As I sit here watching the Red Sox shellack the Rockies (bottom of the first, Sox up 3-0), I’m thinking they have to do something about this massive layoff between the NLCS and the World Series. Granted, the Rockies swept and the ALCS went 7, but these added days off with this new schedule means it’s been 9 days since Colorado played. And the Colorado hitters definitely look rusty, at least they did in the top of the first. Meanwhile, the Red Sox bats look like they’re gonna keep rolling. It’s just unfortunate that the Rockies, who were so hot for a month there, are going to suffer from this longer-than-usual layoff.
If this post wasn’t clear enough, I’ll go on record here saying I’m pulling for the Rockies. I pretty much always pull for the NL, unless the Cubs make it to the World Series (which thankfully never happens!). The last time I rooted for an AL team was back in 1988 when Tony LaRussa’s A’s were playing the Dodgers. The A’s were a juggernaut that year. I still remember their lineup: Rickey Henderson, Carney Lansford, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Dave Parker, Dave Henderson, Terry Steinbach, Walt Weiss, Tony Phillips. They also had a great pitching staff, led by ace Dave Stewart and closer extraordinaire Dennis Eckersley.
The Dodgers had Orel Hershiser and Kirk Gibson. That’s about it.
All my friends were NL guys. My best friend was a kid named Michael Miller who was a HUGE Dodger fan. He couldn’t understand why I would pull for the A’s in the Series. “You’re a Cardinal fan,” he argued.
“So?”
“So the Cardinals are an NL team.”
“So?”
“So you should pull for the Dodgers.”
I guess I found his argument unconvincing because I still rooted for the A’s. I had a Mark McGwire rookie card, after all. I still remember 
watching Game 1 of that Series on our old, pre-remote control TV. I sat cross-legged on our living room floor, enjoying a peanut butter sandwich on my Dukes of Hazard TV tray. I watched as the A’s took a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning. I was a little surprised when Eck walked the nondescript Mike Davis with two outs, bringing up the go-ahead run in the form of pinch-hitter Kirk Gibson. Eckersley never walks anybody. No matter. Gibson can’t even walk, much less swing.
Bottom of the ninth. Down one. Two out. One on. Full count. Even as a 12 year old, I knew this was Shakespearean stuff. I sat transfixed as Vin Scully’s prose served to narrate one of the greatest moments in sports history: “High fly ball into right field, she i-i-i-is… gone!!” Gibby fist pumps his way around the diamond. Tommy Lasorda jubilantly moving faster than a man his size should move, arms in the air. As I sat there, jaw open, Jack Buck and I both couldn’t believe what we just saw.
Right then, my phone rang. My mother answered and told me it was for me.
“Hello,” I said.
“I TOLD YOU TO PULL FOR THE DODGERS! GIBBY, BABY! WHOO-HOO! GO DODGERS!“
“Shut up,” I said and I hung up. That night I swore to never root for an AL team again.
That’s just one of the reasons I love October.
already & not yet 
I agree that game one would probably have been way different if the Rockies hadn’t been off for so long. I hate Fox for adding extra off-days for this year’s playoffs (one of the many MANY reasons baseball should go back to NBC and Bob Costas).I’m still not too comfortable yet. Things could get pretty cooky in the when the series switches to Denver with the thin air and no D.H.’s. We’ll see what happens!
I wish Costas would do the games again. Or Vin Scully. Anybody but Tim McCarver. Ugh. I expected Boston to win Game 1 with Beckett on the hill. But Schilling isn’t the same old Schill…his velocity is down and I think the Rockies can get to him. And I haven’t been overly impressed with Dice K either, so I think Colorado definitely has a shot. But has there ever been a less heralded Gaem 2 starter than Ubaldo Jiminez?
I figured the lay off would hurt the Rockies, but man, they looked horrible last night. Its like they haven’t played in a year or so.I too, will cross lines but in a different way. There is no way as a Yankees fan I could ever pull for the Boston Red Sox. I can think of no situation ever when I could stoop so low to cheer for the Sox.And yeah, Costas rules.
You were 12 and still had a Dukes of Hazard tv tray???? Not cool.I feel about Bama the way you feel about the Cubs. If Bama was playing the Taliban I’d dress like Osama and start cheering like crazy.
Lane, I figured you’d be joining me in rooting for the Rockies. We seem to be the only ones, though. Go NL.Matt, The Alabama fans have been surprisingly sympathetic to me this week. I think they were honestly surprised by how bad we were. Which is really sad. And don’t lie. You know you had a TV tray, too.
okay, so i’m three games and a world series championship late, but i couldn’t help but put in my two cents.i agree that the layoff hurt the rockies, but it smells a bit like rotten eggs to me coming from a st. louis fan who suffered the same fate in 2004, but that’s just me :)anyways, i think the layoff is good in a way, because it evens the playing field to some degree. teams, like the 2004 sox, can ride the momentum wave to the world series with less talent that teams that have dominated all year. with the layoff it cools off those teams, and in the rockies case, it exposes their season long weaknesses.i’m glad, especially because it was the red sox, that a team who had been dominate all season long won the world series.and to lane…at least we can cheer for the same football team!