Did that really just happen?

Am I dreaming?

Seriously, is this real life?

Did the Boston Red Sox lose and miss the playoffs?

Did the Tampa Bay Rays really rally back to win from a 7-0 deficit in the 8th inning against the American League's best team?

Did the Atlanta Braves really blow it in the 9th?

If you told me that, without seeing it for myself, I'd think you were full of it... but last night, all of those questions were answered.

Perhaps what is now the worst American League collapse in baseball history, the Red Sox will not be seeing October unless it's on the television. Ditto that for the Braves, who collapsed just as bad in the National League. The two biggest collapses in baseball history within 20 minutes of each other.

Both teams led by a score of 3-2 in the 9th inning with their All-Star closers on the hill to close it out and send both teams to, if not the playoffs, a one-game tiebreaker.

Both closers imploded.

By the time the 9th inning came around, the Braves already knew that the St. Louis Cardinals had defeated the Houston Astros 8-0 and secured a spot for a one-game tie-breaker playoff, should the Braves be able to hold on and win the game. They knew the Cardinals were hot, finishing September with a record of 18-8. Atlanta's 8.5 game lead (on Sept. 2nd) had fizzled, and the Braves were looking to erase their 9-18 record September failure.

However, things didn't exactly work out that way.

Rookie closer Craig Kimbrel, who led the National League in saves with 46, blew up in the 9th inning, struggling to retire the side and allowing the Philadelphia Phillies to tie the ballgame up at 3-3. The game would go on for four more innings, ending with a 4-3 Philadelphia win in 13 innings after a double-play ground out by Atlanta first baseman, Freddie Freeman. Stunned that they would not be playing October baseball, the Braves gathered their belongings and made the long trudge back to the clubhouse, while the Cardinals celebrated in Houston as the NL Wild Card Champions.

Perhaps what happened in the American League was an even greater shock.

The 2011 Boston Red Sox were supposed to be the team.

They had it all. They had just signed Carl Crawford and traded for Adrian Gonzalez. The pitching was coming together. Jacoby Ellsbury had a season for the ages. The team was destined to meet the Phillies in the World Series.

That worked out real well, eh?

On Sept. 2nd, the Red Sox led the Rays by nine games in the AL Wild Card.

Nine. Games.

It was inevitable. The Yankees were on their way to win the East and the Red Sox would tag along as the Wild Card. No way were they going to miss the playoffs, not with this team.

But, as John Sterling always says "You just can't predict baseball."

If one were to ask what happened to the 2011 Red Sox, only one word, one painful, agonizing word would sum it up:

September.

The excuses of injuries will be thrown around, but truly the Red Sox just struggled, plain and simple. In September, the Red Sox:

• Went 7-20.
• Had a team ERA of 7.28, the worst ERA in baseball.

Enough said.

It was not even foreseeable that Boston would miss the playoffs when September rolled around. What we saw was the greatest September collapse in baseball history.

The Baltimore Orioles have lost 93 games this year.

In the bottom of the 9th inning, the Orioles had a man on second with two outs. The Red Sox All-Star closer, Jonathan Papelbon was on the mound, just a strike away from potentially winning the Wild Card or forcing a tie-breaker should the Rays, who had rallied back to tie the game 7-7 after being down 7-0 in the 8th inning and were now in extra innings, beat the Yankees. The Orioles hottest hitter, outfielder Nolan Reimold, was at the plate with a 2-2 count. Strike three and it was all over.

It was not to be.

Reimold smacked a double to centerfield, tying the game 3-3, and to the plate stepped shortstop Robert Andino.

Excuse me: Robert Bleepin' Andino, as he is referred to in Boston, now.

On a 1-1 count, Papelbon threw the splitter. Andino, a light .263 hitter, was no threat.

Or so it was thought.

Andino sent the ball on a short fly into left field. Red Sox left fielder, and $142 million investment, Carl Crawford, slid for the ball. It looked as if the game was going to extras. However, Crawford never caught the ball, and he would end up bobbling the ball, which allowed the Orioles to score and win the game, sending Boston's playoff hopes in a flux.

Disbelief.

