Sunday diversion / no joy in Mudville, or in Baltimore, Washington or Oakland

dreams die hard
Let’s not talk about the League Championship Series yet, bad breaks and all. (I know that is difficult, fellow Yankee fans, but indulge me.) Focus instead on the glory of the Division Series, and tip your cap to the three teams that were probably the top three most surprising (and refreshing!) teams in all of baseball: the Washington Nationals, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Oakland Athletics.

Each team over-performed (in the case of the O’s and the A’s, dramatically). Each team lost a 5th game (the Nats in most heartbreaking fashion, having lead early 6-0 and late 7-5). Each team had a certain flair (if I can use that term to describe Showalter). The Nats won more games than any team in either league. The A’s had the lowest payroll in MLB and started only rookie pitchers the last month+ of the season. The O’s nipped at Yankee heels for the last 6 weeks, catching them a few times but never getting ahead.

Ain’t baseball grand?

(Now you can resume counting Yankee strikeouts and mourning The Captain. No joy in New York, either.)

© Sandy Mattingly 2012