I’m predisposed to being a contrarian. I’m no crazy iconoclast or uber-non-conformist — I drive an Accord for crying out loud — but that is the general impulse. If you tell me something is the best ever, I’m going to look for flaws. If you hype something up, I’m going do my best to explain why everyone should calm down. I honestly believe that taking such an approach aids in critical thinking, but I’m also totally prepared to admit that a good amount of the time it only makes you sound like a mild ass. Oh well. Can’t change what I am.
So you can understand my frustration at the Red Sox-Phillies series that begins in Citizens Bank Park this evening. The two teams who were almost everyone’s pick to win the pennant. Big hitting against big pitching! A possible World Series preview! The source of the frustration? I can’t really argue with any of that.
I picked them to meet in the World Series before the season began, and if you put a gun to my head right now I’d say they’re still the favorites. The Red Sox’ recent mini-slump notwithstanding, they are big hitting, leading the majors in scoring. The Phillies have had a few bumps of their own — Ryan Madson and Roy Oswalt are out — but they still have the best ERA in baseball and it wouldn’t be easy to argue against their staff as a whole being the best in the game.
It is what everyone is saying it is. There isn’t much room for being a contrarian here. What an absolute drag!
