The Same Story As Before

If you're like me, and you've had enough of the St. Louis Cardinals, that's too bad, because here they are, back in the NLCS for the 4th year in a row. It doesn't matter who's in their lineup or who's pitching for them, or who they face in the postseason, they always seem to find a way to win the necessary games. That includes beating Clayton Kershaw twice, because when you're the Cardinals, and you basically shit gold at every turn, you do things like that. In Game 1, they basically singled him to death in an 8-run, 7th inning rally. In the series finale on Tuesday, Kershaw was again cruising along until the 7th inning, when he gave up 2 singles, and then a massive 3-run Home Run to the Cardinals Duda-like 1st Baseman Matt Adams that gave the Cardinals a lead. The shell-shocked Dodgers could not recover and the Cardinals advanced once again.

The Cardinals are playing in their 4th NLCS in a row and they won 2 of the 3 prior. The team that beat them happens to be their opponent in this year's NLCS, the San Francisco Giants. The Giants, who have this every-other-year thing going on, are in the NLCS for the 3rd time in the last 5 years, and haven't lost one in that time period. In 2012, these two teams met, and although the Cardinals ran out to a 3 games to 1 lead and appeared primed to annoy their way into another World Series, the Giants fought back and won the final 3 games, shutting out the Cardinals twice and ended up riding their mojo all the way to a World Series Championship.

So, to boil it down to simple facts, there have only been two teams that have won the last 4 National League Championships. They're both playing for the pennant in 2014. How little has changed. Where the American League Championship features fresh teams and new faces, this series is teams that we as Mets fans don't like and have seen too much of. This is what I have to pick from? What happened to the Pirates? What happened to Washington? Well, both of them were victimized by The Giants, specifically Madison Bumgarner, Jake Peavy, Yusmeiro Petit and other, lesser known players like Brandon Belt and Joe Panik. Bumgarner pistolwhipped the Pirates in the Wildcard game, which was non-competitive. After beating the Nationals in Game 1 of the NLDS, Petit and Belt conspired to win an 18-inning marathon in Game 2, which featured a sterling 6 scoreless innings from the former, and a game-winning Home Run from the latter after a 9th inning comeback. The Giants dropped Game 3, but unfazed came back and waited around for the Nationals to predictably self-destruct in Game 4, which they did, and the Giants won the game and the series.

And now, here we are again. Which team do you dislike less I suppose is the key thing here, and for me, it's the Giants. Not that I have any particular reason to dislike them, but I will say that their recent run of overwhelming success has brought a spate of annoying fans out of the woodwork, which I suppose can happen to any team that finds success. Except for the Cardinals, whose fans are overbearing and annoying no matter how the team is doing (although let's face it, I find fans of just about any team that's not the Mets annoying, but to be fair, there are plenty of teams that I've never actually met a fan of). So because I'm sick of the Cardinals, I'm going to pick the Giants in this series, partially because I think they're the better team, and partially out of spite. It's nice to be well-informed about these things. Giants in 5-6.

Mighty KC

The 2014 ALCS has been set since Sunday, when two teams that I'm quite certain nobody picked to be here clinched their spots by finishing off shocking sweeps of their supposedly superior opponents.

I'd already gone into the curious case of the intrepid Kansas City Royals, led by their intrepid star Eric Hosmer, who made the brilliant decision of getting on a raging hot streak just as the playoffs were beginning and he'd be playing in games in front of a National TV audience. Hosmer hit another Home Run on Sunday night in Kansas City, as did Mike Moustakas, KC's two Extra-inning heroes. But the key hit came very early for the Royals, courtesy of their George Brett-like Outfielder Alex Gordon, whose 3-run double in the 1st inning cleared the bases, chased Angels starter C.J. Wilson from the game, and gave the Royals a lead they wouldn't relinquish. This was after Mike Trout, whom I last week said was not chosen by the Playoffs to succeed, made me look somewhat foolish by hitting a Home Run in his 1st at bat, but then continued to prove my point because that Home Run ended up being his only hit in the series. In the end, the Royals stepped on the Angels' throats and piled on from there, winning 8-3, and if you like verisimilitude, there was Mike Trout striking out for the final out of the series, as the Royals and their fans basked in a rain-soaked victory.

