It was a very nice year. That's my take on the season. None of my favorite teams made it to the post-season but I'm okay with that. It was a good year.
Even the post-season was fun, despite my low expectations. The World Series was great except for that one lop-sided game. The other games were tremendous. Were we watching the best baseball players in America? Probably not. But they gave it their all and it turned into one of the greatest all-time baseball battles -- and never mind all those errors. I think it's fun that the Cardinals won and Tony LaRussa can go into retirement a happy man. (Okay, what I really mean is it's fun that Nolan Ryan failed big-time on live, high-definition TV and we all got a chance to see his fat face crumble. Game 6 was the uber-collapse of the century and there's tremendous fun in this.)
What made the regular season fun was all the great players scattered across the teams and leagues. For at least a time, many of them shone. I swear I've never seen a bunch of guys make more impressive plays. Photos of a few of these players appear in this post.
Jose Reyes, between injuries, was pretty much the most exciting player baseball has ever seen. He was incredible! Getting on the bases, stealing, throwing bullets in the air to first base. No one did it better.
And Justin Turner, also of the Mets, had a period of greatness. When he came up from the minors, you couldn't stop this guy. It was like he had a magic spell working for him. Amazing. And sure it petered out; that's baseball. But he was up in that rarified air for a time.
Same with Sam Fuld in the outfield for the Rays and Adrian Gonzalez at first base for the Red Sox. In different ways, they were both touched by magic this year. Sam peaked early and Adrian went dead at the end of the season -- but these guys played excellent baseball for quite some time. It was so much fun to watch. I feel thankful for the great players. I really do.
That's what does it for me: the guys who play the game. I love to watch someone excel on the field and this year there was a ton of that. If you were lucky enough to catch the right games, you got to see some all-time great baseball. Really, it was an amazing season.
And listen here, Mets. I want you to know that I'm pleased with you. Sure, you only played .500 baseball -- but you played .500 baseball! I'm proud of you. The Mets are my main team. I feel an affinity for these guys and always have. The Mets players look like New York to me, and I like that.
So here I am at the end of the season. I am armed with the goddess Pandora and soon will be heading to Florida for my Tommy John surgery. Jason Varitek and I were on the phone till very late last night. He's so concerned about me! I know I'm going to get some serious support from Tek during my recovery. Watta guy! With him on my team, I'll be ready when Spring Training rolls around. Just you wait and see!
You can see this post with photos here.
Even the post-season was fun, despite my low expectations. The World Series was great except for that one lop-sided game. The other games were tremendous. Were we watching the best baseball players in America? Probably not. But they gave it their all and it turned into one of the greatest all-time baseball battles -- and never mind all those errors. I think it's fun that the Cardinals won and Tony LaRussa can go into retirement a happy man. (Okay, what I really mean is it's fun that Nolan Ryan failed big-time on live, high-definition TV and we all got a chance to see his fat face crumble. Game 6 was the uber-collapse of the century and there's tremendous fun in this.)
What made the regular season fun was all the great players scattered across the teams and leagues. For at least a time, many of them shone. I swear I've never seen a bunch of guys make more impressive plays. Photos of a few of these players appear in this post.
Jose Reyes, between injuries, was pretty much the most exciting player baseball has ever seen. He was incredible! Getting on the bases, stealing, throwing bullets in the air to first base. No one did it better.
And Justin Turner, also of the Mets, had a period of greatness. When he came up from the minors, you couldn't stop this guy. It was like he had a magic spell working for him. Amazing. And sure it petered out; that's baseball. But he was up in that rarified air for a time.
Same with Sam Fuld in the outfield for the Rays and Adrian Gonzalez at first base for the Red Sox. In different ways, they were both touched by magic this year. Sam peaked early and Adrian went dead at the end of the season -- but these guys played excellent baseball for quite some time. It was so much fun to watch. I feel thankful for the great players. I really do.
That's what does it for me: the guys who play the game. I love to watch someone excel on the field and this year there was a ton of that. If you were lucky enough to catch the right games, you got to see some all-time great baseball. Really, it was an amazing season.
And listen here, Mets. I want you to know that I'm pleased with you. Sure, you only played .500 baseball -- but you played .500 baseball! I'm proud of you. The Mets are my main team. I feel an affinity for these guys and always have. The Mets players look like New York to me, and I like that.
So here I am at the end of the season. I am armed with the goddess Pandora and soon will be heading to Florida for my Tommy John surgery. Jason Varitek and I were on the phone till very late last night. He's so concerned about me! I know I'm going to get some serious support from Tek during my recovery. Watta guy! With him on my team, I'll be ready when Spring Training rolls around. Just you wait and see!
You can see this post with photos here.
