The Tall and Short of It

At the age of 45, I am 5 feet, 1 inch tall.  I'm aware of my height challenges - having to climb on top of my kitchen counter to reach for something in an upper cabinet shelf (because I'm too lazy to get a stool) is a reminder.  Having to shop in the petites section of clothing stores is a reminder.  Not being able to find a nice pair of over-the-knee boots because my legs are so darn short has been the most recent reminder (fashion blogs say that us shorties shouldn't even be wearing tall boots, because they make us look even shorter.  Thanks a lot!).  I don't need anyone pointing out the fact that I'm short - I'm well aware of it.  It's not like someone comes up to me and says "Oh my gosh, you're so short!" and I'm like "Really?  I had no idea!"

From Dolly Parton to Prince to Yasser Arafat, the world has been full of "vertically challenged" people who have made a difference in one way or another for as long as the world has been around.  No one seems to care that Lady Gaga is short, Voltaire was still a successful writer despite being short, and Beethoven wasn't too bad of a composer despite only being 5'3.  So why is the media making such a big deal of José Altuve's height?  He's short... so what?  Are all athletes supposed to be at least 6 feet tall in order to be successful?  Ask Muggsy Bogues, Diego Maradona, or Lionel Messi - they're all under 5'7.  If being tall makes you a good athlete, then Altuve is proving everyone wrong.

José Altuve, the all-star second baseman for the Houston Astros, finished this year's regular season as the Major League batting champ with a sick .346 batting average (that's right up there with Pete Rose and Ted Williams - you may have heard of them).  And his 204 hits, 24 home runs, and 32 stolen bases this past season were nothing to jest at.  Oh, and in the first game of the American League Division Series against the Red Sox, Altuve hit THREE home runs (two of them off ace Chris Sale).  Not too shabby for a short guy!  How did 6'7 Aaron Judge do on HIS first ALDS game?  He struck out at all 4 plate appearances.  In your face, tall dude!

Speaking of Aaron Judge, the media was all aflutter during the All-Star Game this past summer when Altuve and Judge were standing next to each other, filling social media outlets and newspapers with pictures of the two side by side.  Don't you think Altuve was well aware of the height disparity?  He didn't need to be turned into a circus act just because he's a whole foot shorter than the tallest guy currently in baseball.  Just like Judge doesn't want to be known primarily for being so tall, I'm sure Altuve would rather be known as dedicated, consistent, and badass than being called "little man" or "unlikely hero" or "diminutive."  This native of Venezuela is the top contender for the American League MVP award, and if he doesn't get it, I will wear white after Labor Day, which for someone as fashionable as me, will be quite a travesty.

Is José Altuve going to be a big factor in the upcoming World Series against the Dodgers?  You betcha!  So WHAT if Clayton Kershaw is six-foot-four?  Who cares that Yu Darvish is six-foot-five (the tallest Japanese person I've ever heard of)?  I predict that Altuve is not going to let these "big guys" intimidate him.  I apologize to my uncle Junior, my cousins, and my pal Tim who are all die-hard Dodgers fans, but I'm picking the Astros to win the World Series.  I rarely side with an American League team, but with Altuve, Puerto Rican phenom Carlos Correa, and pitchers like Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel (nasty-looking beard and all), I'm thinking the Astros can take the Series in seven games.  My only issue with that is that they would end up clinching the pennant in LA, and I always hate when teams win when they're not at home, but I'm rooting for the Astros all the way.  It's time for the rest of America to notice José Altuve and realize that big things do come in small packages, and us short people can kick ass just as much as the tall "giants" of the game.

The Playoffs Are Here! The Playoffs Are Here!

The 2013 MLB regular season is over, and while it was a bit disappointing for some teams (the Orioles, Nationals, and Yankees), it was even more disappointing for others (the Blue Jays and Phillies come to mind).  But now it's time for the post-season - when intensity is up a few notches, players ignore injuries and play their hearts out, and fans get caught up in the hoopla and excitement.  But if you're not a die-hard fan, it might be a little hard to keep track of which teams are playing in which round.  Don't worry; I'm here to help you figure things out.

The first official post-season game is Tuesday night, when the Pittsburgh Pirates will be hosting the Cincinnati Reds for a one-game Wild Card contest.  The winner of that game will then face the Cardinals in St. Louis for a best-of-five series.  This is called the NLDS (National League Division Series).  At the same time, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be visiting the Atlanta Braves for the second NLDS.  The winners of those two series will then move on to the best-of-seven NLCS (National League Championship Series), so that narrows the National League from 4 teams before the NLDS to 1 team after the NLCS.  This team goes on to the World Series as the sole representative of the National League.  Got it?  I hope so, because I don't know how else to explain it.  

The same thing happens in the American League, so here it goes.  The one-game Wild Card contest is on Wednesday between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians (in Cleveland).  The winner of that game goes on to the ALDS (American League Division Series) against the Red Sox in Boston.  On the other NLDS, Oakland will be hosting the Detroit Tigers.  After that best-of-five series, the two teams who come out on top go on to the ALCS (Americal League Championship Series) and the winner of that will go on to the World Series.

