The lights are down low in the Tap Room today. This has been a rough start to the week.
Another national tragedy that makes all of our hearts sink.
And even the things that are supposed to help distract us from real life – like sports and music — aren’t exactly comforting right now.
Since I dropped my sports fandom, for the most part, in the years I have been a journalist, I delved deeper into music – allowing myself to get lost there.
After blues giant B.B. King died in 2015, and I failed to see him perform in the years leading up to that despite numerous chances, I made a “bucket list” of musicians to go see before they – or I – kicked the bucket.
I finally saw Van Morrison perform live this summer. Great experience. High on my current list include The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.
Tom Petty, who suffered a cardiac arrest Monday at age 66, was right near the top of my list. Very sad.
Petty is all we’re playing on the Tap Room jukebox today (mixed in with some Mudcrutch; if you don’t know Mudcrutch, Petty’s original band that he re-formed a few years back, you have to check them out).
We’re also talking about the post mortem of the Orioles season, of course. For the next few weeks and beyond.
And we’ll keep talking Orioles throughout the rest of 2017 and beyond. Just because the Orioles’ season is over doesn’t mean we are done at BaltimoreBaseball.com or in the Tap Room. We’ll be filing something most days throughout the next few months, keeping you updated and keeping you thinking about baseball until spring training begins.
That will be our third season at BaltimoreBaseball.com, and Steve Cockey and I can’t thank you enough for making us a part of your daily routine. We are headed into our 18-month of existence and our numbers have completely blown us away – far exceeding anything we could have hoped for in our first two seasons.
We know there are some great baseball sites and great Orioles sites out there, so we want to thank you for choosing us to hang out with on occasion.
So, since we are being communal, I figured we’ll go beyond the Orioles for a day today and talk about the postseason – if it’s not too painful for you all.
At the beginning of this season, we made our 2017 staff predictions, and I woefully misjudged how good the Orioles would be. I had them winning 90 games and capturing another Wild Card berth.
I was way the hell off.
But when it came to overall baseball, I did pretty solidly. I correctly predicted every division winner and had the Cleveland Indians beating the Washington Nationals in five games in the World Series. I’m willing to stick with that one.
Now, it is your turn.
Give me your predictions for the 2017 World Series participants, who wins and in how many games. I’ll check back at the end of the month to see who got the closest, and maybe we can throw some BaltimoreBaseball.com swag your way.
You can even answer the question twice. Who you think is gonna make the World Series, and who you want to make the Word Series. I know that’s not always one in the same.
So, again, thanks for sticking with us this year. It is much appreciated. Now, with the playoffs starting tonight, what happens this month in MLB?
Tap-In Question: Which teams make the World Series, who wins and in how many games?
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Some Traveling Wilburys if you please. The O's have come to the End of the Line.
I'm going with the Nationals (now that Trea Turner and Harper are both back) and Indians. With the Nationals in 6.
But it'll probably end up being something from left field... Twins - Diamondbacks with the Diamondbacks taking it in 5.
-M
Nicely done with the TW. And the beauty of baseball is it could be something totally unexpected. As Showalter likes to say, there are no Cinderellas after 162 games.
With Verlander, Keuchel and Altuve leading the way, I think Houston surprises everyone and wins in 5, although I'd like to Cleveland take it all. It's their turn after losing to the Cubbies last year.
Kind of reminds me of the KC Royals. One year to get there. The next to win.
Cleveland wins the series 4-1 over the Cubs as Jake Arrieta proves to be the goat as a 2 game loser. He will allow a total of 7 gopher balls over his 2 starts, thereby providing Charm City a modicum of satisfaction after this train wreck of a year.
Even though I stand at the gates of Hell, I won't back down! RIP Mr. Petty.
Nice, Boog. Jake got his ring, eh?
First of all, I'd like to thank you Dan and Paul for providing excellent coverage of the O's throughout the season. Quality beats quantity in my book.
I'd like to see the Rockies win the World Series, although they're a long-shot, because they haven't won before.
I'm predicting the Cubs to win the NLCS over the Nationals in 7 games because DC sports are cursed. I just hope their collapse isn't utterly complete like the 2012 series against the Cardinals - that was UGLY!
I'm predicting the Indians to easily capture the ALCS over Houston in 5 games.
So yeah, I'm going with a rematch of 2016, but this time the Indians are the team destined for greatness. Their pitching will shut down the Cubs this year, as long as Trevor Bauer stays away from his drones - personally I'd put him in handcuffs while he's not pitching, and I'd wrap Corey Kluber in bubblewrap too. The Indians simply have all the tools they need to win this, and Tito is hungry for revenge after last season. Cleveland will win it in 4 games.
