This World Series still has the chance to be one of the best in recent memory, and for a lot of reasons.
We're watching the defending champions against baseball's glamour franchise. There are three former MVPs and, depending on how you calculate it, 13* players with a shot at the Hall of Fame.
* For what it's worth, I'm counting Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter as locks, with Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Johnny Damon (seriously), Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels as having various chances at it.
We have A-Rod's postseason rise, Jeter's continued success, Sabathia's every-three-days dominance, and Mariano Rivera's unique way of legend. That's just the Yankees.
On the other side, we have Jayson Werth's emergence, Cliff Lee's remarkable run, and the talent of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.
So, with all that in mind, it's just baffling that anybody is even acknowledging the silly and manufactured storyline of Rollins' "prediction" of the Phillies winning this series in five or six games.
People. He said it on the Jay Leno Show, for crying out loud, not "Meet the Press." It was said in front of a live studio audience, not the Supreme Court.
There is something about too many of us sports writers and certain segments of fans that love a good guarantee. We should be past all that by now, what with all the microphones and blogs and Twitter accounts providing athletes more opportunities than ever to issue meaningless predictions.
But even if we're not ... even if we're still hung up on athletes guaranteeing things they have little control over ... can't we at least be responsible enough to wait for a good one?
You know, one that isn't made on a comedy/variety show?
It's time for us to raise our collective standards. In the future, here's saying that athlete guarantees should only be taken seriously if said athlete puts something of personal importance on the line.
It's such an easy way to know what to take seriously. If an athlete wants his voice to be heard, he knows what to do.
It would save us a lot of trouble, and have the benefit of making things much more interesting.
If Rollins wants to make a guarantee we take seriously, have him put his Audi A8 (or Bentley) on it.
If A-Rod wants to guarantee a Yankees championship, have him put one of his centaur portraits on it.
If Jose Guillen gets to spring training and wants to guarantee the Royals will win or he'll drive in 100 -- or whatever -- have him put his Rolls Royce or ostriches on it.
This could've saved us some trouble during Chiefs training camp, when Larry Johnson talked about being a better teammate and employee and other nonsense. He would've had to either shut up, or end up surrendering his Maybach when he went all Fred Phelps with on Twitter.
I'm sure I'm missing some good ones. Looking forward to seeing your additions in the comments.
Well, FWIW, here are the two worst predictions I’ve made in the last year. I’m no athlete, but I figure sportswriters (or whatever I’m called) should be reminded of their assertions – especially when they don't have the Jay Leno excuse and they have hours of time to think about what they are writing.
Texas Tech vs “Nobody”
My prediction:
My lame attempt to weasel out of it:
Xavier Henry as a Jayhawk
My prediction:
My lame attempt to weasel out of it:
Martin