With tonight’s start to the American League Division Series
just a couple hours away I feel this urge to “put up or shut up” after posting
this article we are about to revisit just three weeks ago. The article was
titles “Why I’m not afraid of the Cleveland Indians in the postseason” and boy
was it a popular one for us here on the blog. Whether the view count, tweet
mentions and comments made the article “famous” or infamous remains to be seen
but I felt compelled either way to post it again before the New York Yankees
begin their quest to make me look like a wizard, a Messiah and a God by
basically calling the upset here in the ALDS. I mean, I guess the team could
make me look like a complete homer and a fool as well but since the Yankees are
expected to lose and come in as huge underdogs I see this as a no-lose
situation for me anyway…. So enjoy the article revisit and get pumped for the
start of the ALDS tonight inside Cleveland’s Progressive Field.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Why
I’m Not Afraid of the Cleveland Indians in the Postseason
The Cleveland Indians are one of, if not the best team in
Major League Baseball here in 2017 but you know what? If the New York Yankees
and the Indians meet in the playoffs here this season I am not at all worried
and here is why.
They call the playoffs baseball’s second season for a
reason, what you did in the regular season and $15 will get you a beer at
Yankee Stadium. It means little to nothing and I personally, as a fan, refuse
to be psyched out or taken off my game because the Indians won their division,
won 21 games in a row, etc. etc. etc. I’m not scared. The playoffs are usually
won by the hottest team at the time and aren’t always won by necessarily the
best team. That’s the great thing about baseball, any team can beat any pitcher
and any opposing team on any given night. You can’t predict baseball so you
can’t necessarily predict that the Indians will be the hottest team when the
calendar changes to October. Hell you can’t predict that the Indians will be
the hottest team tonight or this weekend, they could go on a slide much like
the Los Angeles Dodgers have of late. You just don’t know and I’m not that
scared of them to be honest. None of this is to disrespect the Indians, their
team or what they have done this season either. They are a great team and they
are playing extremely well, much respect to all, but respect and fear are two
entirely different things.
The New York Yankees are built for short series and the
postseason. The team is young, energetic and overall healthy at this point in
the season when most teams cannot say the same here in September. The pitching
has been fantastic, the bullpen has the potential to be absolutely and
completely dominant when on and used properly and the offense can hang a
crooked number on the scoreboard at any given inning. Again, not to say that
the Yankees are better than the Indians or that Cleveland cannot do the same
because they can. I am merely saying that I have confidence in this group of
Yankees players and the team. Again, I am not saying the Yankees will
necessarily reach the ALDS or ALCS (more than likely the ALDS though if New
York does not win their division) and meet Cleveland, I am just saying IF they
do I am not worried. I think New York can stand and throw punches with the best
of teams in baseball this season and at the end of the day, win lose or draw,
whoever they are facing will know that they were in a fight for their lives.
How did the 2002 Oakland Athletics fare in the postseason,
the last team to win 20 games in a row in a season, you ask? After winning 103
games and after having both the AL MVP (Miguel Tejada) and AL Cy Young Award
Winner (Barry Zito) the team lost in five games to the Minnesota Twins in the
American League Division Series.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)