That was their first Postseason series win in 29 years. That's because it was their first Postseason period in 29 years, we all know that. On the other side, there are the Baltimore Orioles, who haven't had quite as dramatic a postseason drought. They were in the ALDS in 2012, losing to some other AL East team that's no longer relevant, but before that, the last time they were in the Postseason was 1997, when they made it to the ALCS and lost. But when it comes to World Series Championships, the Orioles have neither won one or sniffed one since 1983, back in an era where their roster consisted of Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray and Mike Boddicker. The Orioles still seem to do it with pitching, keeping a potent Tigers lineup mostly quiet through their 3-game ALDS while they put together a pair of 8th inning rallies to win the first two games at home, and rode the power of Nelson Cruz and the pitching of Bud Norris and their bullpen to win Game 3. These Orioles are built in a similar fashion to the Royals: Not a lot of stars, but a collection of players that do everything well and Pitchers who are generally very tough all the time. We all know about Nelson, who's one of those guys that was chosen by the Postseason back when he was with Texas. He's been helped out by Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and Jonathan Schoop. Pitching, they did it with Chris Tillman winning the 1st game and Norris in the 3rd game. Wei Yin Chen was hit hard in Game 2, but he's pitched well otherwise. Like KC, who boasts a bullpen full of guys who throw really hard, Baltimore had their ass saved in Game 2 by their bullpen, specifically Kevin Gausman, one of those guys playing the "starter who's coming out of the bullpen in the Playoffs" role.

Bottom line is neither of these teams can be slept on, and they're here because people slept on them. The talk, in general, is which of these teams is the team of Destiny. Either one of them can be viewed as such, because neither of them had the Look of a Champion much throughout the season. True, the Orioles, behind Buck Showalter, led the AL East most of the way and won their division with ease. The Royals had a more treacherous road here, didn't clinch a spot in the Postseason until the final week of the season, and we know what they overcame in the Wildcard game, but sometimes all it takes for a team is just getting there, and then you take it from there. That can often be the best recipe for success in the Postseason. That, and having a guy get chosen by the Postseason to somehow make The Leap and become a guy that catches national attention. Right now, that's been Eric Hosmer. I know that most of what I've read has been touting the Orioles as more of a team of Destiny than the Royals, and that ultimately they'll be the team that's going to emerge out of what looks to be a really fun ALCS, but I'm going the other way and picking the Royals. When you keep coming back in games, when you keep winning games in Extra Innings, and when you have the guy that's become The Guy for your team, that tends to be the recipe for success in a Championship series. So I pick the Royals, 6-7 games and yeah, I know those games are in Baltimore, but that doesn't seem to matter when you have teams like this.

2014 Mets: Small Steps Forward, Part I

2014 for the Mets started out with about as much promise as the 5 years before it. That is to say there wasn't much. This was supposed to be the year that things finally started to get better for the team, but amid the emergence of some good young pitchers came the unfortunate and untimely injury that shelved Matt Harvey for the season and a general lack of activity to improve the roster in the offseason—particularly the offense. Curtis Granderson and Chris Young were brought in but did not make the impact that was expected. Shortstop and Left Field continued to be a black hole. Others suffered through difficult seasons. But amid the offensive uncertainty, the pitching staff thrived and tantalized with a number of young arms that found themselves at the Major League level. Even without Harvey, the Mets boasted a wealth of exciting young arms that kept the Mets in games throughout the season, and many of them seemed to improve as the season went on.

The Mets improved by 5 wins over last year and the general consensus is that now is the time to strike—make the necessary improvements to set the team up for actual, tangible success in 2015 and beyond. A lot of the foundation has been laid and a lot of the names that served to make 2014 a small step forward will be there next year, and will hopefully build on what they started this season. Phrases like "change the conversation" have been thrown around a lot as it pertains to the Mets and their chances going forward—it depends on what Sandy Alderson can do—what he's able to do in order to improve some areas on the team that have been heavily neglected for as long as he's been running the show here.

