Class Act

Josh Hamilton's ginger ale shower

ESPN — Josh Hamilton’s teammates weren’t going to celebrate without him this time.As soon as the Texas Rangers hugged on the field and headed for the tunnel following a 5-1 ALDS Game 5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, the clubhouse attendants told Hamilton to get his goggles on.

“I was getting a little worried,” Hamilton said. “I didn’t know what was going on.”

 

Hamilton, who has battled drug and alcohol addiction, said it’s best for him not to be around champagne. So he walked into the clubhouse to find his teammates waiting on him and holding bottles of Canada Dry ginger ale.

There is nothing more I love in sports than when a team rallies around a person or teammate in an act of sportsmanship. This couldn’t have been on better display than the other night when the Texas Rangers won game five of the ALDS, advancing to the Championship Series, and winning their first playoff series in franchise history.

Potential MVP candidate Josh Hamilton had to sit out of the celebration when the team won the division, clinching a spot in the playoffs. Hamilton, who has suffered from drug and alcohol addiction chose to stay away from the celebration after clinching the playoff spot, in order to not tempt himself.

After last nights win, the Rangers as a team, brought Hamilton into the locker room and gave him the traditional series clinching Champagne shower. The only difference, was this shower involved ginger ale, so Hamilton would be able to join in the celebration.

As much as I hate the idea of all these teams celebrating after what seems like every win, it is still good to see the closeness of a team, making sure one of their teammates who has had substance abuse problems in the past, was able to participate.

City of Champions, Version 2010

After living on top of the world from 2001-2008, Boston sports fans are starting to become concerned if the end of a decade could mean the end of the City of Champions. In a 2008-2009 sports season that saw the state of Pennsylvania taking three Championships, of the four major sports. Not to mention the Yankees are about to cash in, on their off-season shopping spree at Stop & Shop MLB.

The situation is very similar to the first time the Patriots won their first Super Bowl in 2001; the only difference is what fans are looking to get from the team now opposed to eight years ago. Granted Boston fans always want a Championship but going into the 2001 season for the Patriots people didn’t really know what to expect. The team was 5-11 the year before and did not look hopeful until the greatest thing the Jets ever did for the team, Mo Lewis knocking out Bledsoe to make way for the savior, Tom Brady. Cut to this season, after not having seen Brady play since the Super Bowl loss to the Giants, it was hard to tell, and still is, how Brady and the team perform. After a 3-2 start, the fans are just waiting for this team to find an identity and start rolling.

At the same time Bledsoe was getting knocked out of football, Boston fans still had a sour taste in their mouths from two consecutive seasons that never saw more than 85 wins and a 1999 ALCS loss to the Yankees. The Red Sox didn’t lose to the Yankees this year in the ALCS but they lost to them in the off-season with free agents. The Sox chose to gamble on aging veterans and players coming back from injury. At this point in Red Sox history the team and fans are expecting more than a sweep in the ALDS against a team the Sox handled for the entire 2000 decade. If it inspires Theo, maybe he should take some advise from Eddie Vedder and “When somethings broke, I wanna put a bit of fixin on it.”

The Celtics were the last team to bail the city out of Boston losing half its population in bridge jumps and alcohol related incidents. The Celtics put together the Big Three just in time, going in to the stretch run of the season with a loss to the Cavs; two days after the Pats blew Super Bowl 42. The Celts however were 36-9 after the defeat. As we all know they did go on to win the title that year and still give Bostonians something to hang their hat on.

Then there is everyone’s favorite topic, the Bruins. A team that has shown no life since their last Stanley Cup appearance in 1989-90 and when it looks like they have the team that could compete deep into June, they usually cave by the second round. Last season they had an amazing regular season that earned them the best record in the Eastern Conference. The team also coasted through the second half of the season, riding their 23-2-1 record through November and December. The only question that bears asking are has Peter Chiarelli put together another great regular season team. Everyone saw all the great teams Ottawa had during the regular season, then come playoff time the Senators were always an early exit.

With all of this stirring in the pot we call Boston sports, how will Boston get back on top. It is going to have to come from the Patriots. The Red Sox are done for the year so we just have to wait for them to retool and hopefully come back like a hurricane and wipeout the league next year. The Celtics have a strong team and Rasheed Wallace helped me in trying to prove my point that the Celts will win 70+ games. As for the hopes for the Bruins this year are high, they are not the team I would count on to win a championship. When it all comes full circles the Patriots have been solid ever since they won that first Super Bowl. Sure the outcomes every season are not what the fans or players want but realistically a team cannot win every year. It is a football season where Patriots fans do not know what to expect but all still believe hands down, they should be in the Super Bowl. A Super Bowl win that would cap off a great 2000s decade for Boston and because the Super Bowl takes place in 2010 it’s a good way to start a New Year and decade. A Super Bowl would also quickly shut-up Yankee fans if they do end up winning this season.

Baseball Predictions

Red Sox over Angels (5 games)
Yankees over Twins (4 games)
Phillies over Rockies (5 games)
Cardinals over Dodgers (5 games)

Red Sox over Yankees (6 games)
Phillies over Cardinals (6 games)

Red Sox over Phillies (5 games)

The Phillies will find their way back to the World Series but will be shut down by a Red Sox team that seems ready to explode. Some may not agree but if Beckett and Lester are the pitchers everyone knows they can be, there is no way any team would be able to beat the duo especially if Buchholz or Matsuzaka are able to manage their way through games.

Yes, the Yankees are the out right favorite but I think in the end it will be a lack of inexperience and poor past track records with players in the playoffs. With the exception of Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Damon and Petitte, no one else on the team has won a World Series. Not to say that cannot win, because they still have a great line up and it will be hard to stop.

As for the other teams left, with the exception of Minnesota, any of the team in the playoffs could make a legitimate arguement for winning the World Series. Now we just got to watch and find out.