We’ll be offline enjoying the joyous holiday of Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah through October 18th.
I’d be remiss not to mention the incredible postseason that the Guardians (can I still call them our Tribe?) have provided Cleveland this month.
This team was not supposed to make the playoffs. It’s loaded with rookies and it’s the first time in 36 years that the youngest team in baseball even made it to the playoffs!
In the Wild Card series I went with my grandfather and 2 older kids (7th generation Clevelanders!) to watch the Tribe take on the Rays.
It was Talia’s 9th birthday and she proudly wore a birthday hat to the game.
The kids got several packs of free baseball cards on their way in and Rafi pulled a Shane Bieber while Talia got Jose Ramirez.
Someone sitting next to us gave her a foul ball and someone else gave her one of the freebies they were tossing out to fans.
One fan took our picture and then handed her a $20 bill and said “happy birthday, please go get yourself a present on me!” She gave her a giant thanks and I just stood there in disbelief. Strangers do that?
We went to the souvenir stand after the outstanding win thanks to Bieber and Ramirez and she asked the clerk how much a Guardians backpack cost. The answer was $30, so I said to ask about something she could buy with her $20. However, the guy that was checking out in front of us said it’s his treat for her birthday.
At this point I’m just downright embarrassed and tell him that is really not necessary and he shouldn’t do that. However the guy insists on buying it for her and then says to me thanks for being a good dad and bringing your kids to watch some playoff baseball.
Talia was so gracious to each of her gift givers. And I was just blown away at how awesome people can be.
The 2nd Wild Card game was on Shabbos, and I didn’t buy any Division Series tickets as I wasn’t sure if the games would conflict with Shabbos or holidays.
By the time the start time was published, tickets were sold out and prices on the secondary market were quite frothy.
Earlier this year I wrote about redeeming Capital One Rewards for MLB tickets and a friend tipped me off that they were available for the playoffs as well. I redeemed just $70 of rewards per ticket on my Spark Cash Plus Card for tickets to the game. Score!
The Yankees had an opening day payroll of $246M, dwarfing the Guardians $68 payroll. Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton’s 2023 salaries are about equal to the entire Guards payroll.
Was there any hope?
These teams have some great October history. I vividly remember being at my grandfather’s house watching Sandy Alomar shock Mariano Rivera with a home run in the 1997 Division Series.
And who can forget the 2007 bug game?
The series was tied at 1 game each, making this a best of 3 series. But the Lake Erie midges that were rumored to be around were a no show.
My brother JJ and his wife Basha are in town for the holiday, so they came along with me and a friend and we left soon after making Havdala at the end of Shabbos. We arrived in the 2nd inning and got free parking thanks to our tardiness.
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But no matter. We caught Kwan knocking in the 2nd run of the game and then watched the Yanks score 4 unanswered runs, as Judge finally broke his postseason slump.
Brennan pinch hit in the 6th to bring the Tribe within 1 run and the place went crazy,
But Bader would claim that run right back in the 7th, and odds didn’t look good for the home team.
27 outs.#ForTheLand | #GuardiWWins pic.twitter.com/y770mR8QIn
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 16, 2022
Into the bottom of the 9th inning we went, and JJ and I switched to our rally caps. We would need them. Going into the game, the Bronx Bombers were 167-0 in the postseason when entering the 9th inning with a multiple run lead.
But this was a Cleveland team that has a league leading 29 wins in their final at bat.
When Ramirez got the plate and hit a single, the place went nuts.
And then Oscar Gonzalez delivered the 5th hit of the inning, putting the Tribe on top:
PUT THE BALL IN PLAY.#ForTheLand | #GuardiWWins pic.twitter.com/cnRd0bFxHS
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 16, 2022
Just about everyone at the ballpark lost their voices as they cheered their hearts out for the home team.
To say the place went nuts is an understatement!
CHAOS. IN. CLEVELAND.
The @CleGuardians are one win away from the ALCS.
📽️ NTT #BallparkCam | #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/OL8D1Lcvye
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 16, 2022
Videos from outside the stadium are perhaps even more astounding.
This video shot from a good distance away from the stadium is just incredible as the place explodes with cheers, down to the guys in the parking lot in the foreground:
Sports are so special, man.
