OK-tober

The foundation of opinions I hold of people I know is always their level of self-awareness. It has always been this way, whether I was (self)aware of it or not. Whether I like it or not. So, I try to hold myself to the highest standard of self-awareness. Where would my credibility with my readership stand if I didn't overtly display my self-awareness? To some, I would probably appear more credible. But I can't have it any other way. The notion of their own reality, compared to the idealism of their life, is probably the most difficult thing for anyone to grasp. Please be (self) aware of this being the unabashed theme of this post.

Mansfield, CT, 10/23/10

 It is October 1st as I type. As the calendar flips from September, the romantic imagery of colorful, crunchy fallen leaves, hoodies, campfires, pumpkins, pumpkin flavoring, and brisk air starts to invade my mind and quickly becomes my reality.   

But this is a season of great personal transition for me. I went for a jog in a tanktop this morning. I was sweaty driving around in my car during the day, windows rolled down. This has been the case for the entire month of September. 

I never heard October's footsteps. Even though October seems to be the month of the loudest footsteps. October blindsided me. But I am in Oklahoma now. Things are different. Seasons, at least through the month-and-a-half of my residence, don't seem to change as dramatically and poetically. I need to give up the early October New England autumn dream. 

The days are getting a bit shorter, but the weather's song remains the same: sunny skies, highs in the mid-80's, lows in the mid-60's. It's October 1st. How can I feel like it's playoff baseball? The Yankees are sitting at home and the Pittsburgh Pirates are on their way to the Division Series. The defending champions lost 86 games and the no-name Oakland A's are division-winning juggernauts again. How can I feel like it's playoff baseball?  

Personal adjustments of mindset are being made every day. Things I once knew have taken on different symbols and meanings. I am learning things at a more rapid pace than I can remember, and I haven't set foot in a classroom in two-and-a-half years. 

I can comfortably say I'm having the time of my life. 

Autumn and the feelings that I used to associate with it have become redefined. Actually more like undefined. And that's the best part. I don't know what my life will be like on October 1st, 2014 and what expectations I will have developed. All I know is that I'm living for the growth in between. 

I can feel like it's playoff baseball because it's October 1st. And that's all I need. 

Late September in the Wichita Mountains of southwestern Oklahoma.

Now that demons have been exorcised and poetry has been written, I will discuss highlights of the 2013 MLB season. In the most honest and raw way I can muster. 

I am a Yankee fan and the Yanks are done. It is time to rebuild. MVP candidate Cano will be gone, he is in the prime of his career and entering free agency; the Yankees suddenly have a spending limit. Derek Jeter, forever my favorite Yankee, is 39 and his body is waging war against him. 

The Red Sox proved last season was a Valentinian fluke. 

The Cleveland Indians have proven to be the Tampa Bay Rays 2.0; scrappy, overachieving, heady players guided by an excellent manager. Both versions square off in the AL Wild Card do-or-die game. 

Eric Hosmer of the KC Royals will be a superstar next year......I think. 

The Oakland A's are unbelievable. Ever since Moneyball's release they have defied odds tenfold. The most unlikely of divisional dynasties. 

The LA Angels' future also looks grim. Too much hype, too little results. 

The Texas Rangers are the sport's biggest chokers. Three years running, in different capacities. 

The Atlanta Braves are poised to make another unprecedented division-title run with the core of players they possess. 

The Washington Nationals are enigmatic. All the talent in the world. Incredibly hyped by yours truly. Maybe rejuvenation awaits in 2014 as they will no longer have the oldest manager in MLB. 

The Marlins and Astros are as shitty as advertised. To go against my blog's theme. Are there some sure things in this life?

The Pirates are the best cinderella story in quite some time. I, like the rest of baseball-watching America, am pulling for them hard.   

Mike Trout, Miguel Cabrera, and Clayton Kershaw are living legends. Don't take them for granted. 

Soon to be back-to-back MVP Miguel Cabrera. 

But is Travis Reyes a living prognosticating legend? It is time to step into the I've Been Gone a Long Time (machine) time machine, set it to April 3rd, 2013, and see exactly how well I can predict the future. 

Because a blogger who can't acknowledge the past is a blogger who has no future.  

(mic drop.)

LEGEND: Correct prediction.
Dead wrong (3 or 4 places off).

