Sports Then and Now

The Los Angeles Angels kept the Red Sox on their backs throughout their American League Playoff Series.

The Boston Red Sox offense finally found their bats, but the bullpen couldn’t hold a late lead as the Los Angeles Angels surprisingly completed a series sweep to end the 2009 season for the Sox.

It was a disappointing end to a season that was filled with peaks and valleys.

The Red Sox began the season seizing a lead of as many as five games in the American League East before injuries started to erode their pitching depth.

After slumping in July and early August, the Sox rebounded to clinch their sixth playoff appearance in the last seven seasons.

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The Twins celebrate following their dramatic 12-inning win over the Tigers.

Baseball is simple and timeless – there is a man, a ball, a bat and unending athleticism.  American baseball strategy has not changed that much in the past 100 years.  Pinpoint execution and smart play are the keys.  Always has been – always will be.

So at the end of a long season in 2009 the Minnesota Twins faced the Detroit Tigers for all the marbles in a one game tiebreaker to determine the American League Central Division champion for the privilege of playing the Yankees in the ALDS.  You had to expect one helluva game.

No disappointment there.  It was a classic.  Like alternating hotrods driving to the edge of a cliff, stopping on a dime as one wheel hung over the edge – playing chicken in the dome with the playoffs waiting just out of reach over the chasm.

At the end of each Detroit at-bat the Twins pulled themselves back from the precipice to begin another run at the win.  Exhilarating stuff in the claustrophobic dome with the hankies flying and fans swooning in anxiety.

The coaches dueled on the sidelines with bunts and bullets, pinch hitters and runners and bullpen substitutions without reservation because unless they won this one, there would be no tomorrow.

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According to Jimmy Dugan, "There's no crying in baseball!"

According to the American Film Institute, their list of top 100 movie quotes of all time includes (at number 54), “There’s no crying in baseball!”  This gem, uttered in “A League of Their Own” by Peaches coach Jimmy Dugan (played by Tom Hanks) has also become a favorite of sportscasters and fans alike.

Apparently,  few of the players currently on postseason rosters have yet to see this very entertaining and informative film.

First, Cole Hamels.  Last year’s World Series MVP really wants to get back to the big show again this year.  In the process, he’s annoyed about the afternoon game times that the Phillies/Rockies matchup has garnered this week.

“I don’t think it’s fair. I definitely don’t think it’s fair for the fans. I understand TV ratings, but at the end of the day, most players would rather play when they’re most comfortable, and that’s kind of what we’ve been trained to do, and I think it’s more fair for us than really the TV ratings.”

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Albert Pujols will look to power the Cardinals past the Dodgers.

For much of the 2009 season the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals appeared to be the two best teams in the National League. However, a late slide by the Cardinals suddenly pits these two traditional contenders against each other in the opening round of the National League playoffs.

In Albert Pujols and Manny Ramirez, this series features two of the best known players in the game. However, while Pujols is at the peak of his game, Ramirez has struggled to regain top form since missing 50 games due to a positive drug test.
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The Twins will look to continue their late season magic against the Yankees.

In a battle between two Cinderella’s, I guess it is fitting that the Minnesota Twins came away with the victory in their final season playing in the infamous Metrodome.

Of course they really don’t get much of a reward – or time to rest – as they now must quickly travel to New York City to face the Evil Empire known as the New York Yankees.

While the Twins have known for minutes that they would be continuing their season well into October, the Yankees have been preparing for the postseason since taking over first place in the American League East in mid-July.

Posting the best record in baseball at 103-59, the Yankees went 41-17 over the last 58 games and didn’t lose three in a row until the last days of the season.

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The Angels and Red Sox are familiar postseason foes as this will be the third straight season in which they have squared off.

If something seems familiar about an American League Division Playoff matchup between the Los Angeles Angels and the Boston Red Sox, it isn’t your imagination. The Angels and Red Sox are meeting in the opening round of the playoffs for the third straight year and fourth time in six years.

The Angels are hoping that this time the final results will be different than in those three previous meetings. Boston swept the Angels out of the playoffs in 2004 and 2007 and then last season won the best of five series in four games with the only Los Angeles win coming in 12 innings in game three.

Both the Angels and Red Sox spent much of the 2009 season seemingly biding their time waiting for the playoffs to begin.
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