10 Reasons why the Milwaukee Brewers winning the 2011 World Series would be good for baseball

It's time to continue the Why Each Team's Potential World Championship Would Be Good For The Game series. The next entry? The Milwaukee Brewers.



On July 26th, the Brewers were in second place behind the Cardinals and just 1/2 a game ahead of the Pirates. 1 game separated 3 teams. And the Defending Division Champion Reds were a mere 5 games back.



The NL Central promised to be a dog fight to the end... that is until the Brewers starting winning.



Since that day, the Brew Crew is 27-8. No team in baseball has played better than Milwaukee since July 26th and their magic number is 16.

Playoff baseball is returning to Wisconsin. But why would an average baseball fan want to see the Brewers win?



Read on...

10 Reasons why the

Milwaukee Brewers

winning the 2011 World Series

would be good for baseball

1. Wisconsin fans would appreciate a "Multiple Championship" Decade



There's no doubt who the biggest team in Wisconsin is. The Defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers reign supreme. But it would be great for their fans to experience an embarrassment of riches. Places like New York, Boston, Detroit, Miami and Tampa Bay have experienced multiple titles in different sports last decade. Hell even Anaheim had a World Series and Stanley Cup champ close to each other. Why not in Wisconsin? You know it will be a great party.





2. Prince Fielder's defection would not be as harsh if he delivered a title to Milwaukee.



Prince Fielder is as good as gone. It wouldn't make sense for the Brewers to devote such a gigantic chunk of their payroll to a first baseman. And no doubt a team in need of a PR boost this off season will overpay for Mr. Fielder. But stars who depart without a ring leave their old city with unfinished business. Fielder can erase all that in October (and match his father with rings, making the most public Father and Son rivalry even more intriguing.

3. A World Championship would help make Ryan Braun a legit star.



Ryan Braun could very well win the NL MVP this year. And I have a feeling that if you said his name to most sports fans, they would say "Who?"



The former NL Rookie of the Year has put up 5 years of wonderful numbers and not a lot of fame to go along with it. Maybe shining on the national stage would change that.



How could America NOT embrace a power hitter named Braun?



4. It would simplify the question "How long have Brewers fans waited for a World Champion".



How long have Brewers fans waited for a World Champion? Well the Brewers have NEVER won a World Series... but the Braves have. Not the Atlanta Braves, even though THEY did as well. The Milwaukee Braves won in 1957. But have Brewers fans been waiting 54 years? What about the few years there was no team in Milwaukee? Do those count? It is very complicated. But if the Brewers win, it is cut and dry.





5. A Brewers title would mean a lot of Hall of Famers would be celebrated



For a team that has exactly one pennant to its credit, there would be no shortage of Cooperstown enshrined heroes to throw out the first pitch.



It helps matters that the 1982 pennant winners had four, count em, FOUR Future Hall of Famers. Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Rollie Fingers and Don Sutton.



And some fellow named Hank Aaron finished his career as a Brewer and supposedly had some decent years in Milwaukee as a Brave. I'll have to look him up.





6. A Ron Roenicke led title could be traced back to Walter Alston



Bear with me.



Walter Alston, whose big league playing career consisted of one strikeout, worked his way up to the bigs as a manager. He became a World Champion and a Hall of Famer.



One of Alston's coaches was Tom Lasorda, who became a World Champion manager and a Hall of Famer.



One of Lasorda's players and coaches was Mike Scioscia. He became a World Championship manager and I believe is putting together a Hall of Fame caliber career.



One of Scioscia's coaches was Ron Roenicke. If he wins a World Series title, it bodes very well for for one of the coaches on his staff to pass on the Alston wisdom.





7. A THIRD unlikely championship for Craig Counsell would be amazing.



Counsell has bounced around between the Rockies, Marlins, Diamondbacks and Brewers. Hardly marquee big budgeted franchises. (He played 1/2 an unmemorable season with the Dodgers as well.) Yet he was a World Champion in 1997 with the Marlins and 2001 with the Diamondbacks (winning NLCS MVP honors.) 3 rings in three decades without being a Yankee or a Red Sox would be impressive.



