After 1988 All bets are off…
Major League Baseball
says that Pete Rose
is not in the Hall of Fame
because he placed bets
on baseball games.
As simple as that.
I wonder If Pete lost
any money in the
1988 World Series ?
By Amaury Pi-GonzálezAfter the 1988 World Series surprise, nothing
should surprises us anymore in the Postseason.
The Oakland A’S won 104 games that 1988
seasons(most since moving to Oakland in
1968) and second most in franchise history
since winning 116 in 1931 as the Philadelphia
Athletics. Yet, the A’S lost the World Series
to the Dodgers, four games to one.
And yes, I was there, in Oakland and in
Los Angeles.
With the Wild Card structure in baseball
things are very different. It is tougher to
make it all the way and win the World
Series. In 1997 the Florida Marlins advanced
as a Wild Card team and won the World
Series over Cleveland four games to three.
Most recently the New York Mets won the
National League in 2000,as a wild card team but lost the World
Series to the New York Yankees four games
to one. It is not any “disgrace”to make it
as the Wild Card. So, for the four Giants
fans that read this site: do not discourage.
Prior to the Wild Card in baseball, things would happen . Things like in 1993 when
in the National League West, the
San Francisco Giants finished the season
with 103 victories but lost the Western
Division to the Atlanta Braves who won
104. Any team than wins 100 or more
games should be able to advance into
the Playoffs. But the total amount of
wins during a regular season means
“nada”in the Postseason.
Ask the 1954 Cleveland Indians who won
111 games to win the American League
and were swept by the New York Giants
in the World Series that year. Of course
in those days the teams won their respective
leagues and then went directly to the
World Series. In today’s game, sometimes
(like 2001)you could be playing in
November !
The key to a winning Postseason is:
#1 Health: Your team has to be healthy
in order to perform. #2 Mental fortitude:
Your team has to believe in themselves,
be confident,but not over confident and
too relaxed. #3 Managing: You need a
good manager that understand that the
Postseason is a complete different season.
Still in 1988 the Athletics had a healthy
team,a good mental attitude and a very
good manager and they only won one
of five games in the World Series. A man
by the name of Orel Hershiser(who
won the Cy Young in the National League
that year) pitched like a “man possesed
by the devil”and a guy by the name of
Gibson, Kirk Gibson(who won the National
League MVP)but could not even walk,not
to mention run, hit one of the greatest
homeruns in World Series history.
And the word here is “history”because
after that momentous home run in the
bottom of the ninth inning of great reliever
Dennis Eckersley, the A’S were doomed.
That was the first game of the Series and
the A’S never really recovered from Gibson’s
shot.
For those that like to predict during this
2002 season. If we go just by pitching,
we must put Atlanta vs. Oakland in the
2002 World Series. However, there are
some scary lineups out there. Look at
the St Louis Cardinals for example:
Viña,Drew,Pujols,Edmonds,Rolen,RenterÃÂÂa
and company. The Cardinals, who survived
a lot of misery this season could find
themselves in the World Series.
The World Champion Diamondbacks lost
Luis González for the remainder of the
year, they’re without “super sub”Craig
Counsell. Needless to say, Schilling and
Johnson have to pitch almost perfect
to win or guys like Erubiel Durazo most
get hot and win a few games with the bat.
The Anaheim Angels ran out of ammo at the
end of the season, but they could be
regrouping for a Postseason attack and
they have the pitching and a very agressive
hitting team. The Oakland Athletics need
to have their offense working and their
middle-relief in order to be successful in
the Postseason. What good is for Zito,
Mulder or Hudson to throw 7 or
8 great innings and then Mecir or Tam
give it away ? The A’S offense is also
very much “up and down”,they better be
“up”in the Postseason.
