Chapter 69.5: Got Candy?

Chapter 69.4: Simmering Hot Stove

Ouch! That's hot! No, not a Paris Hilton reference, I'm talking about something much more important. The World Series wasn't even over and the off-season had already begun. Of course, Mr. Premature Exclamation and his sidekick Money Boy (aka, Scott Boras and Alex Rodriguez) decided to finally get a hit during the World Series -- since A-Rod can't get there by any other means.

In an effort to extract himself from The Curse of A-Rod, Money Boy has decided to forego roughly $75 million over the next three years with the expectation that he can earn all that and more. He's probably right, though I actually believe the Yankees won't sign him. They'll have enough problems of their own trying to salvage their franchise. With Joe Girardi annointed as the manager, I suspect the exodus of big names will continue. Rumors abound that catcher Jorge Posada doesn't like his former backup, so perhaps he'll find his money elsewhere. I've predicted that Mariano Rivera will take his Hall of Fame career down the NJ Turnpike to Philadelphia, where he'd turn the Phillies into instant favorites to win the National League East -- if they weren't already.

Then today we hear about Joe Torre's reported conversations with the Los Angeles Dodgers -- and subsequently, Grady Little quits as their manager. Of course, Torre and Don Mattingly, whose son is playing in the Dodgers' farm system, are saying the right things; no one seems to be commenting on the requirement that a minority candidate be considered for the job.

Will this stream of hot stove baseball news stop before Spring Training? Already, the free agent declarations are being filed. The Astros just signed Brad Ausmus for another year. (But who cares, it's just a one-year, $2 million contract.) And we've not even learned who will win all the accolades for their successes during 2007. Then there'll be the general managers' meetings... It goes on and on. My wife was just starting to enjoy the off-season.

Chapter 69.3: Happy Halloween!

My wife and I, who both enjoy a good horror film or episode of Ghost Hunters, went with some friends to the Nightmare Haunted House in New York. It was a blast! The Lower East Side venue looked like an old church, though I don't believe that's what it was.

Groups of twelve were allowed into the haunted house at one time. We wove our way through cramped hallways, never knowing when a masked person might pop out. In many rooms the the looming presence was quite obvious, standing before us or waiting in a corner for the right moment to make a person jump or scream. Each room had a different theme. In one, we had to walk over a bed that looked like someone it had been the scene of a bloodletting. I was in the lead at that point, and a woman dressed completely in black jumped upon the bed; there was nowhere to go, so I had to follow her up over the bed. In another room, at least a dozen bodies in white shrouds stood blocking the path; the room was filled with them. I wasn't sure whether I was allowed to walk through them or if they'd eventually open up some space. When I tried to go around one of them, he moved into my direction -- several times. He wouldn't let me go. It wasn't scary so much as it was confusing. But it was fun.

Also a lot of fun was the bar. Once you had your ticket, you could pre-game in the bar and get a pleasant buzz before entering the haunted house. (In addition to the basic generic beer choices, a nice touch was the brand of wine they served: Gato Negro -- black cat.) But if you're looking for a nice scare, get your tickets soon; the house closes after November 3.

Chapter 69.2: Rox & Sox

We're all set, now. The Boston Red Sox vs. the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series. Depending on how well the Rockies are able to maintain the momentum they had in sweeping through the first two rounds of the playoffs, this could be a memorable series.

After seeing how the Red Sox came back against a very good Indians team, I find it hard to believe the upstart Rockies will be able to overcome them. But anything can happen in a short series. My prediction: Red Sox win, 4 games to 2.

Chapter 69.1: My Hat's Off, But Don't Cry for Joe Torre

As a young Mets fan, I had a special feeling for Joe Torre. He briefly worked as a player manager -- almost as uncommon in the 70s as it is unknown in the 21st century -- and to my eyes seemed like the perfect man to lead the misfit Mets. I felt bad when the Mets fired him -- just when they seemed to be making progress! -- and happy when he took the Atlanta Braves to the playoffs in 1982.

While Yankees fans were unimpressed when he became the manager of their team in 1996, I was happy to see him return to New York. And as impossible as it is for me to say this, I almost rooted for him when they beat the Braves in the '96 World Series. Almost. When Jim Leyritz hit that home run that turned the tide, my hatred of the franchise returned.