Are there any surprises here?  Well the Red Sox went from last to first in their division, the Cleveland Indians played like they didn't want to go to the playoffs for a while, and the Dodgers came out of nowhere.  And how about those Pirates?  They haven't been to the post-season in like 20 years or something.  So it's nice to see some fresh faces - no Yankees, no Phillies, and no Giants. Instead, we have Longoria, Kimbrell, McCutchen, and two Molinas along with last year's Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and badass Justin Verlander.  It will be exciting, and I will try to watch as much of it as I can!

2013 MLB Postseason Schedule**

** subject to change

NL Wild Card

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
NL Wild Card	Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh	Tue, Oct 1	8:00 PM	TBS

AL Wild Card

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
AL Wild Card	Tampa Bay @ Cleveland	Wed, Oct 2	8:00 PM	TBS

NLDS

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	NL Wild Card @ St. Louis	Thu, Oct 3	5:00 PM	TBS
Game 2	NL Wild Card @ St. Louis	Fri, Oct 4	1:00 PM	MLBN
Game 3	St. Louis @ NL Wild Card	Sun, Oct 6	TBD	TBS
Game 4*	St. Louis @ NL Wild Card	Mon, Oct 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 5*	NL Wild Card @ St. Louis	Wed, Oct 9	TBD	TBS

NLDS

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	LA Dodgers @ Atlanta	Thu, Oct 3	8:30 PM	TBS
Game 2	LA Dodgers @ Atlanta	Fri, Oct 4	6:00 PM	TBS
Game 3	Atlanta @ LA Dodgers	Sun, Oct 6	TBD	TBS
Game 4*	Atlanta @ LA Dodgers	Mon, Oct 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 5*	LA Dodgers @ Atlanta	Wed, Oct 9	TBD	TBS

ALDS

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	AL Wild Card @ Boston	Fri, Oct 4	3:00 PM	TBS
Game 2	AL Wild Card @ Boston	Sat, Oct 5	5:30 PM	TBS
Game 3	Boston @ AL Wild Card	Mon, Oct 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 4*	Boston @ AL Wild Card	Tue, Oct 8	TBD	TBS
Game 5*	AL Wild Card @ Boston	Thu, Oct 10	TBD	TBS

Game	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	Detroit @ Oakland	Fri, Oct 4	9:30 PM	TBS
Game 2	Detroit @ Oakland	Sat, Oct 5	9:00 PM	TBS
Game 3	Oakland @ Detroit	Mon, Oct 7	TBD	TBS/MLBN
Game 4*	Oakland @ Detroit	Tue, Oct 8	TBD	TBS
Game 5*	Detroit @ Oakland	Thu, Oct 10	TBD	TBS

"Lo mismo!"

Growing up in Puerto Rico, there used to be a TV commercial for a fast-food chain that featured identical hamburgers moving along a conveyor belt.  Throughout the commercial, they used the phrase "lo mismo," which means "the same old thing."  After studying yesterday's Nationals vs. Mets box score, the first thing that popped into my head was "Lo mismo!  Lo mismo!"  Why?  Because the game was a mirror-image of many of last year's games for the Nationals.  The starting pitching sucked, and the bullpen had to keep the team alive.  In 3 innings, Chad Gaudin allowed 5 hits and 2 earned runs, including a home run to the Mets' Angel Pagán, who is trying to take away the job of fellow Puerto Rican Carlos Beltrán (they're both from my island, so I don't really care who gets to start at center field at this point).  Luckily, the Nationals had plenty of offense, including 2 home runs by Michael Morse and 2 hits each from Ian Desmond, Roger Bernadina, and Wilson Ramos.  I must admit I don't like the fact that Wilson Ramos had a good game, because he's going to be sharing catcher duties with my man, Iván Rodriguez, and I don't want Ramos stealing the spotlight from the future hall-of-famer.  Yes, you're going to see a LOT of Iván in my blogs, because I think he is the best catcher ever (and yes, he's super handsome too!). 

So anyway...what else?  Oh, another game of note yesterday was the one between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros.  The Braves won that one 13-3, thanks in part to multiple hits from Venezuelan shortstop Alex Gonzalez, first baseman Eric Hinske, and third baseman Brandon Hicks.  Could Hicks be the Braves' next Chipper Jones?  Oh, Larry Wayne Jones, Jr; how I will miss thee!  I remember back in 1999, halfway through the season, I predicted that Chipper would be the National League MVP.  And hey, I was right!  (Don't worry, I will also blog about many times in which my baseball predictions were wrong, like thinking the Texas Rangers would win last year's World Series).  But back to Chipper.  First of all, he's only 3 months younger than me, so he's NOT OLD!  Second, I think it's great that he didn't retire after his season-ending injury last year.  He, like Mike Schmidt, wants the fans to remember him as a good player, not as an injured one.  So hopefully he has rehabbed his knee appropriately over the winter and can be back at third base this season, even if at a limited capacity.

One last note from yesterday's action:  The Nationals' first round draft pick, 18-year-old Bryce Harper, had 2 at-bats and struck out both times.  Hah!  Have yourself a piece of humble pie, Bryce, and enjoy your time in the minors.  You're not going to move up in the ranks as fast as Strasburg did.  Wait a minute...Strasburg is still recovering from Tommy John surgery... sheesh!  Those Nationals have a lot of work ahead of them!