So I'm notoriously bad at predictions. I thought this was the year that was going to change -- by mid-August my two bold predictions, that the A's would take the AL West and the White Sox wouldn't make the playoffs, looked pretty good. But then both teams turned it around, in opposite directions, and I was totally wrong. I guess I called four of the eight playoff spots correctly (about what everyone else on this board did), but a smart monkey could've done as well. And someone picking the highest-salaried team from each division would have done even better, picking 5 of 8.
Anyway, even after the Bad Sox turned it around in September, I assumed they wouldn't get anywhere in the playoffs. And I maintain they didn't look great against the Red Sox, or even the Indians before that. But since then, damn. I guess I've been totally wrong about them. They've caught a number of lucky breaks, but they're still playing like the Best Team in Baseball. It's down to the same situation the Red Sox were in a year ago: either they win their first WS in over 85 years, or they suffer their worst collapse in team history. You gotta go with the first option. Even I don't hate Guillen or Pierzinksi that much.
So, really for the first time all season, or ever, I'm rooting for the White Sox. If they win, (1) Ozzie Guillen will have to address his promise to retire; (2) the Curse of Barbara Bush will become baseball's biggest curse (she deserves that after her New Orleans comments); and (3) the Red Sox will remain the only team in baseball history to come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a 7-game series.
These are all good things. Go Sox.
Yeah, those three reasons about seal it up for me on why I am leaning toward CHI to win. Also add to that - the Sox (the good version), lost to the ultimate champs. I do, however, want HOU to win at least one game. I don't want Ozzie's head to get too big.
ReplyDeleteThere is no chance in hell that he will retire. I would pretty much bet anything that he will be back. Plus I don't think his retirement talk was a true promise. I think it started with a "if we win it all, I might just retire." And then the several times he has been asked since, he says - "yeah, I'm still considering it."
Bottom line - the guy LOVES the spotlight too much. (Even though according to baseballreference, he has made about $25MM in his career). Should they win, he can keep his name in the headlines for a few more days, by fueling the whole retirement speculation. He'll say after the series that he needs to think about, talk it over with his family, etc and that he is really, really considering it. Blah, blah, blah. Mind you a reporter asked him the other day how old his kids were and (swear to God), he did not know. Then in the end, he will come back and say - he owes it to his players and the fans to come back and defend the title. these, of course, are the same players and fans that he will be taking attention away from with his shenanigans.