Case of the Mondays: In which PostmanR only writes about the Tigers’ celebration

October 9th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanR

Well, since E scrimped a bit on the trusty and faithful Weekend Fun post Friday, it’s only fitting I don’t do a proper wrap-up of the weekend, no?

Plus, a TON of stuff went down the last three days and all 14 of you that read this site don’t even glance at Case of the Mondays – it’s all old news.

So, the remaining text of this post will discuss the Detroit Tigers and their post-game celebration after they mauled the Yankees Saturday 8-3 and sealed up a spot in the ALCS.

Brilliant performance, I must say. Let’s start with Jim Leyland. Dude goes up to the netting behind home plate and kisses his wife and daughter through it right after Detroit records the final out. Then, a presumably drunk Tiger fans comes down for a kiss as well, and Leyland obliges. Love that move, really I do.

And what I liked even more was a large majority of Tiger players coming out of the clubhouse, jogging up and down the stadium walls and high-fiving and spraying fans with champagne. (See picture.) Don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything quite like that.

For a franchise that hasn’t tasted success too often in the recent past, that must have been a nice little treat for the fans.

Then, after all that, Kenny Rogers has to one-up everybody by hopping on top of the dugout and spraying a bunch of fans with champagne. And for a kicker, the Gambler dumps a bottle of it all over a cop’s head.

Honestly, I really thought A-Rod and crew were going to roll into the World Series. Which - as you should know if you ever read this site – we’re usually dead wrong with the predictions. So yeah, not surprising that I was wrong in the least.

This Oakland-Detroit series should be a fun one to watch – two hot teams devoid of the traditional/proverbial superstar going at it.

But yeah, good work Detroit.

Last playoffs school: Mike Piazza and LaRussa’s dog; a soothsaying conversation

October 5th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanR

OK, it’s time to wrap up our playoff previews. Instead of going to a Padre or Cardinal blogger (our last two teams), we’ve got an even better idea. A conversation between Mike Piazza and LaRussa’s recently deceased dog, Res. Res is so omnipotent up in doggie heaven, he already knows the outcome of the playoffs because he can alter them. Seriously.

So yeah, here’s the transcript:

Mike Piazza: So Res, are we going to win the World Series?

Res: No.

MP: Why?

Res: Because the Yankees are.

MP: I thought Jesus hated the Yankees.

Res: You know how I know you’re gay?

MP: My bleached blond hair?

Res: No, you stupid human. Your camouflage uniform.

MP: I didn’t know dogs were so mean.

Res: Hey, when you see in black and white all day on earth you’d be a little rough around the edges, too. Also, I’ve seen LaRussa naked many, many times. I used to go into my cage and cry after that. It really scared me.

MP: One time I saw my dad naked.

Res: Shut the hell up, Mike.

MP: So, did you know that I am the godson of Tommy Lasorda?

Res: Did you know that I am a dog with ferocious teeth and I can kill you with one bite?

MP: I think I need to go now.

Res: You do that.

Playoffs school: The Los Angeles Dodgers

October 4th, 2006 | Posted by The Postmen

So the playoffs have already started. So what? We’re still previewing the damn thing, and we’re just self-involved enough to think that’s a good enough reason for tardiness. Next in our series of preview interview madness is Andrew Grant, who runs the best blog on the Dodgers we’ve yet seen at TrueBlueLA.com. Andrew put up with our standard questions, raved about the sublime functionality of Greg Maddux, and the Dodgers’ bright future.

The Postmen: I’m a Cubs fan, so it pains me to ask this question, but Nomar and Greg - huge boost, medium boost, small boost, or no boost at all?

Andrew Grant: Overall, I’d say somewhere between medium and huge. Nomar had one of the best first halves in baseball, but aside from a couple of key home runs, he did nothing in the second half, putting up only a .694 OPS, third worst in baseball among first baseman.

