Don’t Miss This Series
By Howard Megdal ~ November 3rd, 2009. Filed under: Howard Megdal.
No small number of Mets fans I have spoken to or read have said they hope the 2009 World Series will end, the sooner the better.
I am certainly not one of them. This has been compelling baseball.
Leave aside parochial concerns for a moment. This is a series with the two most talented teams in the major leagues. We have superstar performers that include: Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Pedro Martinez and Cliff Lee not to mention a second-tier that includes an NLCS and WS MVP (Cole Hamels), an ALCS MVP (Andy Pettitte), many multi-year All Stars (Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Brad Lidge) and the trio of Shane Victorino, Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth- one-time All Stars, with that one time being 2009.
In other words, the 2009 World Series is packed with talent, top to bottom.
The games have reflected this. Both teams are playing at a high level, The combination of talented offenses and small ballparks have meant that no team seems out of the game, regardless of the score- but the tremendous pitching has limited many of the games to lower-scoring affairs. If you like offense, of course, there’s been plenty of that, too.
Dramatic plays have abounded, from Johnny Damon’s first-to-third scamper on down. Surprise home runs? See Pedro Feliz. Great defense? Coming from all sides, even Ryan Howard (who is far from the stone-handed first baseman he once was).
If you can’t enjoy this series, moving past the simple love of the Mets to an appreciation of baseball at its best, it is your loss. Game 6 provides added drama: Yankee Stadium, Pedro in what could be his last start ever, against Andy Pettitte, the longtime Yankee, pitching on short rest. And a Game 7 looms, with C.C. Sabathia on short rest off of short rest, against whoever the Phillies can find.
Tune in while you can. This series is only a step away from All Time Classic territory.
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:18 pm
The Phillies need to win!!!
November 4th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
It has been a great series. The big bats are finally starting to hit, and with A-Rod approaching all time postseason RBI record, and Utley looking to pass Jackson for most World Series HR’s, there is no shortage of drama in game 6.