The postseason is here. And, as we go through the postseason, we must know what will happen. No, I don’t mean who will win games or who will the MVP of the World Series be. I mean important stuff, like memes and stupid jokes.
You know, like…
Songs getting stuck in our heads. I looked at this last year. In essence, since 2007, without fail, there have been songs used in advertisements for the postseason that we hear the entire month. This year, we will be hearing plenty of AC/DC and probably Fitz and the Tantrums, too. If you like those songs now, you’ll probably hate them within a few weeks as they get bashed into our heads.
People asking what channel the games are on. It used to be simple, with MLB playoffs being on just one or two channels… maybe three. Well, this year, the MLB postseason will be on five channels, with games being on at one point or another on FOX, Fox Sports 1, TBS, MLB Network and ESPN. It’s possible that they could be on even more channels, as if there are any conflicts due to games going long it’s likely you’ll see games on TNT and one of the other Fox stations, such as FX or Fox Sports 2. Oh, speaking of which, Fox Sports 1, which will have most of the NL portion of the playoffs, is almost certainly going to see it’s biggest ratings ever this October… once everybody finds it.
Non-fans complaining about baseball pre-empting things. Yes, due to baseball, “Big Bang Theory” reruns will not be shown on TBS. Get your Jim Parsons fix elsewhere. And, yes, once the World Series starts, a good chunk of the FOX primetime lineup takes some time off, so let me spoil “Gotham” for you instead: Oswald Cobblepot is the Penguin. Boom.
Players inexplicably disappear. Remember what Shelby Miller did in the playoffs for the Cardinals last season? No, you don’t, because he disappeared, only appearing once all month, despite there being plenty of opportunities for him to be utilized. It will probably happen to somebody this year too. We’ll be all, like “Where is so-and-so?” and “It’s a shame that so-and-so died, he’d be great in this spot.”
Rules confusion/Umpire Stuff. You think replay will solve all the problems? NO! We already learned this season that it creates problems, too, and doesn’t solve everything anyway! Without fail, every October, there is at least one horrible, or at least ambiguous, call. This year should be no different.
Celebrities and Corporate Promotion. A time-honored tradition, of course, is for FOX (and to a lesser extent other networks) to point out the many luminaries in the stands, many of whom, not-so-coincidentally, are the stars of the network’s television series or are starring in the movies being put out by the network’s corporate parent. Say, isn’t that Zooey Deschanel of “New Girl”? Oh, isn’t that the cast of “Glee” singing the national anthem? Hmm, let’s see what’s on the TBS games. Oh, wow, look, it’s Courtney Cox from the TBS series “Cougar Town”! What were the odds!?!
Oh, you’ll also see the usual celebrity fans, too! Jon Hamm for the Cardinals, Larry King (and Alyssa Milano, and Mary Hart, and… well, a good chunk of Hollywood) for the Dodgers, Jeff Daniels for the Tigers, Michael Keaton for the Pirates, Ed Norton for the Orioles, James Hetfield for the Giants, etc. etc. But, hey, look, it’s Headless Horseman from “Sleepy Hollow”! How’d he get a ticket?
Late Night! At some point, a game will go very, very, long. Playoff games go so long sometimes. So very, very, long. Make sure you have plenty of sugary snacks and/or coffee. YOU CANNOT FALL ASLEEP. STAY AWAKE!
ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?! STOP SNORING!
–
LINKS!
A rare look into Derek Jeter’s private life from Chris Smith with photos by Christopher Anderson.
Howard Megdal is one of those who remembered that Paul Konerko was also retiring.
Is a hot dog a sandwich? Rocco DeMaro asked around.
Bob Sacramento took a look at a little-seen part of baseball: the Instructional League.
SELF-PROMOTION OF THE WEEK: Bizarre Baseball Culture takes a look at a promotional comic in which the 2001 the New York Yankees both save the world from rock-creatures and honor the retirement of Cal Ripken Jr. Because, well, who knows?
–
Finally, last week, I attended a showing of “Moneyball” at a local college, after which FanGraph’s Dave Cameron was part of a small discussion about sabermetrics. One person asked him about how players perceived sabermetrics, and Cameron said- and he even said people could tweet it: “Most players are stupid.”
Of course, whether he is right or wrong depends both on the context you are speaking as well as what you consider “smart” or “stupid” is. But something I did realize the more I thought about it: while a lot of players may not be so smart with statistics, they are pretty smart with physics. I mean, every time they are throwing a ball or swinging a bat, they are subconsciously doing advanced equations in how they want the ball to go. When they are running for a catch, they are estimating the arc of the ball, it’s speed, where it will fall. And that is really impressive.
All of that has absolutely nothing to do with Dave Cameron’s original statement, but, hey, it’s what got the ball rolling in my head.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
