Fall will be upon us in a couple of weeks. The air becomes brisk and as the season takes hold, beautiful fall foliage portraits autumn in its incredible beauty.What?!
Did I say that???
- Fall means it's gonna get cold soon and snow is quick to follow.
- Fall is synonymous with back to school, the scourge of every summer-loving kid that keeps his bat, ball, glove, and fishing pole somehow attached to his bike, ready for anything.
- Fall is a reminder that those beautiful leaves will have to soon be raked up, wet or dry.
- Fall also serves as a reminder that there is an end in the future to the season of the grand old game of baseball.
In addition to having to go back to school (shudder), Fall in Cleveland often meant some other major league baseball team in the post season, not the Indians. Oh, there were exceptions when I was a kid...the 1954 Indians in the World Series and the 1959 Indians that battled the White Sox all summer long only to come in second (but what an exciting season). The 1966 Indians roared out of spring training and went 10-0, only to finish the season at .500.
It wasn't until I was an adult...actually near middle age when the Indians began to compete again. 1995 through now brings positive thoughts every spring that are now well founded. This team should be able to compete every year. Well, it didn't happen this year. So how do you deal with Fall when your team will be home for the playoffs?
Adopt a team! Yeah, that's what I'll do!
But who?
What's the criteria to win my favor?
- Since I live and die in Cleveland, my adoptive team more than likely will need to be an underdog.
- They need to be winning with a strong "team" effort, not a team winning with individual efforts.
It's a tough choice but I gotta go with upstarts Tampa Bay.
- They have the better record this season (between them and Minnesota) against the Red Sox, the White Sox, and the Angels.
- 3 years ago I claimed that they would be a contender by 2009.
- They are the Cinderella team of 2008.
- I like their style!
Congratulations to Cliff Lee on win #21!Not only is he having an incredible season, he sets a new record every time he goes out to the mound lately. Lee's dominance has afforded him a victory in 10 straight decisions, and he is now, with at least three starts remaining this season, in a position to become the Indians' winningest left-hander in a season. That honor currently belongs to Vean Gregg, who won 23 games in 1911.
Lee is the first Major Leaguer to win 21 games since Dontrelle Willis did so for the Marlins in 2005.
Go Cliff! We should all pause to "Cy!"
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1 comment:
Thanks for the post. Geography is always a factor of course, but I am always interested in how people develop a following for a particular team.
I think most of us root for the underdog after our team is out of it. Since my team(s) have been cellar-dwellers for years now, it has become all too common for me to pick a team to root for in the playoffs.
Last year, I had the Tribe... and the Rockies were a great story in the NL. This year, I'm not sure... the Rays are certainly a feel good story. I would also like to see the Cardinals make a strong push for the Wild Card, since they've been grinding it out all year and most people never expected them to be in the race.
FYI - Cliff Lee is simply incredible.
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