If the Brewers are trailing in Game 7 of the World Series, look out for Counsell. Incredibly, he was a part of two Game 7 comebacks.



He hit the game tying sacrifice fly in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. In the 11th he would score the World Series winning run.



In Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, he was hit by a Mariano Rivera pitch in the 9th inning and was on base when Luis Gonzalez blooped his World Series winning single. If the Brewers are trailing in the 9th, they might send Counsell up just to see what happens.





8. National exposure to Miller Park rituals would be wonderful for the game.



Just imagine casual baseball fans seeing a Brewers game for the first time.



"Wait, they have a race with men dressed as sausages?"



"Explain to me why Bernie the Brewer goes down the slide from his chalet after each homer?"



There's no logical explanation for these rituals, which makes them being seen on National TV even better.





9. A Brewers championship would be a subtle middle finger to Bud Selig

Of course Bud Selig would be thrilled to see the Brewers win and I bet he would gleefully hand the World Series trophy to owner Mark Attanasio. But lest we forget all of those years Selig was owner of the Brewers and never won that trophy himself.



And remember he took part in the cabal that ousted Fay Vincent and put himself, the owner of a team, as "temporary commissioner" in 1992. Here we are 19 years later and he's still here.



In 1992 the Brewers had a terrific season. Then year in and year out for the rest of the time that the Seligs ran the Brewers, they had a losing season. And all the while, the refrain that came from Selig was that smaller market teams couldn't compete. Attanasio took over the team and in 2 years they were a .500 team. In 5 years they were a playoff team. Now they are a World Series contender.



Maybe Selig could have done that as owner, if he wasn't too guilty colluding.

10. How great would a Bob Uecker World Championship call be?



Seriously. Bob Uecker calling the final out of a Brewers title. Have a few beers in him and build up the excitement and I have a feeling it would be the phone ring of everyone in Wisconsin.



And you thought his "Jusssssst a bit outside" call in Major League was memorable. Imagine him happy with the World Series result!







So it looks like post season ball in the Dairy Land is going to happen again. I for one wish they went back to the "ball in glove" hat from the 1970s and 1980s. But guess what? I am thinking that Brewers fans won't be too picky about what hat their team wins in they win it all.



And that is a distinct possibility.

















If you liked this then go ahead and read the entries for the other teams.



CHICAGO WHITE SOX

CLEVELAND INDIANS

LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

NEW YORK YANKEES

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Now THAT is how you fall out of First Place!

This game was over in the second inning. And if you are going to lose, have a total meltdown.

10-0.

Being held to 2 hits.



NOTHING went right and that's how I like my losses.

TOTAL blow outs. And with Wakefield going 4 innings (throwing to Varitek no less!)



By the way, THIS should be Wakes' role for the rest of the season. Come in when the Sox are behind.



Best case scenario is the Red Sox come back and he gets his 200th win.

Worst case scenario is the bullpen gets the night off.



Give me a 10-0 loss to striking out with the bases loaded against Rivera any day!

New Sully Baseball Video "'Tis the Season to End the Season"

The latest Sully Baseball Video takes a look at Labor Day weekend. I make the case that it SHOULD be the natural climax for the baseball season.















And as always you can watch ALL the Sully Baseball videos on my ShortForm TV Channel.

The Giants World Series defense could end this weekend

On July 28, the Giants had a 4 game lead and added Carlos Beltran to the lineup.

If you told me 33 games later that the NL West could be wrapped up, I'd say "Well, the Diamondbacks had a nice year, but it is the Giants division."



Instead we have the Giants, the defending World Champs, the great new team to market and promote, are fighting for their very lives.



The best way to illustrate how the Diamondbacks and the Giants have gone in different directions in the past 33 games is to look at their records since July 28th.



The Diamondbacks are 22-11.

The Giants are 11-22.



The Giants are 6 games out.

The Diamondbacks magic number is 20.



The Giants MUST win 2 of 3.

They SHOULD win all 3.



A sweep will mean it is a 3 game hole.

