Joey's Soapbox: Top Ten Reasons Why The Texas Rangers Will Win The World Series

Greetings, everyone!  Can you believe the baseball season is coming to an end?  In two short months, it'll be winter and I'll be counting down the days till pitchers and catchers report while wondering how to unfreeze my behind from the frozen ground.  (I should probably wear pants under my Mets hoodie.)

Oh, who am I, you ask?  I'm glad you asked!  This is Joey Beartran, your fav'rit inanimate prognosticator.

In case you missed it, over the past month I've given you my Division Series predictions and my League Championship Series predictions.  I fared quite well with my first round picks, correctly picking the winner in three of the four series.  However, I didn't do as well with my LCS picks, losing both series.  Some of you might #BlameBeltran but I choose to place the blame on my excitement because both the Phillies and Yankees were eliminated within 24 hours of each other in their respective Division Series matchups.

So that brings us to the grand finale, the be all and end all, the salsa on the chicken nachos.  It's World Series time!  This year's Fall Classic will feature the two-time American League champion Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals, who have won more pennants and World Series titles than any team who doesn't play in the House That Juice Built.

Instead of doing my usual prediction, I'd like to do something different in this piece.  I'm going to tell you who's going to win first (the Texas Rangers in 6) and then I'll give you my top ten reasons why they'll win.  Ready?  Let's go!

Top 10 Reasons Why The Texas Rangers Will Win The World Series

10.  The Rangers are the fifth team in the past 20 seasons to reach the World Series in consecutive seasons.  Each of the last four teams who have appeared in back-to-back World Series has won at least one title.  The '08-'09 Phillies (boo) won back-to-back pennants, winning it all in 2008.  The '98-'01 Yankees (double boo) appeared in four consecutive World Series, winning three of them (triple boo) from 1998 to 2000, before losing to Arizona in 2001 (ha ha).  The '95-'96 Braves also won two straight pennants, being crowned in 1995, and the '92-'93 Blue Jays had a mini-dynasty, but because Canada uses the metric system, it was actually a much longer dynasty than you originally believed it to be.

9.  The actor who played Rangers manager Ron Washington was really funny in Moneyball.  Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa has never been funny a day in his life.  Funny = Championship.  Just look what humor did to the Cleveland Indians in the first Major League film.

8.  Tony La Russa overused his bullpen (ya think?) in the National League Championship Series.  He plans to outdo himself in the World Series by using a different pitcher every time Nelson Cruz comes to bat.  After the first four homers, he'll make a pitching change after EVERY PITCH to Cruz.

7.  The Texas Rangers have never played a game in St. Louis.  Ever.  Their only interleague matchup against the Cardinals was in 2004, when St. Louis took two out of three from Texas at the previous Busch Stadium.  Who was the losing pitcher for the Rangers in the rubber match?  None other than R.A. Dickey!  The Rangers will adopt a "Do it for Dickey!" rallying cry in the World Series and exact their revenge on the Cardinals.

6.  The Cardinals need a rally squirrel to help them win ballgames.  The number one pastime in Texas after Cowboys football, college football and high school football is hunting.  That squirrel doesn't stand a chance.

5a)  This was our view in Texas:

5b)  This was our view in St. Louis:

5c)  The view in Texas was far better than the view in St. Louis.

4.  Chris Carpenter is 2-6 with a 7.26 ERA and 1.87 WHIP in 12 career games (11 starts) against the Texas Rangers.  It's his highest ERA and WHIP against any team (min. 50 IP).   He is also the only Cardinals pitcher to ever lose a game to the Rangers, losing to them in the middle game of their only interleague series in 2004.  (Do it for Dickey!)  In case you hadn't heard, Chris Carpenter is starting Game 1 of the World Series against the Rangers.

3.  The 21st century has been full of cities and/or greater metropolitan areas holding multiple championship parades for their victorious teams.  It happened in 2002, when the Lakers won in June and the Angels won in October.  The Boston area repeated the feat in 2004, with the Patriots winning the Super Bowl in February and the Red Sox reversing the curse in October.  It happened a third time in 2009, when the Steelers took home the Vince Lombardi trophy in February and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in June.  The Dallas Mavericks won the NBA championship this past June.  The Rangers play just a few miles away in Arlington.  That's the definition of a greater metropolitan area, my friends.

