Manny Ramirez gets traded to the Dodgers following the huge debacle in Boston.
Both teams make the playoffs and cruise through the first round, and in round two, both Boston and Los Angeles are favored to win the AL and NL, respectively.
Manny hears jeers at Fenway, cheers at Dodger Stadium, and the World Series is one of the highest rated of all time.
Talk about a fairytale.
Instead, two other great teams, the Rays and Phillies, get to steal the show and essentially the fun from the October Classic.
Congratulations, Rays. You did everything everyone said you couldn’t do, and now you’re ready to win it all and be in contention for years to come. But for some reason, this World Series just doesn’t seem to compare to some better ones in recent memory.
Well done, Phillies. You beat the Dodgers, who beat the best team in the National League, and one of the hottest teams since the arrival of Manny Ramirez.
Think about it — no Yankees, no Red Sox, no Cubs — you get the point.
Now, with the Rays shocking the Red Sox in Tampa Bay, beating the defending champions in seven games, we get to watch one of the most unexpected and unwanted World Series in recent memory.
It’s not the World Series most were expecting. In fact, I’d bet most baseball fans would have preferred to see different representatives from each league face each other.
Instead, we have James Shields vs. Cole Hamels, and Evan Longoria matching up against Chase Utley — not exactly Manny Ramirez facing off against his former team.
Sure, these aren’t your ordinary Rays — they made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, and did so in the best division in baseball. They defied all odds and made the World Series, beating arguably the best team in baseball in the process.
I’ll tell you one thing though — there won’t be that drama that could have been with Manny facing the Sox. There won’t be the thrill of seeing the Cubs’ attempt at breaking their curse.
Face it people, this just isn’t what baseball needs right now.
With baseball being more and more overshadowed by the NFL and NBA, it needed something to light the fire in the playoffs.
Frankly, the city of Philadelphia’s 25-year championship drought isn’t exactly the spark the MLB was hoping for.
Everyone wants to see the glory, the drama and the rivalries — that’s why baseball hasn’t been as exciting recently.
When the Cubs were in the playoffs, everyone was hoping they would move on so they could make history, or break it rather.
Four years ago when the Red Sox battled back from three games down against their archrival Yankees and won the World Series, the baseball world was jumping.
Now, we just simply don’t have that luxury.
The Rays and Phillies bring a lot to the table. Great pitching, hitting, coaching and among the best bullpens in baseball.
But somehow, it just doesn’t seem all that exciting. Two great teams, and I don’t really care.
Well, you tell me what sounds better — Manny versus Boston or Ryan Howard versus Tampa Bay.
Yeah, you might have your own opinions on the World Series, but believe me, the Phillies breaking their 28-year championship-less streak will mean a lot less to every baseball fan than Manny hitting a walk-off against his former team, or the Cubs breaking their 100-year drought.
Hopefully, the Rays and Phillies will prove me wrong. They are two great teams that did what most people did not expect them to achieve. Maybe they’ll create that drama everyone is just itching to see.
Jonah is a sophomore hoping to major in journalism. Have your own take on the World Series? Think Rays-Phillies is an ideal matchup? He can be reached at [email protected].