The Purely Unpredictable Playoffs

Giants in a sweep or Royals in seven?

Giants in seven or a Royal sweep?

If this post-season has proven anything, it’s that anything is possible. Predictably unpredictable. It’s been a great post-season. The only thing missing is more games. There’s been more sweeps than in the local broom factory. We’ve seen three games over the minimum. Thankfully, the Royals were able to eliminate Ron Darling and the TBS broadcasts. He is so bad. It’s like Tim McCarver came out of retirement. We’re also due for some instant-replay or catcher’s interference controversy. But let’s not be greedy. There’s still at least four games to go.

So now we have the first all-wildcard World Series. For some baseball purists, this is an abomination of biblical proportions. Two teams, who weren’t able to win their divisions, are now poised to become World Champs. Personally, I don’t have a problem with it. With expansion and multiple divisions, I like the current format. More teams are playing meaningful games deep into September. The roster moves made at the trading deadline become critically important. In some ways, the Billy Beane trade of Yoenis Cespedis for Jon Lester was the climatic moment of the season. Too bad it wasn’t for Oakland. Instead Lester coughed up a lead because he forgot how to hold a runner and the (We’ll Never Be) Royals stole second, third, and the wildcard game from the A’s.

In the current format, it’s not the best teams that advance; it’s the hottest teams. Which, I think, makes baseball the greatest of all sports. With only five teams in each league (you could call it four teams because one is quickly eliminated) making the playoffs, anybody can beat anybody in a short series. Sure basketball and hockey give us the David and Goliath 8-seed victory over a 1-seed, but those teams usually bow out in the next round. Occasionally an NFL wildcard team will scoot all the way to the Super Bowl, but more often than not we see the top teams playing for the trophy in February. When the NFL, NBA and NHL cut their playoff teams in half, we’ll see much more unpredictability in those sports too.

I would have a problem with my favorite team missing the playoffs by a game or two because of a few bad losses in April. The wildcards give slow-starting teams a safety net. To wind up in the World Series, a team has to be good enough over a 162-game schedule AND get hot in October. Clearly the Angels, Tigers, and Nationals weren’t both. Bad teams in April can become good teams by September (Angels and Pirates). Great teams in April and can become bad teams by September (A’s and Tigers). Meanwhile, the Giants proved that a team can take the summer off, just as long as it is good in the spring and the fall. What we had this year are two leagues without a dominant team, opening the door for upsets, sweeps, walkoffs, and unpredictability.

I like that the Royals, one of my favorite teams as a kid, are back in World Series. I like that the Giants, who have won two recent titles can still manage to look like underdogs, while knocking off the Pirates, Nats, and Cards. It’s funny that Dodger fans are irked by the Giants’ success. Here in LA we have passive-aggressive rooting. Angel fans pull for the Giants just to tick off the Dodger fans. And most of all, I love that the Royals, with the 19^th highest payroll, are still playing while the top six spending teams are home hunting, fishing, and upgrading their Range Rovers (the Giants are 7^th).

Now, that instant replay is here for good and McCarver is retired, I have one more baseball wish. This one will really anger the baseball purists. But it’ll bring me more joy than Michael Morse showed on his homerun trot (the top scene of October so far for me). I think it’s time to bring the designated hitter to the National League. Yes, I’m a fan of the DH. I was raised in an American League city. I follow the Angels more than any other team. I am steeped in all things American League. But after watching the NL post-season games, it’s time to completely take the bat out of the pitcher’s hands. Because isn’t that what the managers do anyway? Nothing drives me crazier than when a pitcher steps up with runners on and two outs. Bye-bye run-scoring opportunity. At least with less than two outs the pitcher can bunt. Furthermore, the complete game has virtually become extinct. Lockdown bullpens call for managers to change pitchers every half inning. Thus, after the 5^th or 6^th innings, the pitchers stop coming to the plate. It’s pinch-hitter time. Which to me at least, is the same as having a DH for half of the game.

Ok, what’s going to happen this week? Nobody knows for sure. Both teams are rested. The Giants have the experience, the better manager, and the killer P’s (Panik, Posey, Panda, and Pence). The Royals have the speed, defense, and a bullpen for the ages. Hopefully we’ll get a full seven games. Maybe the final play will be of speedy Lorenzo Cain trying to score from second on a single by DH Billy Butler. Pence charges and makes a goofy armed throw. Posey places the tag. Panda loses his chew in anticipation of the call. Panik’s in a panic. Cain’s called out. Ned Yost challenges the decision. The umps confer. They change the call, saying that Posey was in the base path. Kauffman Stadium erupts in Morse-esque euphoria.

And predictably, baseball purists united as one, spontaneously combust.