2.  The American League and National League have alternated winning the World Series every year since 2005, with the White Sox (2005), Red Sox (2007) and Yankees (2009 - boo) taking home the trophy in the odd-numbered years and the Cardinals (2006), Phillies (2008 - hiss) and Giants (2010) taking that final champagne bath in the even-numbered years.  2011 means that it's time for the American League to pop the cork.

And the number one reason why the Texas Rangers will win the World Series is...


Two words:  Nolan Ryan.  It's been 42 years since he won his first World Series ring.  It's time for him to win a second after coming within three wins of doing it last year.  Tony La Russa has won six pennants (three in Oakland and three in St. Louis) and two World Series championships (one with each team).  He's got his rings.  Now Nolan gets his.  Period.


Enjoy the World Series!

...and do it for Dickey!

Joey's Soapbox: My Not-As-Biased 2011 LCS Picks

Greetings, everyone!  This is your fav'rit Studious Metsimus correspondent, culinary expert and prognosticator Joey Beartran.  I'm writing this to you from my cubby hole in the Mets dugout since the team isn't really using it much right now.  So have you been enjoying the 2011 baseball playoffs as much as I have?  The hated Yankees and Phillies have been eliminated from championship contention, with both teams losing the fifth and deciding game of their respective division series in front of their spoiled and obnoxious fans.

If any of you missed my division series predictions last week, shame on you!  You missed that I correctly predicted the demise of the Bronx Bummers and the Phightless Phils to the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively.  I also correctly predicted the Brewers' series victory over the Diamondbacks, while erring on the Rangers-Rays series.  But hey, as Meat Loaf would have said had he added one extra series to his song, three out of four ain't bad.

So now we are left with the ALCS and the NLCS, featuring no East Coast teams and no West Coast teams.  The Midwest is alive and well in the 2011 baseball playoffs.  It's a round of playoffs John Mellencamp would be proud of.

On that note, let me stop yapping and start giving you what you came for when you chose to read this.  With no Yankees and Phillies to root against anymore, here are my not-as-biased predictions for the 2011 American League and National League Championship Series.


American League Championship Series


Detroit Tigers vs. Texas Rangers

The Detroit Tigers might not have the experience the Texas Rangers have, as this is only the Tigers' second trip to the ALCS since 1987, while most of the Rangers are making their second consecutive trip to the League Championship Series.  However, the Rangers, for all the offense and experience they might have, are missing one key thing from last year's team.

They no longer have Cliff Lee.

As Lee went in the 2011 playoffs, so went the Rangers.  In three appearances against the Rays and Yankees in the ALDS and ALCS, Lee was dominant, winning all three starts while giving up two runs in 24 innings for a 0.75 ERA.  He also allowed only 14 baserunners (13 hits, one walk) for a microscopic 0.58 WHIP, while striking out 34 batters.  Then came the World Series against the Giants, when Lee crash landed back to Earth, losing both of his starts and posting a 6.94 ERA.  Naturally, the Rangers couldn't ride on Lee's shoulders and they lost the World Series.

The Tigers have their own version of Cliff Lee in Justin Verlander. However, they don't need Verlander to win every start to win this series.  Detroit has a very good pitching staff following their Cy Young candidate, a rotation that includes Doug Fister, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello.  And of course, there's the formidable one-two punch in the bullpen of Joaquin Benoit and Jose Valverde, who has been a perfect 51-for-51 in save situations.

Good pitching defeats good hitting, as the Yankees can attest.  The Rangers have good hitting, but the Tigers have the weapons to stymie their big bats.  As for Texas' starting pitchers, although all five starters won at least 13 games apiece, they were bailed out by their offense more often than not.  C.J. Wilson (16-7, 2.94 ERA) is a legitimate ace, but he's no Justin Verlander (or Cliff Lee, for that matter).  Colby Lewis and Derek Holland went a combined 30-15, but also collectively had an ERA over 4.00 and a WHIP approaching 1.30.  That doesn't bode well when facing a team that can boast a pair of hitters in the middle of their lineup who hit .330 with over 100 RBI (Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez).

