As a Cubs fan, telling the differences between the regular season and postseason approximates the differences between my everyday life and Michael Jackson's life. I have trouble comprehending.\nMy life is ordinary. Jacko the Germ Fighter's life isn't. \nNothing is more exciting than a tense, well-played baseball game except perhaps a tense, poorly played baseball game. \nEven Twins manager Ron Gardenhire found it comical when four Twins let Scott Hatteberg's routine pop-up fall between them for an RBI single. TV cameras caught Gardenhire laughing in the dugout. That's a good thing as the Twins settled down to win both the game and eventually the series.\nAs the playoffs continue to unfold, here are some things to look for that might differ from the more serene regular season:
Managers cannot \ncontinue to use their closers like they do in the regular season\nManagers have to use their closers more aggressively. Yankees manager Joe Torre has understood this well over the years, as he has never hesitated to bring in Mariano Rivera in the eighth inning even though Rivera usually only pitches in the ninth during his regular-season save situations.\nThe Angels might have swept the Yankees had manager Mike Scioscia brought Troy Percival in the eighth inning of Game One to face Bernie Williams instead of inexperienced rookie Brendan Donnelly. Williams eventually hit the game-winning home run off Donnelly.
Working the count is important\nThe next time ESPN Classic shows Game One of the 2000 World Series between the Yankees and Mets, watch Yankees outfielder Paul O'Neill's ten-pitch plate appearance in the bottom of the ninth. He fell behind 1-2, fouled off several good pitches from pitcher Armando Benitez and eventually worked a walk.\nThe added stress of pitching in the playoffs wears out pitchers to begin with. If you can get the opposing pitcher to throw a lot of pitches, he will tire, and a tired pitcher is more likely to feed the hitter a cookie that he can crush.\nThe Angels' and Cardinals' hitters struck out the fewest times in the American League and National League, respectively. They both made baseball's version of the Final Four. This is not a coincidence. Both teams have hitters who foul off pitches that would strike out many other hitters.
The notion that good hitting beats good pitching is a myth\nRemember, the next time a supposed expert tells you that good pitching beats good hitting, ask why Tony Gwynn hit well over .400 in his career against Greg Maddux. Or ask why the Braves haven't won more than one World Series. \nOr ask why Randy Johnson's postseason record is merely average. Yes, Johnson put on one of the great pitching displays ever last year when he won Games Six and Seven of the World Series against the Yankees. He also got pummeled by the Cardinals in this year's Division Series. He once gave up a home run to Jeff Reboulet (who?) in a playoff game. \nGood pitching isn't always the solution, and when the Diamondbacks won the World Series last year, it had as much to do with their offense's two-run rally in the ninth inning of Game Seven as it did with their pitching.
Defense is crucial.\nDefense is hard to evaluate. A player might commit few errors but have little range. A player with a lot of errors may also make many more great plays. Some makeable plays that aren't made become hits, not errors. In other words, one needs to watch the games and judge for themselves.\nDefense played a huge role in the four Divisional Series. Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen's play on Diamondbacks' shortstop Tony Womack's grounder in Game One -- perhaps a bad example since TV replays showed Womack was safe -- was the type of play that deflates a team and its fans.\nOn the other hand, the Yankees played shockingly bad defense. Derek Jeter has little range and probably needs to move to a new position. Williams didn't catch a bloop single in the fifth inning of the Angels' clincher that spurred on an eight-run onslaught and distracted pitcher David Wells all the way to the showers.\nWhen the seemingly well-placed hits turn out not to be hits, often times it's wait 'til next year. As a Cubs fan, that's something I can understand.
