It’s all set, and Fox has to be happy. The ALCS will be a rematch of last season’s dramactic series that saw the the Yankees walk away with a game seven victory in extra innings. Ironically, Aaron Boone, the player who hit the homer, didn’t get a single at bat this season.
And I know I picked the Astros to win it all, but the Red Sox attitude, at least how it’s portrayed on television, has been infectious. I want these guys to win.
But the Yankees manage to pull it out, year after year. I know it’s been a few years since they’ve won a World Series, but how they win is almost as interesting as how much they win. The Twins had solid shots in Games 2 and 4 (especially Game 4) to get a victory, but the Yankees just would not go away. Ruben Sierra’s eighth inning homer was almost expected. Four run leads mean nothing to these guys.
And I question Gardenhire’s decision to pull Johan Santana so early. I know he was pitching on short rest, but this was it. If they lost, it wasn’t a matter of three or four days rest, it was matter of months of rest. And Santana was the best pitcher this year, period. It’s probably moot because he would have then only gone with Balfour for one inning before going to the setup man Juan Rincon in the eighth, but you have to ask yourself “why?”.
I’ll be flipping between the Astros/Braves and Lions games this afternoon, with probably more time on the baseball game. The season is winding down, so I want to get in as much as I can before it’s all over.