Well, that big sigh of relief you all heard last night was the executives at MLB and TBS/TNT as the Yankees came back and won a game, making the NYY/CLE series the only one to continue past the minimum three games.
Without tonight’s game, baseball was looking at a break from Sunday night to Thursday night; appropriate for football, but terribly detrimental to baseball, which feeds off tight playoff drama and daily games. I think of the revenue lost in Los Angeles as the Angels were soundly beaten at home, only selling out their stadium for a single playoff game. The same goes for Chicago, and the Rockies too, but I think Denver will be okay, considering they will play in the next round.
I was surprised the Cubs were handled as easily as they were; I was not surprised at the Rockies’ success (and I think it will continue), but the AL outcome I was hoping for (and expecting) still feels great the next day. After Lackey and K-Rod were both assigned playoff loses--the latter in sweet, dramatic fashion--Boston finished off the sweep by annihilating the Halos at home, really leaving very little for them to cheer about.
I’m fine with the Yankees/Cleveland going the full five games; I’d like as much baseball as possible, now that the Angels are out. I hope Boston is crushed in the next round, either by A-rod redeeming himself, or by the Tribe pulling together and knocking off both the AL East giants. I think the city of New York finally figured out that the best way to get A-rod to stop pressing and hit was to cheer him, and not boo him. Novel concept, I know.
I’m rooting for a good game tonight; it’s the only one that has a chance.
Byrd vs. Wang [insert your own joke here] face off at 4:30.
