In the Playoffs

(Sorry for the delay but the information from Sporting News magazine is good so I decided to go ahead and share it with you.)

What doesn't matter? The better regular-season record. That goes for teams and players.
White Sox center fielder Scott Podsednik didn't hit a home run the entire 2005 regular season, but his walkoff blast in Game 2 was the turning point for Chicago's win.

"The bigger the moment, the more I'm relaxed," says John Smoltz, who is tied with Andy Pettitte for most postseason victories (15). Note: And I don't recall Smoltz being accused of taking performance enhancers. The only thing I'll never forget about Smoltz' off-field actions was that he burned himself while ironing. He ironed the shirt while still wearing it. This prompted some wise guy scribe to say 'How does he take a bath, in the washing machine?' or something of that ilk.

Former major league OF, Steve Finley, a member of the 2001 World Series champion Diamondbacks.

"Generally, a manager is a good people person who knows how to read people and put people in spots where they have the best chance for success.

Bob Brenly had his horses that year. Managers also have to play hunches. They have to know when to pull the trigger in certain areas, and Bob pulled all the right triggers in that postseason."

David Eckstein, World Series MVP for 2006 St. Louis Cardinals.
"We were able to get healthy when the playoffs arrived, and we weren't that way basically the last six (6) weeks of the season. It was like a breath of fresh air when we made the playoffs. For us, it was like, OK, now we can put the regular season behind us. It was an opportunity to be the same club we were at the beginning of the year. And we definitely gained momentum after beating the Padres in the first round. That gave us the feeling that, OK, we're back. One thing about the postseason is that it's whoever gets hot. (Getting) into the playoffs means you are a quality club no matter what your record was."

(thanks to The Sporting News for sharing these insights. This stuff is good to know.)

Kevin Marquez