I guess you could tip your hats to the Angels. I mean, I won’t be tipping – I’m a Yankees fan and Percival sucks! – but if you’re a fan of the game, it was a neat World Series to watch. First time the Angels have won; they finished 45 games behind the first place Mariner’s last season. Giants made the Angels work for it the whole time; it was their first shot at the title since they moved from Manhattan in the 50’s. Both teams came into the playoffs as the Wild Card team, and they both beat the teams that “shouldn’t have” been beaten. So, in my opinion, they did a hell of a job at their game. Personally, I was hoping that the new random ‘roid testing would have kicked in, disqualifying both teams, and allowing the Yankees to win, by default. Guess it was not to be.

And now the fallout of the after-series – there’s usually more drama in the MLB than there is in an episode of “ER”. There was the Mets managerial announcement debacle; I’m hoping the commissioner pounces on them. Not because I’m anti-Mets, but because I’m anti-stupidity. The commissioner demanded that there be no “Next-Season” related news released during the series; before or after, not a problem, but don’t take away from the fall classic. And of course, the Mets screwed that up. Go figure. This from the same team that had a manager “sneak” back into a game that an umpire tossed him out of, a team that had more pot smoking players than not, and a team that had to have a press conference to announce that their catcher was straight (or “not gay” at a minimum, which would make him bi, I think, no?) The other type of fallout I noticed was during the series, actually. I read a number of articles commenting on the quality of the series: the play was great but the viewing was piss poor. A repeat of “Friends” beat Game 5 in the ratings – the sports writers were confused by this. I mean here’s two underdogs going for the Championship, battling back and forth, showcasing the current single season HR record holder, and while pitching was a bleak spot, there were hits abound. It just never clicked with the majority of viewers. So why the drop off? Because of the CA vs. CA match up? It’s bound to happen with the state having a record setting five teams in the league but that doesn’t mean much – ratings dipped a bit in 97 when the Marlins beat the Padres (I think anyway)… so that was a cross country match up. And the 2000 Series was NY vs. NY and ratings were still high. Must be something else, right?

One of the writers from ESPN.com went on to bash the Yankees while chatting up the series. This made me a bit slackjaw’d – does the guy know the Yankees aren’t in it? I mean I know they have been to the Fall Classic a lot lately, but still – they weren’t there. So let me ask you this: how does a team that is not in the World Series get more press, collectively, than the teams in the Series? Ironic, no? The fact is, the World Series has done so well the last number of years (since 96, I would say) because of the Yankees. Every year they were a part of the playoffs, ratings soared – why? Because there’s devote Yankee fans across the entire nation. In addition to that, there’s devote Yankee haters across the entire nation. People watch’m because they either want them to win or they want them run out of town as dejected losers. It’s part of the mystique of the boy in the Bronx.

On a related note, I personally think that the crew covering Game 7 of the Series needs to be publicly flogged and humiliated. Honestly. I’ve watched most of the championship games of the MLB, NHL, and NFL over the last 25 years (screw the NBA – they are a disgraceful league and should be replaced by the WNBA). It’s never sat well with me that they show the winning team celebrating and then the losing team’s reactions. I don’t need to see that; I’d prefer to just let the other team drift out of the stadium like mist and pretend that they didn’t lose (yes, I even feel a little sad for the Red Sox when they lose – but only a little, and I won’t even feel bad if I didn’t see them at all!). It doesn’t make for good press and I find it to be unacceptable. I saw it this year when my boys got sent packing by the Angels in the ALDS this year. There’s just no need to see misty-eyed athletes pack up their season, from the result of one day’s loss, especially when it’s been a back and forth series and they really had a shot at it. Not only that, but they’re watching the other team celebrate – it’s kinda like watching someone dance a grave already, so why should that feeling be rebroadcast around the world? Well, true to their normally obnoxious and invading fashion, Fox was quick to jump from the Angels’ celebration in the field after the last out to the reaction in the Giants’ dugout. There was Bonds looking completely deflated. A couple of the other players just in mourning and shock… and then there was the son of the Giants’ manager, crying because they lost. Oops, right? Didn’t mean to show that? Quick, onto something else, right? The obnoxious and socially irresponsible fucks at Fox Sports kept coming back to it! Three times they showed this poor kid on his father’s shoulder in complete distress, bawling uncontrollably! Is that news? Is that what the game is all about? How about giving the father, who just had a bad day at the office, tend to his family in peace? Oh, no. Not these fuckers. The second and third shot of the kid was well centered and zoomed, showing off his freckles on his nose, they were sooooo close. Despicable. Totally inexcusable. How angered did this make me? Well as “fuckers” wasn’t in the spell check dictionary yet, it must say something about it.

Personally, I believe the people responsible for this fine sample of journalism and reporting should be give a full body waxing twice a month for the next twelve months. Anything else would be too good for them. The press needs to learn that the public does not always have the right to know or see everything. They’ve gotten too irresponsible with their “investigative” reporting. They’re so quick to make headlines and that they don’t think of the consequences of their own actions and it’s about time that they be held responsible for them. Bluh. Wankers, all of them.