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It's baseball playoff time...


pamplemousse

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So the MLB regular season has ended and the playoffs start tomorrow.  Thanks to the Giants sweeping their series against the Dodgers this past weekend, my Cardinals are out of the playoffs for the first time since 2010. :(  Because I love baseball, I'll watch anyway.  Now I have to decide which team to root for.

The teams playing for it all are:

American League: Orioles, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rangers, Indians

National League: Cubs, Mets, Giants, Dodgers, Nationals

I'm a National League fan all the way; so by process of elimination, cross off the American League teams.  I grew up watching the Cubs because my family, especially my dad, liked them.  Watching those games led me to watch other National League teams.  Besides that, I didn't like American League games because they used the designated hitter, which (to me) simplified the game and removed a level of strategy. (However, if I had to choose an American League team, I guess I'd choose the Blue Jays because I saw them in Toronto earlier this year and had fun, even if my poor arms fried to a crisp because some certain dummy *points at self* didn't bring or buy sunscreen that day.)

Re: the National League teams... (and I will probably root for whichever one of them makes it to the World Series)

Nationals: Nah. No attachment to them. I only know who a few of their players are and have no strong feelings about them either way. 

Dodgers: Nah. See: Nationals, although I do like Clayton Kershaw. Also, if they'd won even one game against the Giants this weekend, the Cardinals would have at least played the Giants in a tiebreaker to determine who'd go to the Wild Card game. Thanks for nothing, Dodgers.  That, and they didn't even give Vin Scully one last chance to broadcast a winning game this weekend. Nice sendoff...not.

Mets: Up until last year, I'd have said no way in Hades. There's a back story there I won't go into. Suffice it to say that the hate is gone and I could like them again. They're an interesting group and they've overcome A LOT of injuries to make it this far.  If they make it to the World Series, I'll pull for them. Until then...probably not.

Giants: Normally I would pull for them.  Normally I like them.  But I'm feeling a bit not-fannish (yeah, I know, that's not a word) toward them after they went out and won every night the Cardinals won during that last week of the season. Couldn't they have lost even one game to give the Cardinals a chance? Besides that, even though I know it was in their best interest to cut Tim Lincecum loose after last season, dang it, I liked him! To me, they're not the same team without him. Maybe better, maybe worse...but to me, less interesting.  

Cubs: Hmmm. Until about 4 years ago, they would have been my no-brainer choice. You see, I grew up a Cubs fan, as I said above. Dad was a Cubs fan and the family followed. Several times, we all hopped on the bus and the L and rode up to Wrigley Field to watch them play. Eventually (except for one year when my sister went with me instead), it was just Dad and I who went. Later, I went alone. In 1989, when they made the playoffs, I sat on the phone from Friday evening to late Sunday afternoon trying to get through to Ticketmaster to get tickets. I finally got through, got 4 single seats for Game 1, and then proceeded to watch them lose to the Giants 11-3. Yes, I was a diehard Cubs fan.  But that love affair went sour along about 1997, when I worked for a creep who had bought season tickets along with a bunch of his business cronies. One afternoon, the jerk ordered me to go up to Wrigley and scalp his tickets for that game on the street near the ballpark. I was so ashamed and embarrassed. Another day, he invited me to take the afternoon out of the office and go to the game, only to leave after a few innings and return to the office, where he ripped into me so badly that I was catatonic the rest of the day and that weekend.  I never went to another game until 2003, when I took my now ex-boyfriend to a game. (He is one guy I should have just stayed friend with and not gone any further. But I digress.) Eventually, I got fed up with their losing ways and what appeared to me to be apathy on ownership's part. Did they not care about the product they put on the field? Didn't look that way to me. Of course, I didn't realize what they were doing (intentionally gutting the roster and rebuilding from the bottom of the farm system on up to improve the team)...I had just had enough. I was done. I wanted to follow a team that I could tell knew what it was doing.