The Rangers might have the home field advantage, but the Tigers have the edge in this series.  It'll be close, but Detroit will prevail.

Prediction: Tigers in 6.


National League Championship Series


St. Louis Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers

In early September, if you would have said that a pair of division rivals were going to square off in the NLCS, odds are that it would've been the Braves and Phillies fighting it out for the pennant.  But how quickly things change, courtesy of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals erased a 10½-game lead to overtake the Braves for the National League wild card and then took out the Phillies in a hard-fought division series.  They did this without ace Adam Wainwright throwing a pitch for them all year and with Albert Pujols having his first sub-.300, sub-100 RBI campaign.  It's a testament to the managerial skills of Tony La Russa, who has now guided the Cardinals to the NLCS seven times since becoming their skipper in 1996.  Despite the seven trips to the NLCS, St. Louis has been able to win the pennant only two times.

Milwaukee, on the other hand, has only been to the World Series once in over four decades of existence.  That came in 1982, when they faced (you guessed it) the St. Louis Cardinals, losing the title in seven games.  If the Brewers want to play for the championship, they'll have to get by the team who prevented them from winning the championship in 1982.

The 1982 Brew Crew was nicknamed Harvey's Wallbangers.  Let's just say it wasn't because of their pitching staff.  That Brewers team featured two future Hall of Famers (Robin Yount and Paul Molitor) in their everyday lineup, as well as sluggers Ben Oglivie, Cecil Cooper and Gorman Thomas.  Their pitching staff was serviceable, but they mostly rode on the shoulders of their high-octane offense. (Kind of Texas Ranger-like, don't you think?)

The 2011 Brewers have two great hitters in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, but they also have an outstanding threesome at the top of their rotation.  Yovani Gallardo, Zack Greinke and Shawn Marcum combined to go 46-23 for Milwaukee this season.  In nearly 600 innings pitched, the three hurlers had a collective 3.62 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and nearly a strikeout per inning (566 Ks in 579.2 innings).

The Cardinals have a good staff, but it is not very deep.  A rotation that has Kyle Lohse leading it in ERA can't be that good.  In the division series, it was just good enough to get past the Phillies, who were ninth in the National League in batting average (.253) and eighth in home runs (153).  Being "just good enough" will not suffice against Milwaukee, who finished third in the league in batting average (.261) and led the NL in homers (185).

St. Louis might have more playoff experience and the better manager, but Milwaukee is too good right now.  They can beat you with their bats and their arms (I didn't even mention John Axford, who saved 46 games for Milwaukee and was the proud owner of a 1.95 ERA) and will be playing four out of a potential seven games at Miller Park, where their 57-24 home record was the best in the majors.

The Cardinals make for a fine Cinderella story, but the glass slipper won't fit against Milwaukee.


Prediction: Brewers in 6.


And that'll do it for my League Championship Series predictions.  If my prophetic skills are as good as I think they are, it'll be a Tigers-Brewers World Series.  It's not the World Series America might want, but it's one small town America might embrace.  Isn't that right, Mr. Mellencamp?

Joey's Soapbox: My Biased 2011 Division Series Picks

And so it goes.  Another season ends for the Mets, and for the 43rd time in 50 seasons, there will be no postseason baseball for the boys in orange and blue.  Despite all the injuries and shoddy play surrounding the Mets in the post-Shea Stadium era, the Mets have been consistent, finishing in 4th place in the NL East for the third consecutive season.  But hey, it could be worse.  At least they're not the Pittsburgh Pirates, who finished below .500 for the 19th consecutive season.

The Pirates, who were in first place in July, obviously did not make the playoffs.  But eight teams did, some of which had to overcome large deficits to crash the postseason party.  Fans of my annual postseason picks already know that there are two teams I always pick for early elimination (Yankees and Phillies).  Just like the Pirates always finish below .500, I will continue to do pick those two teams to be bumped in the opening round of the playoffs.  But what about the other teams?  And how many victories am I giving the Yankees and Phillies in the first round?  Let's begin with my biased division series picks!


