Happy Friday everyone, and welcome back to the breakdown! As we’ve made it to the other side it’s time for the week in review. Every Friday we will highlight the best and worst from the week that was. For those old enough to remember (I certainly am not), think of this as an updated take on The Wide World of Sports. We’ll feature the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, the utterly bizarre and the downright hilarious. So, without further ado…
Worst of the Week: Yankee Propaganda
It’s no secret this season of Yankee baseball has been an ugly one. Poor play, tone deaf comments, and clubhouse drama have been just some of the issues. All of that has combined to make Yankee fans angrier than usual and the Yankee media very defensive. So, on Wednesday with the team on the verge of falling under .500 (spoiler alert – they did) YES Network play by play man Michael Kay decided to defend the front office on his radio show.
While it is typical of Kay to play both sides of the argument, given his role as a radio host and the voice of the YES Network, never has he been so brazen in spreading these lies. He is far from alone in the Big Apple, only a select few are willing to go there right now (check out Mike Lupica and Joel Sherman’s work), this is an extremely excuse laden sell job to a fan base that is at its wits end. There is good news for his show though…this argument was Peter Rosenberg’s best moment on the show (it’s a low bar) by a lot.
Best of the Week: The Cross-Town Series
We often hear about the Subway series in New York for Mets and Yankees fans passion. The freeway series makes plenty of headlines each summer for the star power the Angels and Dodgers possess. The Yankees and Red Sox have of course had their famous clashes over the years. The Cubs and the Cardinals have been known to get feisty with one another as well. But it always seems the Chicago crosstown matchup falls by the wayside when we talk about great baseball rivalries. However, with the other rivalry series all being mostly irrelevant this summer, the Windy City took center stage this week.
This year’s edition of the rivalry featured two teams heading in opposite directions. The Cubs entered the year hoping to compete for a playoff spot and have done just that, thanks to a lengthy win streak around the trade deadline. Their exciting young nucleus has fans dreaming of success for years to come. Meanwhile the White Sox entered this campaign hoping to put a disappointing 2022 in the rearview mirror. Their once promising core has done anything but that, sitting way back in the standings and plagued by controversy, it has been an ugly summer on the Southside. To make matters worse for the Sox, the Cubbies came into Guaranteed Rate Field (all time odd stadium name) a few weeks back and pushed them around.
On Tuesday the Pale Hose arrived at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field to try and play spoiler with the Cubs on the fringe of the playoff picture. The opening game was a tight affair, tied 3-3 in the 7th inning, when emerging star Luis Robert sent one into orbit for the Sox to take the lead.
Not to be outdone, Wednesday night provided even more fireworks. The Cubs entered the 8th inning down 3-0 looking to avoid a third straight defeat when Michael Fulmer escaped a bases loaded jam. After a Nick Madrigal homer into the left field basket gave the Cubs life, the stage was set for electrifying second year talent Christopher Morel to come to the plate in the 9th inning looking to complete a miracle comeback. You may think miracle sounds a bit dramatic, but the win probability says otherwise.
After watching the drama and celebrations above, how can you not be romantic about baseball? Its poetic drama and ability to turn grown men into kids living out their dreams is part of what makes our national pastime such a treasure. One more thing, the Cubs victory anthem being drowned out in the clip above, Go Cubs Go sure is catchy (sorry Sox fans).
To those of you returning, thanks for coming back for our latest article, and if you’re new, welcome aboard. You can follow me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and can subscribe to this site to get regular updates. Enjoy your weekend folks, we’ll be back with a lot more content soon.
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