Best. Season. Ever.

Yeah, I know, I didn't write anything this season and neither did anyone else.

I was going to write in June how awesome it was that Tampa Bay was finally doing something, but it was early and I didn't want to jinx them.

I was going to write in September how awesome it was that Tampa Bay was still doing good and the Yankees and Braves were going to miss the playoffs, but I wanted to be sure.

I was going to write in early October how awesome it was that the Phillies upended the Mets late - again - but then I worried about them running into the Dodgers.

I was going to write in late October how awesome it was that the Phils had finally made it back to the series, but the thought of another showdown with the mysterious area of Tampa scared me for its relevance this decade.

But now it's all over, and I can relax.

I had been pushing for years for a playoff with no Braves. Done. And, though I never expected it, no Yankees. Done. For both! And it would be nice if some new or long-suffering teams made it in. Done for Milwaukee and Tampa, who needed an injection of excitement (but not a title; they'll have to earn that one). And maybe if one or both LA teams could get their bandwagon fans to jump on and then fail, it would be sweet. Both done.

The Mets failed, the Angels failed, and the Dodgers failed as I had a great vantage point. The Cubs had a great year, though without any playoff wins, I don't know how much it matters. But at least that organization has a string of success going for the fist time.

And the Phils brought home their second title, and the first in my real life time (come on, I was 14 months old when the Sixers won, that shouldn't count). So when I look back on this, I will remember it as the greatest season ever for me, even if I didn't realize it during most of the year.

Good times.

2008 preview

No one is reading this, but it's tradition.

I'll be quick.

NL playoff teams (wildcard *): Padres, Cubs, Mets, Phils *

AL : Angels, Tigers, Yankees, Mariners *

World Series: Mets over Angels

There. I said it. That way, it won't happen.

Leo's Official Response to the Mitchell Report

Meh..... It's not that surprising.

I guess it's nice to see Clemens have to deal with scrutiny.

See there, George, I just saved you seven hours. You're welcome.

Study finds Boston "no longer considered cute"

October 29, 2007 - BOSTON, MASS.

It was reported today that a recent study showed Americans had lost all rooting interest for New England teams and New Englanders themselves, unless they happened to be one. The study comes in the wake of the Red Sox clinching the world series on the same day that the Patriots improved to 8-0 with a 52-7 drubbing of the Washington Redskins. It appears Boston, once the darling of the underdog lovers across the world, is no longer fun to root for.

"I think it comes from the earlier part of the decade, when the Sox and Pats were always destined to fuck up," says Boston street psychologist Sean O' Flannery. "Remember the 2001 Pats? No one thought they'd beat the Rams. They always pissed themselves in the big game. But they won, behind a true underdog in Tom Brady, and it was a great story. And then, my Gawd, the curse. The Sox! Down 3-0! Everyone hates the Yankees! But they pulled it off, and then everyone couldn't help themselves."

The study confirmed that people across the country, exculding New England, began to get tired of seeing the Red Sox and Patriots on TV constantly. The national sports media, once fixated on New York, has made Boston its go-to source of overused footage. The go-fuck-yourself attitudes of Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Sox ace Curt Schilling did not help matters. Former out-of-nowhere, great underdog story Tom Brady now goes through supermodels like a pack of Newports and appears on magazines from GQ to Cat Fancy. The Sox payroll is topped only by the Paris Hilton-esque spending Yankees. The lovable underdog image is clearly gone, according to the report. Both teams were favored to win titles this year, and the Sox have done so.

"You want suffering, we've got it," said longtime Cleveland resident Arnie Biffer. "People thought it was cute that the Sox came back to win the ALCS. CUTE??? We haven't won the series since WW2. We haven't even BEEN to a Super Bowl yet. But there they are, getting all the attention. They think they're cute.

You ain't cute anymore, Boston."

America, it seems, agrees.

Ah, the life of Philly

I've been on the East coast for the past week, basking in the first real playoff excitement in Philly in years. It was luck that I decided to come home this week andwas able to see them pull it off up close. First off, can you believe it? After years of almost doing it, they got enough to squeeze in on the very last day. People were celebrating. I couldn't drive around South Jersey without seeing rally caps and red balloons everywhere. The Cherry Hill mall was finally covered in red instead of green.

I haven't had computer access, but I wanted to post this on here last week:

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FUCK YES!!!!!!

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But instead, I will have to post this now:

AWWWWWWWW FUCK!

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............

That's it then, as I just saw. That is the end of it.

We shouldn't be so surprised, or disheartened. The Rockies were the hottest team in baseball, only no one was paying attention to them (as opposed to all eyes on the Phils-Mets race). Philly is a constant state of ups and downs. It's still great to see them end the playoff drought, and with only 8 spots, baseball is still the hardest sport to make the playoffs in. Just ask the Brewers, Mets, and Padres, the latter two teams being ones I thought for certain, up until two weeks ago, to be in the NLCS. It's tough.

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but seriously....

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Colorado vs. Arizona? Who the fuck is going to watch that?????

trade deadline deals

Hello? Is anyone still reading this?

You know the trade deadline passed today?

Did you also know that the Phils are one game back in the Wild Card standings?

Weird.

In SoCal, the big news (not really) is that the Angels did nothing. Despite the Mariners creeping up like it's 1995, despite an abundance of young talent, despite a glaring need for a bat, the Angels stood pat. Their G.M., Bill Stoneman, is less active and more in love with his own farm system than the guys who used to run the Phils. They could have easily been a contender, but no, they like their team too much.

They'll like it when Boston or Detroit crushes them, if they even make the playoffs.

Also, them not going for Mark Texiera made it easier for the Braves to get him. Dammit. Now the Phils have to worry about them too.

The Red Sox have gumption. The Angels don't. The Phils made a few nice moves but I'm not going to jinx anything.

Nice job, Stoneman. I've been paying attention to the Angels for three months and I'm already convinced that you are merely a hologram.