American League Division Series


Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees

The Yankees come stumbling into the playoffs, having been swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the season's final regular season series.  It was the first time in 11 years that the Bronx Bummers were given the broom treatment by the Rays (who were still the Devil Rays back then).  The Tigers, on the other paw, were practically unstoppable over the season's final seven weeks.

On the morning of August 19, the Tigers were only seven games above .500 (65-58) and in danger of giving up their lead in the AL Central.  But after defeating the Cleveland Indians that night, Detroit went on a roll, winning 30 of their final 39 games.  From mid-August until the end of the season, the one-two punch of Cy Young Award favorite Justin Verlander and trade deadline acquisition Doug Fister went a combined 14-0 for Detroit.  That combination will more than likely start the first two games of the series against the Yankees, a team that only had two regulars hit above .276 (Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter).

If CC Sabathia can't win Game 1 for the Yankees, the playoff untested Ivan Nova will have to shut down the Tigers offense in Game 2.  This is an offense that features the American League batting champion (Miguel Cabrera), the best hitting catcher in the AL (Alex Avila) and a former catcher turned DH that quietly produced an outstanding year (Victor Martinez, who hit .330 and drove in 103 runs).

The Yankees lost the season series to the Tigers, four games to three, and Joba Chamberlain was the winning pitcher in two of the three games.  They'll be lucky to force a deciding game in this series.

Prediction: Tigers in 4.


Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers

No one expected the Rays to make the playoffs prior to the 2008 season.  Now the Rays are playing in October for the third time in four seasons, despite having a payroll that's less than the combined salaries of Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter.  How did they do it, despite losing hitting stars Carl Crawford and Carlos Peña, and pitchers Matt Garza and Rafael Soriano?  No, it didn't happen with smoke and mirrors.  It was all pitching and speed (and a little help with OBP).

The Rays had the league's second lowest ERA (3.58) and gave up the fewest hits and home runs of any American League team.  They also led the league in complete games (15), with James Shields finishing what he started 11 times.  The ability of the starters to go deep into games placed less stress on the bullpen, keeping them fresh for their unexpected run to the wild card.

Texas won their second straight division title and hopes to return to the World Series after their magical run in 2010.  However, this year's team has no Cliff Lee and looks more like the late-'90s Rangers, who slugged their regular season opponents to death before falling in the ALDS three times to the Yankees.  They might not be able to reproduce their pennant-winning success with that recipe.

Prediction: Rays in 5.


National League Championship Series

Cardinals vs. Phillies

Let's make this simple.  The Phillies have great pitching, perhaps the best in the major leagues.  The Cardinals have Albert Pujols and his merry men.  The Cincinnati Reds were swept by the Phillies in the NLDS last year, but that Phillies team had great hitters as well.  This year's Phillies can't hit nearly as well.  Of the nine players who played in 100 games for the Phillies, catcher Carlos Ruiz had the highest batting average (.283).  Also, Ryan Howard was the only Phillie to hit over 20 HR.  That being said, I don't like the Phillies, I never will and I'll never pick them to win any postseason series, even if they were playing the Bad News Bears.

Prediction: Cardinals in 4.


Diamondbacks vs. Brewers

Arizona came out of nowhere to win the National League West, making Kirk Gibson the odds-on favorite to win the National League Manager of the Year Award.  Ian Kennedy won 21 games for Arizona and former Met J.J. Putz led the team in saves with 45.  Justin Upton continued to blossom, hitting .289 with 31 HR, 88 RBI, 105 runs scored and 21 stolen bases.  But that's pretty much everything Arizona has to offer.

Milwaukee is more than just Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and the Sausage Race.  They boast a fearsome threesome in the rotation, with Yovani Gallardo, Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum combining to go 46-23 for the Brewers, and the Killer G's striking out over 200 batters apiece.  Also, they boast a fantastic bullpen, with K-Rod taking the eighth inning duties and John Axford (1.95 ERA, 46 saves) coming out for the ninth.

The Brewers won two more games than the D-Backs did during the regular season.  They'll do the same in the division series.

Prediction: Brewers in 4.

