Baseball season is over for 2018.The Boston Red Sox are the World Champions for the 4th time since the turn of the century. They are now 16-3 in World Series games.
The one thing I probably left out on my introduction page is that I am a huge baseball fan. Growing up in New England, one would assume that I would be a Red Sox fan, and that is true, however there is one team ahead of them. In 1961 I was 8 and beginning to make decisions the would set my course in life. I choose 2 teams, one from each league. From the National League I picked the Cincinnati Reds with the likes of Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson, and in the AL, the choice was the Baltimore Orioles, at the time somewhat of a lovable user. Names like Steve Barber, Milt Pappas and Jim Gentile come to mind. Then there was a third baseman by the name of Brooks Robinson who I fell in love with, and now 57 years later, he is still my favorite player. The O’s finished 3rd that year with 95 wins but there was no play-offs back then, the top team in each league went to the World Series. The Yankees beat my Reds that year in 5 games.
My love of the game was clearly pasted down to me by my Dad, he was a long-suffering Red Sox fan (Was there any other type back in 1961!). Ted Williams was his favorite. Ted retired at the end of 1960 so all my knowledge about his career was historical.
With that as background, the 2018 post season was a good one for Boston fans, single losses in each of the 3 series they were in, beating the arch rival Yankees, reigning Champs Houston Astros and finally last year’s World Series losers, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Thee World Series was a tale of two ex-Orioles whom I have always admired. Manny Machado has been my current favorite player since his rookie year 5 yers ago. His fielding prowess at 3rd was an awesome and his skills at the plate were fun to watch. Unfortunately, the Orioles could not afford Manny after this year and traded him to the Dodgers at the All-Star break. Manny contributed well in the second half and through the first two series of the post season, but an incident in the Milwaukee series was deeply disturbing, and again in the Series he once again stepped on the first baseman’s foot but neither the Sox nor the league pursued it. The foot belonged to his ex-teammate Steve Pearce, the journeyman ball player who had worn an Oriole uniform two separate times, as well as 5 other teams. Steve had been platooned with Mitch Moreland after he arrived in Boston and had a 3 homer game against the Yankees in the regular season. Moreland was injured early in the post season and Steve took advantage and was chosen as the World Series MVP. (I think it should have been David Price but it wasn’t my decision).