looming on the horizon, I'm sure even more of you have read enough articles on the match up to give any sabermetrics geek a wet dream. Needless to say, I am not that guy who is going to go over Dustin Pedroia's VORP or Rafael Perez's IRA (or whatever the hell that's supposed to be) and any other magical formula that is supposed to predict the WS champion. Afterall, didn't Baseball Prospectus use the same formulas to predict the Cubs two months ago? Instead, I'm breaking this series down by the stuff that
It's simple math...seven games, seven categories and winner take all. Let's go! Without further adieu, the nominees please...
Best Celebrity Fans:
For being a town in the Great Lakes region, Cleveland suprisingly has a few in their pockets. Most notably is Drew Carey. The power of the Drew Carey bobblehead cannot be overstated in this battle. Also lingering in the Wahoo Nation is actor Tom Hanks who has been a fan since he was a young actor working in Cleveland.
Boston has perhaps the most notorious celeb fan duo in notorious douchebag bad actor Ben Affleck and the likeable good actor (thanks to his better choice of movies) Matt Damon. These guys compliment each other in such a way that they could be the Yin and the Yang of major sports fans. Through in another big notable such as Stephen King and this really fan base is loaded with all the self rightiousness the regular fan base can handle.
Edge: Cleveland...on the strength of Drew being named Bob Barker's successor this year.
X Factor Guy for the ALCS:
To baseball fans abroad, the Indians pick is a no brainer. Joe Borowski needs to figure out how to keep the ball in the park. Sooner or later he's going to be asked (or begged for that matter) to close out a one run game. Needless to say, the sales of Maalox in the Cleveland area has quadroupled since the advent of the JoBo era.
I think the player Boston will need to do well this series is Curt Schilling based on the sole fact that he'll be going toe-to-toe with Fausto Carmona in game 2. A Schilling win would be HUGE for Red Sox fans no matter who wins the toss-up battle in game one between C.C. Sabathia and Josh Beckett.
Edge: Boston...the Borowski anxiety is just too high in this town to be ignored while Schilling has the prior playoff record.
Biggest "Black-Eye" in Team History:
Indians young and old fondly remember (or love to be told) the infamous evening of "
nickel beer night" at Cleveland Stadium in 1974. Proud? Ashamed? Well, now I guess it just depends on your point of view.
The reputation of Red Sox Nation really took a hit during the famed 2004 World Series run due to the filming and eventual release of
Fever Pitch starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore. The movie was based on a novel by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy) based on an obcessed soccer fan. Eventually, some asshole decided to American-ize it and much to the horror of Red Sox fans everywhere they were made into chick-flick icons.
Edge: Cleveland...nickel beer night is something I'd rather have on my fan resume (and so would Boston I'm sure).
Better Team Mascot:
Slider has been representing the reservation now for over a decade and nobody still knows what the hell he's supposed to be. Slider is probably best known for two things in his career: breaking his leg in the playoffs after falling off the outfield ledge in the 90's and being boo'ed off the field during his debut.
Red Sox fan has Wally the Green Monster. Shit, give them credit...at least we know what he's supposed to be.
Edge: Boston...bonus points for the Oscar the Friendly Grouch look
Best Fan Moment of 2007:
I had a little trouble selecting this one for the Tribe fans. It was kind of a down year for our typical shenanigans. If I had to choose one to go into battle with, I'm going with the guy who ran out onto the field opening day in the snow to bust out some snow angels in the outfield. Extra bonus for doing it in a jersey and not a winter coat.
Boston may have had one of the best fan moments in all of baseball thanks to pizza guy. The guys at
Barstool Sports nailed this one, the YouTube clip says it all.
Edge: Boston...this one wasn't close at all. I still laugh every time I watch this.
Player You Wouldn't Trust with Your Girlfriend:
No offense to Grady Sizemore, but I see girls young and old release "snail-trails" in their seats every time you move. Any guy wouldn't mind having his curse.
Don't let Dice-K fool you. He's got the foreign accent, charm, million dollar contract and the gyro-ball. Rumor has it he can even dance like Kevin Bacon without spilling his drink. Sadly, I can do neither.
Edge: Cleveland...not even close.
Most Painful Player Departure for the Fans to See:
In a team history without out many World Series titles, this choice could be up for debate. I'm going with Manny Ramirez. He's build a hall of fame resume with both the Indians and Red Sox and won World Series MVP in 2004 for Boston. Also, Manny is entering this series red hot after a big series against the Angels.
C'mon, everybody knows this one. Though the alleged curse has been lifted, what Babe Ruth could have been in Boston is still one of sports greatest "what if" questions. Would he have won 400 games if he kept pitching or would he have hit just as many if not more HRs in Fenway? Either way, Boston would have won thier share of world titles.
Edge: Cleveland...the Babe's "what if" factor weighs heavier than Manny's one title.
Final Score: Cleveland 4, Boston 3.
Vegas is calling! Tribe in seven games. Having C.C. and Fausto potentially pitching 4 games will be too much for the Red Sox to handle. Book it.