No less than three minutes later (literally, three minutes later), Boston's season was over.

A storm was brewing in Tampa. The Rays had rallied back from being down 7-0 in the 8th inning thanks to a three-run homer from face-of-the-franchise third baseman Evan Longoria and a 9th inning solo home run to tie it up by journeyman Dan Johnson. The game would go into the 12 inning before it was all said and done.

The Red Sox entered the clubhouse at just the right time.

The final score of the Red Sox-Orioles game was posted at Tropicana Field and the crowd went insane. They could do it, the Rays could win the Wild Card and complete the worst collapse baseball has ever seen.

It was only fitting that it was Longoria at the plate.

"I'm just thinking about, 'Wow, did this really happen?' " Longoria said. "When I saw it clear the fence, it didn't seem real."

With two outs and a 2-2 count in the 12 inning, Longoria swung, and sent Tropicana Field into a frenzy with a line-drive home run over the short wall in left field.

The Rays had won it. Their 17-10 September had finally paid off, and they were the AL Wild Card champions.

The Red Sox were going home.

I still could not believe what I had witnessed. I never thought a Yankee loss would be part of the greatest night of baseball I've ever seen in my life. What a night it was. What a season it was.

The playoffs kick off on Friday with the Rays and Texas Rangers kicking off the action at 5:07 in Arlington, Texas and the Yankees taking on Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers in the nightcap at 8:07 in the Bronx, New York.

2011 was one of the most exciting seasons in baseball history and, without a doubt, had the most exciting finish. As for what is to come...

Let the games begin.

First Show in the Books!

What a debut.

As many of you know, I got involved with WIUX Sports 99.1 FM student radio a few weeks ago and was given the title of producer for the morning sports talk show "Excessive Celebration," with Mike Lascola and Jay Hillman. As a producer, I work the soundboard. I control the mics, volume levels, telephone, and commercial breaks songs, PSAs and jingles.

Today we had our first show, which you can hear every Thursday from 10-11 AM on wiux.org by simply clicking on the "click here for the live stream" button, and it went great.

We kicked off the show with NFL football and eased our way into some college football, which took up the first half of our show. Our second half was devoted to MLB baseball, where we talked about the playoff races, predictions, awards, and much more. Luckily, my hosts let me talk and let me do the baseball segment with them, which I appreciated and was more than elated to talk about.

Overall, it went great. Except for a few technical bluffs (like some dead air, grr) it was a great experience and I'll only get better. Can't wait to do it again next week.

#602

"He needs to pitch in a higher league, if there is one. Ban him from baseball. He should be illegal."

- Former Minnesota Twins Manager, Tom Kelly (1996).

The bottom of the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium just ended, and the New York Yankees lead the Minnesota Twins by a score of 6-4. The bullpen doors open and Metallica's "Enter Sandman," a song that signals certain doom, begins to play. #42, Mariano Rivera, begins his jog to the mound with history, nevermind you the game, on the line.

The Twins, however, already know their fate.

Game over.

For years, Mariano Rivera has been hailed as "The Greatest Closer of All-Time." From his consistent regular season dominance to his postseason perfection, Rivera's career will always be regarded as, quite simply, the best closing career ever. However, officially today, now we can say that Rivera is truly the greatest closer of all-time.

On September 19, 2011, Rivera recorded his 602nd save, passing former great San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman's mark of 601, for the most saves all-time. Rivera and Hoffman are the only two closers in baseball history to reach the mark of 600 saves. Rivera, unlike Hoffman, did it all for one team. The one team that is the most recognized brand in the world: The New York Yankees.

Rivera joins other Yankee greats, such as Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, and Roger Maris, in the record books. With Ruth regarded as the best hitter to ever play the game and DiMaggio one of the best centerfielders to ever play, the Yankees can also add Rivera as the greatest closer to ever pitch.

