The Greatest World Series That No One Knew About

The Fall Classic is finally living up to its name.

At the beginning of this season's World Series, I would have taken the Rangers in six games. Nelson Cruz was on fire (still is), they had the superior lineup and bullpen, and they had the experience of losing in the final stanza last season. The Rangers are hungrier, I thought. They'll gain the upper hand eventually.

Six games have come and gone and no one has walked away with trophy yet. Here we stand on October 28, 2011, counting down the hours to every true sports fan's dream.

Game 7.

Peoria's been ablaze in red this October, from the leaves on the trees, to the red Cardinal jerseys, to the angry expressions of sour Cubs fans, praying that the Redbirds fall. Central Illinois (and I can only assume a good portion of Texas) has been locked into this World Series.

The rest of America is not.

Moments in time

To say the World Series has seen drama would be severely underselling the point. To say it has been spectacular still might not be enough. Game 1 was won on a go-ahead pinch hit single (the first time that's happened in 16 years) by a player who was not on the Opening Day roster. Game 2 saw a missed cutoff throw enable a ninth-inning comeback. Game 3 might've cemented Albert Pujols' status as the greatest hitter of the post-steroid era and top five in major league history. Games 4 and 5 saw the Rangers get clutch pitching and hitting performances to win.

Then last night, David Freese became a folk hero.

Note: Can you believe Joe Buck stole the "we'll see you tomorrow night" phrase? Come on, Joe, have some respect. Kirby Puckett is a Hall of Famer and a legend in Minnesota. At least be creative.

This World Series has had it all: the rise of unknown players (Allen Craig and Derek Holland); a career resurrected (Mike Napoli); bullpen follies (pick up the phone, Tony); and finally, the walk-off home run.

To put it in perspective, only three times prior had their been a walkoff home run in Game 6 of the World Series (trivia prize if you can name the guy who hit each bomb):

-1975, Boston vs. Cincinnati
-1991, Minnesota vs. Atlanta
-1993, Toronto vs. Philadelphia

Now we're set for Game 7 of arguably the best World Series in the last decade. So why isn't anyone watching?

Where have all the viewers gone?

The year's TV ratings for the World Series have been eye-popping—in a bad way. The average ratings for the first six games checked in at 9.5 percent of American households that watched the game. (Game 7, as is the norm, saw a bump up to 14.7, still paling in comparison to the 2001 Game 7 rating of 23.5.)Average number of viewers for this Series? 15 million.
The Nielsen ratings for the 2004 World Series averaged 15.9 for four games. That translates to an average of 25.4 million people that saw the Boston Red Sox win their first championship in 86 years. (Note: This is back when "Two And a Half Men was still innocently funny.) No World Series since then has had a ratings/share above either of those numbers. Next highest is 2001 (Yankees vs. Diamondbacks), and third is 2008 (Yankees vs. Phillies).

Hmmm...wait, there's the answer to our ratings mystery!

The Red Sox and Yankees aren't playing.

Between 1984 (when Nielsen began their ratings system) and 2002, no World Series game had a rating below 10. Before 1996, only one game had a rating below 15. The World Series was interesting. Baseball was interesting, and America wanted to see the glory of the Fall Classic. But oversaturation of the East Coast Giants and the disillusionment of performance-enhancing drugs has taken the luster out of America's game.

To be fair, had Boston or New York made the final round, more people would be paying attention, but not too many more.

A can't-miss affair

Baseball's grandest stage reminds us how quickly the game can create heroes and villains. Reggie Jackson became Mr. October, while Bill Buckner became a city's pariah. Paul Konerko earned Chicago's undying respect, Byung-Hyun Kim became a national joke, and Albert Pujols most likely garnered himself a contract extension.

Tonight, a winner will rise. Another mortal baseball player will become immortal in the minds and hearts of fans everywhere. Tomorrow, we go back to our regular lives and the ever-grating monotony of football season.