Maddux, on the other hand, has exceeded all expectations. Originally, I was happy to see him simply because it would keep the ball out of Aaron Sele’s hands. Him putting up a 3.30 ERA with the Dodgers is just gravy. Since Brad Penny has faded down the stretch, another semi-reliable starter is a huge boost.

If the Dodgers didn’t have Maddux, than Aaron Sele or Mark Hendrickson would be starting in the playoffs. That alone makes him a huge boost.

TP: On your site, you recently wrote that you had the Dodgers’ eulogy all planned out. Do you feel like your boys are playing on borrowed time?

AG: Not really, I’ve long felt that the Dodgers are the best team in the NL West, I’m just used to crushing disappointment thanks to the last 18 years of Dodger baseball. Combine this with the fact that the Phillies couldn’t lose in September, I wasn’t all that enthusiastic.

TP: What’s the biggest question surrounding this team right now?

AG: If I had to choose, I’d go with starting pitching. Derek Lowe is currently the ace, but he was terrible in June and July (5.93 ERA). Brad Penny started the All-Star game, but he’s had a 6.25 ERA in the second half and is now fighting a back injury. Greg Maddux’s success seems entirely dependent on whether or not the ground balls he allows find fielders. The guy that I have the most confidence in right now is Hong-Chih Kuo, who has five career starts. So, starting pitching is incredibly shaky.

Also, the bullpen after Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito is scary, but the relatively few innings they would throw in the playoffs make that hole seem far less critical.

TP: What’s this team’s most solid area?

AG: The offense. While this team has no star hitters, no one hit over 20 home runs or had an OPS over .900, the lineup has no holes. The weakest hitters in the lineup are Kenny Lofton, a centerfielder with a .360 on base percentage, and Wilson Betemit, who has a .469 slugging percentage. Because the lineup is consistent throughout, the Dodgers scored only 14 runs less than the star studded Mets lineup. This consistency lead the Dodgers to the best batting average and on base percentage in the NL. The Dodgers will occassionally have an offensive slump if a few guys stop hitting at the same time, but conversly all the hitters can click at the same time, and produce some huge run totals.

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Playoffs school: The New York Yankees

October 2nd, 2006 | Posted by The Postmen

Similar to our big college football preview from Friday - though not as long, hopefully - we’ve decided to ask some of the people who know much better about their individual baseball teams than we do to help us preview their playoff chances by answering a few questions. We’ll be throwing these at you all week.

First up is - who else - the New York Yankees. Jamie R co-blogs the Yankees over at Pinstripe Alley, and he schooled us on the A-Rod situation, Sal Fasano’s moustache, and his hope for a World Series.

The Postmen: The Yankees have seemed to be out in front of the rest of the AL for almost the entire year. While the AL seems considerably better than the NL, who is built to derail the Yankees? Who would Yankees (and Yankees fans) prefer to see in the first round?

Jaime Robedo: Well, the first part of the question isn’t exactly right. They were down several games to the Red Sox going into the All Star break. It just seemed like they were ahead because the Red Sox collapsed so soon after the five game sweep in Boston. The team best built to derail them, (Besides Boston) the Angels, failed to make the playoffs. Their speed, aggressive playcalling, and great bullpen is the perfect antidote. The A’s might give them the hardest time because of their solid starting pitching and offensive philosophy. I’d prefer to see the Tigers becuase the Yanks handled them very well during the season.

TP: If I, in my humble and only partially-informed opinion, had to point out where the Yankees might seem vulnerable, it’s with the whole A-Rod, Giambi and Jeter Sports Illustrated guff. Does that sort of thing - and maybe ARod’s situation at large - have any affect on this team and its performance?

JR: The interview was done during the 5 game set in Boston. I bet any issue swere resolved long before the article came out. These are pro’s through and through and when they take the field nothing else matter except the game. Good hitters will get big hits eventually. No great athlete can ‘choke’ for too long. A-Rod is going to be in a position to make the big play and when he does, this whole insane year will be forgotten.

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