In the meantime, Dad passed on; my oldest sister and her family became Cardinals fans; my other sister followed her (my brother and other sister never showed much interest in baseball); and I moved away from the Chicago area and into Cardinals territory. I'd always liked the Cardinals, even though they and the Cubs were bitter rivals; so when I decided I'd had enough of the Cubs once and for all, it was obvious to me which team to follow. (Interesting story: one day, maybe Christmas 2013?, I announced to everyone that I was officially a Cardinals fan. My nephew ordered me to walk over to him; when I did, he swept me up in a big hug and said, "Welcome home.")

The Cubs and the Cardinals are bitter rivals. My sister used to go to Wrigley when the Cardinals played the Cubs there and says she, as a Cardinals fan, always got beer dumped on her. I turned my back on the Cubs. It wouldn't be right for me to decide to root for them now...that is called being a fair-weather fan and that's not right, not after I said I was through with them.  Yes, they're interesting to watch. Yes, they seem to be having so much fun; and I have to admit, I've watched a few more games than I should have watched.  

So...which team do I choose?  I've got until Friday to decide. LOL

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PreciousPantsofDoom

Posted

Clearly it has to be the Jays. Because  it just does. (Kind of a big thing at our house)  And if they screw it up tomorrow, put the estrangement years behind you and go back to your first love, the Cubs. 

Besides, I  went to a game at Wriglwy a few years back and it was awesome, so obviously that should be enough reason for anyone. Duh.

 

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MarblesMom

Posted

Ah, a fellow baseball fan.... good!  I am a Giants fan, but I have always had a soft spot for the Cubbies.  This weekend will be conflicted for me.

This is my favorite time of the year :)  

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Carm_88

Posted

Um gotta go with those Jays! :) In my completely Canadian opinion. 

Love a Rabid Blue Jays Fan! 

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Fascinated

Posted

I was 'blessed to be able' to attend the Jays' game in '93 when Joe Carter hit his walk-off homer to give them the World Series win. Now we've smoked the Rangers. Bring it on, Cleveland! (Yikes. I hope I'm not jinxing it. I will don my newish Blue Jays top tomorrow, just in case.)

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pamplemousse

Posted

OK, I'm not sure if I am supposed to respond to comments in my own blog (I've never blogged before), but I ended up rooting for the Blue Jays in the AL and...the Cubs in the NL. I tried hard not to root for the Cubs. Unfortunately, my past caught up with me :my_biggrin: and I found myself cheering them on.  My therapist says I might as well concede that it's in my blood and give in. :pb_lol: I need an intervention!

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louisa05

Posted

Indians. 

My team (Royals) had a rough year. But I'm still periodically celebrating last year after the 30 drought. 

My dad grew up in Ohio and was a lifelong Indians fan. After he retired, he vowed that if the Indians made it to the World Series again, he would go. 

He died in September of last year. 

My brother is a Cubs fan, mostly. Mom and I are Royals fans. But we all agree that we have to root for the Indians this year. 

(BTW...husband's cousin pitches for the Cardinals.)

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PreciousPantsofDoom

Posted

5 hours ago, Fascinated said:

I was 'blessed to be able' to attend the Jays' game in '93 when Joe Carter hit his walk-off homer to give them the World Series win.

"Touch em all, Joe!"

You were AT that game?  That moment is legend.  How fantastic that you were actually there!  

 

 

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Fascinated

Posted

8 hours ago, PreciousPantsofDoom said:

"Touch em all, Joe!"

You were AT that game?  That moment is legend.  How fantastic that you were actually there!  

 

 

Yep. My lovely husband gave his ticket to my friend, which was amazing of him and something he regrets to this day (haha, sort of).  Anyway, she and I went crazy jumping up and down as Joe's hit sailed over the wall, and her shoulder split my lip!  The roar of the crowd was deafening.  It truly was incredible.

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Carm_88

Posted

7 hours ago, Fascinated said:

Yep. My lovely husband gave his ticket to my friend, which was amazing of him and something he regrets to this day (haha, sort of).  Anyway, she and I went crazy jumping up and down as Joe's hit sailed over the wall, and her shoulder split my lip!  The roar of the crowd was deafening.  It truly was incredible.

I was four when that game was played and I still remember being allowed to stay up and watch it with my Dad. Fantastic memory! <3 

And you are so lucky to have been there! What an iconic moment to be a part of! 

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