Share your Pennant Traces stories
Maybe you are following the Rays, Red Sox, Dodgers or Phillies, and you are a season-ticket holder who lives and breathes the game and roots for your favorite 25 players right now. Maybe you live in a small town and take pride in a local standout who went on to baseball greatness and represents you in this postseason. Maybe you went to college with a player or a GM whose team is in the League Championship Series, and maybe your team is done for the year and you have a vested interest in someone who used to be on your team. There are so many reasons that more fans than ever follow the beautiful game of baseball, so many traces and connections to these real people who now contend for a world championship.
MLB.com launched Pennant Traces as a way to explore the roots of the personnel still competing for a title right now, and you can view the data via your own favorite team or through the traces of the four teams in the LCS round. Throughout the final two rounds, look for special features that explore these unique traces, and if you’re like most people, then you’re bound to relate. Please feel free to comment on your own special connections to these special people of October, and tell us where you’re from and who you’re following and why.
Pennant Traces 
As a Yankees fan, I’m pulling for Torre and Mattingly the most, although the fact they coach for the Dodgers makes it a little tougher.
Soriano would be my other choice. The Yankees haven’t been back to the World Series since he left (in the great ARod deal). He hit two huge postseason homers when he played in NY (2001 vs SEA to win Game 4 of the ALCS, 2001 vs ARI in Game 7 of the World Series) and was a guy I thought I’d be rooting for in pinstripes for 10-15 years. It would be nice to see him get a ring with the Cubs, although things aren’t looking too good right now.
It’s hard to see former Padres like Greg Maddux, Jim Edmonds, Mike Cameron, and Tadahito Iguchi in the playoffs because thay were with us recently. The Padres aren’t in the playoffs. But Greg Maddux deserves it. I guess you could say, these players went to a better place.
Kaybee-http://kaybee.mlblogs.com
I have a few friends and coaches I have met over the years involved in the Playoff fever and hope the best for all of them and their teams.
I hope Coach Matt Sinatro (1st base Coach/Cubs) can get their ship righted in time to make a difference in their NLDS series.
I hope Brewers’ reliever/starter Seth McClung can help the Brew crew get back into the racw with the Phillies.
I hope J C Romero, reliever for the Phillies has a great playoff season and their team meets us in the Trop.
I am just glad it is a wide open Playoff season so far and any one can be victorious. It is always a wild ride, and you have to buckle up your seats tight and tighter.
I am not going to promise anything here, but I truly believe our teams ride is not going to end real soon. So, go get them in Chi-town Rays and I will see you in the wee hours of the morning at the airport.
Best of luck to all 8 teams on a great season.
http://raysrenegade.mlblogs.com
I agree with the Torre and Mattingly sentiment. I was upset — and I think I’m not alone on this — at how Torre was treated by the Yankees at the end of last season, and I’m glad that the Dodgers are doing well. I’ve been dying for the Cubs to win a pennant since 1984 (thanks to WGN, I got hooked), but I became a big Mattingly fan in 1984-85 as well, and anyway, I think the irony of a Dodgers vs. Rays World Series with the Yankees having missed the postseason would be absolutely out of this world. The manager the Yankees ran off vs. the expansion team they couldn’t catch in their own division — go figure.
http://sportsbythenumbers.mlblogs.com/
I agree with the Torre and Mattingly sentiment. I was upset — and I think I’m not alone on this — at how Torre was treated by the Yankees at the end of last season, and I’m glad that the Dodgers are doing well. I’ve been dying for the Cubs to win a pennant since 1984 (thanks to WGN, I got hooked), but I became a big Mattingly fan in 1984-85 as well, and anyway, I think the irony of a Dodgers vs. Rays World Series with the Yankees having missed the postseason would be absolutely out of this world. The manager the Yankees ran off vs. the expansion team they couldn’t catch in their own division — go figure.
http://sportsbythenumbers.mlblogs.com/
My favorite season of all time was 1995 … it was the year the Mariners overcame a 14-game deficit to the California Angels to force a one-game playoff. Former Mariner Mark Langston pitched against Randy Johnson, the stud of baseball.
But the magic came in the ALDS. The M’s dropped the first two games at the Kingdome to the Yankees. Down 2-0 they won both games at the Bronx to force Game 5, which was played at The Dome.
Two former Mariners, now wearing ChiSox uniforms, shone in that game. The first was Joey Cora – now a bench coach for the South Siders. Cora blasted a home run early in the game to take a 1-0 lead against David Cone and the Yanks. Thing is, Cora NEVER hit bombs.
Later, down by a run, Griffey blasted a solo shot. Funny thing was the whole game the commentators talked about the importance of not giving Griffey a chance to hit with runners aboard. And he only did once – in the tenth inning.
