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(IAN'S COLUMN)
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A week ago, my friends Scott Hatter, "Happy" Matt Turner, and Ashley Menzies tried out for ESPN's "dream job", a SportsCenter anchor. Now this would be a fun job to have, but a job I would be fired from. Let's break it down:
and the number one reason:
I know more about baseball than probably 99% of the nation's population. Say an obscure name like "Chad Bradford" and I can give you a detailed scouting report. I am a die-hard Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and it's hard for me to not call them to win the NL West. It's what I hope for and expect. This year, there were 8 teams in the playoffs. here are my feelings about each of them:
Of course, I hate the Giants much more than the Yankees and slightly more than the Braves. They have been Los Angeles' rival since they both played in New York. And I hate Bonds and his smug attitude. He's not an MVP, he's a clubhouse cancer and a Me First player. I was glad to see San Fran exit the playoffs early at the hands of the Marlins. Back when I lived in Raleigh, I was more of a Braves hater than a Giants hater. An example: Final game of the '93 season. Atlanta & San Fran are tied for the NL West lead. Atlanta wins their game, and SF has to beat LA on the final day to force a one-game playoff. I was actually rooting AGAINST the Dodgers because a.) they were out of the race anyway and b.) I didn't want Atlanta to make the playoffs. Well instead, the Dodgers pommeled the Giants 12-1 and the Braves made the playoffs. So emotions run pretty high for me in baseball. I definitely said some choice words when Singleton struck out LOOKING on Monday night to eliminate the A's from the playoffs. There's no way I could make predictions like Peter Gammons and Jayson Stark do without personal vendettas getting in the way. Of course, I will always love the Dodgers and hate the Giants, Braves, and Yankees. I would love a Florida-Oakland series (that didn't happen, of course). The past 2 World Series, I cheered as the D-Backs (LA divisional rivals, but playing the Yanks) won versus Rivera. Last year, I cheered for my grandfather's team, the Angels. He always wanted the team to be called the "Anaheim Angels" and not "Los Angeles Angels" or "California Angels" since they played in his hometown. He died in 1990, 7 years before they changed the name to Anaheim, but I had to cheer on the team that my grandfather, Kenneth Ogee loved. Baseball is my life. As the Fox slogan goes, "I LIVE FOR THIS." And I truly do.
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THE
VOORN PROJECT |
New
York Yankees. I despise the Yanks, mostly for their front
office management. Steinbrenner spends freely and will do anything to
win, which is not fair for small markets. Apart from that, I do like the
solid, fundamental ballplaying of players like Jeter, Clemens, Mussina,
and Posada. The last time the Yanks were in the Series, Mariano Rivera
suffered a meltdown at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Minnesota
Twins. How can you not root
for Minnesota? Ever since they turned their losing ways around in 2001
by winning 85 games, up from 69, I've been a fan. This is a team that
doesn't emphasize superstars, but rather team play.
Oakland
Athletics. The A's are my AL fave. They've established
a mini-dynasty on the east side of San Francisco Bay under the shrewd
dealings of GM Billy Beane. What you may not realize is that since moving
to Oakland in 1968, the A's have had two similar dynasties - once in the
70s (winning 3 World Series in a row) and in the late 80s (going to the
Series 3 years in a row and winning it all in '89).
Boston
Red Sox. I would root for
Boston over New York, but not Minnesota or Oakland. Boston may have "The
Curse" but they are a well-funded, large market team taht spent a
lot of midseason money. They were expected to make the postseason; it's
not a Cinderella story. Oakland and Minnesota are more impressive stories.
Atlanta
Braves. I hate the Braves.
I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina for 6 years that included the beginning
of their division title dynasty. Everyone there was an Atlanta fan and
I stuck to my LA guns as they competed against each other in the NL West.
After living amongst Braves fans, I absolutely hate them. Also, Skip Caray
is the WORST announcer in baseball.
Chicago
Cubs. Same situation as Boston.
Sure, it's a great story, but with a $80 million roster, it was expected.
Of course, I want them to beat the Braves (as they did), and they do have
former Dodgers Karros and Grudzielanek. As Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times
said, "Florida is the great October story. The Cubs are a tourist
attraction."
Florida
Marlins. My favorite NL team in the playoffs. They play
small ball and have great pitching. Jack McKeon turned this team around
and although they beat out L.A. for the wild card, I have to like the
underdogs. Jeff Conine returns to the team that made him a (mild) superstar.
He was on the 1997 Series winning team that beat the Indians.