My Dysthymic World Series Preview. Oh all right. Postview.

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 30, 2011 12:25 AM EDT

It's hardly an original thought, but count me among those who believed that if the Phillies got past the Cardinals in the NLDS, the way to a World Series title would be pretty clear. Hell, who am I kidding? They would have won it. And David S. Cohen might even corroborate this, too, as we stared together in disbelief from our lofty perch in Section 307 to watch the sun go down on a marvelous 2011, with its sine qua non coda of a crumpled up, now wildly expensive Ryan Howard smoldering on the baseline as the Cardinals jumped all over the infield. Good times.

And now, in retrospect, I only have myself to blame. The overweening arrogance. The unrelenting, vaguely misanthropic playfulness. The focus on the negative, ever since I started up around here. My nasty, public Internet breakup with Mr. Positive after he persistently ignored my requests for an interview. My empty poetic tank when I saw the squirrel romp across home plate in St. Louis. And my muse was gone all year.

In short, I am very, very bad. And very sad. And I only have myself to blame for not bringing the requisite amount of grit and hustle to the blog this year. So I resolved, shortly after the game 5 loss, to write a great World Series preview to make up for it.

But what was there to write? The Cardinals were going to win. I knew it then. And I didn't really know much at all about the Texas Rangers, except for the fact that Elvis Andus had a pretty sucky 2010, caught as he was in the cellar-dwelling version of fantasy Team Wet Luzinski, and that Cliff Lee pitched for them for a bit.

So I didn't write it. I'm really sorry. I wasted a lot of time as the slush fell today, the saddest day of the year, looking at pictures of my college buddy who was at game 7 in St. Louis last night. It hurt. Blame me if you must. I deserve it.

Johnny Cash - We'll Meet Again (via mawrazen)

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So, apparently the team that beats the phillies in the nl playoffs rides that luck to a world series victory…Cards were one of the luckiest teams I have seen in awhile these playoffs. Seriously, Cruz? You couldn’t make that catch??!!

by PhilsForever on Oct 30, 2011 1:18 AM EDT reply actions

yes, yes

also, it was a terrible pitch, and I’ve been thinking about some of the terrible pitches thrown in that series… that one in particular, why would you try the same pitch twice in a row? well, a young hard-throwing reliever, a perhaps not brilliant pitch-calling catcher… you think you can get him to swing and miss again! he did the last time!

by yolacrary on Oct 30, 2011 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions

In Cruz's defense

The TV broadcast of Game 7 mentioned that over the course of the 2011 season, 17 balls were hit to that spot with less than four seconds of hang time. Only 4 were caught. So it is not like it was a cupcake play.

"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."

by dannijd on Oct 30, 2011 4:22 PM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions

Wet Luzinski, it’s my sad duty to inform you you’ve been traded, along with taco pal, to Talking Chop for gondeee. We understand this is likely a gross overpay, but he’s gritty and he blogs the right way™.

Some people don't think it be what it is, but it do.

by TheOrangeCone on Oct 30, 2011 3:24 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

o ye gods. If that is true I will haunt this blog like Ronny Paulino. But with a soul.

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 30, 2011 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Natch. Rod Barajas with Ronny Paulino’s soul.

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 30, 2011 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions

As delightful as this post was, it made me sad about the playoffs all over again. Dredging up trauma is the part of the poet, I suppose.

by Trev223 on Oct 30, 2011 8:24 AM EDT reply actions

Or: This is Just to Say

I have read
the links
that were in
the blogpost

and which
you were probably
using
for wistful effacement

Forgive me
they were clever
so familiar
and so devastating.

by Trev223 on Oct 30, 2011 8:28 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

I’m not looking forward to Monday morning and all the trash talking from my Cardinals fan coworker. It was bad enough after they beat us, it will be 10x worse now.

This is also the second year in a row that the WS winner got in due to another teams late season collapse (SD and ATL), were probably the 6th or 7th best team entering the playoffs, and played way above their heads to win it. If this isn’t a clear cut case against adding another Wild Card team I don’t know what is.

And yes I will forever loath Nelson Cruz for misplaying that Freese hit in the worst way imaginable.

by Domonate on Oct 30, 2011 11:26 AM EDT reply actions

Happens to the best of them.

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 30, 2011 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Ouch- you have my sympathies.

"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."

by dannijd on Oct 30, 2011 4:24 PM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions

And just to make matters worse, it’s the 2nd straight year that the team who beat the Phils won the WS

www.southpawcurve.blogspot.com - check out my baseball blog!!

by JLS89 on Oct 31, 2011 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions

It’s arguably the third straight year.

by Phrozen on Oct 31, 2011 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions

2009 – Year of the Tautology.

