Ah, the playoffs. Baseball’s annual fall rite of passage. Typically, the postseason is something to look forward to. This year’s been a little different, though.
Usually, there’s a team or two I like gunning for the World Series, but the offerings have been a little slim this fall. Trying to choose a team to root for has somewhat like picking a favorite Backstreet Boys song or member of the Brady Bunch or McDonald’s Value Meal selection: No matter what, they’re all sort of off-putting. I guess if I had to say anyone, it might be the Philadelphia Phillies, but they’re little more than the best of a weak bunch.
As for the Anaheim Angels and New York Yankees, I wish there was a way they could both lose the American League Championship Series and we could be done with this thing now. The Yankees spend more than the GDP of Estonia on salaries each year, and while the Angels can be admired for having a batting lineup that pretty much hits .300 to a man, they also have perhaps the most irritating, vacuous fan base in professional sports. I remember hearing a story back in ’02 how a so-called Angel’s fanatic didn’t know who David Eckstein was. And to think my Giants fell to Anaheim in the Series that year.
I suppose I’ll be curious to see who winds up winning this year, but I don’t think I’ll be waiting with baited breath.