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Blog*Spot ArchivesContactRichard Ceccarelli Josh Mandir |
Tuesday, February 24, 2004The coward’s way out…The last two years a ‘sleeper’ has won the World Series, and everyone must ask that very annoying question:
“Who will be the [insert unexpected champion] of [insert year]?” I find this question rather insulting. People treat these teams (’02 Angels, ’03 Marlins) as if they just stumbled into championships. “All the stars aligned” and “teams of destiny” imply that somehow they did not earn their titles. The fact is both of these organizations built superb teams from the ground up and have excellent front office management. Neither team “came out of nowhere”- they were years in the making, and those who watched them knew it. In the playoffs both of these teams are written off as nothing more than hurdles for more established powers. The media is quick to establish teams like the Angels and Marlins as underdogs, and overmatched- despite the fact that these teams proved in the regular season that they were real contenders. The Angels lead the AL in 2003 with a Pythagorean W/L of 101-61, and nobody was better after the all-star break than the Marlins in 2003. Yet both teams were labeled as “scrappy” and have their playoffs compared to David vs. Goliath. I understand the need to create feel-good stories during the playoffs, but that is just insulting. Last season the popular answer to the question was the Pittsburgh Pirates. (I must admit, I too, was guilty of picking the Pirates as a playoff contender.) This year many would say that San Diego is the answer, and ESPN seems to be taking the cowards way out by picking the Marlins as the Marlins of 2004. I’m going to make my own pick: the Philadelphia Phillies. Right now you’re probably saying to yourself “Of course the Phillies are going to be good- we all know that!” That’s the point- the Phillies are a well built team, and anyone who’s been paying attention knows it. Just like they should have known about the Angels and Marlins. They aren’t “scrappy”, they aren’t a “team of destiny”, and they don’t need a “never say die attitude”. All they are is a talented ballclub. |
