Published: October 13, 2009 11:56 pm      

In postseason, head, heart, back of head?

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim absolutely own the New York Yankees of the Bronx. However, I just have this nagging feeling the Yankees are going to get to the World Series. I mean the Yanks are good enough to begin with, but now they’re getting the calls from the umpires this postseason, and that’s always a good sign if you’re a Yankee. Kind of takes you back to the late 1990s when the umpires hosing the team the Yankees were playing was the norm — seemingly the rule.

In fairness to the Yankees, though, the umpiring this postseason has been absolutely horrible from beginning to end, regardless of whether the Yankees are involved in the game or not.

For instance, homeplate umpire Randy Marsh failing to see a pitch hit the uniform shirt of Detroit's Brandon Inge in the 12th inning of the Tigers-Twins AL Central Division playoff game (still actually a regular-season game) leads the way for costly calls, because the Tigers had the bases loaded, but then failed to score and lost the game.

Left field umpire Phil Cuzzi flat out blew the call on Joe Mauer's line drive in the top of the 11th inning of Game 2 of the Twins-Yankees series. Even though the ball was clearly and easily fair, Cuzzi ruled foul and it cost the Twins at least one run, before the Yankees won in the bottom of the inning.

Then there is CB Bucknor, who worked the ALDS between the Red Sox and the Angels. How does this guy get to work postseason games? He’s just a terrible umpire — behind the plate, on the bases, in the outfield; regular season or postseason. He must be, because he’s always in an argument with somebody, be it a player or a coach; and pitchers and hitters seem to complain equally when he’s behind the plate.

The beauty of it all, though, if you’re a fan of the postseason, is every pitch is so hotly contested, and every play is magnified because it has greater meaning on the play that is about to follow. The Phillies-Rockies series, for instance, which the Phils wrapped up Monday night in four games, provided tremendous postseason drama.

As for what we have coming up in the two league championship series, it’s baseball’s final four, which generally tops the World Series for excitement — as most sports semifinals seem to top the finals — which makes the Series a contradiction, depending upon who gets in. Come on, it’s the World Series, the ultimate goal of each team, player, coach and manager to not only reach, but win. Yet it often times seems anticlimactic by the time it plays out to its completion in the first week of November, because sometimes, with the additional tiers of short-series playoffs, the two best teams don’t always make it.

The Red Sox and the Cardinals were the sexy picks all season by the radio talk-show types, because they were both said to have been built for the postseason, and not just the 162-game season, which was always said to have been the so-called flaw of the 1969, ’71 and ’79 Orioles teams, as well as most of the 14 Braves teams that made that magnificent postseason run. The strength of both the O’s and the Braves — deep starting pitching — suited neither to short-series baseball it was said; and to a degree the numbers bore that out.

As for the Rockies, they really didn’t get too much credit this season, which was odd considering they reached the World Series two seasons ago and likely were the hottest team in baseball from late May on. As for the Twins? You’ve got to like the Twins, but they could have played the Yankees 30 times and bad calls by the umpire or not, they would have lost to the Yankees 30 times.

Recent history seems to indicate the Angels beat Yankees. But recent history also indicated the Red Sox would beat the Angels. I want the Angels to win because I admire their organization, I’m a fan of manager Mike Scioscia, and the death of Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart hit mighty close to home. I just think the Yankees are going to win. They’ve been too cool, too under control, and too good for the entire season. Plus, since the umpires are on a pretty good roll of making a mess of things so far, has there ever been a critical call in postseason history go against the Yankees? Ever?

Nope.

In the National League, I think the Phillies are better than the Dodgers, even with the shaky closer in Brad Lidge. Naturally, I am pulling for the Phillies to win it all because of third base coach Sam Perlozzo, and the Phils’ Cliff Lee has that early look of being The Pitcher of The Postseason. Let’s hope so.

My head tells me Yankees-Phillies in the World Series.

My heart tells me Angels-Phillies, with the Phillies winning.

The far reaches of the back of my head, though, which historically have produced the correct baseball feeling more often than my head and my heart combined, tells me it’s the Yankees who will be facing their old manager Joe Torre and his Dodgers this World Series; with the Yankees, sadly, winning.

Mike Burke is sports editor of the Cumberland Times-News. Contact Mike Burke at mburke@times-news.com.