Suddenly this year's baseball playoffs
have little remaining appeal for me.
I've been a fan of the
New York Yankees since I was a boy, especially
as a teen living in Connecticut. Beginning in the the 70s, I've been following the
Atlanta Braves on cable television. Ted
Turner's Superstation, WTBS, showed the woeful antics of a perpetually losing team.
Things sure have changed for them in the 90s.
In the past couple years, my
good friend has introduced
me to the Arizona Diamondbacks, her
hometown team. Last year they were World Champions ... quite exciting.
So when all three of those teams
reached the playoffs this year, it seemed assured I would have a rooting interest in
at least one of them throughout the playoffs. Who'da thunk they would all
lose in the first round.
The Yanks were the first to go,
knocked off by the Anaheim Angels Saturday
afternoon. Later that evening, the Diamondbacks hopes of repeating as champions were
dashed by the St. Louis Cardinals. Then
last night, in the only series to go five games, the San
Francisco Giants sent the Braves off to the golf course and fishing hole. The
fourth team remaining in the playoffs is the
Minnesota Twins.
Who do I root for now? It would be nice
to see Barry Bonds finally get a championship ring with the Giants after such a stellar
career. Anaheim has never even been to the World Series ... they are the underdog
everyone seems to like. The Twins? Well, they're from Minne-soda y'no.
That leaves this year's sentimental
favorite, the Cardinals. They had a tough year. One of the game's best pitchers, Darryl
Kile, suffered a fatal heart attack at the peak of his career. Their Hall of Fame radio
and TV announcer Jack Buck also passed away during the season. Manager Tony LaRussa
has for years been one of the most brilliant minds in the game ... so for the next couple
weeks, I'm a St. Louis Cardinals fan.
