Honestly, can we calm down a little?
The Dodgers swept the Cubs in the NLDS, finishing things off with a 3-1 victory Saturday. Fair enough. But what's with all the celebrating?
Teams roll out champagne, take curtain calls, and otherwise act like they've won the World Series when, obviously, they haven't. Haven't even won a pennant. Just a series. Still two more to win before they can claim the big prize.
So act like it. Shake hands, wave to the crowd, exchange a hug or two, and go shower up. Lots of business yet at hand.
Which brings me to another pet peeve. "Postseason" records. That's all well and good, but the notion that Manny Ramirez's postseason home run record is comparable to those of Mickey Mantle or Babe Ruth is preposterous. Ramirez holds the all-time postseason record with 26 dingers, well ahead of Mantle's 18 or Ruth's 15 -- except theirs were all in the World Series. Every single one. How many World Series home runs does Ramirez have? Four.
No question, you have to get to the World Series to be able to hit home runs there, and Mantle and Ruth had the good fortune to play on powerful Yankee teams that seemingly made it every year. But that's part of the mystique. Theirs came on the biggest stage of all, under pressure like no other in baseball -- and, for their eras, like no other in sports.
Ramirez has hit 22 home runs in divisional and league championship series play, and that's impressive. But let's not lose perspective on what Mickey and the Babe did when they lived up to expectations and delivered time and time again to set the standard for World Series greatness.
The Dodgers swept the Cubs in the NLDS, finishing things off with a 3-1 victory Saturday. Fair enough. But what's with all the celebrating?Teams roll out champagne, take curtain calls, and otherwise act like they've won the World Series when, obviously, they haven't. Haven't even won a pennant. Just a series. Still two more to win before they can claim the big prize.
So act like it. Shake hands, wave to the crowd, exchange a hug or two, and go shower up. Lots of business yet at hand.
Which brings me to another pet peeve. "Postseason" records. That's all well and good, but the notion that Manny Ramirez's postseason home run record is comparable to those of Mickey Mantle or Babe Ruth is preposterous. Ramirez holds the all-time postseason record with 26 dingers, well ahead of Mantle's 18 or Ruth's 15 -- except theirs were all in the World Series. Every single one. How many World Series home runs does Ramirez have? Four.
No question, you have to get to the World Series to be able to hit home runs there, and Mantle and Ruth had the good fortune to play on powerful Yankee teams that seemingly made it every year. But that's part of the mystique. Theirs came on the biggest stage of all, under pressure like no other in baseball -- and, for their eras, like no other in sports.
Ramirez has hit 22 home runs in divisional and league championship series play, and that's impressive. But let's not lose perspective on what Mickey and the Babe did when they lived up to expectations and delivered time and time again to set the standard for World Series greatness.
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