Friday, October 28, 2005
More World Series
Check out the Wall Street Journal's daily free feature, the Daily Fix, which discusses the White Sox's championship run. There is an especially good paragraph referring to the potential attempts by other teams to copy the White Sox:
It's an inevitable postchampionship impulse: Other teams wonder how they can apply the winning formula and mint their own trophy. Among the would-be White Sox copycat: Detroit News columnist Rob Parker, for the Tigers; and the Washington Post's Thomas Boswell, for the Nats.
Here's essential reading for this stratagem: "If the Chicago White Sox are going to be perceived as the fresh blueprint for universal baseball achievement, then imitation will follow, which means the search is on for dowdy ownership, ill-conceived ballparks, take-no-guff general managers, garrulous field leaders and rosters of players with generally ordinary skills and uncommon faith in one another," Tim Brown writes in the Los Angeles Times.
I am excited about the prospect of other teams copying the "Small Ball" approach. In fact, the Sox rely on the home run more than any other offensive weapon. They won this year because of run prevention from a great pitching staff and great defense, and 200 home runs. I hope other teams go small, so our pitchers can keep them in the park and get them out on sacrifice bunts. Copy what you do not understand, Cleveland!
Oh, by the way, they quote Black Betsy. It's not the first time I've been quoted in the Journal, but, quite frankly, it's the best.