Benito Santiago and Reggie Sanders, or
who ever is going to hit behind Bonds
better be ready, since Bonds who walked
around 200 times in the regular season
is sure to get walked many times again
in the Postseason. Guys like David Bell
(20 home runs)and Rich Aurilia could be
very important bats, not to mention the
pitching rotation. Liván Hernández is the
first pitcher to lead his respective league
in total games lost (16)and be in the
Playoffs. The schizophrenic Liván Hernandez
should not start in the Divisional Series,
but he could be a big factor in relief and if
the Giants advance to the next level, who
knows. Liván has thrown three complete
game shutouts this year.
The New York Yankees just got Mariano
Rivera back in the bullpen, they have like six
guys in that lineup with 90 or more RBI, they
have the greatest offense in the American
League and one of the best in baseball.
Their pitching is usually solid in the Playoffs
with veterans like Clemens,El Duque,Wells,
Pettitte,Mussina, those are a very
good arms. The Yankees are deep all over
and are always a tough team. This season
for the 16th season in their storied franchise
they won 100 or more games. In New York
talk shows are debating “who is going
to face the Yankees in the World Series?
And that was since the middle of September !
And then….the Minnesota Twins. With all
respect to the A’S 20-game winning streak,
Barry Bonds fifth MVP and Schilling-Johnson
tandem, in my book this is “the”story in
baseball. Remember, there were up for
contraction, they were given up for dead
with no pulse, no stadium in the future,
a dying franchise, litigation in court, controversy with a very wealthy owner.
A small market with just a couple of
million dollars generated in Television
rights revenue.
The Minnesota Twins are in the playoffs,
heck, they won their division going away !!
There are some new names in baseball in
the Twin Cities, how about Tori Hunter,
Christian Guzmán,Doug Mientkiewicz,
A.J Pierzynski,Jaque Jones plus veteran
pitchers Rick Reed, Brad Radke and Eddie
Guardado. These Twins are a very dangerous
team at home on that hard surface at the
Metrodome they can beat anybody on any
given day and they’re the perennial underdogs
of this playoff. If you are a betting man/women,the Twins are always underdogs
and you can make some money with them !
However, if they do not win at least
you get the satisfaction of doing one of the most American things: ‘root for’ the underdog!
Isn’t that what they do each year in
Boston and Chicago ? And those are considered among the best fans in baseball.
There you have it. I have no idea who is going
to be playing in the World Series, but I’ve
got a feeling these Playoffs are going to
be very exciting, specially if the A’S meet
the Yankees again. But hold all your bets,
and before you say this or that is a “sure thing”think of the 1988 World Series.
I will be working the NLCS and World Series
for the LBC Radio Network again. I would not
mind a Bay Area World Series, but I think
that is the longest shot of all. So, have a
good Postseason, may your team do well.
YOU MIGHT NOT HEAR FROM ME IN THIS
SITE UNTIL AFTER THE WORLD SERIES.
————————————————————
Amaury Pi-González is on his eight season as
the Spanish Play by Play announcer for the
San Francisco Giants, previously for 17 seasons
same with Oakland A’S.
Amaury has also called the last two Caribbean
World Series of baseball in English for the
Fox Sports International Network.
His involvement with baseball runs deep as
he is also V.P of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball
Museum, a non-profit founded in San Francisco
in 1999.His articles are also available on
ww.latinobaseball.com as well as on
various bilingual publications.
He appears regularly with the Sports Radio
guys, a sportstalk show that airs in the
Bay Area on Saturday at KEST radio in
San Francisco.
0 comments
More than anything else, I think the A’s lost in ’88 because they were overconfident. After Canseco’s mammoth slam off the CF camera in Game 1, I think the A’s thought the Series was over. The Eck said it well on ESPN’s “WS Memorable Moments” show, “We were all wondering how badly we were gonna beat the Dodgers in the WS.” They had a chance to beat Orel in Game 1, but the “I don’t believe what I just saw” HR, the most storybook shot in WS history, did them in. That still kills me.
Leave it to Amaury to bring the A’s down just when they clinch the division. Thanks.
I know. Amaury wants us all to root for the Twins because they’re the underdogs. He’s so transparent. he should give it a rest. Marty always posts him to get our blood boiling.
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