1 unit......florida (+107) over new york
even though i think the yankees will win the series, i think florida is the way to go tonight. beckett has obviously pitched extremely well this postseason, going toe to toe with schmidt in the san franciso series, then looking dominant in 2 of his 3 outings against the cubs (one in relief). ive made good money on him while he was doing it under the radar during the regular season. now hes proving his worth on the national stage -- so line isnt as juicy as it would have been a few weeks ago. nonetheless, this kid reminds me so much jaret wright in the 1997 world series that its eerie. both are young and brash (beckett 23 and wright, at the time, 21 i believe). both extremely cocky pitchers, but could back it up. both throw in the high 90's (both consistently hitting 96,97,98 on the gun) and have so much confidence in themselves that theyre almost oblivious to the fact that theres supposed to be pressure on them in the world series being so young. wright beat the yanks in the playoffs that season and then became the indians playoff ace -- culminating with his game 7 world series start vs (ironically) the marlins that year.
the point im trying to make and the parallel im trying to draw is that the playoffs have a way of making month-long stars out of some kids. even though they are kids, they ride the buzz for the enitre month and exude confidence they might otherwise possess, and they just keep finding a way to get it done.
another example is francisco rodriguez last year. he was dominant and unhittable for that one month. hitters showed some adjustments to him this season, but for october last year, the yanks, twins, and giants had no chance.
right now beckett is pitching the same way wright did in '97 and the same way rodriguez did in '02. just has a ton of confidence and isnt backing down from anyone.
sometimes you just gotta ride the hot pitcher in the postseason.
also- fletcher does make a valid point about young kids wearing down as season progresses, but beckett seems to be getting stronger. i think he is not going to have any problem with fatigue in this series because he fought some blister problems this year so he was in and out of the florida rotation every now and then. he hasnt even thrown 150 innings this season. hes more than good to go.
even though i think the yankees will win the series, i think florida is the way to go tonight. beckett has obviously pitched extremely well this postseason, going toe to toe with schmidt in the san franciso series, then looking dominant in 2 of his 3 outings against the cubs (one in relief). ive made good money on him while he was doing it under the radar during the regular season. now hes proving his worth on the national stage -- so line isnt as juicy as it would have been a few weeks ago. nonetheless, this kid reminds me so much jaret wright in the 1997 world series that its eerie. both are young and brash (beckett 23 and wright, at the time, 21 i believe). both extremely cocky pitchers, but could back it up. both throw in the high 90's (both consistently hitting 96,97,98 on the gun) and have so much confidence in themselves that theyre almost oblivious to the fact that theres supposed to be pressure on them in the world series being so young. wright beat the yanks in the playoffs that season and then became the indians playoff ace -- culminating with his game 7 world series start vs (ironically) the marlins that year.
the point im trying to make and the parallel im trying to draw is that the playoffs have a way of making month-long stars out of some kids. even though they are kids, they ride the buzz for the enitre month and exude confidence they might otherwise possess, and they just keep finding a way to get it done.
another example is francisco rodriguez last year. he was dominant and unhittable for that one month. hitters showed some adjustments to him this season, but for october last year, the yanks, twins, and giants had no chance.
right now beckett is pitching the same way wright did in '97 and the same way rodriguez did in '02. just has a ton of confidence and isnt backing down from anyone.
sometimes you just gotta ride the hot pitcher in the postseason.
also- fletcher does make a valid point about young kids wearing down as season progresses, but beckett seems to be getting stronger. i think he is not going to have any problem with fatigue in this series because he fought some blister problems this year so he was in and out of the florida rotation every now and then. he hasnt even thrown 150 innings this season. hes more than good to go.
