Crumpled Notebook

Tonight the World Series teams have been determined. I haven’t done many baseball blogs lately, but gotta get this one in.

Tampa Bay Rays. Philadelphia Phillies. Seriously?! I mean, can anyone honestly say pre-season they picked these two teams for the World Series? Can anyone (other than fans of those teams) honestly say that they would have picked either of these teams? I think not.

Tampa Bay was the worst team in baseball last year and have never been to a World Series. They’ve never been to the playoffs for that matter in their ten years. Maybe dropping “Devils” from their name helped out.

The Phillies haven’t been to the World Series since 1993. That’s five years before Tampa even had a baseball team! Their only World Series win was in 1980. Coincidentally, did you know that they used to be the Philadelphia Quakers? Really only in 1883 (105 years before Tampa had a team), was that the official name before they started using the Phillies, but it officially ended in 1889. I’m thinking of Phillies fans now and picturing those hard-core fans cheering for the Quakers. If you bring your horse and buggy into Philly from New York, expect to have your horse tagged up.

Okay, so now is the time for me to make a prediction. I’m torn really. I want both teams to win in some way, but at the same time, have no connection to either. I have reasons to want them both to lose as well. So here is what I’m going with…Tampa Bay will win their first World Series. I however, will be cheering for Philly.

I’ve already told you why. I cheer for NL teams unless they are on my bad list. But I’ll be equally as happy for whoever wins. Besides, if Philly can win a World Series after a long drought, that gives me hope for my Pittsburgh Pirates!

Yeah, that’s not something I ever thought I’d ever say and really mean. But, you gotta do what you gotta do. What I have to do is root for anyone to beat the Dodgers, even if it’s the Phillies.

I say this also knowing that rumor has it that Philly fans are the worst and most obnoxious in baseball. I hear if you go to a Phillies game and have New York plates on your car, you can expect something bad to happen to your car.

I almost always cheer for NL teams over AL teams in the World Series. If the Dodgers win the NL, I can’t do that. As a Giants fan and as a Cubs fan, I simply cannot cheer for the Dodgers. I’m not sure how I’m going to cheer for the Phillies being a Pirate fan, but somehow, I’ll muster up the courage.

Besides, next year is the Pirates year. I just know it.

More baseball later. I’m disgusted at the Postseason so far.

So it’s official. I bought a plane ticket tonight to Chicago for May. So here is the plan:

May 7th: Arrive and probably sleep
May 8th: White Sox game with Jeff
May 9th: Cubs game with Jeff
May 10th: Wander around Chicago before starting the drive to Pittsburgh
May 11th: Visit my brother somewhere around Pittsgurgh (about an hour from there)
May 12th: Pirates game!!!!! (and they are playing good ol’ Atlanta…CRYSTAL)…after game, start driving back to Chicago
May 13th: Get up, finish trip to Chicago, get on a plane, go home

Now I just have to figure out what to do in the evenings in Chicago on the 8th and 9th since the games are mid-day. Anyone have any suggestions?