When a man takes his team to the playoffs for twelve consecutive years, you'd think his job would be secure. A team that appears in six World Series in twelve years -- you'd think the job would be secure. But, no, they ask him to take a 33 percent paycut and sign a one-year contract, ostensibly to train his likely replacement, Don Mattingly, and look like a money-grubbing weakling to his players. The Yankees have every right to not re-sign their manager, whose contract had ended. But to most fans -- Yankees fans or not -- their actions are an insult to a dignified man. Yes, he would still have had the highest salary for a manager, but he deserved better treatment.

Whether the Yankees hire Mattingly, Joe Girardi, Luis Sojo, Bobby Valentine, Tony La Russa, or Buck Showaler, I expect them to struggle next year. Mariano Rivera, who is on the downside of his career but still effective, has said he won't return if Torre doesn't. Roger Clemens is done. Jorge Posada is a free agent, but I expect they'll re-sign him. And their much lauded young arms are still inexperienced. They will not have the steadying hand of Torre around; let's see whether that matters.

But Torre will be fine; of that I have no doubt. He could easily become the highest paid analyst in television -- not manager money, of course, but it would keep him in the public eye and keep his endorsement options wide open. Or he could manage elsewhere. Is Tom Trembley's spot in Baltimore really secure? Probably. And Torre might not want to manage in the same division as the Yankees just yet. The Royals have some good young players. They could use a steadying influence, though he's really done better with established ball clubs. So, ditto the Pirates, whose managerial spot is open too.

I suspect Torre won't manage in 2008; he'll be in TV land for a year. But by 2009, if Willie Randolph falters with the Mets, I could see Torre having a triumphant return to help open Citi Field. Stranger things have happened.

Chapter 69: Rocking Good Time

The Rockies win the pennant! The Rockies win the pennant. The Rockies win the ...

No, it just doesn't have the same ring to it that other teams might have created, though, to be honest, neither does "Congratulations to the National League Champion Diamondbacks," though we've heard that and more in the past.

But, as a National League fan, I do wish former Met Clint Hurdle and his team well in the World Series, whether they play the Indians or the Red Sox -- both of which will give them a run for their money. I'm surprised that Arizona wasn't able to break the Rockies winning streak, and I'd be more surprised if they can sweep their eventual World Series opponent. But stranger things have happened.

For now, the Rockies have to withstand nine days of dormancy. Let's see what kind of club they have when they finally take part in their first ever World Series.

Chapter 68.9: 700 Years and Counting

My, how the time doth fly. Seven hundred years already? Feels like only a century or two. That's right, today is the seven hundredth anniversary of the arrest and masacre of the Knights Templar. The legend (and after 700 years, I think most things are either legends or matters of faith) is that King Philip IV of France was in deep to the Templars -- who, despite their vows of poverty, were the richest mo-fos in the world, in part because they invented checking and were pretty swift with a sword, so no one was going to say "Yeah, you and what army" when Vinny Templar came looking for his cut.) So Phil, with the help of Pope Clement, set out to wipe out his debts in one fell swoop and take out the Templars to boot. That occurred on October 13, 1307. It was a Friday (though I'm no savant, so I'll take that calendar thing as a matter of faith), which some say is why Friday the 13th became associated with bad luck.

Of course, there are other theories about Friday the 13th, and since today's Saturday, I'm not going to expound on that. If you're interested, I encourage you to use your library card.

Why should I care about this date? No real reason. But for many years, my wife and I have joked about the Sinclair connection to the Knights Templar. Those who read or watched The DaVinci Code should be aware of Roslin Castle, which is a Sinclair castle in Scotland that contains numerous Templar and Masonic references. The Sinclairs were key leaders in the Knights Templar. There is also a legend (and this is clearly at best a legend, no basis in fact as far as I'm aware) that the Sinclairs are derived from the daughter of Jesus and Mary Magdalene and were somehow in the Merovingian line -- a point I don't even see in Wikipedia, so I'm certainly not giving it much credibility.

Like I said, I've got no real reason to pay this much attention. However, if you heard the news yesterday (Oh boy...), you may have heard that the Knights Templar were granted a reprieve on the charges of heresy, which were Pope Clement's basis for allowing Philip to send his hit squads out to arrest and kill the Templars. Oh well, what's 700 years between friends? Happy Friday the 13th, enjoy your Saturday!

Chapter 68.7: This Championship Season

A quick note before bed: Though the Rockies have taken the first game of their series with the Diamondbacks, I'll make my predictions about the NLCS and the ALCS.

Red Sox vs. Indians: Red Sox in 7 games -- tough series and it could be one for the ages. This may be the start of a long-term rivalry, especially if the Yankees start to disintegrate.