As usual, the Mets used 45 players this season, and now it's time to grade everyone. We'll start with the position players, pitchers will be forthcoming. Read and enjoy!

CATCHERS
Travis d'Arnaud - B
On June 6th, the day he was sent down to the Minors, Travis d'Arnaud was hitting .180, with 3 Home Runs and 9 RBI on the season. He returned on June 24th after tearing up AAA ball for a few weeks and promptly socked a 3-run Home Run off Scott Kazmir that led to a Mets victory. This was the first step in what turned into a solid second half of the season for d'Arnaud, and probably saved him from getting a D and me writing about his general failure to live up to expectations. After returning from the Minors, d'Arnaud hit .272 with 10 Home Runs and 32 RBI, finishing up with .242/.302/.416 with 13 Home Runs and 42 RBI, not eye-popping numbers, but respectable considering his poor start, the fact that he was a Rookie, and the fact that he's a Catcher and took the predictable beating Catchers usually take. Defensively, still figuring it out. Too many passed balls and a lousy time throwing out would-be basestealers. But he's developed a great rapport with a majority of the pitching staff, particularly Wheeler, and he just has the look of a guy who, once he's got a few years under his belt, is going to be one of these snarling Jerry Grote-types who will chew out Pitchers and not smile very much on game days. I'm looking forward to more.

Anthony Recker - C
Generally unimpressive season, much like last year, although he did come through with the occasional key Home Run, which sometimes fools people into thinking he might be better than he is. A good backup to have around for token Sunday afternoon starts. 7 Home Runs and 27 RBI in a part-time role is great, but don't look too far past the .201 BA and 64 strikeouts in 174 ABs.

Taylor Teagarden
Failed ex-prospect who ascended when d'Arnaud went down to the minors. I saw him hit a Grand Slam in his first game with the Mets which was a) completely shocking and b) the high point of his Mets tenure. Hit .143 in 9 games, which included the Grand Slam and 1 RBI otherwise. 

Juan Centeno
Forever remembered as the first Catcher to throw out Billy Hamilton, Centeno returned in September of this year and continued to play reasonably good defense in very limited opportunities. Hit .200 with 2 RBI, but considering that this was accomplished in 30 ABs I don't know how much stock you can put in it.

INFIELDERS
Lucas Duda - A
I'll happily admit that I was wrong about Lucas Duda. After spending the better part of two seasons relentlessly flogging Duda and decrying his presence on the team, Duda finally put it together in 2014. After a season in which he looked generally clueless both at the plate and in the field, where 14 of his 15 Home Runs came with nobody on base and he struck out 102 times in 318 at bats, Duda opened the season on the bench as a guy without a role, basically just as mysterious as the other two 1st Basemen on the roster. Sure, he was named the everyday starter after 4 games, and he responded with a 2-Home Run night against the Reds, but even after Davis was traded to Pittsburgh and the starting job was his alone, Duda still couldn't get his act together. At the end of May, Duda was hitting .230, with 7 Home Runs, 24 RBI and 42 strikeouts. But something funny happened as the calendar turned: Duda finally figured it out. His approach at the plate, generally very passive, changed to a more aggressive tact, and the result was that he cast himself in a whole new light. All of a sudden, Duda was now a dependable power source in the middle of the lineup, and not only was he hitting Home Runs with men on base, he was also getting extra base hits with runners on base. Though he cooled somewhat in September, he managed to close out his breakout season with a walkoff Home Run on the second to last day of the season, and Homered again in his final at bat, earning himself a curtain call that nobody thought he would get when he struck out on Opening Day. A second half in which he hit 18 Home Runs and drove in 51 helped him finish with a career best 30 Home Runs and 92 RBI. Quite a turnaround.