(via @PeteMarek)pic.twitter.com/5bVMwIymG2
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 16, 2022
Passengers flying on United flight 2347 from Chicago to Cleveland erupted in cheer as they watching the game on the seatback entertainment system:
Flight from Chicago to Cleveland during the game — super cool moment #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/s62lrKahoy
— Jordo (@JordoAlmighty) October 16, 2022
And the party lasted long after the final pitch:
Baseball town.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/AT6UZHegFm
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 16, 2022
Sure, the Division Series is still a toss-up, with the Yankees Ace going up against the Guardians #3 starter tonight, followed by a return to New York if necessary tomorrow night. Due to Thursday’s postponement, the Tribe still won’t be able to start Bieber again. But no matter what happens now, this was an unexpected treat for Cleveland from a team that had more losses than wins last year and has one of lowest payrolls in Major League Baseball this year.
The Padres have upset the Dodgers, the Phillies have upset the Braves. Does baseball have one more trick up its sleeve this Division Series?
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29 Comments On "Vacation Notice; Can The Guardians Pull Off Another Upset?"
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Go Guards!!! There’s nothing like playoff baseball at The Jake/Progressive Field…Let’s finish ’em off tonight!!!
This didn’t age well
What difference does it make who wins?
Being a diehard sports fan may have some positive effects on your mental health. Studies have found that people who are sports fans have higher self-esteem compared to individuals with no interest in sports. Sports fans were also found to feel more fulfilled in life.
If you have no other fulfilment in life!
Surprisingly, human beings don’t have a binary option.
You can derive enjoyment from the physical, such as a baseball game, and then channel that enjoyment into something spiritual to reach a level otherwise unattainable.
This explains it!
https://torasavigdor.org/rav-avigdor-miller-on-baseball-and-hemorrhoids/
This is not news. People who did not pay attention to David versus Goliath continued in their depression. Shame about Game 5.
That was short lived!! Yay!! Go Yanks!!!
No they can’t. Naylor can go back to his baby now.
I’m legitimately curious whether he didn’t know the whole story with Pedro Martinez and the “who’s your daddy” thing, because he really set himself up for that.
Doesn’t the new stupid name Guardians bother you?
Nope
Sorry Dan ny rocks! Time to get back to the browns blowing every game #jets
No way
No.
Here to celebrate the Yankees winning in 5!
Dan (and especially JJ), you are better than this. How would you feel if the team name and caricature mocked your people? I don’t like cancel culture. I also get you grew up with these logos and it’s all you really know but you should respect the dignity of a marginalized group. Never forget is a collective mentality. I respect both of your opinions and beliefs so if I am missing something logical I am open to understanding it.
The vast majority of polled Native Americans felt that the name/logo were not intended to demean and didn’t ask for the change.
The change only came due to cancel culture post-Floyd, with white people telling others what they should be offended about.
The vast majority of the stadium was also filled with people wearing Indians/Chief Wahoo attire. Yes, we all grew up with it, but it’s with a warm fuzzy feeling that was honoring Native American players and wasn’t with intent to demean.
Personally I have no problem with say, Tottenham Yids, despite others saying we should be offended by it. More humorous than anything else.
At any rate, let’s go Padres!
honestly i’m a lot more bothered about the logo than the name. As long as the name itself isn’t some kind of stereotype, i don’t see the problem (i.e. why “redskins” is a problem but “braves” or “chiefs” is not). The logo itself is kind of offensive, but over time it’ll be replaced with Guardians stuff and that’s probably fine too. Your first baseball acting like a fool, that’s a much bigger problem.
Yair, is judging disfavorably your first aveirah since Yom Kippur?
no, of course not. it’s been more than a week. I sincerely apologize to your excellency for disparaging Josh Naylor. Any other toichecha your excellency wants to provide me with, or are we done for now, rebbe?
Wow You are so polite !!!
Perhaps vacation notices due to religious observance should be kept separated from sports posts, with some explanatory notes about the holidays and their observance, as you usually do so well.
(Lehavdil Bain kodesh lchol?)
Agree to disagree.
https://www.dansdeals.com/more/dans-commentary/sports/vacation-notice-can-guardians-pull-off-another-upset/#comment-1593761
Do you need to post an update here?
Update: No.
Slight correction. Cleveland’s opening day payroll was $68M not $68 but those were essentially the same. Or was it an intentional typo on your part?
I don’t think adults should be bickering like a bunch of kids