Tonight is Game 7. Make sure you tune in before this instant classic fades into memory.

Cards and Rangers fans alike: see you in the cheap seats.

JS

...And the Five Worst Rivalries in Sports

Chinese wisdom, specifically the theory of "yin yang", tells us that for everything, there is an opposite.

For every light, there is a darkness. For every good, an evil. For our purposes, we shall say that for every great rivalry, there is a lousy one.

Not all feuds can be great. Some take time to develop and ferment, like a fine...grape juice. Others start with a flash and somehow keep their fire until flaming out, supernova-style. But other rivalries have lost their luster after years of passionate meetings, while others are media-driven and cannot be called rivalries at all. As I listed the five best rivalries in American sports today, here's a count of the five worst rivalries in the United States.

Honorable Mention:

Roger Federer - Rafael Nadal

This will forever be one of the great rivalries in tennis, up their with McEnroe/Borg/Connors and Evert/Navratilova. It was a classic battle: upstart Nadal vs. the established superstar Federer, and while der Meister destroyed all other comers, he could never quite seem to beat the southpaw Nadal, most notably on the clay surface of Roland Garros.

But the sun seems to have set on what some have called the greatest rivalry in the history of professional tennis. Roger Federer has not won a major championship since last season's Australian Open and his ranking has dropped significantly. He lost to Nadal once again at this year's French Open, and both men have been surpassed during Novak Djokovic's astounding run to the top. It would be heinous to categorize this great feud with the worst rivalries in sports today, but it does look as if the Roger-Rafa rivalry has seen it's last match. It was fun while it lasted.

5. San Francisco Giants - Los Angeles Dodgers

This was one of the most storied rivalries in Major League Baseball, dating back to the days when both teams played in New York. The Bums of Brooklyn may have chased the Yankees for glory through the 1940s and early-'50s, but it was the New York (Baseball) Giants that ended the Dodgers 1951 season with the legendary "Shot Heard 'Round the World".

The Dodgers-Giants intracoastal rivalry stayed true through the twilight years of the 20th century, but lately things have turned sour. The Giants fell hard after winning the World Series last season, and the Dodgers, even with a multitude of young talent, haven't been able to get over the hump since 2008. With the Diamondbacks making their surprising run this season and a parking lot fight between fans turning dangerous early this season (see video below), the Giants and the "Dah-jahs" rivalry hasn't been able to live up to their past standards.

Let's hope these two teams can reignite their future matchups. In the meantime, let's hope the Giants can keep their logo.

 4. Minnesota - Michigan (college football)

The oldest named rivalry in college football—isn't. Big Blue has taken home the "Little Brown Jug" 20 times since 1986, and Minnesota hasn't won the game since 2005, with most of the margins in that span exceeding 10 points. Minnesota football has been on a downward spiral in the last few years, and even with the hiring of successful coach Jerry Kill, that trend will take some time to reverse.

Ohio State/Michigan would have taken this spot had Ohio State not been victimized by their own infidelities toward transparency. Minnesota football has just been bad. Hopefully, the Golden Gophers can translate their budding basketball success to the football field and challenge the Wolverines once again.

3. Notre Dame - Southern California (college football)

Unlike the annual Notre Dame/Navy game (which will be on the longer list of best current rivalries), this contest has also been lopsided in recent years, thanks to Notre Dame's overwhelming mediocrity.

To be fair, I've hated Notre Dame for a long time now (more due to obnoxious fans at my high school than anything), but the Golden Domers haven't made it any easier for me to jump back on the train. Bob Davie had the last decent run of success before handing the reins to Ty Willingham (who many believe wasn't given a fair shake), Charlie Weis and now Brian Kelly. Weis' teams were fairly successful, but had the ignominy of: being the first team to lose to Navy in 43 years (2007); the first team to lose to an eight-loss team (Syracuse, 2008); and another loss to unranked Navy in 2009.

