Tag: 2016 MLB Playoffs

MLB Playoff Predictions — Wrap Up, and a Warning to Cubs Fans

I was 1–1 in the wild card round.
I was 2–2 in the division round.
I was 1–1 in the league championship round.

Do you all know that I once played in a band called Break Even? Fitting, huh?

Whether or not I finish the post season with a winning prediction record all came down to the World Series. I really wanted Cleveland to win, but I didn’t really think they would. So I picked Chicago to win, using my head instead of my heart. I was right. I’m happy that I picked the winner, but I’m sad that I picked the winner.

I think there might be a screw loose in this brain of mine.

So I finish with a win-loss record of 5–4, for a 55.6 percentage. I usually do much better than that with my post season predictions, but the Red Sox got swept in the division round, so who really gives a rats ass?

Now we’re all in wait-till-next year mode while the damn Cubs drink themselves into a months long stupor to celebrate their ending of their futility streak.

I have some bad news for Cubs fans, from the perspective of a Red Sox fan.

The Red Sox won the World Series in 1918, beating the Cubs in fact. They went down the tubes in the years that followed before getting back in 1946. They lost in seven games. Again, they went down the tubes for a while before returning in 1967 where they lost in seven games again. They were competitive more often than not after that, but they lost in seven games again in 1975 and 1986. There were also crushing non-World Series defeats in 1978 and 2003, as well as a bunch of post season appearances where they were good but not really good enough.

So many times they were so close. We called ourselves the Fellowship of the Miserable. Some frizzy haired sports columnist said we were cursed and the whole rest of the country jumped on that stupid wagon. We were always good but never good enough. It defined us. Pain and suffering bonded us together as a community of loser fans. It was awful, but it was our thing.

Then in 2004 the Red Sox finally broke through and won the World Series. It was magical. It was so exciting. I had about 300 heart attacks that October but it was worth every second. Our team won it all, after 86 years they had finally won it all. It was the greatest feeling ever. And then…

We all went to work the next day and it was business as usual. Wait a tick, that’s not how it was supposed to be. The world was supposed to change, wasn’t it? We were supposed to be able to bathe in the glory of victory. There was supposed to be a fundamental difference to who we were as a community.

But there wasn’t. Until a few months later when there was.

The celebration carried through the Winter, all the way to the next Spring. At the home opener we raised the banner and got to feel all the feels again. It was wonderful and then it was over.

Our baseball team’s futility was what held us together as a people. It was the glue that bonded our little loser community together. Once they were no longer losers, then we no longer had a community. The bond went away and it has never come back. There are still people who live and die with the Red Sox like there were before, but the massively overwhelming number of die hard fans has morphed into a new community of casual fans who follow the team but really don’t care one way or the other. The Red Sox are no longer THE thing in Boston, they are just A thing. The Patriots, Bruins, and Celtics have all won championships recently too and similar, though smaller scale, changes have happened to their die hards too.

So what I want you to know, Cubs fans, is that this is going to happen to you too. It won’t be the same, but it will be similar. I don’t think the Cubs fanatics were ever as bad as Red Sox fanatics like me. The Cubs stretch of futility was longer than ours, but the sources of pain and suffering — the snatching defeat from the jaws of victory — weren’t really there the way they were for Boston fans so maybe there isn’t as strong a community to break up, but what you have is going to be marginalized.

Enjoy your parade, Cubs fans. You’re the champs and you deserve to celebrate. Go out there and party like it’s 1999. Next April, raise that banner and celebrate all over again. Then be ready. Losing made our teams special in a weird, ridiculous way. Now you, like us before you, are no longer special. It’s awesome… but it also kinda sucks.

MLB Playoff Predictions — World Series

I swear, Medium readers, my baseball playoff predictions are usually much better than this. I was one for two in the Wild Card round and two for four in the Division round for a split 50% at three right and three wrong. Somehow, sadly, I continued that through the two League Championships. I picked Toronto to beat Cleveland and Cleveland won, and I picked Chicago to beat Los Angeles and Chicago won. One out of two, for a post season total of four correct and four incorrect. 50%. Again. Still. That kinda sucks.

Now we come to the World Series. Only one prediction left. Will I finish above .500, or below. Let’s find out.

Cleveland vs Chicago. I said in my first prediction post that the Cubbies were going to win it this year. My brain is telling me that is still the case. My heart, however, has gone all in for the Indians (racist name and all). Something about the way those plucky underdogs beat two teams that should have been far superior just won me over. So which do I pick? My head or my heart?

The answer is kind of both. I really don’t see the Cubs losing this series. I officially predict that their 108 years of suck futility will finally come to an end. Having said that, I am going to root for the Indians. It would be nice to see their 68 year championship drought come to an end. Also, admittedly, it would be really nice to see the most pathetic team in baseball history continue their century plus years worth of complete futility. Yeah, I’m picking the Cubs but I’m really hoping they have to wait until next year.

This is in no way reflective of my baseball love for Jon Lester, John Lackey, or any of the other former Red Sox now playing for the Cubs, and that includes his Royal Highness Theo Epstein the General Manager who brought the Red Sox’ 86 year championship drought to an end. It also doesn’t have anything to do with Andrew Miller* or Coco Crisp, or even His Royal Highness Terry Francona the Manager who brought the Red Sox’ 86 year championship drought to an end. I just prefer rooting for Cleveland, even though I know deep down that Chicago is going to win.

