If you weren’t convinced the Guardians aren’t making the playoffs after their 10-game losing streak, or after their efforts against the Braves and Rangers, it seems that the finale vs. the Mariners and opener to the Red Sox has made it clear to most fans that 2025 will not feature an October to remember for Cleveland baseball fans.
For some of you, this means turning your attention to other pursuits – football, basketball, reading, knitting, staring out the window and waiting for spring – but for many
of us baseball addicts, it is time to find a temporary team to root for, a baseball crush if you will, as the Guardians give us a hall pass to find a little October spark with an actual playoff suitor. I’d like to share below my methodology in picking a team to follow during the MLB playoffs, and would be interested in hearing yours in the comments. I want to be clear – I do not find my palms sweating, my heart racing or my blood pressure rising when I follow these teams, beloved Guards. Only rooting you on causes those health problems. You’re in my blood, whether I like it or not.
NEVER: New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs.
Reasoning: I have listed the above teams in order of MOST out to LEAST out, but I’m not going to find myself feeling a shred of joy if any of these teams ends up hoisting Rob Manfred’s hunk of metal when the season is done. Obviously, I am not a monster, I’m not rooting for the Yankees. I’m not rooting for the financially bloated zeppelin known as the Dodgers… but I’d root for them over the Yankees. If only to tell the various MLB media personnel who pooh-pooh fans concerns about payroll disparity – “SEE, I TOLD YOU SO!”. I’m not rooting for the Tigers because they are from Michigan and the AL Central. I’m not rooting for the Astros because they cheated in 2017 and I’ll never forgive them. I’m not rooting for the Red Sox because they have won enough titles now, thank you very much. And, I’m not rooting for the Cubs because they broke my heart in 2016. Sorry, new Cub Carlos Santana.
Sadly, NO: Toronto Blue Jays
Reasoning: Although Toronto has become Cleveland north with Shane Bieber, Andres Gimenez and Ernie Clement featuring in prominent roles, I will not forgive Blue Jays’ manager John Schneider and right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman for hitting Jose Ramirez intentionally in the wrist and disrupting the MVP-type run he was on… for no good reason. I hope the Blue Jays lose in heartbreaking fashion and their low-key obnoxious fans do something AGAIN to embarrass themselves in a playoff game so those two individuals can feel some of the pain they inflicted on our angel-hero Jose.
Call me, Maybe: New York Mets
Reasoning: I still like Francisco Lindor and it would be funny to see the Mets win a World Series and take over New York from the Yankees a little more. But, still, definitely not my top preference because I’m too much of a small market/small city loyalist for that.
Yes, Let’s Playoffs and Chill: Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies
Reasoning: There are two perspectives out there about how you view teams that haven’t won a World Series or haven’t won one in a long time – some Guardians’ fans feel jealous if they do, others want to see them win one so it feels like “our time is coming, eventually, also”. I fall in the latter category. I enjoy seeing “new” teams win and it makes me feel like it could happen someday for the Guardians. So, for that reason, I will root for the Mariners to win the AL. For the Phillies, my mom’s family were all Phillies fans from the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, area so I find my family ties there enable me to feel some affection for Philadelphia. Plus, they’ve only won one title in recent memory, so another doesn’t feel gratuitous, and they’re a fun team to watch.
Yes, Come out of the Friend Zone: Milwaukee Brewers
Reasoning: The Brewers are what the Guardians have been and aspire to be in the future. No one knows how they do it, but they just keep winning and not particularly spending much. They’ve hosted Cleveland baseball teams in the past when the weather in Cleveland was bad, and partnered up to try to elect players from Cleveland and Milwaukee to the All-Star team. It would give me a good amount of joy to see the Brewers somehow topple the Dodgers, Mets and Cubs and take the NL Pennant and the World Series title (I’d root for them over the Mariners if it came to that).
Yes, Let’s Hook Up for October: San Diego Padres
Reasoning: Some of my dad’s family is from San Diego, so I’ve got some family ties. The Padres’ ownership group has spent how I wish Paul Dolan would spend JUST ONCE and GM AJ Preller sees prospects as means to acquire better players in a way I wish Chris Antonetti would do more often (at all?). If the Padres win, it would be somewhat of an earth-shaking challenge to the usual MLB way of doing business. They are a fun team with some dynamic personalities and seeing them upset the Dodgers AGAIN would be priceless. And, they have never won a World Series title (as mentioned in my rationale above). Plus, the Swinging Friar is my favorite logo in MLB. The Rad Dads are my Fad for October, this season.
How about you? Who has caught your eye with the Guardians making plans for Cancun this fall?