Notre Dame finally beat USC in Los Angeles last year, Kelly's first season as coach. Prior to that, they had not beaten the Trojans since 2001. Notre Dame is showing some promise under Kelly, but it will take some time for the Fighting Irish to reestablish themselves as top dog. Still, this rivalry will always have one of the coolest trophies ever: the Jeweled Shillelagh.

(credit to Wikipedia user Jakesthesnake)

2. Chicago Cubs - St. Louis Cardinals

Let me start by saying this: CubssuckCubssuckCubssuckCubssuckCubssuck(STOP!)

Whew. Now that's done, I'll elaborate: the Cubs are really bad.

This probably the most historic rivalry in the National League. The Cubs and Cards have always been geographical rivals, and have played in the same division since the leagues were split in 1969. The Cardinals are the most successful team in the senior circuit, but the Cubs have always played them tough. Lately, the Bruins haven't had a lot of success against the Redbirds on the Bat. By the numbers:

-Since 2000, the Cardinals and Cubs have faced off 194 times. The Cards have won 111 of those games.

-In the same time frame, St. Louis has gone to the playoffs eight times, with a record of 12-25 (including the 2011 World Series), 10 postseason series wins and a World Series victory. The Cubs have gone to the playoffs three times with a record of 3-10 and one postseason victory.

I was going to add that the President of the United States made the choice to be a White Sox fan even as the South Siders were having about the same lean years as the Cubs, but that's not a real statistic. Suffice it to say that the Cubbies have not measured up well against their rivals on Route 66. Things might well turn over: Albert Pujols is on the clock if the Cards don't beat the Rangers in the World Series, and new Cubs owner Tom Ricketts has shown he's willing to win by hiring former Red Sox boy genius GM Theo Epstein. Any Cubs surge would make this a worthy rivalry of Sunday Night Baseball, unlike our top worst rivalry...

First pitch at the '08 All-Star Game...in St. Louis. Prez does it like that.

1. New York Yankees - Boston Red Sox

Two great teams. Two franchises close in proximity. Two rabid fan bases, even when you discount the bandwagoners. Two areas that have never liked each other since this nation was founded. So why, oh why does this qualify as the worst rivalry in American sports today?

Oversaturation.

There are many things I love. Butter, steak, Five Guys burgers, Zebra Cakes. But give me too much in quick succession and I'll get absolutely sick of it (Exhibit A: John Cena). The Red Sox - Yankees clash has been shoved down our throats by ESPN so much in the last ten or 15 years that the majority of baseball fans outside of the North-Atlantic Coast are disgusted by the Sunday Night Baseball yearly lineup, which I'd guarantee has Yanks-BoSox 75 percent of the schedule. It doesn't help that ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut make it easy for the sports network to focus their attention on this clash.

It's not that the teams are bad, or that the games aren't fun to watch. It's solely the repeated exposure. Please, ESPN, read this and schedule some other games. Take New York vs. Boston away from national television for an entire season even. Maybe then, I won't gag each time I see Kevin Youkilis' giant chin in high definition.

Until next time, see you in the cheap seats.

JS

A Fan, By Any Other Name, Is Just an Idiot

"I have discovered in 20 years of moving around the ballpark that knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats." - Bill Veeck

It's every fan's worst nightmare.

You've somehow gotten great seats for a great game at your favorite team's stadium. Seats you would never get because, as the title of this blog suggests, you're tax bracket usually has you sitting in the upper deck. But somehow, you can actually see the players without having to increase your future chances at getting laser eye surgery. It's going to be a great day.

Then, out of nowhere, they show up.

The annoying fan.

You know the types. The fan who has an irrational hatred of your squad and can only express it with incoherent profanity. The guy who just has to let everyone know he's at the game, via phone call, text, Twitter, photo messages and keep updating them every two seconds. The guy who takes up two seats.