2 of 3 for the Giants would mean a 5 game hole.



LOSING 2 of 3 would mean the Giants would be behind a week in the standings with only 3 weeks left to play.



If the Giants get swept... they will be down 9 games in the standings with 22 games to play.

The Diamondbacks Magic Number would be 14.



Come on Giants! Show a little something. I do NOT want to see a Phillies-Diamondbacks series.

I can't lie... I wanted this game

Bases loaded... Adrian Gonzalez up... Mariano not looking his best.

ADMIT IT Red Sox fans! You pictured his bases clearing double off the wall in your head.



Oh hell, admit that when you saw it was A. J. Burnett vs. Jon Lester, you put that in the win column.



Do all the rationalization that you want. Point out the Sox are still in First. Point out that they are going to make the playoffs. Point out that the Red Sox have won the season series.



Blah blah blah.

I wanted this game. I wanted the series. I wanted to rub it in the Yankees face.



IT WAS LESTER VS. BURNETT!!!



Argh.



Update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 43

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)

April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)

April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)

April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)

April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)

May 1 - 3-2 win against the Mariners. (Ichiro loses a ball in the sun that turns into a 9th inning triple for Lowrie. Crawford singles him home for the win.)

May 8 - 9-5 win against the Twins. (Dice-K lets up 3 runs in the first but settles down as the Red Sox clobber Carl Pavano.)

May 9 - 2-1 win against the Twins. (A bullpen breakdown cost Beckett the decision but Cark Crawford ended the game with an 11th inning walk off hit.)

May 13 - 5-4 win in the Bronx. (Youkilis homers off of Joba and Bard and Papelbon make it more interesting than it needed to be.)

May 15 - 7-5 win in the Bronx. (Sox fall behind 4-1 but come back as Youk, Papi and Salty all homer.)

May 16 - 8-7 win against the Orioles. (Down 6-0 after 6 innings, the Sox rally and win it with a 2 run walk off double by Adrian Gonzalez)

May 18 - 1-0 win against Detroit. (With 2 outs in the 8th, Salty doubles home Crawford from first for the only run. Papelbon gets himself in and out of 9th inning trouble.)

May 19 - 4-3 win against Detroit. (Bard blows Beckett's lead but Carl Crawford wins it with a walk off hit.)

May 24 - 4-2 win in Cleveland. (Varitek throws two runners out and homers as the Red Sox win their first game against the Indians.)

May 29 - 4-3 win in Detroit. (The Red Sox blow an early 3-0 lead but David Ortiz wins the game with a pinch 9th inning homer.)

June 3 - 8-6 win against Oakland. (Buchholz lets up 4 runs in the first but the Sox come back thanks to Carl Crawford's 2 run single.)

June 4 - 9-8 win against Oakland. (Red Sox blow a 4 run 9th inning lead and trail in the 11th before Ellsbury ties it and Drew wins it in 14.)

June 7 - 6-4 win in the Bronx. (Papelbon strikes out A-Rod to end the game with a runner on base.)

June 9 - 8-3 win in the Bronx. (Down 2-0 to Sabathia in the 7th, the Sox score 7 runs as Papi exacts revenge after getting plunked. A 3+ hour rain delay pushed the game past 1:30 AM)

June 15 - 3-0 win in Tampa Bay. (Youkilis homers in the 7th for the only runs in Beckett's 1 hit masterpiece.)

June 16 - 4-2 win in Tampa Bay. (Papelbon wiggles out of a 2 on, nobody out jam in the 9th thanks to Youk's diving catch.)

June 26 - 4-2 win in Pittsburgh. (The Pirates make 4 errors and the Red Sox score 2 in the 7th to avoid a sweep by the Bucs.

June 30 - 5-2 win in Philadelphia.(An injury to Cole Hamels leads to the Red Sox bats waking up.)

July 1 - 7-5 win in Houston. (The Sox score 6 in the 7th inning to come back and win.)

July 3 - 2-1 win in Houston. (The Red Sox score a run in the top of the 9th on a walk to break a tie.)