AL EAST
Predicted:          Actually:
1.Tampa Bay     1. Boston
2.Toronto            2. Tampa Bay
3. New York       3. New York 
4. Baltimore       4. Baltimore
5. Boston            5. Toronto 

AL CENTRAL
Predicted:           Actually:
1. Detroit             1. Detroit
2. Cleveland       2. Cleveland
3. Kansas City   3. Kansas City  
4. Chicago          4. Minnesota 
5. Minnesota      5. Chicago 

AL WEST
Predicted:         Actually:
1. LA                  1. Oakland
2. Oakland        2. Texas 
3. Texas            3. LA 
4. Seattle          4. Seattle
5. Houston        5. Houston 

NL EAST 
Predicted:             Actually:
1. Washington      1. Hotlanta
2. Hotlanta            2. Washington
3. Philly                  3. NY
4. NY                      4. Philly 
5. Miami                5. Miami

NL CENTRAL
Predicted:            Actually:
1. St. Louis          1. St. Louis
2. Cincin              2. Pittsburgh
3. Pittsburgh        3. Cincin
4. Chicago           4. Milwaukee
5. Milwaukee       5. Chicago

NL WEST 
Predicted:         Actually:       
1. Arizona          1. LA
2. LA                   2. AZ 
3. San Fran        3. San Fran
4. Colorado        4. San Diego
5. San Diego      5. Colorado

So there we have it. An essay of self-reflection the entire blogosphere can view (gulp). Summary: 10 correct divisional ranks predicted. I am batting .333. I am an all-star predictor. Just 2 dead wrongs. Maybe I should polish up my applications for espn.com/grantland.com, Senior Crystal Ball Specialist? Wait, you say, but where would that leave I've Been Gone a Long Time? I'll hold off on the big-time for you, readership. The day I stop striving for blogging integrity, is the day I implore you to remove travisreyes.blogspot.com from your browser's bookmarks. In other words, stay tuned for my MLB 2014 post and keep an eye on this.   

I suppose this would be a good time to offer up fearless playoff predictions. In the aforementioned crystal ball baseball post, I included playoff predictions because I'm arrogant. I correctly predicted Oakland, Atlanta, LA Dodgers, Detroit, Tampa Bay, and St. Louis to be playoff teams. 6 for 10! I AM CURRENTLY FIELDING OFFERS FROM A PALM-READING SERVICE. I also predicted Washington over Arizona in the NLCS. Humble pie. In the following blurb, however, the playoff teams listed are all guaranteed to actually be a part of the playoffs. Will my predictions also be guaranteed? Probably, but stayed tuned just in case: 

WILD CARD GAMES
Pittsburgh over Cincin. (I would've predicted this had this post been finalized in time. Hehehe. FULL DISCLOSURE: it is now October 2nd. Awareness of the date is very significant to this post. Sometimes my blogs don't get completed in one sitting...I'm no SuperBlogger. But, I will ensure you that it gets off the presses before the start of the following:)
Tampa Bay over Cleveland. 

DIVISIONAL 
Detroit over Oakland.
Boston over Tampa Bay. (ugh)
Pittsburgh over St. Louis. 
LA Dodgers over Atlanta. 

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Detroit over Boston.
Pittsburgh over LA Dodgers. (a 7-game series, and an instant classic)

WORLD SERIES
Detroit over Pittsburgh. (it just seems like Detroit's year. Mig Cabrera having another all-time great year at the dish, the emergence of Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez to go with J. Verlander's dominance. Achilles' Heel? The bullpen. But I think the starting 4 will get deep enough into games and the offense will give them big enough leads for the bullpen to be a relatively insignificant factor.) 

This is exciting. October is my favorite sporting month of the year. In my eyes, the headliner is MLB Playoffs. The NFL being in full swing, with seasonal storylines developing, is second banana. But if you are ESPN (I don't think you are), football will always be on the front page. No matter what else is happening in the entire world. It annoys me, as ESPN is an incredible hype machine. I am not ESPN. Lastly, I don't give a shit about hockey season starting, sorry nerds. 

SIDE NOTE: 
Have I been touting Man Man enough in this blog? Listen to them, their new album is excellent and more accessible than anything else they've done. The band name, stage getup and Tom Waits-ian lyrics might deter the faint of heart. But give them a chance and I promise you will not be disappointed, if you enjoy excellent songwriting (read: catchy, intelligent music). They are seemingly getting more publicity (radio airtime?) than ever before, and they deserve success. Their smash hit single, which, to my complete and utter delight, I heard at a bar last weekend:

CONCLUSION: Happy October! I want to explicitly state the theme of this post: Regardless if something lives up to your expectations, accept it for what it is. Make an effort to be mindful of the aspects you enjoy about it. Let us raise our bottles of Shipyard Pumpkinhead in unison! 

Thank you for reading these words. 
Listening...Touche Amore-To Write Content