Daniel Murphy - B
The Mets' lone All Star in 2014, Murphy was on his way to perhaps his finest season in the Majors before getting injured in August. When he returned, his general mojo seemed sapped, as he ended up finishing with a .289 BA after spending most of the season hitting over .300. In general, this was more or less the norm for Murphy, lots of multi-hit games, lots of doubles, lots of instances in which he had one of his trademark spastic fits of Murphyness and defense at 2nd Base that was occasionally brilliant and sometimes frightening. Finished with 9 Home Runs and 57 RBI, a bit of a dropoff from last season. While at this point, Murphy has proven himself a perfectly serviceable 2nd Baseman, and could be considered among the better 2Bmen in the National League, at 29, it's not likely that he's going to become anything more than he already is. With players like Flores and Herrera on the ascension, it could conceivably be that Murphy's best value to the Mets is as a trade piece.

David Wright - D
Look, nobody is going to say David Wright doesn't play hard, or that he lacks hustle or desire. But what Wright's problem has been for several years is that he somehow feels like he has to do everything and be everything to this team. You can live up to the team Captaincy off the field just as much as on, and Wright's done that, but Wright really killed the team and killed his season by refusing to rest a sore shoulder that eventually caused him to be shut down in early September, ending what was by far and away the worst season of his career. When a 2-week DL stint in June might have fixed the problem, Wright played through and watched as his numbers took a major tumble. He finished with a .269 BA, which was un-Wright like enough, but then there were the 8 Home Runs and 63 RBI, numbers poor enough that it's got many people concerned that maybe it wasn't the shoulder injury, maybe it was because he's getting older and starting to break down. I suppose the answer remains to be seen, but let's say he did more damage to his shoulder by playing through this injury, or at 32 on Opening Day 2015, he's finally burned himself out from trying to carry awful teams on said shoulders. We'll see what happens.

Ruben Tejada - C
Ruben Tejada gets a C this season, because even though he wasn't very good this season, he was if nothing else better than people expected him to be after a season in which he was hurt most of the time and hit .202 with 10 RBI. Although Tejada was buried on the bench for multiple extended stretches of time during the season while the Mets experimented with other options at SS, they seemed to keep coming back to Tejada. Again, Tejada wasn't especially good this season, but he did manage to play slightly better than he did in 2013, hitting .237 with a surprising 5 Home Runs and 34 RBI and performed slightly better in the field than he did last year. All that being said, nobody's convinced that Tejada is the solution here any longer and there's a pretty good chance that he's going to end up being non-tendered and the Mets will go after a flashier name at Shortstop who can actually hit with some consistency.

Ike Davis - D
I was going to give Ike an F, but that seemed too cruel since he only appeared in 12 games and did hit a walk-off Grand Slam in one of them. But in a season that kicked off with him getting an attack of the runs and running out to the field late on Opening Day, it sort of seemed like Groundhog Day for Ike Davis, as his slow start ultimately got him shipped out of town to Pittsburgh. Yet, when he was traded, I thought the Mets had made a mistake and dealt the wrong guy. WRONG! Davis was no better in Pittsburgh, while the guy the Mets kept ended up having a career year.

Josh Satin - F
After a good season as a role player in 2013, it wasn't illogical to think Satin could be counted on to repeat that performance in 2014. Sadly, after a season in which he mustered all of 3 hits and 3 RBI en route to a batting average of .086, logic was thrown out the window. At least 2 of those 3 hits were doubles. 

Eric Campbell - C
So since Satin was so awful, the Mets turned to Eric Campbell to take over the Josh Satin role as the right handed utility infielder off the bench, and Campbell responded with a season that wasn't dissimilar to the one Satin had last year. Campbell spelled Wright at 3rd and Duda at 1st and also played a little Outfield for a while, ended up with 190 ABs in which he hit .263 with 3 Home Runs and 16 RBI. That's all well and good, but if he comes back next season and hits .086, well, don't say you weren't warned.

