The Joy Of Reading Sports Illustrated Four Weeks Late

I've gotten behind in my Sports Illustrated reading again, driven by work and other stuff. I mean, I'd like to get to these weekly magazines on time (that goes for you too, Economist). But sometimes it doesn't happen, and oftentimes, old issues just end up getting thrown out.

But not Sports Illustrated. Even when the issues become outdated, I hold on to them for future reading, because it's really fun to be sitting on an airplane catching up. It's particularly fun to read about stories written and angles taken, now that you know how they have played out.

One thing I found in the October 3 Sports Illustrated issue (Walter Payton cover) was a light interview between Dan Patrick and Clayton Kershaw. Given that the NL Cy Young award winner won't be announced until November 17 (and the NL MVP won't be announced until November 22), the interview remained somewhat relevant, even a month later:

DAN PATRICK: Are you the National League Cy Young winner?

CLAYTON KERSHAW: That's a great question. I don't know. I have to wait to find out.

DP: If you win, who will be thanked first in your speech?

CK: You probably have to go wife and then mom.

DP: Your top competition might be the Phillies' Roy Halladay. Do you think we expect so much out of Halladay that it's hard for him to impress us enough to win another Cy Young?

CK: He's unbelievable. You're probably right: You expect him to throw a complete-game shutout every time he goes out there. [...]

DP: How would you pitch to Matt Kemp?

CK: Four pitches outside the strike zone. Just hope he chases, I guess, because right now he's locked in.

DP: Who will win the National League MVP?

CK: I don't know, but if Kemp doesn't win it, somebody got it wrong. What he's done all year has been absolutely unbelievable for us. People can look at the record and say we didn't make the playoffs, but without him we might be 30 games under.

DP: What do you think of the job manager Don Mattingly has done?

CK: Donnie's awesome. He's so positive. That first half was so bad, but he remained positive. That kind of rubs off on the guys. You saw that it in the second half.

DP: Does Mattingly ever talk about how good he was as a player?

CK: Donnie doesn't talk about himself as a player at all. The one thing he does do is never forget how hard it is to play this game. When people are struggling, he doesn't just ride them to the bench. He understands this is a tough game. That's pretty special.

Clayton Kershaw is pretty special, too. I hope he wins the Cy Young Award.

The other thing that is cool about reading four-week-old SIs is the feature articles, and how prescient they ended up being. The MLB Playoff Preview cited "aces and closers" as the keys to October Baseball (so said Tom Verducci). Which is why the Yankees, Rangers, Phillies, Brewers, and Diamondbacks were all heavy favorites. Well, one out of five ain't bad. Ha ha!

Then there was a long article from Gary Smith about how Philadelphia has turned into Phillies Nation, a nation which crosses cultures and income strata and generations, and has elevated to become more civilized (i.e., eschewing booing!) because of the Phillies' success and imminent progression to another World Series Championship. Uh huh.

Let's do the timewarp again! I've got more old issues to read!

ALCS Crowns Beltres: NL Opponent Awaits

RANGERS 15, TIGERS 5

Criminy, that was an ugly bottom of the third for Detroit. Texas returns to the World Series for the second straight year and awaits an NL Central opponent.

NLCS Game 3 Thread: Brewers @ Cardinals, 5p

Yovani Gallardo (17-10, 3.52) vs. Chris Carpenter (11-9, 3.45).

Both teams suit up their starters who pitched in their respective LDS Game 5 showdowns; Gallardo pitched six innings but didn't get the win, while Carpenter went the distance in three-hitting the Phillies. And with St. Louis earning a split in Milwaukee, the Cardinals have a chance to keep the momentum going from their 12-3 Game 2 win and make sure the series never even gets back to Miller Park. In fact, Bernie Brewer is probably blogging about this scenario right now.

NLDS Game Thread: Snakes Biting Back Brewers

Get it? Snake Bite brew?

NLDS Game 4: MIL Randy Wolf (13-10, 3.69) @ ARI Joe Saunders (12-13, 3.69).

The Diamondbacks showed there's still life in them, winning 8-1 to force Game 4. It's still going to be an uphill climb however, so winning what could be the Snakes' last home game this season is critical. And who would have thought we'd see two starters with equal ERAs face off? Snakes alive! Let's drink!

NLDS Game Thread: Will Cards Come Out Charged?

NLDS Game 4: PHI Roy Oswalt (9-10, 3.69) @ STL Edwin Jackson (12-9, 3.79).

Cards are on the brink of elimination here against the Phillies juggernaut. And former Dodger Edwin Jackson is dealing a hot hand, allowing two or fewer earned runs in nine of 12 starts (since late July), pitching at least six innings in 10 out of 12. But after coming up just short in Game 3, after outhitting the Phils 12-7, do the Cards (and in particular, 2012 Dodgers first baseman Albert Pujols) have any energy left?

NLDS Game Thread: Brew'd Awakening?

NLDS Game 3: MIL Shawn Marcum (13-7, 3.54 regular season) @ ARI Josh Collmenter (10-10, 3.38 regular season).