A sweep, wow. Well, they did win four in a row -- five and a half times straight. And thanks for your comments. We try to do things a little differently, and I'm hoping it continues to work.
I think Cleveland wins it all. They've been the best team in the second half of the season and they came so close last year. The additions of Encarnacion and Jay Bruce make them a better offensive team than last year. Plus, their pitching is much healthier than last year.
In the National League, the Dodgers and the Cubs have gotten most of the attention all year. Nobody expects much from the Nationals. That's why I am picking them to reach the World Series. Ryan Zimmerman' s resurgence has made them a much more explosive team and their infield is solid. They spent most of the season building their bullpen and they made it much better.
WS: Indians over Nationals in 6 games.
Just one off of what I had. Great minds ...
And if the postseason really is about pitching, the Nats should be there.
Add my congrats for a great website and your willingness to respond to the comments. It makes you feel "that everybody knows your name." Though I've been gone from DC for a while the team of my youth and of my fathers was the Senators so I hope the Nats make the World Series. But if I'm betting my own coin I think it is a "Battles of the Eights" again and the Indians beat the Dodgers in six.
Appreciate it Gary. You've been a great contributor. It's funny with the Nats. No reason they shouldn't get there. But until they do ...
I said this a few weeks ago so I won't back down; Houston over Chicago in 7. I know some of you will point out the apparent juggernaut in NE Ohio. My response is un-scientific but sound if you stop and think about it.
Dude, it's CLEVELAND. Maybe its something in the air.
Having seen Boston and New York all year I'm convinced that, well, they aren't that good. Minnesota, you got lucky. The Twins are a mediocre team that, by virtue of not being as mediocre as the other also-rans in a lousy AL, won the right to sell "Always October" or whatever sweatshirts at a discounted rate next spring. The AL is a two horse race, and I like the Astros to add another chapter to the history of the Factory of Sadness.
Around the horn in the NL
Washington is loaded with talent... and managed by Dusty Baker. NEXT!
Colorado is leaning on the gifts of such luminaries as Mark Reynolds and Gerardo Parra. NEXT!
Los Angeles is dependent on the Peyton Manning of pitchers, and rookie Cody Bellinger who, no matter his glittering stats this year, is still a rookie. Under the bright lights isn't easy when you're still learning to fly. NEXT!
Arizona has a professional baseball team. Who knew? NEXT!
Chicago is still super-talented and has already ridden this rodeo. I see them getting through a bruising series with DC then winning the NLCS over Colorado, who I think walks into LA and punches their rich division rival right in their nine figure kisser.
Gimme Houston in a feel good story that's been somehow obscured in an avalanche of bad news, but will soon be back into the great wide open.
A rebel without a clue, but BanMo gets it.
Nicely, nicely done on the Tom Petty Day. Drink chip
BanMo, when you're ready for your next career (or some side work), I hope the nice folks at BB make you an offer. Nice prose.
Saw Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as part of the Tom Petty / Bob Dylan / Grateful Dead show at RFK in 1986. It was a brutally hot day which made the show a tough slog. Anyways here's the picks
Twins over Yankees
Dbacks over Rockies
Indians over Twins
Astros Over Red Sox
Nats Over Cubs
Dodgers Over Dbacks
Astros Over Indians
Nats Over Dodgers
Nats Over Astros
Never saw the Dead, but did see The Jerry Garcia Band. Weird, I know.
Nats-Astros would be entertaining for me. Not sure what the national vibe would be.
Astros over Dodgers in 6
Would be so great for the City of Houston if you -- and some others here -- are right.
Dan,
Although I was off by 1 game, looks like I came the closest.
Let me know if you need my address for the BB.com swag.
Same teams as last year but this year Cleveland in 6.
The O's beat the Reds in 5!!!
To get there, the O's sweep the Twins in the ALCS, and the Reds sweep the Pirates in the NLCS.
Oh wait, that was 1970, and I was 15 and so naive. I thought the winning would never stop. (Sigh.)
Ok, back to reality. Cleveland beats Colorado in 6.
I will enjoy the playoffs, but I really don't care who wins so long as it's not NY (just because) or DC (because of how their existence has hurt the O's). Go Twins!!
Raymo I feel the same about the playoffs - Just not the Yanks or Nats.
I will enjoy the playoffs but I wonder if I'm the only one who finds the sound effects on ESPN annoying. The sliding noise for the base runners is particularly unnecessary or am I just getting cranky because I don't appreciate video games.
I'm with you on the annoying sound effects. I also despise all the unnecessary noise and visual effects at the ballpark. Now get off my lawn.
Cleveland over Chicago in 6 moving the O's up another notch on the world series drought list.
Cleveland over the Dodgers in 6. I would root for an Arizona-Minnesota series, though that’s out the window.