It was fun while it lasted...

Even though they were only one game away from the World Series, the Astros just couldn’t pull it off and lost to the Cardinals in an exciting seven-game National League Championship Series. 
 
I was trying not to get my hopes up, even after Houston’s amazing victory in the fifth game of the series, because I knew that the Astros had been in this same situation once before but couldn’t pull it off – in 1980, against the Philles, the ‘Stros were one win away from the World Series with two games to play – and also because I knew that the Cardinals were the ultimate comeback kids – they have never lost a best-of-seven series after trailing three games to two. Nevertheless, I’d be lying if I said I’m not disappointed right now. Just once, in my lifetime, I’d like to see the Astros go to the World Series, and this season they were so close. But I guess the Astros just aren't meant to reach the World Series.

But I’m not really angry. If you had told me in mid-August, when the Astros were four games below .500, that the team would make an improbable late-season rally, get into the playoffs, beat the hated Atlanta Braves, win their first postseason series in franchise history, and take the team with the best record in baseball to a full seven games in the NLCS, I would have called you a liar. Instead of underachieving, as Houston sports franchises are wont to do, this season’s Astros overachieved. Like I said after they beat the Braves: they could have been swept by the Cardinals and I’d still have considered this postseason a success.

So now the Cardinals go on to face the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. The Red Sox, who made baseball history by being the first time to rally from a three-game deficit to win a playoff series, are hoping that this is the year that the “Curse” comes to an end. It won’t be easy to do against the Cardinals’ amazing batting order, but it will be fun to watch. And even if Boston doesn’t win, I still enjoyed watching them beat the Yankees. I like it anytime anybody beats the Yankees.

I don’t necessarily hate the Yankees themselves, although their fan base certainly makes it easy to do so. I simply dislike what the Yankees represent. To me, they are the epitome of everything that is wrong in baseball. George Steinbrenner can pull out his checkbook and buy himself a World Series appearance virtually every year; only a handful of franchises can compete with the Yankees’ financial resources and many of the “small-market” teams have no hope of being in the World Series chase before the season even begins. The disparity between the rich franchises and the poor franchises makes Major League Baseball a rather uncompetitive sport (much like, say, Division I-A football), and it’s really a shame.

(Retroblogged on August 23, 2015. I'd have to wait one more year to see the Astros finally make it to the World Series.)