Out o Indians, Padres would make unpredictable World Series The only thing that could taint such an incredible 1998 Major League Baseball season would be to see an other Braves vs. Yankees match-up in the World Series. Unfortunately, the chances of these two teams not meet ing in the season finale are pretty slim. Both teams come off convincing di vision series’ sweeps and hold home field advantage against the recently slumping Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres. But make no mistake about it. The Indians would show no regret or remorse in end- ing the Yankees’ record setting season a couple weeks short. And the Padres aren’t going to lay down and have their bid for their second World Series appear- ance stopped on account of the Braves In a season that has al ready witnessed enough excitement to make it through 70 years of the PGA, the American League will have its two most dominant teams of the 1990 s battle it out for the opportunity to compete in another World Series. With a series win, the Yankees would advance to their second World Series in three years. Their last appearance resulted in a six game series win over the Atlanta Braves. The Indians go for their third appearance in four years, giving them another chance to win their first championship in 50 years, their last win coming in 1948 against the Boston Braves. Weighing heavily on the minds of New York is how only one year ago, the Indians danced into the Bronx and upset the Yankees in the decisive fifth game of the first round. The Indians would then go on to win the AL Cham pionship Series over ftritUnpre and lose in the final at bat to the Florida Marlins in the World Series. Weigh ing heavily on the hearts of the Yan kees is the condition of teammate Darryl Strawberry, who this past Sat urday underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his colon. A win would be the most rewarding gift the Yankees could give their hospital ized outfielder. As if the emotions of the Yankees aren’t enough to propel them to the World Series, their recent success over the Indians might. New York’s 114 wins in the regular season broke the AL record previously held by Cleve land since 1954. The Yankees won seven of the eleven regular season meetings between the teams includ ing a 3-3 record when visiting Cleveland’s Jacobs Field. New York also holds more wins in “The Jake” than any other team, with an 18-8 record in the stadium’s relatively short existence. The Yankees entered the series com ing off a very convincing three game if q !®§ \ ft & *=> *. pi pen 11-7 Monday - Saturday and 12-5 Sunday Bounds sweep of the Texas Rangers. The Rangers, who led the league in bat ting, were held to only 13 hits, and a .141 batting average which resulted in only one run in the three game series. The Indians came into this year’s ALCS knowing they would have to raise their level of play. Playing in a relatively weak division, Cleveland has been able to get away with subpar performances. However, in past years, the Indians have been able to raise their level of play when the time was £r\ right. Well that time is now. Coming off of a four game series win against Boston in which the Indians only hit .206 with a 5.00 ERA, “The Tribe” will need to play playoff level base ball for the first time this year if they have any chance of repeating as AL champs. But if recent history continues to re peat itself, American League su premacy will once again change in correspondence with the change in the colors of leaves. Every October usu ally boasts anew AL Champion. The Toronto Blue Jays are the only AL team in the ‘9os to repeat as champi ons and they went on to win both of those World Series appearances. To find the last time the Yankees lost to the same team in two consecutive playoff meetings, you’d have to date, back to 1921 and 1922 when the New York Giants beat the Yanks twice in the World Series. If Game one of this series was any indication of how the series would go, the Yankees can look at the Indians as merely a stepping stone to bigger and better places. Although sloppy in ap pearance, Yankee pitcher David Wells surrendered only two runs in the ninth off of a homer by Cleveland’s Manny Ramirez. But the game was really decided in the first inning when the Indians’ pitcher, Jaret Wright, was re sponsible for five Yankee runs. New York took the series lead with a 7-2 trouncing. However, the Indians were able to battle back in game two with a 4-1 win. Cleveland took the Yanks to the 12th inning to pull out a victory and tie the series heading to Cleveland for three games. The NL Championship Series once again has those tomahawk-choppin’ Atlanta Braves hosting a different op ponent. This NLCS appearance will JASON SNYDER be the Braves’ seventh in as many years. The San Diego Padres could probably be considered this year’s vic tim of Atlanta’s road to the “team of the 90s title.” If you look at the num bers, this argument would probably go unopposed. But if you look deeper, there could be some whispers in the world of baseball that the Padres have some weapons to shock the Braves. But shhhh... The Braves don’t know you look at the names of the pitchers in Atlanta’s rotation, you could probably make an argument that they have one of the strongest rotations in MLB history. The Braves have five pitchers with more than 15 wins this season, and the highest ERA for those pitchers is 4.08. John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Danny Neagle, and Kevin Millwood make up this staff. The Padres, however, hold the advantage in the bullpen. Closer Trevor Hoffman has converted on 53 of his 54 closing attempts for the Padres, and you’d have to believe that if San Diego can keep the game close, they could come out with a win. The overall success of the Padres, however, rests on the shoulders of starters Andy Ashby and Kevin Brown. During their meetings with the Braves earlier in the season, these two combined for a 1.27 ERA and a 3-0 record. With Brown willing to pitch on two days rest, the Padres could come close to matching the fire power of the Braves. When you look down the roster of the San Diego Padres, you see two names that have given the Braves fits in the past two years. To refresh your memory, it was Jim Leyritz that smacked a three.run. .homer forthe Yankees, to turn the 1996 World Se ries around. And it was that durable Kevin Brown that won two games against Atlanta in last year’s NLCS to lead the Marlins to the World Series. There are many factors that go into this year’s NL Championship series. Good pitching vs. good hitting could be the story line. But it is the factors that go unnoticed that could determine the outcome. It’s pretty obvious that the Braves and Yankees are heavy favorites for the World Series. And maybe that is why so many sports fan would like to see that match-up. However, the rea son this 1998 season has been so re markable is because of the unexpected success of so many teams and indi viduals. Wouldn’t it be fitting to end the season in the same fashion? A Cleveland Indians vs. San Diego Pa dres match-up where anything can happen and the unlikely probably will. Snyder is the sports editor for the Beacon. His column appears weekly. Sports Supports are in k The bridge was delivered on campus yesterday. The Behrend Classifieds SPRING BREAK Cancun, Florida, etc... Best hotels, parties, prices. Book early and save! Earn Money plus free trips! Campus reps/ organizations wanted. 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GREAT FOOD WING .25 EACH PIZZA LG.6.75 SM. 2.50 TACO’S WED. 3/1.50 TACO PIZZA LG. $7 SM. $3 NEW TACO FRIES $1.50 16.0 z DRAFT ALWAYS $l. RED DOG 12.0 z BTL. $l. ALWAYS THUR. PONYS 3/2.00 FRI. SAT. 16oz BUD 1.35 8-12 “SOMETIME YOU NEED A LITTLE ALIBI" Thursday, October 8, 1998 - The Behrend College Beacon ■ page 11 new at One ticket to the October 24th Brooks and Dunn/ Reba concert. EXCELLENT seat. $4O, email lcpl 16 photo by Andrea Zajfino Lion Ambassador applications are due Oct. 17,1998. You may pick up an application at the RUB desk in the Reed Wintergarden. Applications can be submitted to the Lion Ambas sador office, SGA Suite through campus mail.
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