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by Tom Cole
© 2005


October 8, 2005


The Long Season Becomes Short -
Notes from the AL Playoffs

Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, left, and captain Jason Varitek sit in the dugout after the White Sox swept the Red Sox to win the American League Division Series in Boston. The White Sox won the game, 5-3. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) Schilling never appeared in the series, while Varitek is regarded by his teammates as a league MVP candidate

Disregarding last year's ALCS between the Red Sox and Yankees, which was truly the most compelling bit of baseball that I and many people had, perhaps, EVER witnessed, the playoffs are good, but the drama of the long season, the ebbs and flows of the marathon, is a truly compelling story. My first experience with baseball journalism, and possibly my inspiration to do exactly what I am now doing, came from Jim Brosnon's book, The Long Season, a chronicle of the 1960 baseball season from the perspective of a seat in the Cincinnati Reds' bullpen. Unaclaimed, unlike “Ball Four” by Jim Bouton because it did not shock anyone or destroy myths, Brosnon revealed the pace of the game and game within the game, as well as the drug use (“greenies” or speed) and it was this book which inspired me to follow a team throughout a long season.

The distillation of an entire season culminates in what we are seeing now, the drama of October baseball. Or what is supposed to be drama. Much of the playoffs so far has been somewhat anti-climactic. The Padres are on the brink, as predicted by most who chose not to go out on a limb, and elimination should happen Saturday in San Diego. The Red Sox are OUT, eliminated in three games by the surging White Sox, whose post season story rivals the curse of their cross town neighbors and doldrums that the Red Sox themselves had experienced until last year. Maybe, this year will be theirs?

Ex-Yankee Orlando Hernandez ('El Duque') exulting over escaping a bases loaded jam in the 6th inning. He pitched three scoreless innings, acceding to the young closer Bobby Jenks to eliiminate the Red Sox from the postseason party.

The short season of the playoffs becomes suddenly too short for those teams whose weaknesses are immediately revealed, a symptom of post season play. Somehow, interestingly, a team's weaknesses can be patched, glossed over, hidden over the long haul of 162 games, but a short playoff series against another top team immediately exposes these shortcomings. Witness, the quick demise of the Red Sox. The game, they say, is about pitching and defense. And the Boston crew was woefully short on arms this year. Without Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe (who actually saved the team last year) and the Schilling to who the country had grown accustomed to watching flawless perfom (bloody sock and all, and he NEVER appeared in these three games clearly not a #1 starter anymore), this team was doomed before the first game was played. The absence of closer Keith Foulke became irrelevant as there were no games to save anyway.

On the other hand, the consistent presentation that the White Sox exhibited throughout much of the season (the final month not withstanding) is actually quite impressive. They pitch AND hit, as well as play decent defense. But without any headline star names in their everyday lineup (Frank Thomas, the Big Hurt, was merely a footnote to this season and will undoubtedly be cut loose to free agency next year), it was always a mystery to me exactly WHO was carrying this team, who was contributing. Paul Konerko put up good numbers with 40 hr and 100 rbi and Jermaine Dye quietly assumed the three spot in the batting order after batting sixth or seventh all year. The emergence of flame thrower Bobby Jenks from Double A ball, replacing closer Dustin Hermanson who was virtually unhittable the first three months of the season proved to be pivotal to what was already a balanced pitching staff.

Los Angeles Angels' Vladimir Guerrero, left, slides safely into home as the ball gets by New York Yankees' Jorge Posada on a hit by Garret Anderson in the seventh inning during Game 3 of the American Leauge Division Series at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

The Yankees will be lucky to survive the balanced Angels team. Their weakness, pitching, is all too apparent, with Randy Johnson getting bombed on Friday night in a 11-7 loss at Yankees Stadium, unfazed by the Yankee mystique. The bridge between starters and closers is a shaky, tenuous one, with the likes of ancient Al Leiter, Tanyon Sturtze (who??), and three castoffs from the Giants bullpen of a year ago. The everyday lineup led by the peerless Jeter, A-Rod, Sheffield, Giambi and

Matsui is formidable, but to ask them to consistently play catch up is asking a lot. And the Angels are deep in pitching, able to throw a quality relief pitcher as early as 4th inning as they did last night and continue on through set up man, Kelvin Esobar (formerly a closer with Toronto, 38 saves) and their own peerless closer who rival Mariano Rivera with good stuff if not yet the savvy of the Yankee closer, Francisco Rodrigues or K-Rod as he has been known since his flashy debut in the 2002 post season.

New York Yankees' Hideki Matsui is greeted by Derek Jeter (2) after scoring on a double by Robinson Cano in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angles during Game 3 of the American Leauge Division Series at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

The long season becomes a short one, and usually the better team DOES win, contrary to the popular myth that anything can happen in a short series. Yes, anything CAN happen but usually what does happen is not unexpected, especially with the comfort of retrospect. Expect the Angels and White Sox to battle it out in

what should be a very good ALCS, and I am betting (figuratively speaking of course) that the Angels will prevail, given their experience in post season. But THAT should be a good series, compensating for what has been a rather lackluster and somewhat uninteresting collection of games so far.

Randy Johnson watches the flight of Garret Anderson's 1st inning 3 run homerun, one of many shots hit off the aging $18,000,000 lefty.