Both the Milwaukee Brewers (against the St. Louis Cardinals) and the Detroit Tigers (facing the Texas Rangers) are currently having a tough go of things, having to come from behind to clinch their potential World Series bid. I'm not going to do something stupid like predict that these two teams will actually make the big show, but it's the match-up I'd prefer to see. Reasons? They are forthcoming...
1) "The Battle of Lake Michigan". Yes, like the 2000 "Subway Series" in New York or the "Battle of the Bay" between Oakland and San Francisco in 1989, it's always fun to have a championship contest between two teams within shouting distance of each other. Driving distance is just under 400 miles, or about six hours by the fastest route. You can cut that time in half by flying, of course (assuming you don't mind a quick stop in Chicago). And really, wouldn't it be awesome to see a vast caravan of Tiger fans rolling up to Miller Park, or a wide swath of Brew Crew faithful invading Comerica Park?
2) Renewed rivalries. Remember that before the expansion and realignment of the two leagues in 1998, these two teams used to be in the same league and division. This would make for a perfect TV package, obviously, with lots of fun throwback footage: Molitor and Yount patrolling Milwaukee County Stadium, Sparky and the "Bless You Boys" tearing up downtown Detroit - the fun could be endless. (If MLB had any sense of humor/fun/whimsy, they'd stage at least one game in each stadium with old-school 1980s uniforms. Don't expect that to ever happen in a World Series, however.)
3) The Fielder Family. Prince Fielder, as you are no doubt aware, is Milwaukee's star slugger. Cecil Fielder, as you may potentially have forgotten, is Prince's dad and a former star slugger for the Detroit Tigers. Again, more interesting television angles to be had. Which way will Cecil turn - loyalty to his former team, or allegiance to his son's current employer? Maybe have Prince interview his dad, or vice versa. Madness!
4) "Beer and Cheese Party". Should Milwaukee manage to reach the Series and, even better, win the whole shebang, imagine the euphoria that would result for America's Dairyland. Not just the NFL-champion Green Bay Packers, but also the Brewers as World Champions? Just get the Bucks into the NBA Finals and...oh, wait. The NBA still can't get its act together? Never mind, then.
5) The Continued Rebirth of Detroit. Obviously, sports alone are not a cure for the ailments of Michigan's one-time crown jewel, but when was the last time that the city could boast as many as three top-flight major league teams? Yes, the Red Wings have always been consistently good, but the Tigers have gone quite a while without a championship and the Lions have been...well, they've been terrible up until now. Now, if only the Pistons could get back on track...oh, shoot. That whole NBA fiasco again! Sorry.
There are probably more good reasons, but those are the best I could come up with. Any others?
No comments:
Post a Comment