Dilson Herrera - Inc.
After being primarily known as "the other guy" in the Marlon Byrd trade, Herrera distinguished himself by rocketing through the Mets farm system, beginning the season in A ball and finishing up in the Majors after generally destroying pitching straight up the line. Sparkplug type who was among the youngest players in the Major Leagues, came up with a bang, although he only hit .220 before a leg injury ended his season a week early, he did hit 3 Home Runs and drive in 11 in his brief cup of coffee. Next year probably won't be his time to ascend, but I expect he'll earn himself a role on the team before too long. 

Omar Quintanilla - F
I was sort of amazed he was still around and mystified that he was on the roster on Opening Day, but there he was. Somehow made it into 15 games before the Mets finally cut him, after he unsurprisingly hit .207, but still managed 6 hits to Satin's 3. Finally made useless by the presence of Flores and Herrera among others.

Wilmer Flores - B-
Flores still has a ways to go before he can be considered legit, but given a chance to play everyday in the latter half of the season, he made his playing time count. Although he remains suspect at defense and at times struggled to find offensive consistency, he did finish strong, hitting .260 with 5 of his 6 Home Runs and 22 of his 29 RBI after August 1st, including a 2 Home Run, 6 RBI game against the Marlins. Good chance he receives first crack at solving the SS mystery next season.

Wilfredo Tovar
Second year in a row he was called off his couch in Venezuela with a week left in the season to come back and play ball. Didn't play as much this season because the Mets actually had other options available.

OUTFIELDERS
Curtis Granderson - C-
I had kind of an ominous feeling that Granderson would come to the Mets and struggle, mostly because he was switching leagues after a season in which he was injured most of the year. And yes, he went through deep slumps and his numbers, .227, 20 HRs, 66 RBI, weren't very good, but much like the Pedro Martinez signing prior to 2005, this was a necessary signing for the Mets to make, not just for a fan base tired of watching the Mets do nothing in the offseason, but for other potential Free Agents to see that the Mets are willing to spend money, and established players like Granderson want to play for them. Hopefully, the remainder of his 4-year deal ends up slightly better than Pedro's did. Or at least he's better next year than he was this year. 

Juan Lagares - B+
Lagares can certainly stake his claim on a Gold Glove, as his defense remained superb. His offense was better as well, early in the season, but of concern is his general inability to stay healthy. He made multiple trips to the Disabled list that short-circuited his fine start, and ultimately he slumped offensively, finishing with a .281 BA after hitting around .320 for a while, but 4 Home Runs, 47 RBI and 13 steals did represent an improvement. He's certainly earned himself the CF job, but the question is if he can keep himself on the field for a full season.

Eric Young, Jr - C+
Young wasn't nearly the sparkplug he was last season, and ultimately he was reduced to a bench role, which is fine, because he's probably best suited for a bench role. Still managed to steal 30 bases but only hit .229 with a .299 OBA, numbers that would never work as a full-time leadoff hitter. 

Kirk Nieuwenhuis - C
Unexciting 4-A/4th OF type who seems to bounce between the minors and majors every season and doesn't do much to distinguish himself, outside of those first couple of months in 2012 when he came up, hit a lot and tantalized everyone before regressing. .259 better than the .189 he hit last year, but 3 Home Runs and 16 RBI wasn't an improvement at all.

Chris Young - F
I get the logic behind this signing but ultimately this was grasping at straws. Alderson clearly had some blind hope that a change of scenery would help Young turn into Chris Young circa 2010 but that didn't happen and after hitting a miserable .205 with 8 Home Runs and managing all of 12 hits from July 1st until August 7th, it's not really surprising or unjustified that he was released on August 8th. 

Matt den Dekker - C
I sort of have the sense that den Dekker is basically Kirk Nieuwenhuis with a better glove, and it's not even that much of a better glove. Another way to look at it is to say that the Mets have the market cornered on lefty-hitting Outfielders that can hit .250 without much power. 

Andrew Brown - C-
Andrew Brown's entire season basically happened by accident, when Chris Young couldn't answer the bell on Opening Day and in his stead, Andrew Brown hit a 3-run Home Run off Stephen Strasburg in the 1st inning. Brown did nothing to dispel the idea that that was some kind of weird, flukish thing that happened. After being sent down in late April after hitting .185, Brown returned in June, Homered in his 1st game back and then was done for good after lowering his average to .182. 8 hits for the season trumped both Satin and Quintanilla, though.

