It all ended so quickly, and far too soon. Yes, this was disappointing- hugely so, but as I said before this World Series began, there would be no losers in this Series. Houston gots it’s first World Series after a 44-year wait, and the Chicago White Sox got their first World Championship since 1917 (that’s WWI, y’all….). All in all, it’s a helluva story. It’s just too bad the Astros were swept. All four games were close, and Houston had ample opportunities to win in all four games. In the end, the Astros fell victim to the same problem that plagued the team all year long- an anemic offense, and an inability to drive in runs with men in scoring position. Brad Lidge finally proving that he is in fact human didn’t help matters.
Let’s not take anything away from the White Sox, however. Though I’ve always hated the White Sox, despite my family being from Chicago’s South Side, this was a collection of ballplayers that, like last year’s Boston Red Sox, was difficult to hate. They play hard, they play the game right, and they do so while enjoying the momen. This is a collection of wealthy men who recognize and savor the reality that they are playing a kid’s game.
Those of us who were pulling for Houston, while we have every reason to be disappointed at being swept, should at least try to keep things in perspective. The Astros were 15-30 in late May, and the Houston Chronicle pronouncd them dead, even printing a tombstone on the front of the paper’s sports section. This was a team that was looking at simply playing out the string so they could get to the offseason. That they even made it to the World Series was a minor miracle.
In the end, the Astros’ season fell victim to the same problems that plagued them from Opening Day and throughout the season. Nothing that befell the team in the World Series came as a surprise. I was simply amazed that they even made it. Frankly, they ran into a superior team that did what it needed to do when they needed to do it. Nothing flashy, nothing spectacular, nothing except what championship teams do to win. The White Sox and their fans should be congratulated for doing just enough to win their first World Championship in 88 years.
Perhaps next year it will be Houston’s turn??
First -- congratulations to the Astros.
No, really. I mean that. They made it to the World Series. They played baseball's longest game getting to their division pennant. They beat every oddsmaker. They outlasted, outplayed, and flat outperformed every expectation -- particularly the Chronicle's. Good for the 'Stros.
I am very proud of Texas' best pro baseball team.
Houston's had the Astros far longer than the state's had the Rangers, and the 'Stros have always been ... not quite everybody's darling.
But this year they did things that deserve applause. Standing O's even. Not so minor, the miracles the Astros figured out how to deliver; particularly since they did it without a Palmiero or an A-Rod ... in other words, they did it honestly.
Second -- Four months. Baseball's supposed to be a summertime game, isn't it?
Shouldn't spring training start in, oh, spring? I realize high school baseball, and even college ball, has a far more constrained space in the calendar for their season; thus, baseball in January and state playoffs in June. But ''the boys of summer'' kick off training in midwinter, and play until deep into autumn nowadays.
Got to be tough on the players. Got to be tough on the fans and the announcers, too -- truthfully, the NBA wears me out about a third of the way before their season ends, and ... well the less I say about the NFL the better (Jerry Jones is a $%^&^%#!!!@#$!!!!)
Third: __Hip, hip, hurray for Houston's Astros.