Spmusic Mondays: No Vegas For Me
(1 Cent): My Psychic Skills Need Refining
I am only 1 out of 4 in my MLB's divisional matchup predictions ... the Detroit Tigers came back and beat the $200 million payrolled New York Yankees 3-1 (three games to one) ... the Oakland A's swept the Minnesota Twins 3-0 ... the New York Mets worked over and swept my beloved Los Angeles Dodgers 3 -0 ... and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 3-1, which is the only series I predicted correctly.
Let me start off by saying no one -- not even the experts at ESPN -- predicted the Tigers over the Yankees. Especially after the Yankees won the first game 8-4. Then, the Yanks pulled off another choke job for the ages and allowed the Tigers to claw their way back and were basically shut out by a couple of young flame throwers while their bats suddenly became allergic to baseballs. They say money can't buy happiness (which I think is just something poor people say ... allow me to earn millions and I'll show you how happy I'll be) but it's true that money can't buy championships (i.e. New York Yankees in MLB and the New York Knicks in the NBA -- both of the highest payrolls). So, this prediction left me 0-1.
Next, we had the Oakland A's sweeping the bee-juzies out of the Twins. I mean, who saw Johan Santana losing game 1 to this A's offense? Who saw this "least talented playoff teams ever" (quote I saw on an ESPN webpage by A's 3B Eric Chavez) beating a red hot Twins team ... other than Buster Olney and Steve Philips? Would someone wake up Frank Thomas and tell him it's not 1995 anymore!?! Homeboy had 2 home runs in the first game and ended up batting .500 for the 3 games. Complete insanity. (My predictions 0-2).
In the National League, we had the New York Mets "cheap hit" my Dodgers into submission ... with the help of a strike zone the size of Hulk Hogan. I mean, I'll concede the first two games in New York ... but game 3 in LA, with Greg Maddox pitching ... we don't get any part of the plate?!? Then, Steve Trachsel (STEVE TRACHSEL) was getting every call there possibly was ... inside, outside, above the belt, below the knees ... did someone forget to give the memo to the umpire that Maddox was on the Dodgers? I saw at least a half dozen times Dodger batters getting out of the way of an inside pitch, only to have it called a strike. Re-gosh-dang-diculous. Next year, kid. Next year. Two last things to say about the series: Jeff Kent is one of the most clutch baseball players I've ever seen and watch out for the Dodgers 1B of the future, James Loney ... he's straight up money. (My predictions, 0-3).
My lone victorious pick was the Cardinals over the Padres ... reason being, I didn't think the Padres were that good. Yes, they had the better record ... they had home field advantage ... but no one in their batting line up "scared" me. Other than all time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, no one on their pitching staff made me think, "Hmm, he's good." The other deciding factor was that the Cardinals have the best hitter in the universe, Albert Pujols (pronounced: poo-holes). He's basically the only hitter right now that I feel has a legitimate chance of cranking one out every time he's at bat. I can't bet against that with the Padres offense. (My predictions, 1-4).
So, this is why I don't bet at Vegas ... I'd be more broke than an Enron stockholder. But, that will not prevent me from trying to pick the winners of the next round. Hopefully, by using the last round as evidence, I can come out better.
National League Championship Series
New York Mets over St. Louis Cardinals 4-2
Reasons: Mets have more offense from top to bottom ... have Tom Glavine for at least two games and have Billy Wagner ... not to mention a very decent middle relief.
American League Championship Series
Detroit Tigers over Oakland A's 4-3
Reasons: This series can go either way because the pitching matchup is basically even, but I am picking the Tigs because the A's will be missing both their regular SS and 2B due to injuries ... while I feel the Tiger offense is stronger from top to bottom ....
(2 Cent): No New Tunes ...
I didn't feel prompted to purchase any new CD last week ... the one I almost ended up buying was by Sleepy Brown. I just didn't know how good overall it would be because I like Sleepy as a featured guest on a song (i.e. OutKast's "I Like The Way You Move" or Ludacris' "Blueberry Yum Yum") but I don't know how I feel about him having his own album. I mean, it can't be that bad, but I don't know if it's worth me owning. I do really, really like his first single from it entitled "Margarita" which is a Neptunes produced track that also features Pharrell and Big Boi (from OutKast). Just to make sure, I sampled the album on iTunes (the 30 second snipets) and came to the conclusion that I'd be cool without it and most likely just get the single.
