I'm going to renew my semiannual objection to having playoff games of any major sport exclusively on cable, but having said that, this TBS Hot Corner thing MLB.com is running is at least better than Gamecast only. (Although I'm really getting sick of this "Lights Out Challenge" commercial.) At least you can hear the crowd noise and see most of the action. Although when they set up the dugout cam at Dodger Stadium, they probably should have taken into account that in a close game, almost everyone would be standing up at the railing (where the camera is placed tonight, the dugout looks empty anyway).

Also, I'm wondering if I should have given more weight to the the managerial matchup in the Dodgers-Cubs series. Not so much that having Torre gives LA an advantage, but that Piniella hasn't been to the World Series since his first trip (in 1990 with the Reds). And if I'm remembering correctly (which I am because I checked Wikipedia), Piniella was Seattle's manager the year they won 116 games and lost in the ALCS (to Torre's Yankees for the second straight year). I'm just saying with Lou's playoff record you don't really need a curse to wind up with a disappointing result.

Still, I feel sorry for Cubs fans right now. This is one of those situations when "well, we had a great regular season" just adds to the sting. With the White Sox facing elimination tomorrow, I hope there are lots of grief counselors standing by in Chicago.