July 5 - 3-2 win against Toronto. (Lester gets hurt but Darnel McDonald throws out the tying run at the plate to end the game.)

July 6 - 6-4 win against Toronto. (The Sox score 4 in the 4th to take the lead and Wakefield and company hang on for dear life.)

July 10 - 8-6 win against Baltimore. (The Orioles score 6 runs off of rookie Kyle Weiland in the second, but the Red Sox hit three homers in the bottom of the second to tie the game and hold for dear life.)

July 16 - 9-5 win in Tampa. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 3-0 first inning hole, but 3 Sox homers bring them back for the win.)

July 17 - 1-0 win in Tampa. (Beckett throws a masterpiece and the bullpen throws 8 amazing innings. But the Sox bats go dead, leaving 17 men on base before Pedroia drove in a run with 2 outs in the 16th inning.)

July 18 - 15-10 win in Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 6-2 lead but score 8 runs in the 8th to take the game.)

July 22 - 7-4 win against Seattle. (John Lackey beat Felix Hernandez and Mike Carp's error helped the Red Sox score 5 in the 7th to give them some breathing room.)

July 23 - 3-1 win against Seattle. (Ellsbury gets Beckett off the hook in a tight pitchers duel when he got a 2 out, 2 strike 2 run go ahead single in the 8th.)

July 26 - 13-9 win against the Royals. (The Sox trailed in the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th before the bats exploded in the 5th.

August 2 - 3-2 win against Cleveland. (Youk tied the game with a 6th inning homer and Salty dove home for the winning run in the 9th.)

August 3 - 4-3 win against Cleveland. (Ellsbury hits a walk off shot in the 9th.)

August 7 - 3-2 win against the Yankees (The Sox rally off of Rivera in the 9th and win on Josh Reddick's 10th inning single)

August 8 - 8-6 win in Minnesota. (Down 5-1, the Red Sox rally back, then score twice in the 9th to give the Sox the win.)

August 9 - 4-3 win in Minnesota. (Darnell McDonald's homer ties the game and Ortiz singles home the game winner as Bard worked out of trouble in the 7th.)

August 12 - 6-4 win in Seattle. (Reddick and Ortiz homered to bail out Lackey.)

August 16 - 3-1 win against Tampa Bay. (Pedroia makes a diving catch in the 9th to help preserve the win.)

August 18 - 4-3 win at Kansas City. (Sox hold on despite having three base runners thrown out by the outfielders.)

August 31 - 9-5 win against the Yankees. (Beckett blows a 4-1 lead but homers by Ellsbury and Varitek put the Sox on top.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 37

April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)

April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)

April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)

April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.

April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picked off, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)

April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)

April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 29 - 5-4 loss to Mariners. (Bobby Jenks blows a 7th inning lead, wasting 2 Mike Cameron homers.)

April 30 - 2-0 loss to Mariners. (The Sox strand 11 runners and let Milton Bradley double home the go ahead run.)

May 4 - 5-3 loss to Angels. (7 hours with rain delays and stranded runners. Marco Scutaro was thrown out at the plate in the 12th)

May 10 - 7-6 loss in Toronto. (8th and 9th inning heroics, including a homer by Adrian Gonzalez, are undone by a walk off sacrifice fly by David Cooper.)

May 21 - 9-3 loss to Cubs. (Up 3-1 in the 8th inning, the bullpen and defense implode. The Cubs score 8 runs while both teams wear their 1918 uniforms.)

May 23- 3-2 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox blow a 2-1 8th inning lead when the Indians rally with 2 outs. Crawford ends the game on a double play.)

May 29 - 3-0 loss in Detroit. (Verlander keeps the Sox off base and prevents the sweep.)

June 1 - 7-4 loss to White Sox. (Konerko drives in three, spoiling a game tying Ortiz homer.)

June 14 - 4-0 loss in Tampa Bay. (Wakefield's solid outing is spoiled. Longoria scores on a passed ball.)

June 18 - 4-2 loss to Milwaukee. (The Brewers hit three homers early off of Lester and hang on.)

