2 September 2008
MLB Playoffs and other Diversions
The Jays are chasing the Boston Red Sox with a few other teams to hurdle
along the way. The Jays have eight games remaining against Boston.
A golden opportunity to make up ground. Toronto is also chasing the
Minnesota Twins (3 games remaining against), the Chicago White Sox (4
games remaining against), and the New York Yankees (3 games remaining
against). If Toronto is going to see post-season play they are going
to have to go on a run . The match-ups are ideal but the Jays will
really have to earn their way in. Unfortunately, aside from six
games against the Baltimore Orioles there are no games remaining
against sub .500 teams.
Now for a legitimate prediction. The Tampa Bay Rays are going to win the
East, The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are going to win the West,
and either the Chicago White Sox or the Minnesota Twins are going to
win the Central. Currently Boston is the front runner for the Wild
Card spot but I predict that the whichever team doesn’t win the
Central will take the Wild Card. Comparatively, Minnesota and
Chicago have much easier schedules than the other playoff hopefuls.
Boston has too many injury problems and New York just doesn’t have
enough pitching to get it done. Although it would be odd to see
neither Boston or New York in the post season, nothing would make me
happier.
The National League is outside my area of expertise but it is shaping up
to be an interesting finish. There are a lot of teams competing for
their respective divisions as well as a tight race for the Wild Card.
My out of left field prediction is that Colorado will get hot again
and take the West.
The final month of the season is poised to be as exciting as any
potential post season match-up. If the Blue Jays and Rockies meet in
the World Series you owe me a Coke.
If you don’t like to watch the sport of baseball why not enjoy the game
as depicted by Hollywood studios and actors. Any of these are worth
a look.
Love him or hate him, Kevin Costner makes a good baseball movie. Learn
about the trials of minor league baseball life in Bull Durham (I
still don’t really get the title.). Then jump to the tail end of a
major leaguer’s career in For Love of the Game (It’s directed by Sam
Raimi!). Also, there’s Field of Dreams. I don’t really know how I
feel about this one anymore but it definitely glorifies the game of
baseball.
The many intricacies of baseball can be overwhelming and often times
simply ridiculous. Luckily the game never shies away of making fun
of itself. Here’s some of the best baseball comedies. Major League
and Major League II follow the exploits of the dismal Cleveland
Indians (prior to their resurgence). These star-studded comedies are
a lot of fun. I’ve not bothered with Major League 3 aka Back to the
Minors, despite the lure of Corbin Bernsen. Mr. Baseball follows Tom
Selleck to Japan to prolong the major league career of the main
character. For fans of cultural diversity and mustaches. The
Benchwarmers is about a group of lovable losers who take up baseball
as a way to enhance their self-esteem and as an easy forum for
comedy. Lastly, although I’m not the biggest fan of A League of
their Own it should not be missed. Tom Hanks is at his funniest in
this one.
These next comedy choices aren’t technically baseball movies however the
baseball themed humour makes them worth mentioning. The Naked Gun
has Leslie Nielsen go undercover as the funniest baseball umpire of
all time as well as a mind-controlled Reggie Jackson. Hilarious.
Christopher Walken trying to explain the rules of baseball to a child
raised in a bomb shelter is priceless in Blast From the Past.
Although I’m sure he tried, Kevin Costner doesn’t have a monopoly on baseball
movies with heart. There’s The Sandlot which portrays the game from
the youth perspective. The Natural is about Robert Redford and bats
made from trees struck by lightning and exploding stadium lighting.
Ok, I’ve never seen this movie all the way through but it’s
referenced enough that I’ve pieced it together. Little Big League is
about a kid who inherits the Minnesota Twins and decides to manage
the team. It’s surprisingly good. Please don’t mistake this movie
for Rookie of the Year.
Perhaps the greatest baseball themed fiction is on the small screen rather
than the big screen. In the third season of The Simpsons Mr. Burns
fields a team full of major league ringers on his company’s softball
team. The all star team of players is voiced by their real life
counterparts. One of the best episodes of the series.
If movies aren’t your thing enhance your love of baseball by playing
video games.
Major League Baseball 2K8 is available on all gaming platforms and is
realistic enough that the line between in-game results and real life
can get blurred. I would like to see a feature added that would
allow me to edit lineups to match real life game data. Yeah, I’m
weird.
I’ve yet to try MLB The Show as I don’t have a Playstation 3. However,
I’ve heard good things.
A recent release that I’m itching to try is Mario Super Sluggers on the
Nintendo Wii. It appears to combine the awesome controls of Wii
Sports Baseball with the zaniness of the Mario Universe. Baseball
and Mario are on my list of Top 10 Greatest Things Ever (yet to be
completed) so needless to say I am very pleased.
I suppose there is another way to enjoy the game of baseball. Actually
playing it. However, I don’t recommend it as highly as watching
professionals play the game, watching professionals portray the game,
or playing a representation of the professionals playing game.