Bobby Abreu
Swan song for the Pro's pro Abreu, who went from years as a hated rival with the Phillies to sage veteran in the clubhouse at Age 40, still able to come off the bench on relative occasion and slash a line drive. Retired at season's end and provided a nice moment on Closing Day when he singled in his final At Bat and was able to walk off the field on a high note. 

Part 2, the Pitchers, forthcoming!

Small Screen

I have, for years, talked about the perils of being a 49ers fan in New York, and how on most weeks, their game isn't on TV. This season, by sheer happenstance, their first 4 games have been televised in New York. Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs was the first time this season that the game was not on in New York. In prior years, when this has happened, I've been able to click on the NFL app, which offered free access to the radio broadcast of the game, and listen on my phone. I fully expected to be able to do so on Sunday, but, to my horror, when I opened my app at about 3:55pm, I discovered that the app had instituted a paywall, and in order to listen to the game, I had to plonk down something like $19.95. I'm in no mood to hand over money to that shyster Roger Goodell, so instead, I pulled up NFL.com's gamecast on my computer and followed things that way. This isn't what I would call effective—it's easy to get distracted by other things, and who the hell can stare at animated graphics on a computer screen for that long—but if nothing else, I at least knew how things were going along in the game.

The 49ers, fresh off their come-from-behind win over Philadelphia last week, again found themselves in a back-and-forth battle with the Kansas City Chiefs and old friend Alex Smith, and although the lead changed hands multiple times, it was the 49ers who came out on top, thanks to 5 Phil Dawson Field Goals, another solid performance by the defense, and a trick play in a key moment, which paved the way to a 22-17 victory that put the 49ers back over .500.

The game didn't start out especially well for the 49ers, as Alex Smith, who rightfully received a warm welcome in his return to San Francisco, led the Chiefs right down the field for a Touchdown on the game's opening possession. Colin Kaepernick responded by leading an equally strong drive, but unfortunately, the drive stalled and the 49ers, in what's been a recurring theme, ended up having to settle for a Phil Dawson Field Goal. Each team's second drive culminated in Field Goals as well, as the Chiefs, behind Smith and Jamaal Charles moved down the field, while the 49ers embarked on a drive that fell flat when Kaepernick, who once again was working without his safety net in Vernon Davis, instead was throwing passes to the stone-handed Vance McDonald, who caught none of them and the end result was another Dawson Field Goal.

The 49ers 3rd drive finally hit paydirt right before halftime. Kaepernick hit Anquan Boldin and Derek Carrier (not McDonald) for large gains, and Frank Gore picked up some key yards in setting up a 9-yard Touchdown pass from Kaepernick to Stevie Johnson with but :35 seconds left in the half. This gave the 49ers their first lead of the day. But the Chiefs grabbed the lead back on their first drive in the second half on a lightning quick drive that saw Jamaal Charles break one long run and De'Anthony Thomas finish it off with a 17-yard run. Dawson's 3rd Field Goal on the ensuing drive cut the Chiefs lead to 17-16 as the game moved into the 4th Quarter.

The 49ers started out a drive deep in their own end, and it appeared destined to stall after Frank Gore couldn't gain much in the way of yardage. But on 4th and 1 at their own 29 yard line, Jim Harbaugh made the gutsy move to call for a fake Punt. Craig Dahl took the snap and basically plowed forward for the necessary yard to convert the 1st Down and give the 49ers new life. The drive continued as Kaepernick hit Brandon Lloyd for an acrobatic 29-yard catch that set up yet another Dawson Field Goal that put the 49ers ahead to stay at 19-17. The 49ers defense force Kansas City to punt on their ensuing drive, and once the offense got the ball back, they set out to eat the clock, which they were successful in doing thanks to Gore, Carlos Hyde and Kaepernick running the ball, ultimately setting up Dawson's final Field Goal. Alex Smith tried to lead the Chiefs back on a desperation drive with no Time Outs and just over 2 minutes to play, but for the second week in a row, Perrish Cox came away with a game-clinching Interception and the 49ers came away with their second win in a row.

