Marty Lurie Talks San Francisco Giants Baseball
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The Innocent World of Baseball by Ed Stern

Marty: I started to write a comment to your article today but it became too lengthy and began to look more like an article. However, I am thinking of doing an article addressing the entire season before the playoffs begin.

Here are my initial thoughts on the postseason.

Click Below for More!I am fairly certain that the one team the Giants do not wish to face in the playoffs is the Cubs. Whether they will have to meet them is still very much up for grabs. The Braves can’t face Florida or the Phillies in the first round. This complicates the picture. Chicago is closer to the Astros than they are to either Florida or the Phillies. If the Cubs don’t win the division they are unlikely to be the wild card winner and that will be one Giants’ concern laid to rest. If the Cubs are the division winner they will probably be facing the Braves in the opener with the Giants facing the wild card winner. Atlanta might do the Giants a favor and knock off the Cubs.

The Giants have shown that they can take Atlanta, great hitters though they are. It’s the Cubs pitching which concerns the Giants and, perhaps even more telling, the emotion which will prevail if it’s the Baker-led Cubs and Alou’s team facing off for the World Series rights. I recall the last time the Giants and the Cubs met in the playoffs. Great games. all of them, with Will Clark putting on one of the all time great hitting exhibitions throughout the series.

I read Glenn Dickey this morning commenting on possible pitching matchups for the playoffs and stating that Rueter “is perhaps the most overrated starter in the league.” I couldn’t agree more, as you know. Alou shouldn’t remotely be considering Rueter as a starter in place of Williams. Further, if it turns out that he needs a fourth starter, serious consideration should be given to Hermanson. Rueter facing the Jones boys and Sheffield, or Sammy Sosa, if it is the Cubs, would not be a welcome sight.

Aurillia has stopped hitting. Those few recent days when he had a few hits may have encouraged those who still feel that he is the hitter he was three years ago. They will likely be disappointed once again. However, he is a long standing member of the club and Alou will go with him.

The other night, against San Diego, Worrell was getting in trouble once again. Alou had burned his bridges behind him by using four relief pitchers in momentary assignments in the eighth inning. Perez was playing second base in the ninth. A soft line drive was hit to the shortstop side of second base. Aurillia didn’t make a move. Perez came over from his second base position and caught the ball as it was about to go into center field. He received a well deserved standing ovation from the crowd. He may have saved the game. Nevertheless, Aurillia is the shortstop of choice and we will have to accept that. The hope is that Rueter isn’t the starter of choice despite his long standing membership in the club.

The upcoming post-season activity should be a great and fulfilling end to another great year of baseball. With the world getting increasingly more chaotic day by day, the innocent world of baseball provides a refuge.

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