(1/2 Cent): Do Or Die
The Wannabees are alive ... but barely. Last Wednesday, we lost our game 12-9 ... our defense was shotty at best and the other team hit it all over the place, which isn't a good combination. What really irked me is that a female player -- who had been absent from the team since the first game due to injury -- decided to play. The bad part isn't that she decided to play, but that she had assisted our losing effort. First, there were at least 2 balls that flew over her head in right field (which lead to a run producing triple and home run). Then, while we had something resembling a rally going, and I walked which puts me on 2nd base and walks the female behind me ... she decides she wants to hit. What!?! I can understand if you've been hitting all season and we're not losing ... but we were losing the game and had runners on 2nd and 3rd with only one out. Why not take first and have bases loaded and a guy up? I don't care if a girl was going to be up next, why not have bases loaded?!? So, of course, she grounds out and deflates our chances at a really good inning. Wonderful. I hope to high heaven she does not bat behind me again.
The next thing that irked me is that the opposing team's pitcher was not finding the strike zone (i.e. I walked ... and I hate to walk). We had one last rally going, only down by 3 runs in the last inning ... she walked someone on all balls ... then we have someone swing and pop up on the first pitch. Why!?! I even yelled, "Take a strike!" Then, we get another walk ... have two people on, and the next batter ... swings at the first pitch! Why, oh why!?! Do we not want to win anymore?!? So, after that, somehow we get a couple of hits because of some bobbles in the infield ... then we have bases loaded, and I'm on deck ... meaning, I'm set to hit next ... can you guess what happens? Yeah, so the batter in front of me swings at the first pitch, grounds out, there's the game. I'm looking for the nearest cat to choke. Why don't we take a pitch!?! I wanted to be up with bases loaded! I wanted a chance for one more swing (my last at bat was dangerously close to a home run, but was only a double). I hate it!!!
I even think of things this way ... had, in that one inning, the female after me taken a base with a walk instead of wanting to get out, that would've meant an extra at bat at the end of the game ... or ME at bat! Gah, things like this kill me for weeks. No, I'm not bitter.
Then, we were supposed to play on Thursday. If we won on Thursday, we advance to the championship game today. If we lost, it was all over. On Thursday, it rained and the game was postponed until today, Monday (assuming it doesn't rain again). So, if somehow we win today, then we play the team that beat us last Wednesday for the championship ... but since they haven't lost in the tournament, we'd have to beat them twice in that same day. Impossible? No. Improbable? Yes. Do I like one word answers? Maybe. If we play carelessly again, then we have no chance. Frankly, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if a batter gets hit by lightening with their metal bat and we have to forfeit the game.
To make matters worse, our pitcher for basically all but 2 games of the year, had his foot broken in our loss. Short story shorter, the ball was hit back hard to him after the pitch and smacked off his foot (as I ran by, barehanded it, and threw out the runner at first ... a nifty play, I must admit). He said it hurt for the rest of the game ... got it checked out the next day ... the doctor said it was broken (methinks some kind of hairline fracture or something). Either way, he's out, which is bad because, 1) there goes our most used pitcher, 2) it weakens an already weak outfield because our CF now has to pitch, 3) we have to have the same number of guys and gals play, which means we're recruiting someone who hasn't played the whole season and I'm not even sure knows how to play (fun fact: he's related to the female slugger who batted behind me last game ... yikes).
I'm not making excuses ... I'm just describing what we're up against. But, if the MLB has taught me anything last week, it's don't count out the underdogs!
Wannabees Team Record (Playoff): (2-1) ... Last Game - L, 12-9
HCP Game Stats: AB = 2, R = 2, H = 1, 2B = 1, RBI = 2, BB = 1, BA = .500
HCP Playoff Stats: G = 3, AB = 8, R = 5, H = 5, 2B = 2, RBI = 6, BB = 3, BA = .625
Okay, so this week I should know when Thursday is and when Friday is ... check back later this week for Pet Peeve Thursday! Keep those comments and questions comin' ... write to HCP2007@gmail.com or click on the comments link below! You're just a click away from being famous!