Some people don't think it be what it is, but it do.

by TheOrangeCone on Oct 31, 2011 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions

In the spirit of WL’s excellent post, and the near-ness of Halloween, may I suggest this song as an alternative.

by Phrozen on Oct 30, 2011 4:18 PM EDT reply actions

Titanic

WL’s Titanic piece was lots of laffs at the time, retains many laffs despite being prophetic as hell.

http://www.thegoodphight.com

by WholeCamels on Oct 30, 2011 5:03 PM EDT reply actions

Didja see the part about j reed’s flying squirrel fetish becoming a meme? SPOOKY

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 31, 2011 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions

The thieving Los Birdos Rojo had our parade today. Thank baseba’al for youtube.

by Chutley's Impressed by Mac's Speed on Oct 30, 2011 6:55 PM EDT reply actions

I don’t know if anyone else say Mike Lupica’s obligatory shot at sabermetrics on the Sports Reporter’s this morning. The line this time was “statheads can’t measure David Freese’s heart.” Which is comical as it is wrong. What made it funny was they showed the video of the Freese hit in Game Six. Because, you know, his immeasurable heart made sure that Nelson Cruz would badly misplay that ball (it should have been an error in my opinion)

Everything's more important with bunting.

by Veni Vidi Vici on Oct 30, 2011 9:29 PM EDT reply actions

I don’t think it was an error, but it should have been caught (if that makes sense). Anyway, I bet Cruz makes that catch in Texas (assuming it doesn’t bounce off the wall or go out completely), which makes me hate the All-Star game rule even more.

"You play to win the playoffs, and we let 'em off the hook!" -Herm Mora Green

by jrobulls on Oct 30, 2011 9:40 PM EDT up reply actions

However, there is irony to be found in the fact that Texas was forced to play Games 6 and 7 on the road- CJ Wilson lost that game for the AL by giving up a three run home run to Prince Fielder.

"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."

by dannijd on Oct 31, 2011 1:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Just looked up the dimensions for the two fields- the Ballpark at Arlington is bigger than Busch in Right Field, so it definitely would not have been a home run- hard to say whether he would have been able to prevent it going off a wall even there, though.

"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."

by dannijd on Oct 31, 2011 1:30 AM EDT up reply actions

Statheads..... can't measure...... FREESE'S HEART.......

by Chutley's Impressed by Mac's Speed on Oct 30, 2011 9:47 PM EDT up reply actions

hmmm for whatever reason I think the title of this gif should be “Tyler Perry’s Scanners”

Everything's more important with bunting.

by Veni Vidi Vici on Oct 30, 2011 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I didn’t know the heart could have a batting average. If David Freese has that kinda power over the ball, the pitcher throwing the ball, and the defense trying to retrieve the ball, fuckin’ sign him NOW!

DO IT, RUBEN!

Some people don't think it be what it is, but it do.

by TheOrangeCone on Oct 31, 2011 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions

Freese hits the ball with his heart. Literally. He stands there and takes it off the chest and his heart is so strong it turns into a gapper.

by Phrozen on Oct 31, 2011 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions

David Freese’s Heart is a Lonely Hunter Pence.

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 31, 2011 9:50 PM EDT up reply actions

I just don’t understand this rally squirrel business. It ran on the field twice in the series against the Phil’s, and in the first one, the Phillies came back and won. Selective narrative bullshit.

What kind of plane is it? Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big ol' Tylenol.

by doubleh on Oct 31, 2011 12:05 AM EDT via iPhone app reply actions

Totally agree. That being said, the Squirrel’s Twitter account was fun.

"Valdez can pitch, Lee can hit... and pigs can fly."

by dannijd on Oct 31, 2011 1:30 AM EDT up reply actions

No it wasn’t.

The Good Phight, NotGraphs, Twitter, fun!

by FuquaManuel on Oct 31, 2011 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Not in the way that Larry FN Bowa’s Twitter account is fun (he puts the fu in fun)

by Wet Luzinski on Oct 31, 2011 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s also weird, because it isn’t like a home run was hit while the squirrel was out there.

The one thing I liked about the squirrel was it was an exceedingly bizarre playoffs, so it seems oddly fitting that Cardinals fans rallied around a bushy tailed rat for no logical reason. The chances of a rodent running across home plate during a pitch is probably a good indicator of how unlikely the last month and a half was.

by Cormican on Oct 31, 2011 8:35 AM EDT up reply actions