From the Windup is FanHouse's daily, extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.
Every year, the same thing happens to me. The season ends, the Pirates fail to make the playoffs, and I need to find a new team to root for in October. I love playoff baseball, but sports just aren't the same without a rooting interest. That means that every year I have to sift through the eight playoff opponents and decide who's worth rooting for and who isn't.
There's a good chance that if you're reading this, you're in the same boat as I am. It happens. In fact, it happens to 22 of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball. Whether or not you cheer for a team that missed the playoffs by a heartbreaking fingernail like the Twins or Mets or you're a PIrates or Royals fan, you need a team to cheer for in October. There are two key things to consider: the players on each team and the fans that cheer for them. Who can stomach the thought of cheering for the Red Sox when you know the end result will make their fans happy?
Follow along after the jump as I hit the pros and cons of each of the contenders this year and try to figure out who's worth of your time.
The Big MarketsSports
I generally just ignore the big market teams in the playoffs, but that's hard to do this year. Of the eight qualifiers, there are two teams from Chicago, two teams from Los Angeles, a team from Philly, and a team from Boston. Neither New York team made it this year, which means that the big markets and marginally more palatable than they are in most other years. On top of that, the two small market teams in this mix aren't perfect, so ignoring all of the big market teams just isn't going to fly.
Of course, there are a couple we can start off with by ruling out right off the bat. The first team I'm pushing off the bandwagon this year is the Cubs. Who hasn't been to a game in their home park only to have the night ruined by a pack of drunken idiots in Mark Prior jerseys screaming about Aramis Ramirez? The Cubs' bandwagon is already swelling under the weight of Cubs' "fans" that spend most afternoons drunk at Wrigley, only to suddenly discover that they've got a good team this year. They don't need more help.
Staying in Chicago, the White Sox fans aren't nearly as obnoxious as Cubs fans. Their team is kind of boring, they've won a World Series pretty recently, and A.J. Pierzynski is a total jerk, but they score special bonus points for Ozzie Guillen's insanity and the Jim Thome/Ken Griffey Jr. "Nice Guy that Deserves a Ring" factor. There are worse teams to hitch your wagon to this October.
Next up we've got the Red Sox. There's a bit of a disconnect between the notorious Red Sox fans and their team. As unlikable as their fans are (I know one who thinks that Jason Bay's real first name is Jay), who roots against David Ortiz? Who isn't inspired by Jon Lester? What fan that watched Jason Bay sludge through five years in Pittsburgh isn't happy for the guy in Boston? Who doesn't want to have a beer with Terry Francona? Still, all of the recent Boston sports domination has made Red Sox fans in 2008 as annoying as Yankees fans in 1998. You don't want to be on this bandwagon.
We'll move on to the L.A. teams next. The Angels fans actually brought "Thanks for the great season!" signs to Game 3 of last year's ALDS. The Angels hadn't lost the series yet. As much as I'd like to see Vladimir Guerrero and my boy John Lackey get rings, those fans that Bill Simmons so memorably deemed the "Stepford Fans" weigh pretty heavily here. And, I mean, do you want to be associated with the Rally Monkey for even three weeks? The Dodgers have a special subset in this conversation. They might tack on some residual Manny Ramirez fans or scare away Manny haters, but the big following the Dodgers have in these playoffs are spiteful Yankee fans. You see, Joe Torre is managing the Dodgers in the playoffs while the Yankees are at home. And every Yankee fan that was upset with the Yanks for letting Torre go last year has their validation.
Finally, we have the Phillies.To be honest, I kind of like the Phillies this year. They're a fun team to watch with guys like Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Cole Hamels. I might have to turn in my Pittsburgh card, but, it's hard to build up hate for the team that's brought misery to the Mets two straight seasons. They're a good choice if you can overlook the celebration in Philly that's certain to follow.
The Small Markets
Now THIS is where your scrappy underdog/October favorites come from. The small market teams. We've only got two entries in this division this year, and one of them is in sad shape after getting the crap kicked out of them yesterday. We'll start with that team: the Brewers. They're a small market club that's slowly rebuilt themselves the right way, they've got one of the "good guys" managing the team in Dale Sveum, and CC Sabathia just might be the most likable human on the face of the planet. Their fans are nice people who like to drink. This is a team to get behind, except for one small problem: most of their players are obnoxious. Prince Fielder is a petulant brat and the whole team kind of acts like they deserve to be in the playoffs with their annoying untucked shirt celebration. Good concept, poor execution.
That leaves the Rays, who are full of young, exciting players and are going to be good for a long time. Their fans aren't annoying because, well, they don't seem to have a lot of fans. Of course, that's because they started the franchise off with 10 straight losing seasons. The trouble comes for long-time fans that have suffered with their teams for longer than the Rays have existed. Realizing that the Rays can build an entire franchise from the ground to the World Series in a time that your favorite team can't even make the playoffs or muster a winning season is beyond frustrating.
Actually, that's the problem with this exercise. There's no team that's as good as your favorite team. I realize I sound pretty hateful of every single fanbase involved in the playoffs here, but the truth is that it's more jealousy. If the Rays or Brewers win the World Series this year, I'll be excited that a team from a small market can rebuild and win without splurging on free agents. If Thome or Bay wins a ring, it'll be hard not to be happy for those guys. But I'll also be jealous watching their fans celebrate something that I've hoped to celebrate my entire life.