HCP
I am only 1 out of 4 in my MLB's divisional matchup predictions ... the Detroit Tigers came back and beat the $200 million payrolled New York Yankees 3-1 (three games to one) ... the Oakland A's swept the Minnesota Twins 3-0 ... the New York Mets worked over and swept my beloved Los Angeles Dodgers 3 -0 ... and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 3-1, which is the only series I predicted correctly.
Let me start off by saying no one -- not even the experts at ESPN -- predicted the Tigers over the Yankees. Especially after the Yankees won the first game 8-4. Then, the Yanks pulled off another choke job for the ages and allowed the Tigers to claw their way back and were basically shut out by a couple of young flame throwers while their bats suddenly became allergic to baseballs. They say money can't buy happiness (which I think is just something poor people say ... allow me to earn millions and I'll show you how happy I'll be) but it's true that money can't buy championships (i.e. New York Yankees in MLB and the New York Knicks in the NBA -- both of the highest payrolls). So, this prediction left me 0-1.
Next, we had the Oakland A's sweeping the bee-juzies out of the Twins. I mean, who saw Johan Santana losing game 1 to this A's offense? Who saw this "least talented playoff teams ever" (quote I saw on an ESPN webpage by A's 3B Eric Chavez) beating a red hot Twins team ... other than Buster Olney and Steve Philips? Would someone wake up Frank Thomas and tell him it's not 1995 anymore!?! Homeboy had 2 home runs in the first game and ended up batting .500 for the 3 games. Complete insanity. (My predictions 0-2).
In the National League, we had the New York Mets "cheap hit" my Dodgers into submission ... with the help of a strike zone the size of Hulk Hogan. I mean, I'll concede the first two games in New York ... but game 3 in LA, with Greg Maddox pitching ... we don't get any part of the plate?!? Then, Steve Trachsel (STEVE TRACHSEL) was getting every call there possibly was ... inside, outside, above the belt, below the knees ... did someone forget to give the memo to the umpire that Maddox was on the Dodgers? I saw at least a half dozen times Dodger batters getting out of the way of an inside pitch, only to have it called a strike. Re-gosh-dang-diculous. Next year, kid. Next year. Two last things to say about the series: Jeff Kent is one of the most clutch baseball players I've ever seen and watch out for the Dodgers 1B of the future, James Loney ... he's straight up money. (My predictions, 0-3).
My lone victorious pick was the Cardinals over the Padres ... reason being, I didn't think the Padres were that good. Yes, they had the better record ... they had home field advantage ... but no one in their batting line up "scared" me. Other than all time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, no one on their pitching staff made me think, "Hmm, he's good." The other deciding factor was that the Cardinals have the best hitter in the universe, Albert Pujols (pronounced: poo-holes). He's basically the only hitter right now that I feel has a legitimate chance of cranking one out every time he's at bat. I can't bet against that with the Padres offense. (My predictions, 1-4).
So, this is why I don't bet at Vegas ... I'd be more broke than an Enron stockholder. But, that will not prevent me from trying to pick the winners of the next round. Hopefully, by using the last round as evidence, I can come out better.
National League Championship Series
New York Mets over St. Louis Cardinals 4-2
Reasons: Mets have more offense from top to bottom ... have Tom Glavine for at least two games and have Billy Wagner ... not to mention a very decent middle relief.
American League Championship Series
Detroit Tigers over Oakland A's 4-3
Reasons: This series can go either way because the pitching matchup is basically even, but I am picking the Tigs because the A's will be missing both their regular SS and 2B due to injuries ... while I feel the Tiger offense is stronger from top to bottom ....
(2 Cent): No New Tunes ...
I didn't feel prompted to purchase any new CD last week ... the one I almost ended up buying was by Sleepy Brown. I just didn't know how good overall it would be because I like Sleepy as a featured guest on a song (i.e. OutKast's "I Like The Way You Move" or Ludacris' "Blueberry Yum Yum") but I don't know how I feel about him having his own album. I mean, it can't be that bad, but I don't know if it's worth me owning. I do really, really like his first single from it entitled "Margarita" which is a Neptunes produced track that also features Pharrell and Big Boi (from OutKast). Just to make sure, I sampled the album on iTunes (the 30 second snipets) and came to the conclusion that I'd be cool without it and most likely just get the single.
