It’s a sad time to be a Southern baseball fan.
The regular season is over. The playoffs begin tomorrow. Despite giving me a brief moment of hope in the final weeks, the Rangers did not make the playoffs. Usually, when the Rangers don’t make it, I cheer for the Astros but they didn’t make it either.
Instead, the following teams will be contending for a spot in the World Series:
For the American League:
- Toronto Blue Jays
- New York Yankees
- Boston Red Sox
- Cleveland Guardians
- Detroit Tigers
- Seattle Mariners
For the National League:
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Chicago Cubs
- Cincinnati Reds
- Los Angles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
In other words, a bunch of yankees and I don’t just mean New York.
Who will I cheer for out of that collection of teams? I know who I don’t want to win. If the World Series comes down to the Blue Jays and the Phillies, I might just stop watching baseball all together. (I’d have to cheer for the Blue Jays in that matchup but I wouldn’t be happy about it.)
The Guardians are tempting, even if they did clinch their spot by beating the Rangers. They were the last team to make it to the playoffs and I love a good underdog story. They may have beat the Rangers but they’re not the team that I blame for keeping the Rangers out of the playoffs. (I’m looking at you, Astros.) Ohio may be up north but it’s not that much up north so I guess I can support the Guardians or even the Reds!
Go Guardians!
Through the Shattered Lens 