The Long and Winding Season

One of the things that frustrates me about Major League Baseball (or any professional sport, for that matter) is the media hype.  Before this year's baseball season had even started, "experts" had already made their predictions, picked their favorites, and crowned the next World Series champion.  The problem with that is that there are 162 games that have to be played between Opening Day and the playoffs, and a LOT can happen during that time.  If your team is predicted to be the next best since gel nail polish or precooked bacon and doesn't end up making the playoffs, it's a big disappointment.

That's what the Washington Nationals are currently facing - a disappointing end to an up-and-down season plagued by injuries, inconsistency, and bad managerial decisions.  The players are dejected, tempers have flared in the dugout, and fans have been left with a bad taste in their mouths.  How do I feel about my beloved Nats not making the playoffs this season?  I'm actually OK with it (no, really, I am TOTALLY OK with it!), and here's why:

First of all, the Nationals had a terrible time out west in August, losing to the Dodgers, Giants, and Rockies.  That awful road trip put the Nats further behind the NL East-leading Mets, who just could not lose a game in August or September.  It was pretty clear halfway through August that the Mets would be the team to beat.  So if you tell yourself at that point that your team sucks, it won't be such a big let-down when they don't make the playoffs.

Another thing that affects a team's success (or lack thereof) is injuries to key players.  The Nationals had their share of injuries throughout the season - the players in their top-notch lineup that was the talk of baseball during Spring Training only played one or two games together during the whole season, with long stints on the Disabled List by Denard Span and Ryan Zimmerman and shorter stays by Jayson Werth and Anthony Rendón.  There was so much inconsistency in the lineup because of injuries that you didn't know who was going to play from one day to the next.

Then there's pitching. Yes, Max Scherzer pitched an almost-perfect no-hitter, and yes, Stephen Strasburg is healthy and pitching incredibly well (too little too late, since he didn't get good until late August).  But the bullpen was pretty dismal throughout the entire season.  Drew Storen was the closer in the beginning, but despite doing a decent job, was replaced in his role by hot-head Jonathan Papelbon, who came over from the Phillies with the condition that he become the closer.  So Storen moved to the setup position, where he absolutely sucked.  He blew some pretty important games in which the Nationals had been leading when he took the mound, and in early September he was so frustrated that he ended up punching a locker and tearing a ligament in his thumb (and subsequently being out for the rest of the season).  Doug Fister lost his starting role and was moved to the bullpen, Gio Gonzalez was not as reliable as in years past, and poor Tanner Roark was jerked around, being moved from starter to the bullpen to the minors and back to starter.  Jordan Zimmermann remained consistently awesome, but we all know he's not returning to the Nationals next year (and neither is Ian Desmond, the other big-name free agent in the team).

So yeah - I'm OK with my Nationals not being in the playoffs because honestly, they don't deserve to be there.  If they had made it, it would have been too stressful, knowing they were inconsistent and probably wouldn't be making it past the first round.  That doesn't mean I won't be watching the playoffs - there's a LOT of baseball still to be played (and watched), and for Pete's sake, the Chicago Cubs are in the playoffs!  I have decided to root for the Pirates and Blue Jays, but since I'm not a die-hard fan of either team, if they end up losing, it won't bother me too much.  So I'm going to enjoy my October of post-season baseball, and I'm going to eagerly await the announcement of this year's National League MVP, which should be given to Bryce Harper, the bright spot in the Nationals this year.  I've been a Bryce-basher in the past, but he matured a LOT as a player this season and deserves the award (since he's leading the National League in home runs and batting average).  Go Bryce, go Pirates and Blue Jays, and for the love of God, go away Cardinals - I'm tired of seeing you in October!

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