Mo's career is one of mystique and aura. His regular season stats since taking over as the full-time closer in 1997:

• Two 50 saves or more seasons (career high 53 in 2004)
• Eight seasons with at least 40 or more saves
• Seven seasons of 30 or more saves
• 602 saves, most all-time
• 881 games-finished, most all-time

Mr. Automatic? If his regular season statistics were not enough, his career postseason numbers are even a greater testament to Rivera's success. Consider his success over a span of 15 postseasons, meaning 94 games and a 31 combined series:

• 8-1, 0.71 ERA, 42 saves
• Allowed just 13 runs, 11 earned, two homeruns, 21 walks, 109 strikeouts and 86 hits in 139.2 postseason innings
• 11 saves in the World Series, all-time record
• Most postseason saves, all-time record

Oh yeah, besides all that, he's also a five-time world champion.

Perhaps what is most amazing about Rivera is that his career has been defined by one pitch, which, surprisingly, Rivera discovered by accident while playing catch. One pitch that has been his "bread and butter" for 17 seasons. One pitch that all hitters in baseball know is coming, but cannot hit it. One pitch that has made Mariano Rivera famous.

The cutter.

"It was just from God. I didn't do anything. It was natural," says Rivera.

Cleveland Indians' slugger and member of the 600+ home run club, Jim Thome, has described it as the single best pitch in the game.

Even Hoffman has been noted as saying that Rivera "will go down as the best reliever in the game in history."

For my generation, it's amazing to see a player that you grew up watching set such a record that probably will not be reached for decades. I can only imagine the generations that saw other greats set some of baseball's greatest records. Imagine being part of the generation that saw Babe Ruth set the homerun record, only to then be part of the generation that saw Hank Aaron break it? Or how about the generation that saw Joe DiMaggio set the record 56-game hitting streak - a record that will never be broken? The generation that saw Pete Rose set the hits record? We can all now say that we are part of the generation that saw the greatest closer of all-time cement himself as the best. Of course, Rivera was always known as the best ever, no matter how many career saves he had.

Besides his regular season and postseason success, perhaps the other reason Rivera is going to be regarded as the greatest closer of all-time is because throughout his career he has never gone through something that even Hoffman suffered: a decline phase. Just 41 years young, Rivera has always been the same automatic pitcher since he broke in as a dominant force as a 26 year-old in 1996.

Even though he is one of the oldest players in the game, all throughout baseball know that Rivera has defeated father-time season after season, and there is no reason to doubt he will continue his success. Rivera certainly earned the right to keeping his uniform number after it was retired throughout major league baseball for Jackie Robinson in 1997, and has done it justice. Mariano Rivera is perhaps the second-greatest #42, along with Robinson, in baseball history.

However, he is the #1 greatest closer.

First Article for IUSportCom!

http://iusportcom.com/prosports/surging-rays-sliding-red-sox-highlight-wild-al-playoff-picture/

Check it!

Remember when I said...

That the Yankees would win the American League East, all the way back in March?

....

Well if you don't remember, check it here. Proof.

I always like to look at my previous work and see where I stand. Let's take a look, shall we?

- Back in March, I thought that Ivan Nova would be a crucial cog in the rotation for success. I think I've been right so far. Also in my predictions article which can be found here, I had him pegged for 16 wins with an ERA in the 3.80s. Not too far off eh? I also said he'd be more valuable than Daisuke Matzusaka would be this season (Daisuke went down with Tommy John surgery this year).

- I was wrong about Josh Beckett struggling in his return from his previous shoulder injury. The dude has been flat out nasty this season.

- I was correct in saying that the Red Sox pitchers were far more prone to injury than Yankee pitchers.

- I was correct in saying that the Yankees' bullpen would prove to be a strength and be better suited than the inconsistent Red Sox bullpen.

- If you happen to check out the predictions article that I linked here, you'll be able to see how far off I was with some predictions, (with the exception of my Nova prediction, Halladay prediction, and some of my division winners) like the White Sox, Reds, and Rockies making the playoffs and Alex Rodriguez being the MVP.

ANYWAY!

As of today, September 15, 2011, the New York Yankees sit atop the American League East at 89-57 with a substantial four game lead on the beginning-of-the-season favorites, the Boston Red Sox.

