The Sports Truth

No pulsating intro music or pyrotechnics are necessary when the Sports Truth’s Starting Five takes the floor. Primarily because our budget won’t allot for such things. That would be so cool, though!

Every Friday, our panel of experts takes a current sports topic and sounds off on it — five times over. These guys have been researching constantly, poring over endless data and bouncing ideas off each other in preparation for this feature. Prepare to be amused, perplexed, enraged and maybe a little awed by their collective brilliance.

This Week’s Topic: THE WORLD SERIES

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1. Did you think the Mets were going to pull it out in Game Seven after their first two batters singled in the ninth?

EVAN CHRISTOPHER: Without a doubt. Beltran looking at strike three in the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded will go down as one of the worst choke jobs in all sports history.

LUCAS DWYER: Maybe I was just rooting for the Mets to win because a win by the home team is always more exciting, but Wainwright was having difficulty with his control and with two on, one out, and Reyes at the plate, you have to like their chances. Five feet further towards right field and it’s a tie ball game.

MICHAEL BRIAN: Did I ever! I saw visions of Gibson with Floyd hobbling up to the plate. Instead he struck out. Looking. Good times.

MICHAEL STEPHENS: No way. I was overwhelmingly confident that the 83-win Cardinals and their rookie closer were going to escape that jam by fanning two monster sluggers looking.

2. Scrappier player: Brandon Inge or David Eckstein?

MICHAEL STEPHENS: Eckstein grabs all the headlines, but Inge plays a huge role for Detroit and might be the king of unsung scrappiness… if such a thing existed. Inge. Doesn’t his last name just sound like he’d be the type of guy to get his uniform dirty and do all the little things? Really I just like saying Inge.

LUCAS DWYER: Without question, David Eckstein. Have you seen how much he chokes up on a bat? Or the way he throws? He’s like a little leaguer surviving in the MLB on hustle alone. Tremendously fun player to root for.

EVAN CHRISTOPHER: I’ll go with Eckstein, but it’s hard to debate scrappiness when it’s really not even a human quality.

MICHAEL BRIAN: Can’t all of us baseball fans vote, perhaps in some sort of ballot handed out at games, to get Eckstein out of baseball? Has there ever been a more annoying player? We get it, ass; you’re here because of your hustle. But it’s called a walk. You can walk to first base.

3. What was more surprising: Jeff Suppan winning the NLCS MVP, or the Tigers going to the World Series three years after losing 119 games?

MICHAEL BRIAN: After the Tigers made it to the World Series three years after losing 119 games, nothing surprises me. Except for Jeff Suppan being named the NLCS MVP.

MICHAEL STEPHENS: You have to take Jeff Suppan and his 15 innings of 1-run ball in the NLCS. How the heck does this happen? In 2003, he didn’t make the Red Sox postseason roster. John Burkett did. Think about it. Detroit, meanwhile, was building a nice nucleus even back in ‘03, and their young pitching just needed time to develop. A couple of big free agents and a terrific manager later, and voila. Not that it isn’t impressive, or pretty stunning — but Suppan? He’s not good!

EVAN CHRISTOPHER: The Tigers have to be more impressive. Any mediocre pitcher can throw two brilliant games in the playoffs. To turn an entire team around deserves props. I just can’t wait to see Kid Rock and Eminem being shown in the stands every five seconds. Oh, and did you know Jerome Bettis is from Detroit too?

LUCAS DWYER: Considering we’ll have our seventh different World Series champion in as many years (no other U.S. pro sport can say that right now, so eat your heart out, parity-filled NFL) it diminishes the year-to-year accomplishments of the Tigers. But Jeff Suppan MVP of anything? More or less the AAAA League Championship Series? Isn’t this notice that it’s time to do something about the NL because it’s become so bad, Jeff Suppan can win its LCS MVP?

4. Who would you rather have on your roster right now: Derek Jeter, Scott Spiezio or Placido Polanco?

LUCAS DWYER: Scott Spiezio is hitting .716 with runners in scoring position in playoff games. He has about 25 RBIs in 22 post-season games. Eat your heart out Derek Jeter, give me Spiezio. Interestingly, Spiezio had one at-bat in Game 7. Oh, and, apparently Scott Rolen is not talking to his coach. How funny is that? Are we in 4th grade?

MICHAEL BRIAN: If we’re talking baseball, Jeter. The guy is awesome. He has Crabs, and I hear he has butt implants, but he’s awesome. If I was overseeing some sort of freak show roster, however, it would be a tough choice between Spiezio’s horrible facial hair and Polanco’s very weirdly shaped head.

MICHAEL STEPHENS: Jeter is Hall of Fame material, but as of this minute, I’ll take Polanco. His injury was directly related to the Tigers’ late-season slump, and in the playoffs, he’s been outstanding. Has a pitcher retired him in October yet? I’m not sure. When he’s not getting key hits, he’s anchoring the Tigers’ injury-riddled infield. That ALCS MVP was well deserved, and don’t be surprised if Placido adds the World Series MVP to it.

EVAN CHRISTOPHER: Derek Jeter. He’s clutch and clearly not the reason the Yankees didn’t advance in the post season. Give me a proven winner, not some flavor of the week with red face pubes or a Latino with the chubbiest face ever.

5. Prediction time: Who’s going to win and in how many games? Who will win MVP?

EVAN CHRISTOPHER: Break out the brooms, it’s going to be Detroit in four games with terrible Déjà vu of 2004 for the Cardinals.

MICHAEL BRIAN: Tigers. Four games. My man in Amsterdam, Craig Monroe.

MICHAEL STEPHENS: Cardinals in six. Why? Either I show up the rest of my panelists, or have the dubious honor of picking all three of St. Louis’ series incorrectly this postseason. Win-win for me. Jim Edmonds wins MVP.

LUCAS DWYER: One team is going to snap a 20-year winless drought (which, if you consider there are 30 teams in the MLB it can’t really be considered a drought because they’re still above average for the league) but it won’t be the Cardinals. The Tigers pitching and real hitting is way too much for the AAAA LCS MVP and the smoke and mirrors of Chris Carpenter. Tigers in six, only because they need to win at home so they’ll have won all three series at home and can try to top their ALDS celebration.

Trivia: Last World Series champ to clinch at home? 2002 Anaheim Angels.

Posted in Baseball, Starting Five