Done and done

I actually stayed up last night to watch the end of game 3 of the World Series.

The White Sox took an unexpected and commanding 3-0 series lead with a come-from-behind, 7-5 extra innings victory over the bad luck Houston Astros.

The longest game in World Series history was won on a pinch-hit, two-out solo homer by Geoff Blum in his first ever World Series at bat.

I only watched the last 5-6 innings of the ballgame and I truly tried to get into the game and get excited about this matchup but it's just not there for me. I don't know that Houston will be able to stop the White Sox's date with destiny tonight. They'll need an all-world performance from Brandon Backe in order for that to happen.

Unfortunately for the Astros, things just go from bad to worse for them as they have to beat Freddy Garcia who's been lights out in the post season thus far.

I think the worst part for Houston though, and what will probably be talked about for a while, is the way Manager Phil Garner reacted in his post-game press conference last night.

SI's Tom Verducci writes a stinging critique of Garner on Sports Illustrated's website and, once again, I find myself agreeing with everything Verducci says.

I haven't watched much of this year's finale but from what I've watched and from what I've seen in the highlights, the Astro's team has fought hard in every game. They do not look to me to be a team that quits. However, they also are not a deeply talented team and so I think it was bound to happen that eventually they would come back down to earth and play to a level that's a little more realistic of this, in all honesty, very mediocre team.

Garner's post game comments last night though was one of the worst display's of leadership I have ever seen. Verducci suggested that Garner jumped ship on his team. I'd go a step further and say he stabbed every single player in a Houston Astros uniform right square in the back.

Garner sold out his players and placed the blame for losing squarely on their shoulders. He made no mention of himself. He made no attempts to include himself with the team or to shoulder any of the blame himself. He actually tried to place blame entirely on the shoulders of the players who have far exceeded expectations all year long. It blew my mind when I heard the things he had to say after the game.

The fact of the matter is, a big reason Houston is down 3-0 isn't because they've been outplayed but rather because they've been outmanaged. Losing doesn't start at the bottom, it starts at the top. If you're the leader of the team and your team isn't getting it done, the blame is yours, not theirs. It's your job as the leader to pass the praise and absorb the criticism. Garner did the exact opposite last night. I think it shows Garner to be a real coward and the exact opposite of what you want from a leader.

If I was an Astros player and heard those comments last night I'd be telling Garner to not bother coming to the ballpark tonight. If losing is all about the players then so too should winning, and if that's the case then he's not needed if he has nothing to do with the outcome- good or bad.

The fact of the matter is that Houston had the game won in the bottom of the ninth. They had a perfect squeeze play situation with a speed guy on third with less than two outs and your two best bunters coming up. Neither Biggio (who walked) nor Tavares (who ended up striking out) even attempted a bunt and, as a result, the Astros were unable to get the winning run home from third with less than two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Sure some of the blame should fall on the hitters for not getting the clutch hit, but everyone knows that the Astros achilles heel is their offense, so playing small ball and manufacturing a run should have been a foregone conclusion at that instant.

The mistakes that Garner has made throughout the first 3 games of the series are well documented. After last nights display of selfish stupidity it's perhaps becoming clearer that, as much as the Astros have been hindered by their offense, perhaps their biggest weakness comes from the fact that they're being led by a self-centered man-child who has no idea what true leadership in the face of adversity looks like.