Everything is in New York's favor. They have the best record in the American League (and it's not even that close), Their roster is getting healthy, CC Sabathia is pitching like an ace, Jesus Montero, the offensively-talented prodigy, has been everything and more for the Yankees since his call-up (and could make his way onto the playoff roster), the Bridge-to-Mariano is pitching up to expectations, and Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson continue to build upon their potential MVP seasons. They are, without a doubt, the best team in the American League right now, with their chances of making the playoffs at 99.4% and chances of winning the East at 88.0% (thanks to riveraveblues for that one).

Boston, who sat atop the division not too long ago, has done anything but prove that they have a fighting chance to retake the crown. If losing their grip on the AL East wasn't bad enough, they're also starting to slide in their lead for the AL Wild Card, and lead the Tampa Bay Rays by just three games!

In the past week, since their series against the Yankees (Aug 30 - Sep 1, in which they lost 2/3 games to New York) the Red Sox have produced the following:

Lost 2/3 vs. Texas Rangers (Sep 2 - Sep 4)

Lost 3/4 vs. Toronto Blue Jays (Sep 5 - Sep 8)

Lost 3/3 vs. Tampa Bay Rays (Sep 9 - Sep 11)

That's right, the Boston Red Sox are losers of five in a row.

Five. In. A. Row.

Meanwhile, the surging Rays, who swept Boston, have been winners of five in a row.

Last week, Boston led Tampa by nine games in the Wild Card.

Ridiculousness? I think so.

Is it possible that the Red Sox, the same team that was projected to win almost 100 games after acquiring Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford and meet the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, could collapse, a la 2007 New York Mets, and possibly miss the playoffs?

Ya huh, it is. Likely though? Not a chance. However, as the Mets proved in 2007, losing a seven-game lead in the final 17 games, anything is possible.

The Red Sox play the pitiful Baltimore Orioles seven more times this season while also playing one more (what could be) crucial series against the Rays, split by a series in New York to face the Yankees, not to mention a short two-game series against the Blue Jays, whom they lost 3/4 to. If anything, besides the series against New York and Tampa, the schedule is in their favor and the Wild Card is Boston's to lose.

It's Tampa, actually, that has the tougher schedule. Currently in a series with the Orioles (they've taken 1-of-3 so far), they then travel to Fenway Park to play four with the Red Sox and then go to Yankee Stadium to play four with the Yankees. A three-game series with the Blue Jays unfolds after that series before they host the Yankees back home for a three-game series that could ultimately decide their playoff fate.

Boston has been decimated by injuries of late. Everything from Josh Beckett's ankle sprain to Kevin Youkilis' sports hernia, to even Daniel Bard's recent inconsistency, has hurt the product on the field that was supposed to be destined for greatness in October, but now serves as a question mark. Tampa on the other hand has been playing great of late, going 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are definitely pushing for it all, and with James Shields and David Price at the helm of a dangerous pitching rotation, in addition to the spark that rookie outfielder Desmond Jennings has provided thus far, there is no reason that they could not overtake Boston and make the playoffs.

Could you imagine?

It's certainly time to panic up in Beantown. The Red Sox are slipping fast and their players are dropping like flies. They just called up some reinforcements in Lars Anderson, Jose Iglesias and more, but the Rays also called up their prized left-hander (who was ranked as the best pitcher in the minor leagues) Matt Moore, who could have a "2008 David Price" kind of effect out of the bullpen for the Rays. Scary thought.

The Red Sox schedule is definitely in their favor, while Tampa's is a tad more difficult - but they're surging, and anything can happen when a team catches lightning in a bottle in September. Again, it's unlikely Boston misses the playoffs, but it's possible.

Plus, who doesn't love a tight race coming down to the line? Boston's got 16 games left, Tampa 15 games left, and it's going to be very, very interesting. If you thought that last year was fun towards the end, it's going to be a lot more fun in baseball's best division this year.

Oh lord, do I love baseball.

Ten Years Later... Some Quick Thoughts

Has it really been ten years already?

Jeez, I'm old.

It's extremely hard to believe that the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks were ten years ago today. Perhaps the darkest day our nation has seen in it's history affected the lives of millions, but brought us all together as one. I, for one, remember exactly where and what I was doing when those planes crashed into the World Trade Center.

