Mr.Chachee

Okay, so I’m an AL fan only because I live in Oakland and love the A’s. But I’m not one of those people who likes to hold one league over the other, as both are pretty interesting and packed with good players.

So even though my A’s were eliminated almost a week ago, I found myself drawn to the NLCS game 7 last night. I have been a Cardinals fan for over 5 years, ever since my good family friends moved to St. Louis and half the A’s staff moved there too. My World Series prediction at the beginning of the year was actually St. Louis vs. Oakland and I was oh-so-close to being right. But that doesn’t take into account that I’ve grown to love the New York Mets and their dreamy third baseman, David Wright.

The point is that I would have been happy with either team winning last night’s game, which made the game all the more enjoyable to watch. If one of the teams was the A’s, I probably would have been a nervous, sweaty mess. But since I was rooting for both teams, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the game and all its many facets.

Lots of people don’t like baseball because it’s too slow. Whatever. It’s the drama and the build-up that makes it just as good as other sports. The most tense moments in all sports are when the game-deciding moment is about to happen…or I suppose, right after it happens. Just because there’s more action in other sports doesn’t mean that the action is as meaningful. There are just as many big moments in a baseball game as a football game. And last night was PACKED with moments:

• Both pitchers throwing great games and working out of tough jams. Neither one is particularly well-known, or even particularly good. But last night they both excelled on the big stage.
• Endy Chavez’s jumping catch over the wall was probably the greatest postseason play of all time. Not only did he prevent 2 runs from scoring, but in a very close game those runs could have meant the end right there.
• Oliver Perez being left out on the mound and nearly giving up that homerun. You know he owes Chavez a big steak dinner.
• Suppan getting out of bases-loaded jams and giving up only 2 hits in 8 innings.
• Yadier Molina, of all people, hitting the game-deciding 2-run homer. Yadier Molina who hit about .001 during the season. The man who is known as a defensive catcher because he’s just so bad at swinging the bat.
• The Mets getting hit after hit in the 9th inning. Almost bringing back memories of the Mets beating the Red Sox in 1986. Then the bases loaded with Mr. October of the 2004, Carlos Beltran, batting.
• Rookie closer Adam Wainwright striking Beltran out looking on a curveball right down the middle of the plate. Excruciatingly beautiful and painful at the same time.

Just an amazing game all around. I don’t care if the NL isn’t as good as the AL, but that Game 7 was better than any of the AL playoff games this year. And it was good solid baseball all around.

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