Eric Gagne: I ain't afraid of no goat!
Throughout my baseball career, I have listened and watched all kind of stories about players being superstitious. We do some crazy things when things are going great, and we always try to recreate that exact same feeling we had when things are not going our way. Really, that's all this is for us players.
With the Fall Classic going on this week, I’m sure most of you have heard about the Chicago curse. Now that's a different kind of superstition, negative superstition that has been around for 109 years. I believe we will witness the curse fall this year.
This year’s Chicago team might be the best and most complete team I have ever watched on a baseball diamond. Their starting rotation is experienced, the bullpen has some amazing arms and they also have a proven closer.
On the offensive front, the hitters are very talented, young, hungry and most of all, they are willing to do whatever it takes to win. We have a chance to watch a superstar in the making in Baez, watch a closer who throws 105 mph, and an old man called David Ross who is a great friend of mine. I believe Ross is the glue to this young team.
When I played in Los Angeles, he was one of my teammates. He was a backup catcher, but what he was doing on the bench and in the clubhouse was so important to our team success. What made him one of the best teammates I ever had was that he accepted his role, enjoyed being in the Big Leagues and always had a positive attitude. We called the bench players the support cast.
If you look at every championship team, there is always a guy like Rossy on the team as it is vital to a winning recipe. I hope people get to watch and see what he does not only when he's behind the plate catching Jon Lester, but also on the bench during the game.
He has been playing a lot of years behind superstars and never got the credit he deserved, never got paid like the superstars (don't get me wrong, he's making a great living) but he never was bitter, negative or jealous of those guys. Therefore, these guys are the type of leaders that a team needs to win a championship.
I know Cleveland is going to be hard to beat, not because of their talent (which they certainly have), but rather because they play the game the right way. They can bunt, run, play great defense, and execute when it is needed. If Chicago don't execute like they have been doing all season long, they might be surprised by Cleveland.
I still believe that Chicago is ready and won't make many mistakes. Of course, for you Rossy, I want Chicago to win. My prediction: I say that Chicago will win the Fall Classic in 6 games and finally give Chicago baseball fans what they’ve been waiting for.
I ain't afraid of no goat!