The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

As is typical for me around this time of year, I've been spending a lot of time with family around the holidays. My brother, sister-in-law, and niece will be flying this way around Christmas, and as always, I'm incredibly excited to see them. While I love my niece dearly, however, I was quite thankful she wasn't with my family and I on Thanksgiving. When it comes to family, I consider myself very lucky. Sure, there always appears to be some unnecessary drama, not to mention a couple of individuals whom have all been alienated themselves from the rest of the family. What family isn't a little dysfunctional, though? When we're together, chances are we're talking, laughing, eating, drinking, and having a good time. While we find a way to make the diverse mix of constants work together, however, the wild cards are always the cousins' boyfriends/girlfriends, and last month, one such individual prompted me to say thanks for my niece to not be potentially placed ...

Saturday Game: Kansas City at Houston Prediction: Kansas City - These two teams started the year a combined 3-10, but finished the year a combined 17-2. Houston's defense has been stepping up a great deal in recent weeks, but then again, so has Kansas City's. The Chiefs, winners of ten in a row, have a more consistent quarterback in Alex Smith, finally have a vertical threat in Jeremy Maclin, and should be able to score just enough points to eek out a win. I'll take Kansas City on the road by a field goal. Result: Kansas City 30 Houston 0 Record: 1-0 Game: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati Prediction: Pittsburgh - A lot depends on the health and readiness of Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton. If he's fully healthy, isn't being rushed back, and doesn't showcase much rust in his return, I'd be inclined to go with the Bengals at home. However, I don't believe that's going to be the case, and unfortunately for Dalton, Marvin Lewis, and the Bengals, ...

While I'm not against the idea of both leagues adding a second Wild Card team to the playoffs in baseball, I am against the one-and-done format for that Wild Card games. The divisional series are just a best-of-five format, and the championship and World Series are both in a best-of-seven format. I can understand not wanting the season to last too late into October, however if the league is that concerned, how about decreasing the load of regular season games down from 162 to 155 or 150? If we can't decide who belongs in the playoffs after 150 games, we may never fully decide on the matter. Also, while I was pulling for the Kansas City Royals to win last night's Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics, I don't think either of these two playoff teams, whom played 162 regular season games, should see their season end after a single playoff game. At the very least, it should be a three-game series. The following breakdown just doesn't make a lot of sense to me: ...

After the Oakland Athletics traded slugger Yoenis Cespedes to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for ace Jon Lester while most ESPN talking heads were lauding the move, I immediately criticized it, as I posted this blog on August 1st - http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2014/08/why-detroits-trade-was-better-than.html. In the writing, I also said that I felt the Detroit Tigers trading Austin Jackson and Drew Smyly for Cy Young award winner David Price would wind up being a better move than Oakland's. On August 1st, the Oakland Athletics had the best record in the Major Leagues at 66-42 (.611). They were a game up on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the American League West division. The Detroit Tigers, meanwhile, were 59-47 (.557) and four games ahead of Kansas City in the AL Central. Fast-forward two months and Oakland finished 88-74 (.543) and ten games behind the Angels. Detroit finished 90-72 (.556) and a game ahead of Kansas City. The Athletics then lost to the Ro...

I've been trying to find a clever analogy to paint just how ridiculous the Tea Party's government shutdown is and think one has finally dawned on me. The Tea Party has stated that Obamacare is ruining this country essentially and have shutdown the government in an effort to get the law repealed, defunded, or delayed. Yet, the law hasn't been fully implemented. This would be like players shutting down baseball before the Wild Card was implemented because it was destroying the game. Such a conversation between a player and the commissioner may go like this: Player: "We've had it! What you did with the Wild Cards has completely destroyed the game and we're not going to stand for it anymore! We go on strike!" Commissioner: "What do you mean?" Player: "You heard me!" Commissioner: "The Wild Cards have destroyed the game? But that doesn't go into effect until next season..." Player: "Yeah, I know. But, just ...

I heard from the special guest on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption  the other day that "everybody" loves the new playoff format, where there are two Wild Card teams at season's end who play in a one-game playoff. However, I know this statement is inaccurate, for I do not feel this way. Just like with rewarding the league winner of the All-Star Game with home-field advantage in the World Series was a bad idea in my opinion, this is as well. I'm fine with changes being made to the playoff-format in Major League Baseball. I was in favor of adding a Wild Card team initially for a best-of-five series. I'd be fine with the addition of a second Wild Card team in each league, but not in the current format. As far as I see it, there were only four teams in each league that made the playoffs this year: New York, Detroit, Oakland and Baltimore from the American League and Washington, Cincinnati, San Francisco and St. Louis from the National League. Texas and Atlanta play...

Being an Atlanta Braves fan has been difficult through the years. Sadly, as an Atlanta Braves fan, I think I've become immune to the seemingly inevitable annual disappointments that come with the territory. It's been especially difficult these past couple years. They all but had the National League Wild Card a year ago, before they decided to collapse and lose the Wild Card spot to the St. Louis Cardinals on the final day of the regular season. In the Wild Card game this year, they faced those very same Cardinals. The Braves had the best defense in the regular season as far as fielding percentage went. Against the Cardinals, they decided to commit three errors. Then in the 8th inning, with runners on 1st and 2nd and one out for Atlanta, a ball was popped up between shortstop and left field and an umpire called an infield fly rule quite late as the ball dropped between the two players. That would have loaded the bases with just one away, but due to the late call by the umpire, a...

I've been fighting a cold the past 2-3 days, so I wanted to get to bed early last night, but couldn't bring myself to do that. The reason? Baseball. It was the final day of the regular season and there were four big games played last night which could have decided the wild card teams from both leagues, as the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays were tied for the final playoff spot in the American League and the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals were tied for the wild card in the National League. In the first week of September, Boston led Tampa by 9 games and Atlanta led St. Louis by 8.5. For Tampa and St. Louis to tie Boston and Atlanta going into the last day of the regular season was remarkable by itself. What occurred last night was even wilder. St. Louis had no problems with Houston, defeating the hapless Astros 8-0, to put them 0.5 game ahead of Atlanta. The Braves led for most of their game against Philadelphia, up 3-1 until fairly late and 3-2 going to the top of th...

It seems that not long ago the Atlanta Braves were up 10 games on the St. Louis Cardinals for the National League Wild Card spot. The Braves had it locked up, right? As they've proven, that definitely wasn't the case. That lead has shrunk to 2.5 games with a little over a week left in the season. With the Braves struggling and the Cardinals playing well, that 2.5 game lead looks like anything but a guarantee. The big thing for the Braves this year has been pitching, starters and especially the bullpen. With Eric O' Flaherty in the 7th, Johnny Venters in the 8th and Craig Kimbrel in the 9th, if the Braves had a lead through 6, they were about guaranteed a victory. That hasn't been the case in the past week, where the youngsters have appeared vulnerable. Starting pitching has been a problem as well. When healthy, Atlanta has one of the better rotations in baseball, featuring: Tim Hudson, Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson, Derek Lowe and Brandon Beachy. Hudson has been the roc...