June 21 - 5-4 loss to San Diego. (Ortiz hits a double play in the 9th to stifle a potential winning rally.)

June 24 - 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox strand 7 runners in scoring position.)

June 25 - 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox fall out of first as Pedroia's error leads to a Pirates run.)

June 29 - 2-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Vance Worley duels John Lackey and slumping Raul Ibanez drives in both runs.)

July 4 - 9-7 loss to Toronto. (John Lackey's miserable start puts the Sox in too big a hole to climb out of.)

July 19 - 6-2 loss in Baltimore. (Scutaro gets thrown out stealing and the Orioles tack on 3 big runs late.)

July 25 - 3-1 loss to the Royals. (Scutaro botches a potential game winning squeeze play in the 12th as the Red Sox lose in 14.)

July 28 - 4-3 loss to the Royals. (Crawford's bid for a walk off homer falls just short.)

July 29 - 3-1 loss to the White Sox. (Sox blow a late 1-0 lead and spoil a solid Wakefield start.)

August 1 - 9-6 loss to Cleveland. (Asdrubal Cabrera's second home run was an 8th inning tie breaking shot off of Daniel Bard.)

August 4 - 7-3 loss to Cleveland. (Carlos Santana's homer broke a 3-3 tie.)

August 5 - 3-2 loss to the Yankees. (The Sox leave the bases loaded in the 5th and the Yankees score 3 in the 6th to take the lead.)

August 10 - 5-2 in Minnesota. (The Twins score 3 in the 8th, spoiling Ortiz's game tying homer.)

August 13 - 5-4 loss in Seattle. (Mariners score 5 in the first and the Red Sox come back falls short.)

August 14 - 5-3 loss in Seattle. (The Red Sox comeback falls short as Wakefield loses a complete game).

August 16 - 6-2 loss against Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox pull a triple play but a late rally by the Rays puts the game out of reach.)

August 21 - 9-4 loss at Kansas City. (The Royals' 8 run 6th spoils a 4-1 Sox lead and Wakefield's bid to win 200 games.)

August 30 - 5-2 loss to the Yankees. (Sabathia finally beats the Sox and Cervelli's homer sparks bean balls.)

September 1 - 4-2 loss to the Yankees. (Russell Martin's 2 run double in the 7th put the Yankees on top for good. Rivera struck out Gonzalez with the bases loaded to end the game.)



Down to +6.



Take care of business with the Rangers.

And between you and me... I'd rather not play the Yankees in October.

10 Reasons why the San Francisco Giants winning the 2011 World Series would be good for baseball

Continuing the Why Each Team's Potential World Championship Would Be Good For The Game series, we move on to the Defending World Champion San Francisco Giants.

Now earlier I wrote posts for the Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians knowing that their time as contenders wouldn’t be long. I never expected to throw the Champs into the “Quick before they fall out” pile.

But here we are. In the month since acquiring Carlos Beltran the Giants have gone 10 games in the wrong direction. They have turned a 4 game lead into a 6 game deficit. And with a showdown against the Diamondbacks looming, their season could startlingly be over in early September.

Their losing ways have been against lowly teams like the Padres, Cubs and Astros. A year after being unlikely Cinderella champs, they are the targets for teams with spoiling a pennant on their mind.

Then again, a strong September could catapult them right back into the playoffs, playing their patented brand of heart attack inducing baseball.

Yesterday they let go of Aaron Rowand and Miguel Tejada, thus ending a "Third ring for Rowand" and "Win a Ring for Tejada" motivation.

But Madison Bumgarner won and who knows? The champs could defend their crown

Now with the Giants, I am not going to make the reasons to support them winning a title personal. They are my dad's team, my son's team and my favorite National League team. But every team has fans and every team has someone's dad rooting for them

These are for fans everywhere.

10 Reasons why the

San Francisco Giants

winning the 2011 World Series

would be good for baseball

1. Another World Series title could put Bruce Bochy into the Hall of Fame.



He's borderline as it is. He took a Padres team that, save for 1984, was a consistent non factor and in short order led them to the 1996 post season. Then he won the 1998 pennant in San Diego. That team was dismantled but he put together Division winners in 2005 and 2006 in PetCo Park. Then he won the first ever World Series title in San Francisco with one of the worst offenses on paper for a fall classic.



