a lot of people are talking about skipping the world series this year because they dont care about the teams. but even if hating the yankees and hoping to watch them lose isnt enough to tune you in, the marlins should give plenty of reasons for you to watch. all year, i've thought they were one of baseball's most exciting teams. for one, theyre young and you can tell theyre having fun. this could be the nucleus of a world series team for the next several years. second, they play a classic version of baseball...they run, they hit, they pitch and they do it all well and its fun to watch. third, the individuals on the team are worth watching...some of these guys are going to be superstars and soon if theyre not already. the obvious example is dontrelle willis, who even though he hasnt done well in the post season or even the last half of the regular season, still has a lot of potential and is the probable rookie of the year after an amazing first half. and he still is showing flashes of brilliance on the mound. juan pierre proved himself one of the most prolific leadoff men/base stealers/ centerfielders around. josh beckett is only 23 and is becoming one of the most dominating pitchers in the game. he practically carried the marlins in the second half when willis faltered and he did the same in the nlcs with the help of one pudge rodriguez. as a texas rangers season ticket holder for the past 9 seasons, i can attest to the fact that he is one of the most exciting players in the game and his hitting combined with beckett's pitching has brought the marlins this far into the playoffs. (although, ive seen a lot of balls get by him this october, he is possibly the greatest defensive catcher ever, too: 10 gold gloves in a row.) just watching his intensity as he leads this team is worth the price of admission. so dont write off the marlins-yankees just yet even though theres still this foreboding feeling that its october and the yankees are still alive and they just get better as it gets later.
Posted by dp at October 18, 2003 7:30 PM | TrackBackI do tend to agree with you, although I'm yet to see a single pitch. I think the fish are a lot of fun to watch, and they are poised to be great for years to come, especially considering they didn't have A.J. Burnett all year. I think the problem is that we were all hyped about a potentially historic World Series, and we didn't get it. But I do think the Marlins can win. They're just the kind of team that's too young and stupid to know they're supposed to lose to the Yankees.
Posted by: the booth at October 21, 2003 6:35 PM