphia’s players were, it almost seemed like they were playing in a spring training game.
Now all the pressure is on the Yankees to win Game 2, because they can’t fall behind 0-2 and then hit the road for three. The Phillies essentially accomplished their goal of winning one game in New York, but if they take Game 2 they’ll certainly be in the driver’s seat when they head back home.
As far as the Yankees and Cardinals are concerned, they are on a collision course for the World Series, as they are putting large amounts of distance between themselves and their closest competitors. The Braves, Cubs, Marlins and Giants are losing hope in the NL, while the Rays, Mariners and Twins are losing it in the AL. Time is just running out and is on the side of those out in front. We also had some changes in this week’s rankings, with the Phillies dropping and the Rockies and some other teams climbing.
1. New York Yankees (91-51)—Seriously, does this team have an off-switch lately? Their fans had better hope it doesn’t get flicked on in October. And Derek Jeter now leads a pretty awesome list of company for the team hits lead.
2. St. Louis Cardinals (84-58)—On freaking fire, and Albert Pujols is closing in on 50 homers.
3. Los Angeles Angels (85-55)—With a 5.5-game lead, the Angels are breathing just a bit easier, but they can’t feel good about a likely match up with the Red Sox again.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (84-58)—Barely hanging on to the NL West lead, but still in front by 2 games. The question is, do they want to face the Phillies or red-hot Cards in the first round?
5. Boston Red Sox (81-58)—They are not able to keep the pesky Rangers away, and Red Sox nation is a few weeks away from breathing easy, if they even hang on at all.
6. Colorado Rockies (82-60)—Nine out of ten wins and the Rockies are no longer thinking just wild card. But would they keep it up in October?
7. Texas Rangers (79-60)—The way they are chasing the Red Sox puts them just a notch above struggling Philly.
8. Philadelphia Phillies (80-59)—A 6-game lead over Florida is fairly comfortable, but the Phils are not playing good baseball. Can they find their stroke in October?
9. Detroit Tigers (75-65)—Only a total collapse would keep the Tigers from a postseason berth now, but just ask the Mets if that can’t happen.
10. San Francisco Giants (76-65)—Mediocre ball in September will not help this team catch the Rockies and Dodgers.
Through his blog (38pitches.com) last week, Curt Schilling ended months of speculation on whether or not he would pitch this season by announcing his retirement from baseball. And the moment he hit the send button on his computer screen, the debate began if he is a worthy Hall of Fame candidate.
If you consider him a lock for enshrinement to Cooperstown than you must re-evaluate Jack Morris’ career because they’re one in the same. Neither guy was a marquee name. For Schilling, he had to contend with Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson, while Morris competed with Doc Gooden and Roger Clemens for the title of baseball’s best pitcher. They had similar starts to their careers as long men in the bullpen, but once they established themselves in the starting rotation, Schilling and Morris became big game pitchers at the most important time of the year…October.
Their regular season numbers don’t overwhelm you, as Schilling had only 216 career wins and Morris recorded 254 wins in his 17-year career, with both eluding the coveted 300 wins mark for automatic entrance into the Hall. And neither one won a Cy Young Award in their career. But, what really puts them into the conversation is their memorable playoff performances.
Two words come to mind when you say Schilling and postseason…bloody sock. He stapled his ankle tendon to the bone and led the Boston Red Sox to their first championship in 86 years. He was the ace or co-ace on four World Series teams (the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies, the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, and the 2004 and 2007 Boston Red Sox), and was named the 2001 co-MVP in one of the best seven-game World Series ever played. In 19 postseason appearances, Schilling had an 11-2 record with a 2.33 ERA. His detractors will tell you that Schilling never met a microphone that he didn’t like, and who could forget him playing for the camera by covering his head with a towel instead of watching Phillies closer Mitch Williams save game five in the 1993 World Series?
Morris was a true throwback, a pitcher that finished what he started. He had 175 career complete games in an era that was transitioning from dominant starting pitching to a bullpen–based staff. And just like Schilling, he is remembered for one amazing postseason outing. Morris recorded a 10-inning complete Game 7 shutout victory over the Atlanta Braves to capture the 1991 World Series for the Minnesota Twins. His World Series record was 4-2 with a 2.96 ERA, as he led four teams (the 1984 Detroit Tigers, the 1991 Minnesota Twins, and the 1992 and 1993 Toronto Blue Jays) to World Series titles, including three in a row from 1991-1993.