He is a classic old school manager who gets respect throughout the league. AND he is already tied with Earl Weaver, Bobby Cox and Leo Durocher for World Series titles.



Another one would make the conversation very interesting.



2. Another title could help confirm Tim Lincecum's greatness



Isn't it fun to see greatness unfold? Sometimes aces can start off wonderfully and even become World Series heroes and Cy Young winners and then fade out from injuries or ineffectiveness. (Think Bret Saberhagen, Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden.)



I hope Linecum has a Tom Seaver, Greg Maddux or Tom Glavine type of career. He already is a multiple Cy Young Award winner and was a legit post season ace, winning the clincher.



He should be one of the great faces in baseball and a player to market the league around. Having him win MORE in October will make that possible.

3. Maybe there can be real closure with the Bonds era.



I have been a defender of Bonds despite thinking he used tons of steroids.



I honestly think that time will be kind on him. His new trial will happen soon and inevitably it will end with, at worst, a slap on the wrist.



The Giants have clearly moved on from the Bonds years (#25 jerseys were oddly absent the last time I went to the Giants dugout.) The team has built a World Champion without him.



Eventually I hope he will return to the Giants in some capacity. If Mark McGwire can return as a hitting coach, why can't Bonds? Look, EVERY team had players who were on juice. It was the era. And now the era is passing. Another title in San Francisco might help put it a little further back and Bonds wouldn't have to talk about the past. (Oh sorry. That's McGwire's line.)



4. More October calls from the best announcers in the game



Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow are the best play by play men in the game. They are knowledgeable, funny, classy and have a sincere style to calling the game. They aren't prepackaged or playing a part. And when they get into a game, it means some GREAT calls.



Here's Kupier's call of Juan Uribe's Game 1 Home Run last October.



Meanwhile Jon Miller also calls games for the Giants and he is the Gold Standard.



But best of all listen to Dave Flemmings' call of Edgar Renteria's eventual World Series winning home run. The way his voice cracked meant he was speaking for Giants fans everywhere who couldn't believe their eyes when the ball left the park. This October needs more calls like that.







5. Another Championship would mean more celebrating with Willie Mays



The greatest player in baseball history is Willie Mays.



Willie Mays is still with us.

Willie Mays still has all of his faculties.

Willie Mays must be celebrated for as long as he is on this Earth.



6. The Giants - Phillies rivalry needs to be cultivated!



The Giants and Phillies could be a great post season rivalry in this decade. They have stockpiled aces. They played a wonderful series last year. AND there seems to be bad blood between them.

The Giants would inevitably have to go through Philly.

A laid back West Coast city and a wound tight East Coast city each with recent World Series titles could make for many great Octobers for years to come.





7. Carlos Beltran could get redemption for the "Called Third Strike."



Baseball is great for redemption stories. And right now, despite putting up great numbers in his limited post season experience, Carlos Beltran's best known highlight is looking at a called third strike to end the 2006 NLCS.



A base hit would have tied the game. A double would have won the pennant for the Mets. Instead it was St. Louis who won.



He may never get redemption in the eyes of Mets fans, but a little peace for Carlos would go a long way (and help him collect this winter as a Free Agent.)





8. Brian Wilson in the spotlight can only be a good thing for baseball.



If Zach Galifianakis was a baseball player, who would be be?



OK, probably Brody Stevens, but that's not the point. The point is Wilson has the great closer stuff and the All Star resume and the clinching the World Series highlight on his reel to give him substance.



And his style is so bizarre and legitimately funny that it can only bring attention to baseball from people who normally wouldn't watch.



Also it could spark a renaissance of awesome facial hair on closers and more goofiness. There is a place for a stoic Mariano Rivera. But it's nice to have a pitcher look like Rasputin on the mound.





