All posts tagged: World Series

World Series Game - October 25, 2019

Should I wash my socks now?

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This morning, an interesting question popped up on my wife’s Facebook feed. “Now that the Nationals 8-game winning streak has ended, should I wash my Curly W socks that I’ve worn throughout the streak?” Baseball fever has swept Washington, even if the Nationals will not sweep the Astros in the World Series after last night’s 4-1 loss in Game 3. Superstition is a big part of the game, so the question was a serious one. My answer? Yes! Once a streak is ended, you need to shift to new gear so that the momentum can swing back your way. Luckily, I have enough Nats caps, t-shirts, hoodies, and jackets (at least two of each and more in some instances) to make the change easily. For all things streak related, I first turn to the best baseball movie ever, Bull Durham. There’s a famous scene about “respecting the streak” where Kevin Costner’s Crash Davis makes the point to Susan Sarandon’s Annie Savoy that players have to respect a streak…and should not change whatever they think is causing their …

Bumpy roads often lead to beautiful places

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When much-maligned Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez was asked how he felt after his ballclub just completed an improbable four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series (NLCS), he went back to something his mother told him: “Often bumpy roads lead to beautiful places.” Then, in light of earning the franchise’s first trip to the World Series, he added, “And this is a beautiful place.” Oh, is it ever! NLCS Most Valuable Player Howie Kendrick—one of 18 resident “Los Viejos” (the Old Men) on the Nats playoff roster over the age of 30—said, “I can truly say this is the best time of my career, the best moment of my career this year.” I can add that in my 55 years of being enthralled by baseball—beginning as a nine-year-old with a 1964 trip to Wrigley Field on a family vacation to see the Cubs play Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals; to following Willie Mays and the San Francisco Giants from afar, as a kid growing up in Middle …

Guitars and Baseball

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James Nash once gave some good advice to aspiring guitarists: Rule #1 for learning to play fast:  don’t practice while watching the ball game.  Well, tonight…I’m guilty.  Two hours after starting, I’ve finally put the last instrument back on its stand.  I was watching baseball the entire time. However, I suspect that the San Francisco-based Nash would approve of my choice of ballgame, as the hometown Giants are in the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. And while I didn’t get any real practice in tonight, it sure was fun to multitask around two things that I love.  (Note to regular readers:  Candice, who has become a baseball fan this year with the emergence of the Nats, is out-of-town. I wasn’t ignoring her.) I grew up as a Giants fan.  The Braves hadn’t moved to Atlanta, so we didn’t have a MLB team in the South.  And Willie Mays is, to my mind, the most complete player in the history of the game.  He was so much fun to watch as a young kid in …

What a Glorious Day…There’s More Baseball to be Played!

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Game Five of the World Series was what we’ve been waiting for and, as a result, there’s more baseball to be played. Hallelujah! As Dave Sheinin wrote in this morning’s Washington Post, “The Yankees still hold a 3-2 edge in the series, but it feels exponentially smaller than it did 24 hours ago.” In his Washington Post column, Tom Boswell has a wonderful piece on how this has turned into an “Old School Series.”  How right he is.  And he nails the landing: Once back in New York, Matsui and Posada will be back in the lineup. Pettitte will be set to pitch a game that might be Exhibit A on his Hall of Fame résumé someday. Utley will take aim at Reggie-Reggie-Reggie. A-Rod has a chance to be MVP and own New York for decades. Girardi won’t sleep for the next 48 hours. Martínez has a chance to reverse the “Daddy” chants for a day and bring baseball a Game 7 that would raise the hair on heads from coast to coast. This is …

Do I love baseball quotes? You betcha!

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The Philadelphia Phillies win the 2008 World Series in one of the strangest ways imaginable – closing out a game that began in the bottom of the 6th after a 46 hour rain-delay – and the morning papers are full of the great quotes and writing that make baseball such a delight.  Can you imagine getting an intelligible quote out of a football coach after the Super Bowl?  Of course not.  But even the lowliest man on the World Series roster can provide some wonderful, thought-provoking line that brings a smile. Here are a few gems I picked up from today’s Washington Post and New York Times. The Phillies and Rays turned a mess into a mini-masterpiece, transforming a suspended game into a tense, 79-minute suspension of disbelief. Tom Boswell, Washington Post A game that began with a deluge has washed away an epic drought. The Philadelphia Phillies have won the World Series.  Tyler Kepner, New York Times Rays Manager Joe Maddon said he considered using phenom lefty David Price from the start Wednesday night, …

Time for the Playoffs

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Forget March Madness.  Even though last evening’s Twins/White Sox game had the feel of a NCAA basketball tournament play-in game (i.e., two teams who weren’t expected to be in the playoffs, win or go home), it was baseball at its best.  Crisply played (how often can you say that about an American League game), great pitching by both teams (John Danks throws a 2-hitter in a pressure game), and two great plays. The old bulls came through.  Ken Griffey, Jr. – who will now get another shot at a World Series – threw a strike from center field to nail the Twins’ only scoring chance at home plate, thanks to a strong tag by A.J. Pierzynski.  Jim Thome hit a home run a mile long for the only run in a 1-0 win.  So, the White Sox are in to play Tampa Bay, keeping hope alive for the first all-Chicago World Series since 1906.  Ozzie and Lou – now that would be fun!  Great start to the playoffs. More to come… DJB