Aaaahhh. Smell that? Smells good, doesn't it? Smells clean. Feels clean. Feels new.
What is it? The 2005 Major League Baseball playoffs, of course.
Yes, we woke up yesterday to a different world -- a brave new world. Nary the Yankees nor the Red Sox are in amongst the four teams still fighting for the World Series crown. And for the rest of the country outside of the Northeast, it feels a good bit refreshing.
Don't get me wrong. I loved the last two ALCSs. The Yankees vs. the Red Sox certainly is one of America's best sports rivalries -- and they brought out the best in each other. Two seven-game series. The most dramatic comeback/choke in MLB history. The vengefulness. The media battles. It was all there. And the ride from September 2003 to October 2004 was truly exhilarating, climaxing with a two-week stretch that pretty much ended any chance I had of doing well fall semester.
Last October, I watched every ALCS and World Series game, rooting against the Evil Empire, surrounding myself with as many Bostonians as possible so I could feel like I was a part of the action. During the day, I would religiously dig through the New York and Boston papers online, take in everything on espn.com and read anything I could get my hands on just to make sure I was experiencing everything I could. It was totally engulfing, and, ultimately, one of the most rewarding moments of my life as a sport fan.
And as appealing as that would have been this October, I just don't think it would have been the same. The large ape the Red Sox Nation collectively had on its back last year isn't here this year. Some of the main stars wouldn't have been back or healthy. October 2004 was just a culmination of so many forces and truly felt like a once in a lifetime experience.
There's also a large, underlying sigh of relief that many fans are feeling with the Yankees and Red Sox now out of the playoffs. So much national media attention -- be it from TV, newspapers, espn.com or any random person from the Northeast -- is always shoved upon us about the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. It has gotten to be too much. It's not that we don't care -- I certainly did the past two Octobers -- it's just that it's gone a bit far.
It's time for some new faces -- and we've got this October. Sure, silly Bud Selig may not be happy the Yankees and Red Sox aren't still in the playoffs for TV ratings purposes, but it's nice to see some talented, relatively low-hyped teams still battling for the pennant.
In the National League, the NL Central has once again shown its dominance, providing its two top teams -- the Cardinals and Astros -- to duke it out for the pennant. These squads have a flair for the dramatic as well. They went seven games last October, as you might remember, and look charged to do the same this month.
The Astros provided one of the most ridiculous postseason games ever on Sunday night, going 18 innings to beat the Braves to clinch their NLDS series (it might have been long, but if 14 years have taught me anything, there's no way the Braves win that game). Still, name a moment from that game, and any one of them would be one of baseball's all-time best. Forty-three-year-old Roger Clemens coming on in relief in the 17th on three days rest to win? Two grand slams? A five-run comeback? As one Astros fan told me Sunday, "Nolan Ryan was in the stands. We were about to get him warmed up in the bullpen."
Houston will match up well against the most feared team left in the postseason: the Cardinals. Last year, the Cardinals were an offensive machine and still got swept by the Red Sox in the World Series. This year, the machine is back with better pitching, and the Cards are motivated. Look for this series to go seven.
And back in the AL, the White Sox haven't won the World Series since 1917. The Angels last won in 2002. I'll give one guess as to who I'm rooting for.
Bottom line: Don't bet on a boring postseason. Yes, we won't have the national media slobbering over the Yankees-Red Sox. And, well, that makes this all feel a little bit fresher.
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