9. A Repeat World Series title would give the Showtime show a great ending!

I thought it was going to have a great finale with a return to October. If thye come they erase a 6 game hole and make the post season and win it all... the show might win the Emmy.

It would be GREAT TV!



10. The Giants becoming the fun championship caliber team will help lead MLB into the 21st century!



As I said in a Sully Baseball video, the Giants are the fun marquee team to root for. They don't have the pompousness of the Yankees nor the annoying elements of Red Sox Nation. Fans who think they dominated the past decade (winning 2 World Series each between 2000 and 2009 plus consistently being in the playoffs will do that) have a new option. The Giants have a sense of humor that many of the Northeastern teams don't have. But that sense of humor is meaningless without consistently winning.



Bandwagons are healthy for sports. People have jumped on Steeler and Cowboy bandwagons for generations. Same with the Celtics and Lakers. And every once in a while a team with a truly unique personality becomes a trendy favorite. Think of the Raiders in the 70s and 80s. The Bulls of the 90s.



The Giants should be one of those teams. But they can't be that if they are one win and done. Baseball needs to expand its brand to a younger audience. And the Giants should be that team.



It's tough to do that when they are playing golf in October.

I thought for sure the National League West was a slam dunk. I didn't think the Diamondbacks would be a factor.

But here we are. The Defending Champs and the team that should be a flagship franchise for baseball are fighting for their playoff lives.

If they come back and win it all, the 2011 season DVD will be amazing!







If you liked this then go ahead and read the entries for the other teams.



CHICAGO WHITE SOX

CLEVELAND INDIANS

LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

NEW YORK YANKEES

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS





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Things are more bleak for the Mets than the Dodgers

There were more players in uniform than fans in the stands in Dodger Stadium yesterday.

The team is a bankrupt embarrassment with a tabloid divorce looming over the team along with the Bryan Stowe beatings and its grotesque aftermath and MLB taking control of the team.



It sucks to be a Dodger fan.

It's worse to be a Mets fan.



I'll say it. The Dodger mess will be easier to fix.

If a new owner can be put into Los Angeles this off season, the good will in Dodgerland will come around the nanosecond the owner says "My name is NOT Frank McCourt."



The new owner will have a huge fan base eager to put their support behind the team.

AND they have a young MVP candidate in Matt Kemp and a young Cy Young candidate (and probable WINNER this year) in Clayton Kershaw.



Plus he plays in a Division where the Giants can pitch but can't hit, the Diamondbacks are great one year and bad the next, the Padres are great the other years and bad the next and the Rockies forget to contend before September.



In other words, the idea of being a power in the NL West isn't so far fetched. Just add competent ownership!



As for the Mets... well, their problems haven't featured obscene divorces and people in comas. But they HAVE had the biggest Ponzi Scheme in American History hamstring them.



And oh yeah, playing in the biggest media market in the country probably won't help them stumble to their third straight losing season.



And today we found out that David Einhorn, their great knight on a white steed, who was going to buy $200 million worth of the Mets and probably eventually take over the team and lead them to their greatest days ever, is saying "No Thanks."



The Wilpons are still in charge. The Phillies and Braves are still VASTLY superior. The Marlins have talent and will move into a new ballpark next year. The Nationals are developing talent and have the combination of Strasburg and Harper looming on the horizon.



What do the Mets have?

They have Jose Reyes' impending free agency where, once Albert Pujols comes off of the table, he will be the biggest available name.



They have David Wright who is a nice player but no longer a franchise player.

They have nice players like Dillon Gee, Ruben Tejada, Jonathon Niese, Mike Pelfrey and Daniel Murphy.



All nice players.

Not exactly franchise players. Not exactly great building blocks to go past the Phillies, who seem hell to win their 5th straight Division Title and 3 pennant in that same period of time, or the Braves who have stockpiled amazing young talent.



If the Dodgers and the Mets could combine like Voltron, they would be a terrific team. Kemp, Kershaw and maybe Reyes with some nice complimentary players.



But they aren't one team. They are two big budget flops for 2011.

For 2012 and beyond, things are brighter in LA.