Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Things That Look Unbeatable: (1) The Colorado Rockies. Talk about pedal to the metal. It has been about a month since they lost a game. The most intriguing question is what effect playing in Coors Field will have on the ultimate winner of the AL pennant. If I were more enterprising I would look up what members of the BoSox and the Tribe have played there, and their records, but actually I'm not so sure that would be a very good predictor. It's not how well the hitters will hit; it is more what pitchers will get hit the hardest.
(2)The New England Patriots. Man, when they need to go to another gear, they just shift into it, don't they? I came in as the third quarter was getting under way, and was surprised that a team the Bills almost beat was doing so well. That was the highpoint of the game for America's Team, which was playing a Pats team that is in the kind of zone you rarely ever see, in any sport. (And by the way, let me just say that this Bills team might be a classic example of "You are never as bad as you look when you are losing..." Jerry Sullivan has decided to create a quarterback controversy, as is his prerogative as a guy with a column, but I'm not seeing that the QB is making that much of a difference so far. These Bills are losing close games to good teams, and a reasonable case could be made that at least two of those losses have been the result of coaching decisions rather than failures of execution by the players.)
(3)Hillary Clinton. Arguably the only Democrat that might lose if she gets the nomination, I have to admit that (a) I have a hard time seeing her screw up the nomination; and (b)I have a hard time seeing her losing to any Republican right now. The interesting thing about our junior Senator is that everybody already knows everything there is to know. The mistakes, the gaffes-- they are all already out there, and she is the member of the family least likely to find a new way of screwing up. Ol' Bill might, but even a bimbo explosion probably wouldn't hurt her. It would just be ol' Bill being Bill for the people who are already going to vote for her. Everybody else is engaged in a high-wire act, but for Hillary, this is old stuff.
(2)The New England Patriots. Man, when they need to go to another gear, they just shift into it, don't they? I came in as the third quarter was getting under way, and was surprised that a team the Bills almost beat was doing so well. That was the highpoint of the game for America's Team, which was playing a Pats team that is in the kind of zone you rarely ever see, in any sport. (And by the way, let me just say that this Bills team might be a classic example of "You are never as bad as you look when you are losing..." Jerry Sullivan has decided to create a quarterback controversy, as is his prerogative as a guy with a column, but I'm not seeing that the QB is making that much of a difference so far. These Bills are losing close games to good teams, and a reasonable case could be made that at least two of those losses have been the result of coaching decisions rather than failures of execution by the players.)
(3)Hillary Clinton. Arguably the only Democrat that might lose if she gets the nomination, I have to admit that (a) I have a hard time seeing her screw up the nomination; and (b)I have a hard time seeing her losing to any Republican right now. The interesting thing about our junior Senator is that everybody already knows everything there is to know. The mistakes, the gaffes-- they are all already out there, and she is the member of the family least likely to find a new way of screwing up. Ol' Bill might, but even a bimbo explosion probably wouldn't hurt her. It would just be ol' Bill being Bill for the people who are already going to vote for her. Everybody else is engaged in a high-wire act, but for Hillary, this is old stuff.
