Friends in eye black,
Just 18 of us went 4-0 in our Wild Card picks.
Remember when Commish was like "10-1 is the likeliest record to win this thing, followed NOT by 11-0 but rather by 9-2"?
I'LL ACCEPT MY PRAISE AT ANY TIME.
With a few more upsets this week, 9-2 is FIRMLY in play. With several upsets... 8-3 anyone?!
DIVISION SERIES PICKS
Picks:
- LAD over ARI (77% to 23%)
- ATL over PHI (68/32)
- BAL over TEX (63/37)
- HOU over MIN (62/38)
COMMISH COMMENTARY
What I love about playoffs pick'ems is that, given the limited number of picks, you MUST start getting frisky once you lose a pick or two.
This format removes the shackles of our "must pick favorites" burden unlike any other format.
And, as a result - surprise! - it keeps more people in the title race for longer. Because (say it with me) upsets happen more often than traditional pick'em behavior suggests (where we load up on favorites).
No club got more than 77% of our picks, which is both reflective of baseball's parity and the effect I just wrote about.
The Twins - to whom we gave 32% of our picks vs. the Blue Jays - actually gained ground in getting 38% of our picks vs. the vaunted Astros.
Are we... on... the Twins train?
LINE UP BEHIND CONDUCTOR KIRBY. CHOO CHOO BABY!!!!
COMMENT AWARDS
The “3-0 Green Light” Moxie Award
Boldest pick (with a comment). You can't win a SZN competition without a little Moxie!
@Mr_Darwin (Rangers, Twins, Braves, Diamondbacks): "F*** it dude, let's go bowling"
Commish says: Three underdogs? OK, cool. WAIT A MINUTE. Three underdogs FROM OUR CURRENT LEADER?!? BOW DOWN TO OUR BASEBALL MOXIE KING.
Bartolo Colon Home Run Club Award
The week's funniest/best comment (a club of one, just like Big Sexy’s career home run total)
@Shaggybrak (Orioles, Twins, Braves, Dodgers): "I've read that starting pitching is the key to winning it all... let's ask the Big Three Tom Glavine, Mike Maddux, and John Smoltz how that worked out for them in the grand scheme of winning it all in the 90's. You didn't say domination in the 90's without saying The Braves; but one WS win. It just so happens the 1991 Twins were one of those teams to knock off the GREATEST starting lineup of all time. Jack Morris pitched every inning of every game in the 1991 WS for the Twins and went to the bathroom for the team collectively. Look it up! It's not a hot take, but I'm guessing he will come out of retirement to carry the team again against arguably the strongest offense since Murderer's Row. His Just-For-Men grey Tony Stark goat will wispily unfurl across his strong, manly, grizzled chin and sparkle in the post season sun while he fires spaghetti armed 45mph splitfingered heaters confusing the entire Braves offense into a post season stupor. Feeling it. "
Commish says: Shaggy have you considered making t-shirts that say in big block print "JACK MORRIS PITCHED EVERY INNING OF EVERY GAME IN THE '91 WORLD SERIES. LOOK IT UP."? I imagine my dad and all of his friends would each buy 3 t-shirts. Thank me later.
"I Could Sell You Expos Tickets" Award
The week's most convincing comment, because there's still a market for Expos tickets
@LasLiLo1432 (Orioles, Astros, Phillies, Dodgers): "Braves and Dodgers haven't played meaningful games for about a month, whereas Phillies and Snakes fought to get in or clinch home field for the wildcard round and are rolling. Still, I gotta support my hometown Dodgers."
Commish says: Set the expectations low. Speak to how they're gonna lose. Pick them anyway and say it's because of blind loyalty. Did you author the "Placating Survivor Gods Handbook"?!
Biggest Bat Flip Award
You think your hot take has spice? GO SPICIER.
@kbanaian (Rangers, Twins, Braves, Dodgers): "OK, you convinced me! The Twins are the bomb. I would not pick them in a seven-game series against Houston but I like them for 5. And maybe the first-half Rangers are back! "
Commish says: Hold up, what exactly did I convince you of? That the Twins would most definitely lose every single playoff game they managed to find themselves in this year? Am I actually the reverse psychology champion of the world?!
MORE COMMENTS
@schm0869 (Orioles, Twins, Braves, Dodgers): "Can’t be any worse than the Wild Card picks, can I? You don’t give negative points, do you?"
Commish says: How you know the Wild Card Series were hard to predict: More people went 0-4 (22) than went 4-0 (18). On some level I believe this means you are WISE. It *definitely* means you're in good company!
@Davidb113 (Orioles, Twins, Phillies, Dodgers): "Could this season get any worse? I almost hoped I went 0-4 at least then I'd know I was good at something. But 2-2 that's just embarrassing. It's ok though because I'm about to go 7 out of 7( please survivor gods). I can't handle forgoing BLL. If I go 7 for 7 the rest of the way I'll forever spend my money joining every pool SZN has to offer. "
Commish says: David you do realize that when SZN comments are published in the email they instantly become blood oath, right?
@jrcondon (Orioles, Twins, Braves, Diamondbacks): "Will the White Sox be next year's team to go from 100 losses to the playoffs? Yea, I doubt it, too. That's why I've adopted the Orioles as my new team...go O's! "
Commish says: Raise your hand if you saw a White Sox comment coming in today's email ... PUT YOUR HAND DOWN.
@Jmkahn (Orioles, Astros, Phillies, Dodgers): "I've picked the Phillies every single week for like 6 months. And now that we are here, I think I'm going to pick against the Phillies. Why? Because it's Opposite Day. Go Phils!"
Commish says: Kahn, did you really think you'd convince us that you were picking against the Phillies? REALLY? The amount of time you considered what it'd feel like to pick the Braves is the same amount of time it took you to write that comment.
@hikee44 (Orioles, Twins, Braves, Diamondbacks): "Chaos ensued last round in that the Twins won and I forgot that the Rays were all on the IL... Oh well. More chaos!"
Commish says: Last week's Moxie winner tasted what it felt like and WANTS MORE. This phenomenon occurs in 99.999% of humans who have experienced Moxie. The other .001% is Jameis Winston.
@Salroc_ (Orioles, Astros, Phillies, Dodgers): "WERE TALKIN BOUT THE PHITINS"
Commish says: I HAD TO LOOK THIS UP AND I LIKE IT
Yours in stealing home,
The Commish