Die Macht » play smart baseball and take advantage

Its that time of year, late October, and World Series talk is in the air.Theres one theme in this Cubs-Indians matchup that Im familiar with: the significance of well-known jinxes.In 1980 with the Phillies, we were constantly reading about how wed never won it all. Then we busted the longest skid in baseball.Cleveland is battling history as well. Its last win, the 1948 Series over the Boston Braves.Now the kings of jinx, those beloved Cubbies. They appeared in 1945, but last won in 1908.Thats a long time, boys. Whats the story?A lot of people will have fun with this -- Cubs and Indians, and whose curse is the strongest. Fans will pull out every anti-jinx weapon they can find.Chicago is well known for its efforts. Theyve tried a goat on the field, holy water sprinkled around the dugout, electrocuting the Bartman ball and three guys dragging a goat across country.None worked.Cleveland vs. Chicago at every level from politics to sports, and the hottest topic will be the Cubbies fighting their past.So how do the players themselves handle trying to win these games with history against them?Youd think with all the social media exposure the jinxes will be getting, the players would be consumed with the fear of losing.Not even close.The players wont give it a second thought. To them, its a waste of time, its only something that is attached to a negative outcome by fans and media.In Philly in 1980, the media recalled our teams long drought, the Whiz Kids missing out in 1950 and the Phold of `64.But inside the clubhouse, there was never a mention of these jinxes.Can you imagine Pete Rose saying to Steve Carlton, Lefty, what do you want to do about our jinx?I bet if you ask the Indians players, theyd have no idea when the Indians were last in the Series.Cubs may be a different story because they still play in the stadium where their jinxes were born. Youd have to live under a rock not to at least be aware of them. But a factor in their play? Not a chance.One of the things that makes baseball so beloved is that its there every day from April to October. You can become so consumed by it that you believe outside forces are at work affecting the outcomes.Youve heard of golf gods, the higher powers of the game that you never want to cross in fear of being punished.Baseball has them, too. Heres how they work: The baseball gods, those spirits of the game that every player believes in, love teams that play fundamentally sound, dont strike out in key situations, move runners, play good defense and run the bases.They frown on teams that swing for the fences, dont hustle, and give the opponent extra outs.Teams that win in the postseason do little things that matter, and wait for the big things to come. Teams that lose in the postseason try to force the action, play tight and dont let the game come to them.I know because Ive been on both sides.So the challenge for both the Indians and Cubs will be to play the game, under the pressure of the World Series, with patience, relaxation and confidence.The fans and media can have fun with the jinxes, and one of these teams will continue their futility in the Series. But make no mistake, after the umpire says play ball, history will not affect the outcome.---Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt was MVP of the 1980 World Series when the Philadelphia Phillies won their first World Series championship. He hit 548 career home runs, including four in a game at Wrigley Field.Jordan Poole Jersey . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. Jacob Evans Jersey . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. https://www.warriorsrookiesshop.com/Eric-Paschall-City-Edition-Jersey/ . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Patrick McCaw Warriors Jersey .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. David West Warriors Jersey . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in.TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays replaced the Baltimore Orioles in first place in the American League East on Saturday.As soon as Sunday, the positions could be reversed. That is how close the race is, with the Boston Red Sox within easy striking distance.The Blue Jays defeated the Orioles 9-1 on Saturday behind the 11-strikeout pitching of left-hander J.A. Happ. That gave the Blue Jays a half-game lead over the Orioles in the division.If the Orioles can end a five-game losing streak Sunday and avoid being swept by the Blue Jays, they will return to the top by a half-game margin.Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin, who hit a two-run double in a seven-run fifth on Saturday, realizes there is a long way to go, but that reaching first has some significance.It means that were playing good baseball, Martin said. Theres still a lot of baseball left, but I feel were starting to play good ball. Were swinging the bats well, were playing good defense and were pitching well.But the thing I like about this team is the consistency of our starting pitching. I feel like its been that way all year. If youre going to have a winning team thats kind of the one thing you want to have is pitching, and we have that so were feeling pretty good about it.The pitching figures to be good Sunday in the series finale.The Orioles will start right-hander Chris Tillman (14-3, 3.47 ERA) against Blue Jays right-hander Aaron Sanchez (11-1, 2.72 ERA), who has not lost since April 22.Everythings about pitching here at this level, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. They cattch the ball well.dddddddddddd Theyre a good team. Were a good team. Well put it behind us and go out there 1/8Sunday 3/8.Theyre a good starting pitching team. Theyve got good people in the bullpen. Thats why they, Boston and us are where we are, so youve got to trust your players and just dont throw everybody under the bus because youve had a tough couple of games.Said Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo: We could come out and throw up 20 hits (Sunday), outfielder Mark Trumbo said. Who knows what is going to happen? You kind of assume when you go up against these guys its going to be a tight game and youre going to have to play smart baseball and take advantage when you can.Because you are going to need those runs. They have a really good offense. Weve got to do our part to try to counter them.Sanchez is 10-0 with a 2.58 ERA in 16 starts since his last loss. The Blue Jays are 12-4 in those starts. He is 3-2 with a 5.34 ERA in 10 career games, including five starts, against the Orioles.Tillman is 4-1 with a 2.73 ERA in his last five starts, with the loss coming Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies when he allowed nine hits and six runs in five innings. He is 5-10 with a 5.71 ERA in 22 career starts against the Blue Jays and is 1-0, 4.91, in two starts against them this season.The Blue Jays are on a 16-6 roll, while the Orioles have lost 12 of their last 17 games on the road. Toronto leads the season series 7-5. ' ' '