Da Woild Serious

Hafta be for Sant Louie Louie. Detroit's waited longer but they're AL. And LaRussa's admirable whereas Leyland's only likeable. Furthermore, anyplace it snows during the Woild Serious shouldn't win. Been bery, bery good beisbul so far. Hope it goes seven. C'mon Pujols.

Steinfelon's Follies

Even though Yankee despot George Steinbrenner was convicted of campaign financiang violations simply because he was a Democrat, he still pollutes the very universe with his presence. The rumor, doubtless true, that he is going to fire Manager Joe Torre brings a schadenfreudian glow to the Slangwhanger-in-Chief's otherwise sallow cheeks.

If Steinfelon does this he will have destroyed the only force capable of holding the Yankee team together, causing them to underperform even further next year. "For this relief, much thanks," as Br'er Shaxper remarked. The rest of the civilized world outside Manhattan will heave a huge sigh of relief that Steinfelon's egotism has singlehandedly caused a further decline in Yankee fortunes.

And maybe Torre's availability to manage will stop Nats GM Jim Bowden's lurid flirtation with the disgraced and ineffective Lou Pinella. A more unsuitable successor to the dignified and honorable Frank Robinson could not be imagined. As a player, Pinella was Steinfelon's house informer during the first baseball strike, ratting out union strategy to management. As a manager, he has represented the Billy Martin school of rageoholic, backstabbing, lying, drunken, petty martinets. Plus he has a black thumb with pitchers. Let's hope Torre wants to come to the NL, and that the Nats have sense enough to pursue him for real. If the Nats are going to pick a white guy manager rather than Dusty Baker or Terry Pendelton, it might as well be Torre, a real gentleman and a baseball mind of the first order.

Most Exciting Sports Week of the Year

When baseball playoff games end the season just as hockey starts in the first week of October, it is a triple chocolate cake with quadruple chocolate icing. The only other time that comes close for excitement is when the football playoffs have four games in one weekend in early January, but A) it's only football, and B) it's only two days. So this is the week when heaven slows down and looks over the balustrade to see how public celebrations of masculine intuition are being conducted. Some notes from 2006.

I wish I didn't like Derek Jeter so much, then I could just hate the pig-dog Yankees completely. Kinda want the Mets to win it all just to shame Steinbrenner.

Too bad I can't find a website that tells me what games Jon Miller is broadcasting. Couldn't find one last year either. I thought this electric internet thing was supposed to keep improving all the time. Speaking of the lack of which, how long, I wonder, will it be until I can get the audio from TV games on the internet?

Glad to hear Vin Scully doing Dodger games. The man's work is so wonderful I feel graced every time I get to listen to him.

New Washington Nationals owner Ted Lerner ought to spend as much as he needs to to lure Jon Miller back east from San Francisco, where Miller landed after he got tired of being jerked around by His Supreme Lowness, Czar Peter of the Orioles. Having the second-best radio-TV announcer in the league (see Scully, above) would show a fine committment to the Washington market. Especially since Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has decided that four weak-signal radio stations and internet simulcasts are enough for him. He threw away about a quarter of his real audience there in pursuit of the evanescence of technological leadership, and in about two years even he will figure that out.

Firing Frank Robinson as Nationals manager was a disgrace to be laid solely at the feet of erratic Nats GM Jim Bowden. Robinson's 51-year display of his instinct of workmanship as a baseball man is invaluable and irreplaceable. Meanwhile it should never be forgotten that Bowden got his start as a boy executive under former Cincinnati owner Marge "She Oughtta Be" Schott, whose senility allowed Bowden the run of the shop despite inexperience, an unsuitable temperament and, apparently, an alcohol problem.

Washington Capitals give mild hope of improvement for this year though it looks to me like they are expecting too many formerly excellent players to fully come back from injuries. But I would happily settle for a completely mediocre .500 team. If the the gradual elimination of clutch-and-grab tactics continues, and the consequent liberation of talented players like Ovechkin and Semin is expanded, this is an exciting team to watch no matter the outcome.