doodledee

I'll leave the real analysis to JoePa, but seriously, how fun is playoff baseball? How about super fun? And you know why? First and foremost, because the games are played so close together and there's a palpable momentum to each series. But also because the players are articulate and humble and they respect the game and they love to play. And because the umpires rarely screw up and when they do they fix it because they value the integrity of the game above all else. And because there's like million years of tradition in the stats and the stadiums and the rivalries. And for tons of other reasons, too.

Contrast all that to the NBA, which I think now takes 125 days to play a 4-round playoff bracket and where the players are thugs and criminals who don't know how to pass and the refs "let" Shaq back over people like a garbage truck while taking 9 steps on his way to the basket in a stadium full of people who paid $85 for their ticket and a hot dog. And that's coming from a huge NBA fan, mind you.

Ah, well. There's still no way I'm watching baseball in May. And I still think all that beer and champagne in the winning locker room is silly, especially when Anne Hutchinson isn't around "help celebrate". And, oh yeah, don't forget that MLB's financial model is totally broken. But screw that stuff, I'm too busy watching great baseball to care about the negatives.

Oh, and closed circuit to Sid: Looking forward to your next column... Can't wait to see you blame the Yankee's loss on the fact that they play in such an old stadium. Go 'Stros!