"The Office" is back for its seventh season, and because this is Steve Carell's farewell tour with the Scranton crew, I had high hopes that the show's writers would pull out all the stops. But after a frustratingly ho-hum first few episodes, I have already lumped this latest installment in with the dark days of the strike-shortened season four and the Michael Scott-Pam's mom love plotline from last season. To keep my Dunder-Mifflin morale high, however, I have resorted to watching classic episodes such as "Basketball" and "Booze Cruise" from seasons past. This has helped me appreciate the show's subtleties and hidden gems - namely Creed Bratton. Whether he's running a fake ID operation, recalling his 1960s glory days of sex, drugs and rock and roll, or just stealing everything in sight, Creed has become one of my favorite characters. While killing time before the first game of the Phillies-Reds National League Division Series, I watched "Money." As Michael prepares to declare bankruptcy, Creed educates his boss - "You don't go by monopoly, man. That game is nuts! You don't just pick up 'Get Out Of Jail Free' cards. Those things cost thousands!"
After the episode, as I watched Philadelphia's ace Roy Halladay throw the second playoff no-hitter in MLB history, I realized Creed was on to something. Halladay's postseason no-no was certainly impressive, but I wasn't terribly surprised. After all, "Doc" dominated this season and should win the NL Cy Young, as his 21 wins - including a perfect game against the Marlins - and filthy 2.44 earned run average can attest. What is more surprising - and a crying shame - is that this was Halladay's playoff debut. Prior to the 2010 season with the Phillies, Halladay spent 12 years with the Toronto Blue Jays, with whom he won 148 games, the 2003 Cy Young and was a six-time All-Star - yet his team never made a single postseason appearance. If Philly had made a blockbuster trade for a different starter or just kept Cliff Lee, it is conceivable that Halladay would still be toiling away in Toronto and watching the NLDS from his living room couch.
Halladay is just one of many marquee baseball talents who wait years - sometimes entire careers - for the chance to be Mr. October while scrubs like the Yankees batboys are swimming in World Series swag on an annual basis. The reality of a sport with no salary cap and an incredibly selective playoff system is that in terms of payrolls and playoff potential, not all teams are created equal.
Just look at the Texas Rangers, whose 2010 opening day payroll of $55 million ranked fourth-lowest in MLB, and whose veteran All-Star third baseman, Michael Young - the team's longest tenured player - had to wait 1,508 games for his first playoff appearance, the second-longest such streak in MLB history. Even if I don't like their teams, I can't help but cheer for guys like Halladay and Young, who finally get a much-deserved chance to strut their stuff on baseball's biggest stage. As Creed said, "You don't just pick up 'Get Out Of Jail Free' cards" like the trade that sprung Halladay from postseason purgatory in Toronto - but that's because Bud Selig is still running the show. If Creed Bratton became MLB Commish, these are the playoff-deprived baseball players I would demand to see traded to a contender next season.
Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners outfielder: Apologies to fellow Seattle stud and Cy Young hopeful Felix Hernandez, but Ichiro just finished his 10th season with a Mariners team that peaked far too early in his tenure. Seattle lost to the Yankees in the 2001 ALCS - Ichiro's rookie year - and hasn't been back to the playoffs. Since then, Ichiro has won Rookie of the Year, MVP, nine Gold Gloves and 10 All-Star selections. He has also remained a consummate professional despite the increasingly poor play of the team around him. During 2010, Ichiro recorded his 10th consecutive 200-hit season, but a Mariners team with preseason playoff aspirations tumbled to a 61-101 record after star outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. retired, manager Don Wakamatsu was fired and human train wreck Milton Bradley repeatedly imploded during the course of the season. It would hurt to see Ichiro in New York pinstripes, but if that's what it takes to get him back to the playoffs, so be it.
Brian Roberts, Baltimore Orioles second baseman: You know a guy is fed up with his team's ineptitude when he takes matters, and a bat, into his own hands -
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