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In a world of growing deception and turmoil, it's time now for the innocent purity of baseball in the San Francisco Bay area and both the Giants and A's are in the hunt for the divisional playoffs. Where you live in the Bay Area plays a big difference in your team allegiance but in my case I have a loyalty to both teams and find myself capable of an objective analysis of their chances to advance in 2014: Allen L Roland, Ph.D
But the final dagger in the heart for the
stumbling A's happened on Wednesday, September 17th when bulldog Jeff
Samardzija threw a brilliant 4 hitter through 8 innings against an obviously
outgunned and bewildered Ranger team.
Obviously Samardzija wanted to pitch the
ninth but Manager Bob Melvin would have none of that and went with his already
chosen closer Doolittle whose fast ball and slider was welcome relief for the
young Rangers who pounced on him for six runs and the ball game.
Doolittle knew it ~ "It's going to be a turning point one way or another," Doolittle told reporters after the game. "After the season's over,
are we going to look back and point at tonight as the game where the wheels
came off for good, or are we going to be able to pick ourselves up, dust
ourselves off and talk about how resilient we are as a team and how we were
able to overcome a game like this and still get it done?"
Melvin's
inability to recognize what everyone else, including myself and the ball
players themselves (on both sides) already knew, that Samardzija was on a
special roll and deserved to at least attempt to close the 1-0 game cast a "Why Try"
spell on the A's and the wheels did indeed seemingly
come off for good.
Lester
will attempt to right the ship against the Phillies on Friday, the 19th but the
collapse seems complete and the fun Boys of Summer have become the burned out
survivors of fall ~ destined to dwell on
what might have been and what ever happened to those fun (double pie) times
with Cespedes this year before Billy Beane pulled the plug.
San Francisco Giants ~ Whereas
the spirit left the A's it returned with a vengeance to the Giants ~ along with
Angel Pagan, a rejuvenated team leader Buster
Posy ~ and of course, their wily old fox manager Bruce Bochy.
The
Giants are making their every two year run for the money (having won the gold in 2010 and 2012) but realistically a
wild card berth seems only likely this year.
However, never underestimate Bruce Bochy
in late September and October ~ he is a master motivator and big game
strategist but it's unlikely he will take all the marbles this year.
The
problem is pitching and their nemesis the LA Dodgers ~ who are locked in first
in the West and show no signs on relinquishing it to the Giants. The Dodgers
are more individually gifted and of course have the best pitcher in baseball ~
Clayton Kershaw with 20 wins already in his belt. The
Giants definitely have more team chemistry but that may not be enough this
year.
PREDICTIONS
NATIONAL LEAGUE WINNERS
WEST
LA
Dodgers
CENTRAL
CardinalsEAST Washington
Wild Card SF Giants
WEST
LA
Angels
CENTRAL
Detroit
TigersEAST Baltimore
Wild Card Kansas City Royals
NL DIVISIONAL SERIES
Dodgers
defeat Cardinals
Washington
defeats GiantsLA Dodgers versus Washington in Final
Winner LA Dodgers
Baltimore
defeats Royals
Angels
defeat DetroitLA Angels versus Baltimore in Final
Winner LA Angels
Winner LA Dodgers in
seven games.
" Prediction and explanation are exactly
symmetrical. Explanations are, in effect, predictions about what has happened;
predictions are explanations about what's going to happen.” ~ John Roberts
Searle
http://allenlrolandsweblog.blogspot.com/2014/09/bay-area-baseball-playoff-predictions.html
Freelance Alternative Press Online columnist and heart centered spiritual counselor Allen L Roland is available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements and private Skype consultations at allen@allenroland.com
Allen L Roland is also a lecturer and shares a weekly political and social commentary on his web log and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on www.conscioustalk.net
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”
ReplyDelete― Babe Ruth