October 11, 2004

Game 5, here we come!

What a weekend. Saturday sucked for me as a sports fan. Had a great time seeing everyone on campus, and going back to VU is always great, but check this out --

VU collapses.
Braves lose.
UT wins.
The REAL UT loses (Texas)
Cal loses.
Cards lose (no sweep).
Yanks clinch the series.

By 10 o'clock, after Rutgers (and the refs) pulled off their miracle comeback, I was literally numb. I can't think of another time when nothing in the sports world went my way so completely than it did on Saturday.

Needless to say, Sunday made up for it, big time. I was with a lot of family who were Braves fans, along with a happy Sox fan, and, well, a Mets fan (sorry, Dad!). We started eating lunch right after the Braves had it to 2-0, finished just after the Astros had made it 5-2. A cousin of mine wisely said, "Can't have a great comeback without being down!" That's going to be a new theme methinks. :) We quickly came back in and crowded round the TV, jubilation ringing out with each double play, and pandemonium ensuing when LaRoche hit his home run and JD Drew knocked in the winning run, and overwhelming relief when Furcal stepped on second and whipped a throw to first, getting Kent and winning the game. 2-2. Back to Atlanta. Braves win.

What a phenominal game. Even a scrappy St. Louis comeback over my streaking Seahawks didn't bring me down for more than a few minutes. So what does this mean? Essentially, I had a great week-end, getting to see a lot of old friends, and jumped for joy as the Astros did not win their 20th game at home after all. Cards win last night, giving them the series, though not in the sweep I thought. That's ok, I only guaranteed the results, not the game number. ;-)

Boston swept, another pick correct, just not the right number, and the Twins get out of the ALDS in four, as I said. It's just that I picked the Twins, but the Yankees won. This is what baseball needs, though. All the hype, all the trades, all the bickering, all the fights, all the one-upsmanship was leading up to this 7-game series -- it's going to be a war; no matter how many games it goes, you can bet each game will seem like a Game 7. I like the Sox (PWS!), and I'll go further in depth tomorrow.

Why tomorrow? Cause today it's all Braves.

Game 5, in the ATL. Jared Wright goes back to the mound to make up for Game 1, Roy Oswalt goes back (on just 3 days rest) to get the win he earned in Game 2. Don't forget, Jared Wright pitched pretty well in Game 1 -- the Astros hit at precisely the right time to get their runs -- and didn't give up a single walk. With the momentum back to the Braves, look for their lineup to wake up against Oswalt, led by Marcus Giles and Chipper Jones (they're SO due!!). If the Braves get to the Astros struggling bullpen early, we win. On the flip side, John Smoltz has shown why he's the best clutch closer in the NL in both wins, pitching for more than one inning in both Games 2 and 4, and getting the win in Game 4. There's no one I'd rather have closing a close game than John Smoltz!!

Here's a key point -- this is the first evening game the Braves have played this series. Shocking that in a five-game series, not one of them would be featured in primetime, no? Both games in Atlanta have started at 4 on weekdays, while the Astros got week-end games for both of their home games. People always complain about games not being sold out at Atlanta, but if the games are scheduled while people are AT WORK, what do you expect??? Here's the kicker -- had the Cards gone to a Game 5, it would've been the exact same thing. There's absolutely NO home field advantge there! That's all three games in a thriving metropolis with none of them played when people can come see it!!!

As for a prediction, Braves win 5-2 with their first true home crowd this postseason behind them, heading to St. Louis to start a crazy NLCS.

Post some score predictions if you think you can do better -- I'll give some sort of prize to whomever gets the closest! Go Braves!

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home