Oct 26 2009
Yankees and Phillies World Series Preview
After 162 games and two rounds of playoffs we are left with the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. “Who said pitching wins and offense does not matter come post season.” If you look at these two teams both of these offenses are perhaps the best we have seen in years. This World Series despite a sub par post season so far could be the best of many and perhaps significant enough to talk a little baseball history.
If the Phillies win this series they will be the first National League team since the “Big Red Machine” of the 1970’s to go back to back. The last team that has eclipsed that from the American League was of course no other than the late ninety New York Yankees who won 4 out of 5 World Series in the turn of the century, however this New York team has yet to taste the champagne since 2000 which in the Steinbrenner house is an eternity.
All the comparisons to the “Big Red Machine” of 75 and 76 Reds is very cool as both of these two teams might be able to give those teams of the past a run for their money but honestly we have not seen two offenses like the Phillies and the Yankees like this year in some time. Normally the pitching and defense is what brings a championship but these two teams are doing it with the bat and no one can deny that especially if you look at all of the statistics these two teams have been producing all year round.
The main show of the World Series may be the Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriquez show down as both of these guys have been lighting up score boards all post season when we know that both of these guys have historically struggled in the post season. The show down will be interesting to see who comes out on top and who will still be told that they are not the clutch performer they should be and remembered again as just another one that slipped away. Howard does have the ring of a year ago over Rodriquez but this is Alex Rodriguez the biggest story of the year in baseball and if he wins a World Series, Howard might as well take a back seat as Rodriguez will be the new king of baseball not only by his wallet size but a trophy that has eluded Rodriguez since coming to New York where he has been attacked and beat up the whole time as the richest man in baseball without a ring.
