Wake Up Call Articles / David Lengel Date: Oct 10, 2005 - 02:41 PM Last night woke me up. I must admit, I was finding it tough to get into the playoffs. As someone who knows what it’s like to tune into the Air Force Network to battle the fuzz to hear pitches beamed from the USA to Germany and back to Britain, I suppose I shouldn’t complain about watching the majority of the baseball playoffs on a laptop computer. But my inability to get into every postseason pitch had more to do with matchups than how I viewed them. The White Sox/Red Sox series was fun and fairly intense, but was over in three games. St. Louis and San Diego? Yawn. Atlanta and Houston? Getting warmer. Overall it was, for me, a bit underwhelming. Yankees and Angels? Sure, we’ve seen it before, but last night was fantastic. The Stadium had 2004 ALCS intensity, drama, and plot lines. Jarrod Washburn couldn’t make it to the hill, again, this time with a throat infection, forcing John Lackey to go on three days rest. Bartolo Colon turned down the opportunity to pitch because he was “a little stiff, not 100%,” as if he’s the only one dealing with pain after 166 games. Then there was the possibility that Bernie Williams, who has played in the Bronx for what seems like forever, could be playing his last game on the historic green as a member of the hometown team. Of course, the prospect of the Yankees, all $200 million dollars of them, being dismissed from the postseason early, again, made for irresistible sport. It was a well-played, crisp, fun game to watch. It reminded you more than the previous contests that this was indeed October baseball. But however enticing the game in New York was, it paled in comparison to Game Four of the Astros/Braves encounter. Eighteen innings. Eighteen! Those who that think MLB teams give nothing away got two playoff games for the price of one. The Braves came up on the short end of it, thanks to their bullpen, but it was for sure one of the most engaging contests of all-time. Thanks to last night, I’m all warmed up and ready for the AL and NL Championship Series. To watch the pesky Astros wage a baseball version gorilla war, looking to throw a wrench in the Cardinal’s redbird machine. To see the White Sox bid to avenge their 88 years of second citizen, title-less angst. But before that, one final Divisional Series encore. All eyes are on Anaheim as the Angels try to tackle George Steinbrenner’s October men. It should be a game for the ages. This article comes from UK MLB Supporters Club http://www.baseballfan.co.uk/ The URL for this story is: http://www.baseballfan.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=205