The win, though nice, was far from memorable, and that's not just because I was halfheartedly paying attention to the game on my computer while watching the Orioles and Tigers on TV. The 49ers offense did more or less the absolute minimum necessary in order to win the game, doing a lousy job of finishing off drives and relying too heavily on Phil Dawson to kick them to victory. Any one of those 5 Field Goal drives finishes in the End Zone and the 49ers would have coasted to a fairly easy victory. Though Alex Smith did have some flashes, he only threw for 158 yards, and Jamaal Charles only rushed for 80. By comparison, Kaepernick threw for 201 yards and a Touchdown, while Gore banged out his second straight 100-yard effort. Brandon Lloyd paced the team with 76 yards receiving as Kaepernick spread the ball around to 8 different receivers over the course of the game. With this sort of output, you would think they would have been able to generate more than 22 points, but that's all they ran up on this day. The team hasn't really hit its stride yet, which I suppose is something worth remembering. But it will take a better effort than this to keep the winning going once the big boys start coming up on the schedule.

Certain Royalty

We are, perhaps, somewhat jaded as Mets fans, and rightfully so given the way the last 8 seasons have ended up. But it doesn't look so bad when measured against a franchise like the Kansas City Royals, who are in the Postseason for the first time since 1985, when they won their only World Series Championship behind bygone names like George Brett, Frank White and Bret Saberhagen. That was 29 years ago. If that's not enough to get you to root for them, and root for them hard, well, then I don't know what to tell you. The Royals made their way into the ALDS on Tuesday night, by virtue of a furious double-comeback against the Oakland A's, coming back from deficits of 7-3 and 8-7 in the 12th inning before ultimately winning 9-8.

In the ALDS against the Anaheim Angels, a team that boasts the Best Record in Baseball, the Best Player in Baseball in Mike Trout, and a pair of former MVPs in Albert Pujols (still not very good) and Josh Hamilton, the Royals seem unfazed, and after winning both Game 1 and Game 2 on the road, in 11 innings, on Home Runs from, respectively, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer, I'm beginning to think there's something a little deeper at work here.

For one, after watching Game 2 play out in particular, I began to realize that, for the Major League Ballplayer, you don't pick the Postseason, the Postseason picks you. Think about this. The Angels and Royals are led by a couple of bright young stars in Trout and Hosmer. But if you were going to think of the guy who was going to steal the show and make the Postseason his own, it would have to be Trout, wouldn't it? Trout is the odds on favorite to win AL MVP, after hitting 36 Home Runs and driving in 111 in the regular season. Hosmer, on the other hand, was injured, has failed to live up to his billing as a franchise 1Bman, and for the season hit 9 Home Runs and drove in 58. But when the bell rang for October, the roles have flipped. Trout, the ballyhooed, has gone 0-for-8 with 2 walks in his first Postseason. Hosmer, on the other hand, has been a man possessed. After going 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored, an RBI and a Triple of massive importance in the Royals' 12th inning winning rally, Hosmer greeted the Angels by going 3-for-7 in the first two games, including 2 walks, 2 runs scored and a 2-run Home Run in the 11th inning Friday night that proved to be the winning hit in Game 2. That's the sort of clutch you would have expected out of a big-time star like Trout, and not someone who's struggled to find himself like Hosmer has. But this Postseason has been Hosmer's coming out party, and he's showing what he's capable of in front of a National audience. Some guys just find that spotlight. Hosmer's performance, along with Moustakas, and some clutch play from other unsung guys like Lorenzo Cain, Salvador Perez and Jarrod Dyson have aided the Royals...The Kansas City Royals!!...ahead 2 games to 0 and heading home with a chance to sweep the Angels out of the playoffs on Sunday night.

You want a story that will make you believe and feel good about Baseball, that's it right there.