So there you have it, my friends.  If my biased predictions are right, we'll have a Tigers-Rays matchup in the ALCS and a Cardinals-Brewers battle in the NLCS.

Of course, I could be wrong with one or more of my predictions, but I'm feeling confident.  As confident as I was when I said Dillon Gee would lead the Mets in wins this year and Carlos Beltran would be traded with two months left in the season and still lead the team in home runs and RBI.  You remember that, don't you?

Enjoy the playoffs, everyone!

Joey's Soapbox: On Daniel Murphy And Brain Freeze

Brain freeze. It's what happens when a person ingests cold foods or drinks too quickly, causing a shooting pain in the head (or the brain, if you will). Occasionally, the sharp pain can cause a momentary lapse of judgment, as the brain recovers from the unexpected sensory overload.

As you can see in the photo to the left, I always prepare for the possibility of getting brain freeze by wearing the hood of my Mets hoodie. That way I can have my ice cream and eat it, too, without worrying that my brain will freeze up at the most inopportune moment.

Preparation is key to preventing lapses in judgment. Without it, a person can place himself and those around him in precarious situations. On that note, I have a question to ask you, my fellow Mets fans. Do you think Daniel Murphy has been eating too much ice cream without wearing his hoodie?

My name is Joey Beartran and I'm about to get on my soapbox.


Daniel Murphy has been a hitting machine this year. He's among the league leaders in batting average, hits and doubles. Unfortunately, at times that machine has left the dugout without being properly oiled. Consider the following instances, which occurred in each of the last two games.

On Sunday, the Mets were involved in a scoreless game when they loaded the bases against Nationals' pitcher Jordan Zimmermannnnnn. (I always forget how many "N"s there are in his name.) David Wright lifted a short fly ball to overpaid rightfielder Jayson Werth, who naturally threw home to prevent Jonathon Niese from tagging up at third base.

Daniel Murphy was the runner on first at the time. Instead of looking at the runners in front of him or picking up his coach (since that's what they're there for), Murphy ran towards second base with his head down all the way. Naturally, Werth's throw was intercepted by the cutoff man, who ran Murphy back towards first before throwing the ball to second baseman Danny Espinosa, who tagged Murphy out before he could retreat safely. The brain freeze ended the scoring threat and the inning in a game the Mets would eventually lose by one run.

The very next day, Murphy committed an more egregious error, given the circumstances and inning of the game. After the Mets rallied to tie the Marlins on a two-out, two-run homer by Lucas (Howdy) Duda in the bottom of the ninth, Florida put two men on base against Jason Isringhausen in the top of the tenth.

Dewayne Wise then collected the Marlins' third consecutive hit, stroking a single to right field. The lead runner was held at third base, but Wise decided he was going to run towards second, similar to the play Murphy botched the day before. By all rights, Wise should have been a dead duck between first and second. There was only one problem. Lucas Duda's throw was cut off by Daniel Murphy.




Daniel Murphy's Law:

"Anything that can go wrong, will be done by Daniel Murphy."





Murphy took the cutoff throw from Duda, then ran with the ball in his hand towards Wise. For a split second, he took his eyes off Wise to check if the runner on third was breaking for home. In that split second, Wise dashed back to first, beating the tag by second baseman Justin Turner, as Murphy tossed a soft backhanded throw in a failed attempt to get Wise.

The next batter, Mike Stanton, crushed a grand slam, sending the fans to the exits and the Mets to their third consecutive defeat. Had Murphy been able to retire Wise, as 99% of cutoff men in that situation would, there would have been two outs, first base would have been open, and perhaps the Mets would have intentionally walked Stanton. Instead, Murphy's brain freeze cost the Mets another tight ballgame.

It's great that Daniel Murphy is hitting the tar off the ball. His bat has kept the Mets in games that he hasn't managed to blow with his baserunning and defense. However, a major league baseball player should excel not only in the physical part of the game, but in the mental aspect as well.

Daniel Murphy, as physically talented as he is, needs to use his brain in situations that don't require his bat. Brain freeze might be acceptable when a person is eating ice cream, but is unacceptable what that person is standing between the foul lines. A hot bat will never make up for a cold brain.