Of course it had to be the Yankees.
Today is the day we've been waiting for since the baseball season kicked off in April, and on the other side will be the Twins familiar playoff nemesis. Wish I could call them a rival, but rivalries are two-sided, this is more of a rout so far.
There have been many opinions offered about why this might be the most vulnerable Yankees team to enter the playoffs in some time, and I'd like to get on board with that kind of thinking. But looking no further than tonight's pitching matchup, with our own loveable headcase Frank Liriano opposing playoff veteran CC Sabathia (aka The Fat Man), it's clear that the Twins are once again a significant underdog. I could blow sunshine up your @ss here about how it's a funny game, and you never know what will happen, but the bottom line is the boys will need to beat The Fat Man at some point if they hope to win this thing. Sweeping the 3 games he won't pitch is too long a shot.
So the verdict here? Yankees in 5. The hometown nine will represent better than they have in opposing years, but in the end the power of the Evil Empire will be too much for them.
Another wicked development (wicked sweet in this case, as our Boston friends would say) is the news that the Vikings are on the verge of acquiring Randy Moss for a 3rd-round draft pick. At that price it's tough to argue with the move, given the team seems to be on the verge of a season going down the tubes. But as any long-time fan will recall, the Moss Roller Coaster is not always the most pleasant ride. When he left town the first time, I have to say I was ready for him to leave. Seems dumb in retrospect, given what the team suffered through offensively for a few years there, but his "play when I want to play" act wore incredibly thin toward the end of his stint in purple.
It seems the nature of the big-time NFL wide receiver is a diva-like one, and the better many of them get, the more petulant they become. This has certainly been the case with Moss, one of the most spectacular and unapologetic team killers professional sports has ever seen. It seems unlikely an unhappy New England Randy will turn into a happy Minnesota Randy overnight, at least not without a large financial guarantee coming his way. Don't get me wrong, I'm in favor of the move, it's a steal of a deal and allows me to use one of my favorite words in description: Chutzpah. But if the team wants to maximize the opportunity here and get what they intended, then they need to do two things, give the man a chunk of cash and never (I mean NEVER) assume that he will play hard for a quarterback that doesn't command his respect. If you need it spelled out, don't put T-Jack on the field with Randy unless you want him to permanently check out.
Once again my favorite football team finds itself wandering in the desert, dying of thirst, and is reaching out for what looks like a cool glass of water. Only problem is, extreme circumstances cause people's minds to do crazy things, and that glass could be a mirage. Here's hoping we're not about to gulp down a pint of sand.
Love the moxie Zygi, but actually building a team might've been the cheaper, and more effective, way to go here. Good luck, lord knows I hope it works.
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