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Look back at: Divisional Playoffs |
League Championship
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Friday, October 20
Great matchup should override hype
By Sean McAdam
Special to ESPN.com
NEW YORK -- Somewhere -- beneath the fuzzy nostalgia, past the blatant provincialism and beyond the omnipresent historical significance -- lies an intriguing World Series.
In the past week, there has been so much emphasis on subway stops, fan allegiance, and TV ratings that a potentially fascinating set of games has almost been overlooked.
That changes Saturday night when baseball, finally, reclaims the spotlight.
The most hotly anticipated and hyped World Series of the post-expansion era -- you could look it up, as Casey Stengel would advise -- opens at Yankee Stadium with two teams and two streaks colliding.
The Yankees come into Game 1 having won three of the last four World Series, including the last two, seeking to become the first team since the Oakland A's of 1972-74 to win three consecutive championships.
More to the point, the Yankees own a 12-game World Series winning streak, evidence of their dominance over the rest of baseball. Not since Game 2 vs. the Braves in 1996 have the Yanks lost a World Series contest, a remarkable achievement in an era of expanded playoffs and free agency.
The Mets, making their first World Series appearance in 14 years, lack the Yankees' pedigree and playoff experience. But since Game 2 of this season's Division Series, the National League champions have looked every bit as seasoned and poised as their opponents.
It would seem contradictory for a team facing a two-time defending champion, but the Mets have an edge in momentum. They steamrolled the teams with the two best records in the NL -- the Giants and Cardinals -- and lost just twice in nine playoff games this postseason.
The Yankees, by contrast, have outlasted rather than outclassed inexperienced playoff opponents through the first two rounds. Though they rebounded in the Division Series and the League Championship Series to record inspiring comeback wins, the Yanks' invincibility has been stripped.
"In the past three out of four years," said Yankee bench coach Don Zimmer, "you sat back, everything came kind of easy. You almost knew you were going to win. Well, I didn't know we were going to win until (Seattle's) Edgar Martinez hit that ground ball to (Derek) Jeter (in Game 6 of ALCS). That's how tough the year has been."
In announcing the Game 1 lineups Friday, both managers provided surprises. The Mets' Bobby Valentine announced Mike Piazza would serve as his designated hitter, with Todd Pratt at catcher.
"The reason I have Mike for my DH," kidded Valentine, "(is) he's not catching and I'd like to get him in the lineup."
This was Valentine's second attempt in as many days to evade questions about a surprising lineup choice. On Thursday, he tabbed Al Leiter instead of Mike Hampton as his Game 1 starter, insisting, rather feebly, he was merely following form in having Leiter follow Hampton to the mound.
For the Yankees, the changeup came at second base. Chuck Knoblauch was the DH choice, but Jose Vizcaino -- and not Luis Sojo -- was the second baseman, thanks to his history of success against Leiter.
The willingness of the two managers to make unorthodox lineup moves for the opener is perfectly consistent for Valentine and Joe Torre.
Valentine has pushed all the right buttons through the first two rounds, seemingly outmanaging Dusty Baker (San Francisco) and Tony La Russa (St. Louis), two of the game's most respected managers.
Torre, meanwhile, exudes serenity even as he effects changes. His calm manner helps to foster a relaxed atmosphere in his clubhouse.
You wouldn't, for instance, catch a Yankee making a tailor-made tabloid prediction such as the Mets' Benny Agbayani did.
"They haven't had the experience that we have as far dealing with all this," said Yankees starter Andy Pettitte. "We've been quiet. We're going to try to do our talking on the field, and we're trying to stay focused and just worry about that."
Pettitte, making his fifth career World Series start, has been a reliable postseason pitcher for the Yankees, despite being overshadowed by Orlando Hernandez, Roger Clemens and, in past seasons anyway, David Cone. Tellingly, the Yankees are 3-0 in his three starts this month.
"I'm just going to pitch my game," Pettitte said. "The approach will be to try to get ahead of their hitters, obviously. I give up hits -- I've got to make pitches with guys in scoring position."
He'll need to be particularly worried about Edgardo Alfonzo, who, over the last two Octobers, has proven himself to be one of the game's most accomplished clutch hitters. Alfonzo has nine RBI in as many postseason games this fall.
In the NLCS, the Mets used their top two starters -- Hampton and Leiter -- to neutralize the lefty-leaning St. Louis batting order. Now, their task will be the same, with Tino Martinez, David Justice and Paul O'Neill to worry about.
"I think our lineup has a lot of balance now," maintained O'Neill. "We have switch hitters. With the balance in our lineup and the way we go about moving guys over and getting guys in from third, I think that our lineup is stronger now than a lineup that is all left-handed."
As Friday's workout wore on, the players seemed understandably tired of the talk and eager to have the games begin, with neither side -- except for Agbayani, presumably -- knowing what to expect.
"Maybe he's just smarter than the rest of us," said Zimmer of Agbayani's bold forecast. "Damned if I can tell you who's going to win or how many games it's going to take."
And that -- not subway tokens, fond recollections of Ebbetts Field or profane souvenir T-shirts -- is what this World Series is really about.
Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal writes a major-league notebook each week for ESPN.com.
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