Diamondbacks vs. Rockies: Rockies in 6 -- this is also a tough series to predict, and I didn't expect the Rockies to defeat Brandon Webb. But I don't think they can continue to win with the regularity they've displayed, no matter how impressive it is.

Chapter 68.6: Philly Phlop!

Yes, the Mets could have done just as bad as this -- perhaps even worse. In fact, the way they ended the year, they did perform even worse. But I didn't expect the Rockies to sweep the Phillies. And with the Diamondbacks doing the same to the Cubs (any team can have a bad century!), we are facing baseball's first All-Mountain Time Zone championship series.

The Red Sox have just a couple outs to go before their sweep. And, God willing, we'll have a clean sweep after tonight.

Funny, I thought I wouldn't really enjoy this post-season.

Chapter 68.1: Pizza!

I don't want to suggest that by feeding the blogger (and his wife), anyone can get words of thanks on the blog. But I do want to thank Cammy and Frank for their generous gift of pizza from Chicago. (Oh yeah, I believe there were cheesecakes, too, though I've not actually seen them. ;-) The package arrived at a perfect time -- as you know, Cammy -- and our cat is pleased to have another sturdy box to play in. By the way, the photo to the side is not the actual pizza (or beer, for that matter), just an incredible facsimile.

Chapter 68: Playoff Predictions

Not much time this morning, so I'll be quick:

Red Sox vs. Angels: From what I've read, the Angels have lost their center fielder, Gary Matthews, for the playoffs as well as Bartolo Colon -- who really wasn't much of a factor this year, so I don't think that's too significant. More important are the question marks about Vladimir Guererro. If he's out or not up to snuff, the Angels are done already. The Red Sox have too much talent to lose in the short series. My prediction: Red Sox in 4.

Indians vs. Yankees: I hate to say it, but I think the Yankees will advance to the ALCS. They've dominated the Indians this year (6-0) and in the short series, they have a distinct advantage. But the Indians have a strong 1-2 punch, so the Yankee hater in me has hope. I think this will be a hard-fought series, but if the Indians can't win with Cy Young candidate C.C. Sabathia, they've got little hope. My prediction: Yankees in 5.

Rockies vs. Phillies: This could be the most exciting series of the early round. The Rockies went 14-1 over the last few weeks of the season and won an exciting playoff game against the Padres to qualify for their second-ever post-season berth. While the Phils' pitching is decidedly mediocre, they've been doing well lately. I think some folks will be surprised to see more scoring in Philadelphia's stadium than in Coors Field, which may actually give the Rockies a slight advantage. I'd love to be wishy-washy and call this a pick 'em series, but I'll go out on a limb. My prediction: Rockies in 5.

Diamondbacks vs. Cubs: I'd love to see the Cubs advance, and they very well might. But this team had the worst record of all post-season qualifiers. While the Diamondbacks scored relatively few runs (less than they allowed -- not a good sign, especially when you have a stud like reigning Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb), their pitching staff includes battle-tested Livan Hernandez. Again, this is a tough series to gauge. My prediction: Cubs in 5.

Chapter 67.4: Rockies Mountain High, Humidor Style

Congratulations to the Colorado Rockies. Note to the Mets: the Rockies made the post-season because of pitching, particularly their bullpen. The amazing thing is that for years no one thought a team in Denver could win because of the thin air and necessarily spacious ballpark. But once they started tossing the balls in the humidor and built a team that believed it could win, it was able to meet its goals. They've still got a lot to prove, but they're already more interesting to watch than a bunch of guys cleaning out their lockers.

Chapter 67.35: Free Willie?

That scant number of people who've been reading my blog may have noticed one person I'm not blaming for the Mets meltdown. Willie Randolph. Do I think he's without blame? Of course not. I think, for example, that Humber should have gotten the start that Brian Lawrence had, but I understand the reasoning for not using him. I think he's made some strange decisions -- from double switches he chose not to make to pinch hitters he chose not to use at particular times -- but I don't think he's to blame for the debacle that has made the Mets the butt of jokes for the entire off-season and probably well into the next decade.

He's going to have to win early in 2008; this team cannot afford to sleepwalk any more, regardless of how much of a makeover the roster receives.

But right now the problem is about the pitching staff mostly -- starters and relievers. Willie tried to put his best guys in there -- Heilman and Feliciano in particular -- but they kept giving up hits. Mota had a few good innings at the end, but none of these guys seems able to pitch more than one inning any more.

There's a lot of work to do, and a lot of blame to spread around. Perhaps from that crap, something worthwhile will grow. But for now, they just smell putrid.