Baseball Post Season Thoughts

Getting the NY Times alert that the Mets had lost and the Brewers had won on Sunday brought a smile to my face. It is amusing to listen to Mets fan, since they seem perpetually happy with themselves, laughing and mocking the Yankees and their fans for having a bad year. The fans were so self assured that their team was going to the playoffs. At least most Yankee fans, including myself, were pretty certain that after 13 years the Bronx Bombers were not going to make the playoffs in about June or maybe July. We true Yankee fans realize that we have had a great run and all runs must end. The Mets? Two amazing chokes to end the season two years in a row.

Excluding the 1981 split season, the Mets became the first team in major league history to hold 3 1/2 -game division leads in consecutive Septembers and fail to make the postseason both times, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

So with that in mind, what do the Mets go and do? They resign GM Omar Minaya and Manager Jerry Manuel to extensions. Talk about a team's management that just not got it. Clearly the team is rewarding an exciting regular season, but missing the playoffs in historic collapse two years in a row is obviously acceptable.

The Yankees resigned their GM Brian Cashman through 2011. The Yankees got old and injured this year, it showed and they paid for it by missing the playoffs. Cashman has his work cut out from him. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy did not play enough this year to show if they are real MLB pitchers or just good AAA players who can't make the jump. They are looking at Bobby Abreau, Jason Giambi, Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina (congrats on the first time to 20 wins) walking away, which should free up a boat load of salary. This should be able to get them a front line pitcher (hello CC). This should also give them an opportunity to retool at various positions. Also if the opportunity to trade Melky or Cano come along, I think cashman needs to take it.

Oh by the way, the Mets and the Yankees finished with exact same record 89-73. So what exactly were the overconfident, arrogant and absolutely clueless Mets fan talking about saying their team is better? If the Yankees played in the NL East, they would have won 100 games despite the injuries. That division is a joke.

With regards to the playoffs:

I think the Phillies are for real, but this could be the Cubs year. Joe Torre obviously continues his 1st round playoff exit. Same result, different city. Though I have to admit, I would love to see Manny Ramirez win the World Series without the Red Sox, since his teammates (except David Ortiz) bailed on him when he was traded.

I like that the Red Sox and Angels are playing first. They should beat each other upon the head in a 7 game series, so they are down and tired to take on the Rays. This lets the Rays pass the tired White Sox. The Rays are too young, too naive to know that they are supposed to lose. I can see them making it all the way to World Series, where they are mowed down by the Cubs who break the 100 year curse.