2024 World Series Tale Of The Tape

 

Golly gee, I wonder who I'm going to root for!

 

It all the years I've done this precursory post to the World Series, I've never had one be so anti-climatic as this one. Yeah, I cannot in good conscious root for New York. Sorry, not sorry. But still, if I didn't have such a strong bias against the Yanks, would they have a chance according to the arbitrary benchmarks I've put in place? Here's the criteria I've used in the past: 

Former Red Sox Players

 

Dodgers: Mookie Betts, Ryan Brasier, Enrique Hernandez

Yankees: Alex Verdugo

2024 Topps
#424 Best Of The Best (CL, CPC)

 

If I can't root for my Red Sox, I can at least root for the guys who used to play for them. This year is a particularly painful one for Red Sox fans, as we got two of the principal players from an certain trade. Of course, the Dodgers have Mookie Betts, while the Yankees now employ the outfielder we received in return in Alex Verdugo. OK, here's the deal: If Betts wins World Series MVP, I'll no longer consider the trade one of the worst in Red Sox history. Instead, it will be a brilliant example of playing the long game and defeating the Yankees on a level the Red Sox never could. Watch out Yankees! We got sleeper agents everywhere!

Advantage: Dodgers
 

Shenandoah Valley Baseball League Alumni

 

Dodgers: none

Yankees: none

 

 

Do to various things in life, I didn't get a chance to attend a Valley League baseball game this year. My lack of support is probably not the reason there are no Vally League Alum playing in this year's Fall Classic, but hopefully I can pick up next year and see a few future Major League players in my hometown.

Advantage: none
 

University of Virginia Cavaliers Alumni

 

Dodgers: Chris Taylor

Yankees: none

 

  

2024 Topps #246 Chris Taylor

Go Wa-hoos! Living a short drive from Charlottesville, I've gone to a few UVa baseball games. Chris Taylor is probably one of the most successful former Cavaliers in MLB, and I wouldn't mind seeing the former NLCS MVP win some more hardware.

 

Advantage: Dodgers
 

Championship Drought

 

Dodgers: 3 years (2020)

Yankees: 14 years (2009)

 

2010 Topps Heritage
#312 Matsui Named MVP (WS)

 

My annual playoff rankings specifically state that the Yankees' World Series drought could never be long enough. But again, I'm doing this exercise as if I didn't have that particular disposition against pinstripes. Since the Dodgers won in 2020, technically I have to give the Yankees this one.

Advantage: Yankees

 

Personal Connection

 

I have zero connection to the Dodgers, outside of enjoying the blogs of a few Dodger fans. The Yankees however...

In one of the true opposites attract cliches, my wife is an avowed Yankees fan. It's actually pretty easy to tolerate her fandom because she doesn't even watch baseball. Outside of Aaron Judge, I don't think she could name another current player off the top of her head. Still she wears the garb, makes playful jabs at me when appropriate, and rolls her eyes at me when I cheer my team on. Heck, we even incorporated our fandom into our engagement picks:

 

We just recently celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary, so no matter how much I don't want to give the Yankees a point here, they're going to earn this one every time.

Advantage: Yankees

 

Spring Training Adventures

 

From 2017-2019, I went with my father-in-law and a friend to Spring Training in Florida every year. The Dodgers of course train in Arizona, so guess who gets another point. Like his daughter, my father in law is a Yankees fan (or was - he stopped watching baseball when politics, corporate sponsorships, and rule changes started lessening his enjoyment). That means I had a lot of opportunities to see the Yankees in action. Just because I root against them doesn't mean I don't appreciate their part in baseball history though. I'm actually proud to have this autograph of former Cy Young winer Ron Guidry.

Advantage: Yankees

 

Best 2023 Topps Base Set Card

2024 Topps #619 Teoscar Hernandez

2024 Topps #184 Anthony Rizzo

Since this is primarily a baseball card blog, I figured this post should have a card show-off! I decided to pick each team's best card from the 2024 Topps base set. Both teams have great horizontal cards of players celebrating after what I can assume are significant hits. Bat flips are bad-ass, so the winner here is clear.

 

Advantage: Dodgers

Final Talley: Dodgers 3, Yankees 3

 

It's a tie! I guess this means I need a complicated, no-doubt, fair and balanced tiebreaker to determine the winner... 

Nope.

Go Mookie!