That’s when the magical moment in Mariners’ history came – and the moment that may have saved baseball in Seattle. With one out and runners at first and third (I think it was A-Rod on third … may have been Cora though – Griffey was on first) Edgar Martinez stepped to the plate. Martinez ripped a line drive to left-center that scored Griffey from first. It’s known to M’s fans as “The Double” and always brings back fond memories.
A week later the M’s were done, shut down by Jim Thome’s Indians. Cora was pictured on the front of the Seattle times with his head in his hands, sobbing. That was how we all felt in the Puget Sound area.
Now Thome and Griffey and Cora have the same jersey on. It’s likely a last chance for The Kid and for Jimmy boy to get an elusive ring (the Indians lost to the Braves that year). And were they not playing against a Rays team I fell in love with back in March, I’d be pulling pretty hard for the Sox to win it all, just to see Griffey and Cora finish what they started in 1995.
My Montreal Expos are long gone, but I still root for them- at least the ones who actually played for them- not these last year callups. And until the last one isn’t playing any more, i’ll root for them. Vladdy is my favorite. He dedicated his first and only MVP to the fans of the Expos. Orlando Cabrera- ultimate stud (but not the white sox). Cliff Floyd- becuase he was actually on the 1994 Expos- the greatest team of 1994 before Selig and his cronies started the destruction of my team. After all, nobody watches baseball in Montreal… Soriano doesn’t really count- he was a rental when he played for my ‘spos. even though he did set some team records. Javier Vazquez- also with the sox. I’ve followed this guy since the beginning- Electrifying stuff. Griffey- not because he was an Expo, but because he’s my age and i remember seeing him play for the San Bernardino minor league team when I was in college. Little bit of love for Juan Rivera- even though he’s been overshaddowed by Vlad for long enough that he has already peaked- too bad he couldn’t start for someone else. Gagne because he’s from Montreal… even though I’ve never been there. Percival- because i went to college with him and he’s still a huge UC Riverside supporter despite the fact that nobody knows who UCR is. Francona was with the Spos during the 1981 Blue Monday year. Coaches Tom Foley and Dave Martinez of the Rays played together in the late 80s- i think that they made the uniform conversion together. that’s it. my wife wants me to do something “important” now. go spos!
as a yankees fan i feel so bad for the boston redsox when will they learn there lesson the only reasson thy are in the ALCS is because they get lucky seriously how many times did a call from the umpires go in favor of the angeles i dont recall any all the redsox did this seasson and postseasson was looking for ways to make my team look bad and like we are bad guys or somthing alll us fans have the goal to win a world serise am i not right? this offseasson i better not hear stuff about the redsox going after a player because we want them stop focusing so much on how to steal a player from the yankees so they cant improve and concatrate on how to improve your own team.
go rays
Why were Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett left off the Twins Trace? Was is just an oversight or am I missing something with how this is laid out? Just wondering
Who I’m cheering for…. the Phillies. (and Rays, but the Phils have the most local ties).
Ryan Howard played in a college league 30 minutes from here, Jayson Werth is from a small town about 20 minutes from my house and their equipment manager is from the same town Ryan played in and worked here for a few years.
Echoing other Yankee fans, I’m rooting for the Dodgers because of Joe Torre, Larry Bowa and Don Mattingly. An easy call. Torre was a father figure to a lot of the Yankees, and it’s nice to see how he’s taken that ability and guided a new crop of players. I hope they go all the way!
– http://janeheller.mlblogs.com
As a Yankee fan I also have a soft spot for the Rays. That is mainly because I am a huge fan of their AA team The Montgomery Biscuits. It is nice to see how players I have heard and read about as a Biscuit are doing fine now in the Majors. Players like Evan Longoria, Andy Sonnanstine.
Even though I don’t hate the Red Sox, I think it is time for another team to win the pennant. So I really hope that the Rays will beat them.
Furthermore I prefer the Phillies to advance to the World Series. I never have accepted the fact that the Dodgers play in LA. I still think that they belong in Brooklyn.
So a Phillies vs Rays World Series would be fine for me.
Garza and Bartlett have both been added to the Twins traces page. Great catch bjgryskie, thanks for the help in building out this section.
For me its simple who I’m rooting for. The Dodgers in the NL because I hate the Phillies and the Rays in the AL because who doesn’t like the Rays? But I pick the Red Sox to win it all….
http://metsmainman.mlblogs.com
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Smart choice, MetsMainMan. Although with three Red Sox castoffs (Manny, Nomar, Lowe) the teams looks like a Red Sox old timers reunion.
Steve T.
http://soxblog.mlblogs.com
Lets Go Yankees!!!
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