This would be a surprisingly early exit for the fist-pumping Kirk Gibson, Diamondbacks manager and Dodgers World Series legend. But the Snakes have a way of coming back from deficits, leading the majors with 48 come-from-behind victories this season. That said, since the Wild Card was introduced in 1995, all 19 NL teams that have started a LDS 2-0 have advanced to the NLCS. Good luck there, Diamondbacks!

Man, Sherilyn Fenn was so hot. Discuss.

ALDS Game Thread: Tigers Hope To Keep Flying

ALDS Game 4: NYY A.J. Burnett (11-11, 5.15 regular season) @ DET Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.75 regular season).

With one win in either of their next two games, the Detroit Tigers advance to the ALCS, knocking the AL's best team out of the playoffs. I'm guessing it will be a lot easier to pull this off at home tonight rather than back in New York for Game 5.

NLDS Game Thread: Phils Enter House Of Cards

NLDS Game 3: PHI Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.79 regular season) @ STL Jaime Garcia (13-7, 3.56 regular season)

If you look closely at the image, you can see one of the Phillies' ballyhooed four aces at the foundation of the house of cards. We'll see if Busch Stadium crumbles if that ace gets removed early. Other than my cheesy GT metaphor, you know the rest of the cliches about the Cardinals' home crowd.

This is the only one of today's four playoff games that doesn't have an elimination outcome. So just go out there and have fun, you guys!

ALDS Game Thread: An Early End To Dreams Of Rays In Arizona?

ALDS Game 4: TEX Matt Harrison (14-0, 3.39 regular season) @ TB Jeremy Hellickson (13-10, 2.95 regular season).

I know, with the Diamondbacks down 2-0 in their series, it's a longshot that a TB-AZ matchup will happen this postseason. That said, the Rays have pulled off turnarounds like this before, so who's to say that they couldn't do their part, and come back from a 2-1 deficit in a best-of-five series (especially with Game 4 at home in the Trop')?

Perhaps now that the Rays are feeling the shadow of elimination again, they'll be more excited. "We've got a baby now, Hi! Everything's CHANGED!"

Or maybe they'll just sleepwalk through another starring role.

The Baseball Fan Archetypes

Jason Gay of the WSJ's Sports Page had an amusing article on the types of baseball fans, categorized into eight (really, seven) types of fans. As I'm still getting chills from the awesomeness of the last day of the regular season, I'm sure I'm "The Hardcore":

The Hardcore

Needs no postseason introduction. Deeply engaged since the season's beginning. Spent two-thirds of marriage nest egg on solo spring training research trip to the Grapefruit League. Sabermetric tendencies, but not a cliche. Thinks Clayton Kershaw should win NL Cy Young, end of story (Halladay, Schmalladay). Torn about the idea of adding an additional wild card. Once saw Bud Selig eating yogurt at an airport.

However, there was a nice sentence in another archetype's description which I liked (emphasis mine):

The Shameless Late Arrival

Proudly tells everyone in the office he or she doesn't "pay attention until October." Keeps asking where the Red Sox are and why Cliff Lee is back on the Phillies. Constantly checking smartphone for NFL and "Game of Thrones" news. Still thinks Derek Jeter and Minka Kelly are together. Predicts Phillies will win the Series because of pitching. Number of Phillies games viewed this regular season: zero. Claims to be locked in and excited, but would miss a Game 7 for tickets to "Dolphin Tale."

I may not be late to the game. But I do enjoy noticing the Red Sox's absence.

Scoreboard Watching: Wild Card Wednesday (Sept 28, 2011)

This graphic seems a lot more complicated than it needs to be.

Back on September 8, I wrote that the MLB playoff races were boring and all but decided. Boy, was I wrong.

With both the NL and AL Wild Card races tied on the final day of play, each of the four teams playing are potentially playing for their lives. Here's the games of note:

AL Wild Card Race

• BOS Jon Lester (15-9, 3.49) @ BAL Alfredo Simon (4-9, 4.85); first pitch 4p
• NYY TBD @ TB David Price (12-13, 3.35); first pitch 4p

This matchup is especially intriguing given the Yankees, already in the playoffs, can stick it to their rival by fielding a team of total scrubs and losing the game. As of 10a, the Yankees' starter hadn't even been named. Given the Red Sox was leading the entire AL on September 1 (with a nine-game lead on the Rays), but proceeded to go 7-19 down the stretch, this would be pretty devastating. I expect the Red Sox to pull it out, and Boston fans to lord this over everyone not from their "Nation."

NL Wild Card Race

• PHI Joe Blanton (1-2, 5.03) @ ATL Tim Hudson (16-10, 3.23), first pitch 4p
• STL Chris Carpenter (10-9, 3.59) @ HOU Brett Myers (7-13, 4.31); first pitch 5p (and MLB.tv's free game of the day!)

The Cardinals rallied yesterday for a comeback victory over the Astros, the worst team in the major leagues. St. Louis, who was 8.5 games out of the Wild Card on September 1, has the added benefit of starting an hour later than the Braves' game. And the Phillies and Braves are divisional rivals (even though Philly is throwing more of a joker than one of its lauded four aces). I'm expecting the Cardinals to make the playoffs--or spend all winter lamenting that Dodgers ninth-inning victory at Busch that got away (you know, the one that SoSG Alex Cora and I attended!).

graphic from mlb.com