MLB Bullets Welcomes The End Of The Season

The 2013 baseball season could end tonight, and it sounds like it better as the Boston weather forecast for Halloween and November 1 is rain, rain, rain. Tonight should be cold but clear. But if the Cardinals win tonight, they might yet be playing baseball on Saturday.

• The city of Boston will go nuts if the Red Sox win the World Series at Fenway Park for the first time since 1918. They're already three-quarters of the way there.
• In case you were thinking of attending tonight's game, the average ticket price is almost $2000.
• Adam Kaufman of Boston.com must be cheering for the Cardinals tonight, because he doesn't want the Red Sox magical season to end.
• One guy having a magical postseason is David Ortiz, who has 11 hits (in only 15 at bats) in the first five games. What are the odds he gets three more hits to break the record for hits in a single series? The record of 13 is currently held by three players: Bobby Richardson in 1964, Lou Brock in 1968 and Marty Barrett in 1986. Ironic there's a Cardinal and a Red Sox in that list. It's also ironic that all three of those players were on the losing team in the series.
• Tom Verducci calls Ortiz "the cosmic center of this World Series--everything revolves around him."
• Rich Levine wonders why the Cardinals would ever pitch to Ortiz.
• Jay Jaffe says the Cardinals need to try something else when pitching to Ortiz. His suggestion is to go to the bullpen early and often with left-handers and walking him when they don't. But he does note that the Red Sox lefties in the Cardinals bullpen aren't getting Ortiz out either.
• Stephen Drew, on the other hand, is 1 for 15 in the Series. But Matt Snyder says he's been contributing in other ways. His defense has saved runs and he's had a crucial walk and sacrifice fly at the plate.
• Like Bill James, Koji Uehara got his start as a security guard. He was just trying to earn a living until he could get into college and become a teacher. Then his college baseball team asked if anyone wanted to try pitching that day. And then his odyssey began.
• Shane Victorino is expected to return to the starting lineup for Game 6 tonight.
• The Cardinals, on the other hand, are where they are because they can't hit lefties, writes Bernie Miklasz.
• In something that could never, ever be interpreted as an omen or a metaphor, the Cardinals team plane was stuck on the runway in St. Louis for hours with mechanical problems. They finally arrived in Boston seven hours late.
• David Ortiz aside, both offenses in this Series have been poor with a combined batting average of .212 and a slugging percentage of .310.
• That's OK because, as David Schoenfield writes, the defense has stunk too. In fact, it's been bad the entire postseason.
• Someone having a good World Series is umpire Jim Joyce, writes Matt Snyder.
• Speaking of which, MLB plans to review the obstruction rule this off-season to perhaps allow "accidental" contact. I'm not sure how they expect umpires to know what's accidental and what isn't. Mike Azisa thinks they ought to leave it the way it is.
• Inspired by the obstruction call, Cliff Corcoran looks at the most unusual endings to a game in World Series history.
• Kolten Wong getting picked off first base didn't make the list, but he apologized to Cardinal fans anyway.
• You didn't know Wong got picked off first base? You didn't see it happen? That's because Fox was busy showing a Cardinals fan in the stands rather than the game.
• Fox's lead director explained to the New York Times what happened on that play. He's not contrite and they say they will continue to show fans in the stands between pitches.
• Keith Olbermann is upset that the ratings for World Series aren't higher. (video) William Juliano explains how Olbermann doesn't put the ratings in the correct context and that he's kind of blowing the problem out of proportion. I love Keith, but blowing the problem out of proportion is kind of his schtick.
• Craig Calcaterra makes several of the same points in arguing that baseball is not "dying" and you only have to look at the explosion of rights fees as proof.
• If it makes Keith feel any better, game five of the World Series trounced Monday Night Football in the television ratings. Sunday Night Football did edge out game four though.
• I don't know what radio ratings are like, but I do know that the Cardinals are famous for being on KMOX and that KMOX is famous for being heard a long, long way away from St. Louis at night. David Waldstein, writing in the New York Times, tries to see if he can outdrive KMOX and lose the signal before the end of the game. He made it all the way to Memphis. Did he lose the signal?
• Because he lives there, Rob Neyer has some thoughts about the possibility of an MLB franchise in Portland.
• They announced the Gold Glove Award winners on Tuesday. Rob Neyer thinks the new use of advanced fielding statistics did make a positive difference, even if they're still not perfect. The stats or the awards.
• Of all those fielders at all those different positions, which one is the overall best? It's Andrelton Simmons. No argument from me.
• Nationals GM Mike Rizzo had to take a leap of faith to hand the manager's job to the untested Matt Williams.
• David Schoenfield wonders if the window of competitiveness has already shut for the Nats.
• There's been a lot of talk about Michael Wacha in the World Series and how so many teams passed on him in the 2012 draft. The Mets explained why they passed on him. Mostly, they felt their farm system was strong on pitching and weak on offense.
• Fangraphs looks at the seven pitchers taken before Wacha. Not obvious howlers there yet. I'm sure some will develop. Or I guess fail to develop.
• Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach will interview for the vacant Mariners manager's job.
• Dee Gordon will play center field in winter ball, perhaps moving there permanently.
• Last time I asked if Dick Dietz was blacklisted by baseball for his union activities. Was Sparky Anderson also blackballed for his refusal to manage "replacement" players in 1995?
• The White Sox outbid the Rockies, who offered $63 million, for Jose Abreu.
• Got some spare pitching? Need a hitter? The Angels have got a deal for you.
• The story of a man who killed his bookie in 1963 after losing a World Series wager.
• Did you hate the name El Paso Chihuahuas? Or did you love it? Well, how do you feel about the Akron Rubber Ducks? They won't be playing any Cubs teams, unfortunately.
• Finally, here are ten of the greatest covers to World Series programs ever. And here are ten more.