(1/2 Cent): Do Or Die
The Wannabees are alive ... but barely. Last Wednesday, we lost our game 12-9 ... our defense was shotty at best and the other team hit it all over the place, which isn't a good combination. What really irked me is that a female player -- who had been absent from the team since the first game due to injury -- decided to play. The bad part isn't that she decided to play, but that she had assisted our losing effort. First, there were at least 2 balls that flew over her head in right field (which lead to a run producing triple and home run). Then, while we had something resembling a rally going, and I walked which puts me on 2nd base and walks the female behind me ... she decides she wants to hit. What!?! I can understand if you've been hitting all season and we're not losing ... but we were losing the game and had runners on 2nd and 3rd with only one out. Why not take first and have bases loaded and a guy up? I don't care if a girl was going to be up next, why not have bases loaded?!? So, of course, she grounds out and deflates our chances at a really good inning. Wonderful. I hope to high heaven she does not bat behind me again.
The next thing that irked me is that the opposing team's pitcher was not finding the strike zone (i.e. I walked ... and I hate to walk). We had one last rally going, only down by 3 runs in the last inning ... she walked someone on all balls ... then we have someone swing and pop up on the first pitch. Why!?! I even yelled, "Take a strike!" Then, we get another walk ... have two people on, and the next batter ... swings at the first pitch! Why, oh why!?! Do we not want to win anymore?!? So, after that, somehow we get a couple of hits because of some bobbles in the infield ... then we have bases loaded, and I'm on deck ... meaning, I'm set to hit next ... can you guess what happens? Yeah, so the batter in front of me swings at the first pitch, grounds out, there's the game. I'm looking for the nearest cat to choke. Why don't we take a pitch!?! I wanted to be up with bases loaded! I wanted a chance for one more swing (my last at bat was dangerously close to a home run, but was only a double). I hate it!!!
I even think of things this way ... had, in that one inning, the female after me taken a base with a walk instead of wanting to get out, that would've meant an extra at bat at the end of the game ... or ME at bat! Gah, things like this kill me for weeks. No, I'm not bitter.
Then, we were supposed to play on Thursday. If we won on Thursday, we advance to the championship game today. If we lost, it was all over. On Thursday, it rained and the game was postponed until today, Monday (assuming it doesn't rain again). So, if somehow we win today, then we play the team that beat us last Wednesday for the championship ... but since they haven't lost in the tournament, we'd have to beat them twice in that same day. Impossible? No. Improbable? Yes. Do I like one word answers? Maybe. If we play carelessly again, then we have no chance. Frankly, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if a batter gets hit by lightening with their metal bat and we have to forfeit the game.
To make matters worse, our pitcher for basically all but 2 games of the year, had his foot broken in our loss. Short story shorter, the ball was hit back hard to him after the pitch and smacked off his foot (as I ran by, barehanded it, and threw out the runner at first ... a nifty play, I must admit). He said it hurt for the rest of the game ... got it checked out the next day ... the doctor said it was broken (methinks some kind of hairline fracture or something). Either way, he's out, which is bad because, 1) there goes our most used pitcher, 2) it weakens an already weak outfield because our CF now has to pitch, 3) we have to have the same number of guys and gals play, which means we're recruiting someone who hasn't played the whole season and I'm not even sure knows how to play (fun fact: he's related to the female slugger who batted behind me last game ... yikes).
I'm not making excuses ... I'm just describing what we're up against. But, if the MLB has taught me anything last week, it's don't count out the underdogs!
Wannabees Team Record (Playoff): (2-1) ... Last Game - L, 12-9
HCP Game Stats: AB = 2, R = 2, H = 1, 2B = 1, RBI = 2, BB = 1, BA = .500
HCP Playoff Stats: G = 3, AB = 8, R = 5, H = 5, 2B = 2, RBI = 6, BB = 3, BA = .625
Okay, so this week I should know when Thursday is and when Friday is ... check back later this week for Pet Peeve Thursday! Keep those comments and questions comin' ... write to HCP2007@gmail.com or click on the comments link below! You're just a click away from being famous!
HCP
posted by HCP @ 11:35 AM
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