I was eight years old at the time of the attacks, and like every other eight year old in the third grade, I did not want to go to school. On the morning of 9/11, which began as any other morning, I told my mom I did not want to go to school because I had a stomach ache and I did not think I could last throughout the whole school day. Luckily, my mother gave in and allowed me to stay home from school. Since then, she's always said that she was happier that I was with her when the news hit rather than at school.

My mother brought me with her to run her errands for the day, one of which included scheduling my younger brother's birthday party at Pizza Pizzaz, a pizza/arcade restaurant in Mt. Kisco, New York. Upon entering the restaurant, the woman behind the counter had the news on. On the screen were the Twin Towers up in smoke, with the news ticker flashing like a siren. While she was scheduling my brother's party, my mother, unknowingly, asks the woman "Oh, is this is a new movie?" The woman looks at my mother and responds, "No. Two planes just crashed into the Twin Towers."

Shortly after, my mother decided to cancel her errands and we returned home to find out that another plane had hit the Pentagon and another had crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. All schools in the area evacuated and my mother had to run to pick up both of my younger brothers from pre-school. I remember trying to watch television but every station having the news on with the reports of the attacks. At the time, I had no idea what was going on and I didn't take it seriously at all. I remember in the days following how worried everyone was about another attack in the coming days. What stands out most is how concerned my father was about my grandfather, who, at the time, was working in New York City and luckily was safe and sound.

The next few days in Somers were pretty somber, as there were many families in town mourning the losses of their loved ones, others paying their respects in general, and many who still just in disbelief.

Then, there was one event that reunited New York City, if not the nation, for the night.

Mike Piazza's walk-off home run against the Atlanta Braves in the first baseball game following 9/11.

I remember it clearly. The Mets payed their respects to the New York City Police Department and New York City Fire Department that day by wearing NYPD and FDNY hats throughout the game. Then Piazza's homer to win it brought the city together.

---

Looking back on 9/11 now, ten years later as a freshman in college, I'm still in disbelief of the attacks. Being one of the few New Yorkers here, I'm extremely proud to be a New Yorker and even more proud to be an American. I'm proud to represent my hometown, wear those New York shirts with pride, and be able to say that New York City is the greatest city in the world. There's not as much sympathy to the subject of 9/11 out here, simply because it's Indiana and we're pretty far away from New York, but I'll always remember it. If the Media LLC does go to New York City for spring break as planned, I'll be even more proud to represent New York and I'll be able to prove how this is the greatest city in the world.

Rest in peace to all those lost in the attacks on 9/11, you will never be forgotten.

God Bless America.

Getting involved with WIUX, IUSTV and more.

I'm finally starting to live out that dream.

This past week, I've attended two meetings: one for IUSTV, Indiana University's student-run television station, and one for WIUX, which is IU's student-run radio station. I've filled out applications for both and I'm hoping to get some responses soon enough.

For IUSTV, I, along with my co-partner Kody Gilliland, applied to be a part of Hoosier Sports Nite. Hoosier Sports Nite is a sports show that focuses on IU's school sports. Like a typical sports broadcast, there are interviews, analysis, highlights, and sometimes streams of live games. While I'm not too big into the whole television thing (as most of you know), I figured it'd still be a smart idea to get involved.

For WIUX, I filled out an application with Kody to try to get our own sports-talk show on the radio. WIUX isn't just a sports radio, they also carry music, news, talk-shows and more on the station. It's great because you can be involved with more than one station and even DJ on some of them. However, for me it's all about sports. Kody and I brainstormed some ideas for our show on what we would talk about, who we would interview, how we would operate, etc. After that, I filled out the app and sent it in earlier than it was required in the hopes of getting our show on the air as soon as possible.

In other news, I'm loving college. The opportunities here are endless, I've got some great friends, and now I'm starting to get involved in what I want to do. It's been great so far.

How about them Yankees? They've been on a roll huh (despite losing these last two soggy-games, eh)? Jesus Montero has been en fuego of late and has really been a spark for this team. So I'm asking you guys: do you think that Jesus Montero will make the playoff roster as the starting DH? Leave your responses in the comments.

Talk to you all soon, about to grab some grub.