So I am actually hoping that my playoff predictions finish below 50% for the first time that I can remember. It’s okay, though. I’ll survive.

*okay, it kinda is about Andrew Miller. That guy is freakin’ amazing. Jon Lester is amazing too, but Miller is his own brand of amazing and it’s been really fun to watch. Why couldn’t we get players like these, am I right?

MLB Playoff Predictions — League Championship Round

The Red Sox lost. Do you have any idea how painful that is? It really sucks the life out of these fun little prediction posts, I’m telling you. In a word, it sucks. Add that to the simple fact that my predictions haven’t been very good, and it’s making me feel bad about the state of baseball in the 21st century. Suck, I tell you. Suck.

How did the Division round go, after going 1–1 in the wild card play ins?

I picked the Red Sox over the Indians and the effin’ Indians won in a sweep, the pricks. I picked the Blue Jays over the Rangers and the Blue Jays won, the pricks. I picked the Nationals over the Dodgers and I was wrong, wrong, wrong. I picked the Cubs over the Giants and I was right. Two right out of four, combined with one out of two in the play ins and that makes me a whopping three out of six. I have a 3–3 record. 50% correct. Yippee.

Now for my predictions for the League Championship Series’. Given that the Boston Red Sox are not involved, the real prediction is who gives a flying leap.

Toronto vs Cleveland. I pick Toronto. They were the team that scared me the most before my beloved Red Sox choked all over themselves and were swept like a bunch of little children. I still think they are the team to beat. I am picking them with my brain, not with my heart. My heart would pick them too though because I want them to murderlize the effin’ Indians. Pay back for what they did to my Red Sox. Damn you, Cleveland Indians. Racist team nick name and all. Pricks. The Blue Jays will win this one.

Los Angeles vs Chicago. You already know my pick for this one. I said last time that the Cubs are going to the World Series, and I still believe that. They are my pick. But…… They are still the Cubbies…….. is there an epic collapse in their future? If so then this would be the perfect time for it to rear it’s ugly head. The Cubs haven’t won the World Series in something like 40,000 years. So what if they were far and away the best team in baseball this year, losing is what they do. Losing in gut wrenching, dare I say Red Soxian, fashion would just be oh so fitting. Still, I’m picking the Cubs.

And there you have it. I predict a Toronto vs Chicago World Series. It’s Boston free, so who cares. Yippee.

MLB Playoff Predictions — Division Round

The Wild Card games are over. How did my picks do?

Not great, not bad. There were only two and I was 1–1. I got Toronto right and San Francisco wrong. It’s an even number year so I should have known the Giants were going to advance. Oh well, live and learn.

Now on to the Division Round. First, the American League.

Boston vs Cleveland. I always pick the Red Sox. I live in Boston. Duh. This year I feel it is the correct pick even without my bias. The Indian’s starting rotation is in injury shambles. The Red Sox greatest strength is their offense. They should devour Cleveland’s pitching. Go Red Sox.

Toronto vs Texas. These two cats hate each other. It could be a fun series to watch. I look at this more in terms of who I want to face should my Red Sox advance to the next round. The answer is… I don’t know. Toronto scares me. Texas scares me too. My head tells me that the Blue Jays will advance because they are rolling at this point. I think I’ll go with that. The Blue Jays will win.

Now for the National League, aka the league I barely noticed at all this year.

Los Angeles vs Washington. Far be it from me to dis Clayton Kershaw, but there’s no way I’m betting against Max Scherzer. Oh how I wish we had signed him when he was a free agent. Life in Fenway would have been so different had we snagged that dude. I’m picking Washington.

San Francisco vs Chicago. Here we go, kids. The longest championship drought on Earth (is it?), the Chicago Cubs. Is this the year? It sure sounds like it. They are a hell of a team. Obviously I am picking them, they are the safe bet, but having lived through the Red Sox tragedies leading up to 2004 I have experience watching great teams blow it in colossally horrid ways. We just have to sit back and wait to see how the Cubbies will blow it this year. We all know they will.

So there you have it, I am predicting a Boston vs Toronto AL Championship series, and a Washington vs Chicago NL Championship series. Will any of those picks be correct? Not likely!

GO RED SOX!

MLB Playoff Predictions — Wild Card

Most years I try and post my predictions for each round of the Major League Baseball and National Hockey League playoffs. In baseball, the wild card round starts tonight (and ends tomorrow) so I best get to it!

American League – Baltimore vs Toronto: Can you believe that three teams from the AL East made the post season this year? Less than an hour from now two of them will duke it out for the opportunity to play Texas in the Division round. I seriously want Baltimore to take this game because I want all teams that seem like a threat to the Red Sox winning the American League to lose. Sadly it’s not going to happen. Toronto is going to win tonight.

National League — San Francisco vs New York: A couple of confessions here. First, I barely followed the National League at all this year. Second, my playoff picks are not exactly logical. Often I’ll just pick the team that I traditionally hate the least. Third, I hate all baseball teams that have any connection to New York. The Mets are from New York. I effin’ loathe them. The Giants used to be from New York. I effin’ loathe them too. That means I want both of these chumps to lose tomorrow. Sadly, I have to pick one. I am going to pick the Mets and I hate myself a little for doing so. You suck, Mets.

There you have it. My ever so well thought out picks for the wild card round. Toronto wins tonight, and New York wins tomorrow. I’ll go over the results and make my picks for the division round on Thursday.

Play ball!