It's a hazardous world out there in the cheap seats for sure. But your likelihood of running into the "Phans" (after Philly fans, who have the rep of being the worst fans in America) increases a lot when you venture into the lower bowl, and I'm not talking your run-of-the-mill bandwagon jumper. So here is a handy guide for these terrible fans and how to avoid them.


The "Social Butterfly"

How to spot: Has newest phone on the market, usually matched with freshly bought home team jersey or cap. Friendly, at times overbearingly so. Will often shout "Did you see that?" about plays that everyone saw. Subset of "bandwagon fan".

Avoid by: Either be completely stony until they get the message or move out of range of their camera phone.
 Not the worst fan to be next to, but can be deceivingly distracting. Or if you're cool with it, take a picture with the person and you just might make a new friend...who always has great seats to the game.

The "Deflector"

Chars.: Fan of the other team; will always tell you what's wrong with your team, your city, your politicians, restaurants, schools, etc. If their team starts losing, it's never their fault: "Oh, the refs have it out for us...we never play well here...it's Good Friday and the boys haven't eaten meat, they're tired."

Avoidance: I had the misfortune of running into this guy at a White Sox-Tigers game in 2006. The Tigers got out to an early lead and my man used that opportunity to tell me how bad the Sox were, how their World Series win was a fluke, and how Detroit was a much better city than Chicago. When the Sox took a late lead in the seventh inning, I turned around to ask the guy what he thought...and he was nowhere to be found.

The point? Winning is the best cure for this particular fan.

The "William Ligue"

Chars.: Lot of tattoos, a lot of facial hair, worn-out cap or t-shirt that they've have since 1992, and an attitude like they've stubbed their toe twice a day since birth. Loves the f-word, whether the team is winning or losing, but will go to Incredible Hulk status if the team does start losing. (Note: if this is a woman, disregard next paragraph and RUN. Run away quickly.)

Avoid by: Calling security, police, or Ron Artest. No fan alive can stand up to The Queensbridge Mangler.

The "Father-Daughter Day"

Chars.: Easy to spot: a parent(s) and a baby. Deceptive in that it looks like a heartwarming scene, but that child is one crowd-riling dunk from becoming a crying, screaming menace.

Avoid by: Never having kids yourself. (Kidding. Just move somewhere else.)

The "St. Patrick's Day"

Chars.: A group of younger people, usually under 30- or 35-years-old (variable). Hard to spot because they could be fans of the game wearing team apparel or they could just be on a work outing, but they will always be drunk by the fifth inning or third quarter. Will be excited and rowdy no matter the outcome; usually nice enough but can get belligerent towards anyone around them.

Avoid by: Talk to them early in the game so you're cool; by the time they're on their fifth round, you'll have known each other your whole lives. Agree with everything they say within reason. If they turn on you for some reason, either leave quickly or find your William Ligue-looking friend for backup.

The "Jeff Van Gundy"

Chars.: Will always be a fan of whoever's winning at that particular moment or who ESPN is backing at that point in time (see: many Bulls fans in the '90s, Yankees and Lakers fans in the early 2000s, Red Sox fans post-2004, Cubs fans of any generation, any current Miami Heat fan that doesn't live or has lived in Miami.) Other names: "bandwagon jumper", "rider", "fairweather fan", "jocker". A particularly annoying breed is the "girl who's in love with this athlete so she likes his team", i.e. female Patriots fans who only like Danny Woodhead (hah! You thought I would say Tom Brady?).

Avoidance: This is widely acknowledged as the worst of the Phans. As they're just following a team to be trendy, their knowledge will be limited and logic non-existent. The easiest way of dealing with these fans is to avoid interaction with them at all costs. Or just whack them, Sopranos-style. The world's usually better off.


With baseball season nearing it's beginning, the NBA playoff race heating up and March Madness kicking into gear, fans from everywhere in the country will be filling stadiums. If you know anyone who's unaware of these bad fans, or if you have any more Phans you know of, please let me know. Only you can cure Phanaticism.

See you in the cheap seats.

JS