Well ... it's official. The Cubs and Sox are history. It would be easy to say things about the Cubs like "Yeah, but wait 'til you see the next century!" Or one could trot out stories about vindictive goats. I'm not going to do that, although I guess I just did.
What other city had two teams in the play-offs? Oops, I guess people in L.A. might smirk a little with their Angels and Dodgers.
Well at least we can thumb our noses at the not-so-hot shots from New York. And I can't say squat as my Pirates will next year set a record of futility; 16 consecutive losing seasons.
I continue to watch the baseball play-offs and I do have some random thoughts about baseball and how it's presented on TV. Lucky for you, I will share them with you now.
Ready for their close-ups
Is it just me or is anyone else tired of seeing the intense close-ups of players where we as the viewing audience are privy to every blemish, pore and unshaven millimeter of their faces?
Do we really need the shabbily dressed guy (or woman) tailing players with those groin level shots of them trotting around the bases or just back to the dugout?
No stupid questions ... except for these
Who stays up at night to concoct the imbecilic questions that on field analysts ask after big wins or losses? For example, a guy gives up a home run in the bottom of the 26th inning to lose the World Series. What does the reporter ask him?
Reporter: "Errr ... so what are your thoughts right now?"
Pitcher: "The only thought is of choking you on national TV."
Is there anyone this side of Howard Cossell who is more annoying than Craig Sager?
Cheering section
Do we need endless shots of people in the stands looking ultra sad or worried like they had every last dime invested in AIG or Lehman Brothers?
Although it's not nearly as bad as the crowds you see at football games, do we need to see the sad souls who dress up for their team and appear not to have taken the full dose of their medication?
Waste not
Again, it may be just me but is anyone else tiring of the champagne stupidity after major victories? It's not a nice scene for our younger fans and it's a sacrilegious misuse of the beverage.
And why do multimillionaires need someone to buy them hats and new T-shirts when they win a series?
And even though we're not in the Southern Hemisphere, could we please extend the play-offs at least into the middle November if not December?
I'm getting worked up. I'm going to take a nap.
The opinions are solely those of the writer. George Grenchik is a longtime Calumet City resident and a teacher at Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond. He can be reached at gjgrenchik@aol.com.