Schilling and Morris raised their level of play when their teams’ back was against the wall. They pitched to the moment and came up big time after time. Other pitchers (Mike Mussina or Bert Blyleven) might have better career numbers, but they will have to pay admission to get into Cooperstown. The debate about whether or not Schilling and Morris are Hall of Famers has begun…let’s discuss.
It’s hard to believe the start of baseball season is next week. It seems like a very short time ago when the Phillies and Rays were playing a Game 5 of the World Series in frigid Philly, having to suspend it and pick up the next night. It seemed like nothing was going to stop that Phillies team, much to the dismay of this Mets’ fan. Anyway, it’s a fresh start and a clean slate and a whole lot of possibilities. Here are a few of those as I see them…
NL MVP: David Wright, New York Mets—Am I playing homer? Yes. But this kid works really hard every off-season and consistently puts up big numbers, and he hasn’t even come close to showing his potential. This year Wright is going to show the world why the Mets have built their franchise around him, and he’s going to (finally) lead them to a World Series.
AL MVP: Grady Sizemore, Cleveland Indians—Last year, Sizemore had a full season low batting average of .268 but racked up career highs in home runs (33), RBI (90) and stolen bases (38). Last season Sizemore finished 10th in the AL MVP voting but like Wright, he is on the verge of something huge, and he’s going to lead the Indians to the playoffs.
NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants—I love a good short-guy-kicks-ass story, the kind where most scouts write someone off because of their size (5’10, 160 pounds), and then they go and prove everyone wrong except the team who drafted them. That’s Tim Lincecum, who won the NL Cy Young last season for the Giants, winning 18 of his team’s 72 wins, or ONE QUARTER of them. His stuff is absolutely sick, and at times just unhittable and he will coast to his second straight Cy Young.
AL Cy Young: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox—Last season, Dice-K went 18-3 but was largely overshadowed by Cliff Lee’s 22-3 masterpiece as well as by K-Rod’s record-breaking 62 saves. But this guy has taken over as the dominating shutdown starter in Boston after Josh Beckett battled inconsistency last year, and this year he’s going to roll to the Cy Young.
NL Rookie of the Year: Micah Hoffpauir, Chicago Cubs—Last season, during the second straight historic collapse by the Mets, Hoffpauir was Babe Ruth for one game, going 5 for 5 with two home runs and five RBI. That was his only multi-hit game, but you don’t just have a showing like that by accident.
AL Rookie of the Year: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays—Sure, the Rays optioned their young phenom to the minors recently, but don’t let that fool you. Once Price logs a few innings, he’ll be back in Tampa blowing hitters away the way he did in the ALCS against Boston last season. And he’ll find himself as the #2 or #3 starter before long.
NL Manager of the Year: Jerry Manuel, New York Mets—When Willie Randolph was let go in New York last season, the Mets were 34-35. After Manuel replaced him, the Mets went 55-38 the rest of the way. Okay, they choked again down the stretch, but this year it’s Jerry’s team from the start, and he’s going to show everyone that his no-nonsense and player-friendly approach can win lots of games, as well as championships. It doesn’t hurt that he has two lights-out closers (K-Rod, JJ Putz) anchoring his bullpen now.
AL Manager of the Year: Eric Wedge, Cleveland Indians—The Indians missed the playoffs last season after taking the eventual champion Red Sox to 7 games the year before. The Tribe plays well in odd numbered years as of late—going 93-69 in 2005 and 96-66 in 2007. This season, with the additions of Kerry Wood, Mark DeRosa and Carl Pavano, Cleveland is going to surprise a lot of folks.
NL Comeback Player of the Year: Eric Byrnes, Arizona Diamondbacks—Byrnes was way off his career averages in 2008, hitting a paltry .209 with 6 homers and 23 RBI. He has nowhere to go but up, and this season I have a feeling Byrnes’ numbers are going to match his intensity on the field.
AL Comeback Player of the Year: John Smoltz, Boston Red Sox—After season-ending shoulder surgery in June of 2008, the Braves finally let one of the cornerstones of their franchise go, as the free agent pitcher signed with the Sox. He won’t see the mound until June, but Smoltz threw in the bullpen this week and showed no signs of pain. He’s going to make the Braves sorry—really sorry.
FOLLOW US!
CATEGORIES
© 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