There are more good series in baseball other than Red Sox/Yankees this week

People always seem to complain that the media is too Red Sox/Yankees obsessed (even though they are the two most popular teams one practically the only teams that get any kind of national ratings.)

But if I weren’t a Red Sox fan, I’d probably agree with them.

So let’s take a look at the other match ups in big league baseball… you’ll find there is reason to watch games in places other than the Bronx.

KANSAS CITY vs. BALTIMORE

The “We were good in the late 70s and early 80s” Series.

CHICAGO vs. DETROIT

The “I Swear, we both won pennants in the last 5 years even though you probably forgot about them” Series.

PHILADELPHIA vs. PITTSBURGH

The “Battle for Pennsylvania” Series… make that The “Incredibly Lopsided Battle for Pennsylvania” Series… or the “I Can’t Believe The Flyers Are Still In It And The Penguins Aren’t” Series

MINNESOTA vs. TORONTO

The “If This Were The Early 90s This Would Be A Match Up Of Recent World Series Winners” Series

TAMPA BAY vs. CLEVELAND

The “Average Age Of Our Players Is 22” Series

MILWAUKEE vs. CINCINNATI

The “Lousy Central Pick By Sully for 2010 vs. Lousy Central Pick By Sully for 2009” Series

ARIZONA vs. FLORIDA

The “We Both Beat The Yankees In The World Series Last Decade” Series

NEW YORK vs. ATLANTA

The “I Swear This Used To Be A Heated Rivalry” Series

COLORADO vs. CHICAGO

The “If The Rockies With The World Series Before The Cubs Then Cub Fans Will All Be On Suicide Watch” Series

TEXAS vs. LOS ANGELES (Of Anaheim)

The “Last Time the Angels will be BEHIND the Rangers All Year” Series

ST. LOUIS vs. WASHINGTON

The “Can You Believe This Is A Match Up of SECOND PLACE Teams?” Series

OAKLAND vs. SEATTLE

The “Did we BOTH Really Think We Had A Shot Against The Angels?” Series

SAN DIEGO vs. SAN FRANCISCO

The “Can You Believe First Place Is On The Line?” Series

LOS ANGELES vs. HOUSTON

The “Bad Divorce vs. Bad Management” Series

So there you have it… there are great series up and down the dial. So if you don’t want to watch Red Sox/Yankees, flip around and quit yer belly aching.

This Red Sox/Yankees series reminds me of Superman IV

I know the Red Sox and the Yankees are playing each other tonight… and I am just not feeling it.

It clearly isn’t because I haven’t been following the season. Who else do you know who is keeping track of the close wins and loses like I do.

And it isn’t because baseball doesn’t interest me. But there’s a going through the motions element of this Yankees/Red Sox series that just can’t match the games of the past.

Yeah, a Red Sox win can help them climb up in the standings.
Yeah both teams have tons of stars and many players with World Series rings.

But doesn’t it seem tired? Doesn’t it seem like Superman IV: The Quest For Peace?

Do you remember that movie? Probably not… it was the tired, franchise killing, let’s wring the last dime out of this series movie that came, went and was just dreadful.

Oh they tried to make Superman IV feel like the first two great ones. They got Gene Hackman back and went back to Smallville and the Fortress of Solitude. They tried to give Superman a bad guy who could match him and they dutifully played the John Williams music and had the credits over space.

But it all seemed forced. There was no way they could get the enthusiasm of the original. There was no Marlon Brando. There was no General Zod.

Hell, there wasn’t even a Miss Tessmacher or Otis. Even his smile to the camera at the end of the film is tired.

That’s this series… yeah Big Papi is on one side and Jeter and A-Rod are on the other. Yeah there have been recent World Series titles on both sides…

But it feels tired. It doesn’t have a sense of urgency.

Maybe the fact that the Red Sox are a .500 team without an identity is part of the problem.
Maybe the fact that the Yankees are clearly better than the Red Sox this year is part of the problem.
Maybe the fact that the Rays are better than both of them this year is part of the problem.

Or maybe the problem is they slashed the budget, didn’t rehire Richard Donner to direct it and had a lousy script is the problem.

Oh wait, that was the problem with Superman IV.

I told you I got the two confused.

CINCINNATI FANS… THE REDS’ MAGIC NUMBER IS 125

That’s right… we are in Mid May and the Reds have passed the Cardinals. The Cincinnati Reds are in first! I don’t want people to be blasé about this along the banks of the Ohio River.

One of the great baseball cities of all time has a team in first place… and they got there with some complete games, some clutch hitting and some home grown players with kick ass names like Joey Botto, Jay Bruce, Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake.

I picked the Reds to win the pennant last year and while I was WAY off, I didn’t pick that team out of a hat. I felt their young talent could blossom into an exciting young team that Reds fans can call their own.

That could be what is happening now.

I am not expecting every game at Great American Ballpark to be standing room only… but you fans aren’t Rays fans, a fan base that is being treated to one of the most exciting young teams the game has seen in years who could possibly outplay the Yankees and Red Sox for the second time in three years… and can’t fill half their stadium.

The Rays play in a crappy ballpark that is hard to get to and the fan base has no tradition in baseball.

The Reds are just the opposite. They have a great park that is easy to get to and one of the richest traditions in all of baseball. Don’t believe me? Read up!

Time to put some fannys in the seats. School will be out soon and the kids in Ohio and Northern Kentucky are going to be treated to a team that is in contention. By midseason they might even be inserting Aroldis Chapman into their rotation to give them an even bigger boost.

You hear how New York, Boston and St. Louis fans are the most passionate about baseball. Time to punch your entry into the discussion Reds fans.

I know the 2000s were rough for the Reds as they were part of the “less than magnificent seven” teams that went from 2000 to 2009 without a playoff appearance.

I know young fans might be apathetic.

No excuse now… you’ve got a contender on your hands. And any combination of Reds wins and Cardinals losses that equal 125 will send the Reds back to the playoffs.

It’s never too early to count down!