No, Stradamus!
So, I was again 50% right. The White Sox were indeed victorious in 5, as I predicted (though I thought they'd lose game 3 instead of game 1). The Astros, however, defeated the Cardinals in 6 games, destroying Busch Stadium and another little corner of LaRussa's non-existent soul in the process. So, now I turn my attention to the 101st World Series, in which...
...the Houston Astros will defeat the Chicago White Sox in 7 games.
You can read my full prediction post over at Fire Brand right now. But remember, whatever happens, look away quickly if they start to show this again:
I apologize. And yes, that's who you think it is.
I know there is a Steinbrenner joke there somewhere. (Comment this)
Hockey never stopped being played, just the NHL.
And yes, there is a player named Satan. He's Slovak. From Slovakia. That's a country outside of the United States. To the east, I think.
Pointing it out a hockey fan is like explaining to a music fan that the one guy in ZZ Top who DOESN'T have the beard is the one NAMED Frank Beard.
That is to say, annoying.
Andrew - I thought the Astros had a Canuck somewhere on the roster... (Comment this)
Also, no. They don't. At least not according to their active roster list. (Comment this)
Point taken on (my lack of) hockey. I should have known, since we had an earlier exchange on the Canadien Junior hockey situation. so I guess this Satan guy is pretty good?
If he is not THE Arquimedez Pozo of the NHL, he is definitely on the list. Of course seeing as how I know next to nothing about hockey, I really shouldn't make comments like "he would definitely be on the list." Andrew, maybe Smith could do a guest feature on the best names in hockey - the only other one that sticks out in my head is Jeff Book-a-boom (although I have no idea how to actually spell it). (Comment this)
Also, hey, I'm your regular readership too, how unappreciative.
X - Satan is pretty good, yeah, good enough to make the Slovakian national team which is perennially stacked at the forward positions... no defense, pure flash, not necessarily the kind of guy you'd wanna depend on to shut down the opposition in a tight game, but definitely a world-class offensive talent.
Jeff Beukeboom retired a few years back on accounta nagging post-concussion syndrome brought on by a sucker punch from Matt Johnson. Took him two years to heal.
Andrew and I have had the Arquimedez Pozo discussion re: hockey a few times before and though I've never really put a lot of thought into it, I've always liked Sprague Cleghorn (notoriously vicious WWI-era hall-of-famer) for the all-time list.
All in all, the names Andrew came up with seemed much better than any hockey players I can think of off the toppa my head, but it could be that the exoticism of something like Teemu Selanne (which I gotta admit, flows wonderfully off the tongue) is lost on me due to familiarity.
One of my faves is Modere "Mud" Bruneteau, famous for scoring the game-winner in the longest game ever played...
Are Finnish names just inherently wacky ? Does Antti Aalto giggle to himself every time he signs a cheque ?
Then there's a good Chicago boy like Bates Battaglia who woulda been a front-runner if I hadn't recently found out that his first name is actually Jon.
Jim Boo was from Montana, of all places, and had a cuppa in the late 70s...
Tony Twist is just cool, especially for a guy who spent his career as an enforcer.
Really though, and it might not be the greatest by the established Pozo criteria, I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Hakan Loob.
Hakan Loob.
Oh man.
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