Did everybody notice the MLB headlines this week on si.com, espn.com, foxsports.com etc.
YANKEES STRUGGLE IN LOSS! TORRE TO BE FIRED!
PHILLIES LOSE!
CUBBIES LOSE LIKE THEY ALWAYS DO!
RED SOX WIN!
ummmmmmm.... If you knew nothing about baseball, you'd assume that three teams simply fell apart this week in the postseason, instead of getting soundly beat by an equally matched or better opponent.
Here are some facts:
Phillies pitching has not been very good all season. The Rockies, especially since the all-star break, have had one of the best staffs in the majors, especially after you adjust for park factors.
Yankees pitching has been below average. The Indians have two of the best starters in the AL.
The Diamondbacks have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball as well, and quite possibly the best bullpen. Lord knows how they score enough runs to win, but they do and have all season.
Even in losses, all the major sports news outlets somehow focus the story on all the marquee teams.
it's been discussed to death already, but can you imagine what an armageddon it would have been for TBS and FOX if the angels had knocked off the red sox? i wouldn't be surprised if they petitioned selig to cancel the rest of the LCS and WS games. (he could have determined the champion with a complicated series of coin flips.) also, i bet discussion about starting a "runner-up LCS" would have been had. after all, since baseball blows at marketing itself and subsequently casual fans only want to see big market teams, we have to be sure they play as many games as possible!
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