Perry Perspective: MLB Feature Oct 19
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White Sox wait for the Series
?When you?re playing for money, winning is the only thing that counts.?
-Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher
A fair amount of hullabaloo has been made about the Chicago White Sox and how they?ve made it to the World Series for the first time in nearly a half-century.
Sure it?s a nice feat and all, but really, it means nothing. If Chicago fails to be crowned World Champions, their season was essentially a failure.
After all, the team that gets to the World Series but doesn?t win, is in the end the first loser. And it?s almost impossible to put a positive spin on being a loser.
As Chicago Cubs broadcaster Chip Caray was quoted as saying, "There's no nobility in losing.?
I?d argue that most baseball players, coaches and fans would rather see their team finish out of the playoffs than get to the Series and lose. It?s not nearly as painful.
Don?t agree with me? Talk to Bill Buckner or Mitch Williams or Bobby Cox. I?m sure they?ll tell you how much fun it is losing in the World Series.
The last time the ChiSox experienced the fun of losing in the World Series was in 1959 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Prior to that, they lost in 1919 to the Cincinnati Reds.
The last time they won the World Series was in 1917 against the New York Giants. That was their second world championship. Their first came against their cross-town rivals, the Chicago Cubs, in 1906.
The Cubbies won the following two years, but have not won since. Because they?ve not won in 97 years, the longest streak in the majors, the Cubs have been deemed by some diehard fans as the ?Lovable Losers?.
Of course, the reality is, they don?t really love seeing the Cubs lose, to which Steve Bartman could attest.
Fortunately for White Sox fans, the suffering could soon be over. Despite a late-season slump, the ChiSox had little trouble sweeping the defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox in three games in the AL Divisional Series.
They then knocked off the Angels in five games with relative ease. Undoubtedly, that series will be remembered most for umpire Doug Eddings? botched call in the ninth inning of Game 2, a call which directly resulted in a White Sox victory.
While replays show that Eddings clearly made a mistake, A.J. Pierzynski has to be given full props for confusing the umpire - and everyone else in the stadium - when he ran to first base after he appeared to have struck out to end the inning.
With that play Pierzynski showed incredible passion to win, and it?s this sort of intangible asset that helps explains why we currently have the White Sox listed as -150 favorites to win the World Series.
Of course, having a pitching staff with a postseason-leading 2.50 ERA as well as three straight complete-game victories also helps.
Meanwhile, the Houston Astros are +250 to win it all and the St. Louis Cardinals are +450. The Astros currently lead the NLCS 3-2 heading into tonight?s game in St. Louis.
Houston sends Roy Oswalt to the mound, and the Cards counter with lefty Mark Mulder. Oswalt (22-12, 2.92 ERA including playoffs) is coming off a 4-1 victory in Game 2 during which he pitched seven innings, giving up only one run on five hits.
Mulder (17-9, 3.50 ERA) took the loss in that game allowing two runs on eight hits over seven innings.
Following the Cards? dramatic victory in Game 5 courtesy of a ninth-inning home run by Albert Pujols, St. Louis is favored in Game 6 at -153; Houston is listed at +143. The total has been pegged at 7.
An interesting little prop bet in this game is on whether Pujols will follow up with more dramatics and hit either a home run or a double. The odds are currently listed at -200 in favor of him not being able to do so.
The odds on Pujols, who was third overall in home runs (41) and 15th in doubles (38) this season, being able to pull off the feat are +160.
Although they?re favored to win Game 6, the Cards are dogs to win the series. St. Louis is currently +160 to advance to the World Series to face the Sox; the Astros are favorites at -180.
Linesmaker from
BetWWTS.com
White Sox wait for the Series
?When you?re playing for money, winning is the only thing that counts.?
-Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher
A fair amount of hullabaloo has been made about the Chicago White Sox and how they?ve made it to the World Series for the first time in nearly a half-century.
Sure it?s a nice feat and all, but really, it means nothing. If Chicago fails to be crowned World Champions, their season was essentially a failure.
After all, the team that gets to the World Series but doesn?t win, is in the end the first loser. And it?s almost impossible to put a positive spin on being a loser.
As Chicago Cubs broadcaster Chip Caray was quoted as saying, "There's no nobility in losing.?
I?d argue that most baseball players, coaches and fans would rather see their team finish out of the playoffs than get to the Series and lose. It?s not nearly as painful.
Don?t agree with me? Talk to Bill Buckner or Mitch Williams or Bobby Cox. I?m sure they?ll tell you how much fun it is losing in the World Series.
The last time the ChiSox experienced the fun of losing in the World Series was in 1959 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Prior to that, they lost in 1919 to the Cincinnati Reds.
The last time they won the World Series was in 1917 against the New York Giants. That was their second world championship. Their first came against their cross-town rivals, the Chicago Cubs, in 1906.
The Cubbies won the following two years, but have not won since. Because they?ve not won in 97 years, the longest streak in the majors, the Cubs have been deemed by some diehard fans as the ?Lovable Losers?.
Of course, the reality is, they don?t really love seeing the Cubs lose, to which Steve Bartman could attest.
Fortunately for White Sox fans, the suffering could soon be over. Despite a late-season slump, the ChiSox had little trouble sweeping the defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox in three games in the AL Divisional Series.
They then knocked off the Angels in five games with relative ease. Undoubtedly, that series will be remembered most for umpire Doug Eddings? botched call in the ninth inning of Game 2, a call which directly resulted in a White Sox victory.
While replays show that Eddings clearly made a mistake, A.J. Pierzynski has to be given full props for confusing the umpire - and everyone else in the stadium - when he ran to first base after he appeared to have struck out to end the inning.
With that play Pierzynski showed incredible passion to win, and it?s this sort of intangible asset that helps explains why we currently have the White Sox listed as -150 favorites to win the World Series.
Of course, having a pitching staff with a postseason-leading 2.50 ERA as well as three straight complete-game victories also helps.
Meanwhile, the Houston Astros are +250 to win it all and the St. Louis Cardinals are +450. The Astros currently lead the NLCS 3-2 heading into tonight?s game in St. Louis.
Houston sends Roy Oswalt to the mound, and the Cards counter with lefty Mark Mulder. Oswalt (22-12, 2.92 ERA including playoffs) is coming off a 4-1 victory in Game 2 during which he pitched seven innings, giving up only one run on five hits.
Mulder (17-9, 3.50 ERA) took the loss in that game allowing two runs on eight hits over seven innings.
Following the Cards? dramatic victory in Game 5 courtesy of a ninth-inning home run by Albert Pujols, St. Louis is favored in Game 6 at -153; Houston is listed at +143. The total has been pegged at 7.
An interesting little prop bet in this game is on whether Pujols will follow up with more dramatics and hit either a home run or a double. The odds are currently listed at -200 in favor of him not being able to do so.
The odds on Pujols, who was third overall in home runs (41) and 15th in doubles (38) this season, being able to pull off the feat are +160.
Although they?re favored to win Game 6, the Cards are dogs to win the series. St. Louis is currently +160 to advance to the World Series to face the Sox; the Astros are favorites at -180.
