Whoops! So this went viral when it happened just before the season began. Obviously a hilarious slip of the tongue. Bryce Harper had just left his original organization, the Nationals, to sign a 13 year, $330 million dollar deal in Philly. Telling the Philadelphia media on day 1 that he, 'wanted to bring a title back to DC.' Well, he wasn't wrong! And it only took him a year! Can't say Bryce isn't a man of his word.
I have to admit, even though it was the Nationals that eliminated the Brewers in the Wild Card game, I found myself pulling for them in the World Series. Primarily because I bet on them to win the series to the tune of +185, but secondarily because they are a likable story. A team that lost it's biggest/highest profile superstar in the offseason, started the season 19-31 and looked like they'd be sellers by Flag Day, turning it all around and winning the whole damn thing. And not just winning it, doing it against Cy Young pitchers every night, and doing it by winning FOUR road games. Which, as a sidenote, is nuts. The home team never won a game in the World Series. Think of all of those fans going to home games in a 7 game series, paying thousands of dollars for tickets, and none of them saw their team win. Bananas.
And what did we learn from this series? Once again: Starting pitching is what wins championships. Bullpenning and analytics have changed the way game is evaluated, but when the rubber meets the road, you need top level starting pitching. The Astros had Cole/Verlander/Greinke. The Nationals had Scherzer/Strasburg/Corbin. Three Cy Young/All Star level starters. That's what the Brewers need to figure out in the offseason. I think Woodruff is a legit ace, but beyond that it was a lot of, 'average to okay,' in the rotation. Lyles was a bonafide ace after the trade deadline, but he's also a free agent, and who knows if he can duplicate that kind of a run. I don't know how they're going to accomplish it, small market teams always face these kinds of hurdles, but they have to find a way to add at least one more top-tier starting pitcher in the offseason.
PS: Not only did I have the Nationals series price, but I doubled down on them to win last night's game. I could have hedged on the Astros winning the game, and mitigated a potential loss, but I'm not that smart. In for a penny, in for a pound. Live look at me at 11:15pm last night:
Can't wait to lose that money on a stupid 7-team NFL parlay that has no chance of hitting this weekend!
Double PS: Not that I'm haunted by this by any stretch, but the Brewers were four outs away from this Nationals team never becoming a story. FOUR OUTS. Sheesh.
