Greetings from Boston, one of my favorite cities, as we prepare for World Series Game 1. My hotel is walking distance from Fenway Park, and we have perfect fall weather.
Some random thoughts:
Well, back in April, I picked a Tigers-Giants World Series, and at the start of this month, I went with Indians-Cubs. So you have every reason to trust me when I predict Rockies in six. I'll say that the Red Sox's big three _ Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling and Daisuke Matsuzaka _ won't be able to contain the Rockies' American League-style lineup. Nevertheless, as we've been discussing at length lately, in light of Joe Torre's departure, a few lucky breaks can help determine the outcome of a short series.
The Yankees have done extremely well for themselves, even if they limit their interview pool to Joe Girardi, Don Mattingly and Tony Pena in the effort to succeed Joe Torre. You could make a strong argument for any of the trio. But let's be realistic here: Public relations will influence the decision, especially in light of Torre's ugly departure, so Pena, not a big enough name, is out.
Girardi did an amazing job last year with the Marlins, and he might very well do the same with the 2008 Yankees, if given the opportunity. Yet I can't help but wonder about the control and authority issues _ and, to a lesser extent, the media tension _ that arose during Girardi's stay in Florida. I don't see any of those concerns with Mattingly, and I think with a strong bench coach (maybe it's not too late to convince Larry Bowa to stay for that job), Mattingly can overcome his inexperience. Mattingly possesses some of Joe Torre's best qualities, like calm and self-confidence, and you hope that he'll exceed Torre in areas like player deployment and in-game strategy.
Some obvious follow-up questions for Mattingly, who told reporters that he managed every game of the last four seasons in his mind: What was your record in your mind? Did your mind advance past the first round of the playoffs in any of the last three seasons?
Baseball's decision to rejigger its postseason schedule is turning out to be a good one. While the Rockies have sat around for eight days, the Red Sox rested for just two days, thanks to their exciting, seven-game ALCS. And now, a World Series Game 1 on a Wednesday night marks a significant improvement from the past Saturday night kickoffs. It just didn't make sense to start your jewel event on a day when people are obsessed with college football.
Watched "The Simpsons Movie" in my room last night, and I'll be sure not to put in for it on my expense report, to avoid an embarrassing situation. Anyway, what a disappointment. There were a few individual hysterics, but overall, it just wasn't risky and random enough to represent the best qualities of the TV show.
Comments (4)
Donnie Baseball seems to be the "safe" and most logical choice, at this point. I think that he should hire Francessa as his bench coach, as Mike always has the right answers to everything.
I'd like to see Donnie get a ring or two, even if his contract has incentives.
Pena's record as KC manager was as good as his talent (.410).
I see no reason why he couldn't win with real talent as opposed to the AAA players he had in KC.
RMT, just to make my perspective clear, I agree 100% on Pena. I'm a big fan. But I don't see the Yankees giving the job to the smallest "name" of their three candidates.
RMT, congrats for being the first non-Edison, NJ commenter on this item. Unless this is Robert Tomarken (spelling?)