Alright! The matchups are set. The pullovers have been pulled over. The hand warmers have been activated, and the champagne has been popped. October is here!
After two great wildcard games, one including a classic Red Sox/Yankees rivalry game, and four division series matchups, with two 100-win teams facing off against each other in the Giants/Dodgers series… it is down to four.
Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros
Atlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
With only a couple of weeks left in the baseball season, we ask the Good Griefs writers who they are pulling for the rest of the way.
Kyle
I won't use this space to talk about how disappointed I am with the Washington Nationals organization. I will not do it. Instead, I will use this space accordingly and tell you all that I am hopping on the Red Sox wagon for the rest of the playoffs, in what will be the first time I ever root for a Boston sporting team.
In the past couple of weeks, watching this Red Sox team has been so much fun. I've said this to multiple people so far this playoff season -- October baseball in Boston is different. We saw the ridiculous bounces that happen at Fenway against the Rays in the short right-field fence. And then the crazy nature of the Green Monster can change games in one play. The cold, passionate fans at the historical Fenway Park are insane too… it's just fun, plain and simple. As much as I do not enjoy most Boston fans, I will root for the Red Sox because of the experience.
And as a Nats fan, I also love watching Kyle Schwarber having fun out there reminding me what we once had as well.
Go, Sox.
Richie
As someone who hasn’t seen my team make the postseason in ten, grueling seasons, I’ve learned to root for underdogs in the playoffs. Similar to playoff hockey, the MLB Postseason for me is the height of sports excitement — an extra long regular season that for the casual fan is very hard to follow. Yet once it’s condensed with packed crowds and high-stakes moments, the product on the field is nothing short of magical.
This postseason to me is the saddest one in a while. I was all in on the White Sox coming in — they were the most “underdog-ish” of the lot and as a non-Astros fan, it’s become an obligation to cheer against them in the Playoffs. Much to my dismay, they were abysmally underwhelming in the ALDS and fell to the aforementioned Astros in just four games. After that I would have enjoyed seeing the Brewers advance — I love their fanbase and team but they didn’t stand a chance against the surging Braves.
The final four teams stink to cheer for, plain and simple. I generally dislike the Dodgers for their success and how much they’ve beat up on my team(s) over the years, so they have been taken out of the question. The Braves are interdivisional and eliminated my Phils, so I hate them. I’ve already said my piece about the Astros, so that leaves just one team…
I will unequivocally be cheering for the Red Sox from here on out in the postseason. As I’m writing this, they are up 2-1 in the series and their bats are HOT. There are so many players on the team to root for, namely Schwarber and Kiké (for the Chase Utley bromance), and they have just been a really fun team to watch so far. Although they may not be the definition of an underdog that I’d normally root for, the odds have certainly been stacked against them the last few months.
I never thought I’d be cheering for the Sox, but here I am. I’ll stop crying for a few minutes about how filthy Nick Pivetta has become away from Philly and give Boston all my praise for their awesome Postseason so far.
L.A.
It takes a lot of courage for what I am about to write but I believe it is time. On a beautiful Tuesday afternoon in Harrisonburg, Virginia with Fall Break approaching for James Madison University, I find myself sipping tea watching Seinfeld reflecting on my first Flag Football Intramural victory of all time last night. Team MoeCast Podcast defeated team Harrisonburg Hooters in the quarterfinals of the playoffs, at a score of 19-18 on a game-winning sack by Philip "The Predator" Rivera at the goal line as time expired. Your boy threw for 3 touchdowns (no big deal) and is now resting and looking forward to scouting the opponent we will face in the semi-finals tonight at 7 pm. Why do I mention all of this you ask?
1. Because I want the people to know that I still got it, and 2, it shows how much I despise the 4 remaining teams in the MLB Playoffs to be scouting a flag football game then watching both MLB games tonight. Now, let’s cut the chase. I am going to say this loud and clear. I am rooting for the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the 2021 World Series.
To be fair, the Dodgers have my allegiance by default. I am in too good of a mood to talk about my Nationals this season, and if you want to learn more regarding what I have to say about that, there is plenty of MoeCast content out there to soak in. I loved the White Sox roster and the Brewers as well, but their magic during the regular season quickly dissipated in the divisional round. Now we are stuck with the Astros, Red Sox, Braves, and Dodgers. Oh brother. If I had to pick the four teams I despised the most in the MLB, each one of those teams could make a strong case. The Astros are cheaters and are a bunch of cocky jerks, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was the conductor of the Astros cheating scandal and was banned for a full season from the MLB, and the Braves are the Nationals arch-rivals that have won the NL East four straight seasons. That leaves me with the Dodgers. The team with the highest payroll in the MLB by more than 60 million dollars.
The Dodgers are currently down 2-0 and are in major trouble with Max Scherzer and Julio Urias unavailable for Game 3. Walker Beuhler should shut the Braves down, but this Atlanta team does not quit. I would love nothing more than to see Atlanta once again blow a big series lead and show the world the choke artists that they are. I’m just not sure that's going to happen, as the Braves keep proving me wrong over and over again. Dave Roberts needs to stop being cute, and manage his team like they are the Los Angeles Dodgers, and not a knock-off Tampa Bay Rays. Let Max Scherzer pitch into the 5th inning, use Julio Urias as a starter, and do not mess around with the opener crud. Trea Turner has struggled all postseason and I cannot even watch his at-bats because I will never get over losing him. Hopefully, the Dodgers can make a comeback, and if I were to see a matchup of the Braves and Red Sox in the World Series, someone please send an ambulance to Harrisonburg. Thank you for your time, and go LA, I guess.