Dan Gould Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 The Tigers lost. D'oh! Are you taking comfort/pride/whatever from clinching perhaps just one game before LAA and Cleveland (both of whom have magic numbers of 1)? Based on how well things were going a month or two ago, wouldn't you have been shocked by this?? Yes, I thought the Sox would be the first to clinch, about ten days before the end of the season (would have been even sooner for clinching a birth in the tournament). So after all the aggravation of the past month, I'm quite happy to take whatever from clinching ahead of Cleveland and LAA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 Why am I not remotely surprised that they immediately return to form and make some fifteen game loser into fucking Cy Young, while not even pitching in the incredibly friendly confines of the Trop can make Wakefield throw even a halfway crappy game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 Tribe clinches the Central behind a solid outing from Jake Westbrook. Paul Byrd likely is the third starter in the post season, but it's close between these two. Nice to do it at the last home game of the regular season in front of a packed house on a beautiful September day. So Cleveland and Boston clinched after the same number of games played. You have Mother Nature to thank in part for your "early" clinch. How soon until Wakefield is in long relief? Not soon enough? Kind of a weird lineup with Coco Crisp batting 6th. Was this an experiment having Alex Cora bat second? He had 2 hits, but I'd think he's an 8-9 guy, even with players missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 Chamberlain picked up his first save today--struck out three of the final four batters he faced. Shades of 1996, when Mariano was the setup man for John Wetteland...and also the obvious coming closer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 Kind of a weird lineup with Coco Crisp batting 6th. Was this an experiment having Alex Cora bat second? He had 2 hits, but I'd think he's an 8-9 guy, even with players missing. I had a horrible feeling when I saw the lineup today. Hinske, Mirabelli, etc. Why give Pedroia a day off when he's 23 and everyone has tomorrow off? He does not need a day to put Cora into the lineup. Fwiw, Cora was second because of his supposed skills with bunting and getting batters over. He should never bat second, but there you go. They got what they deserve and there only chance, imo, to hang on to the division is if Burnett comes up big tomorrow afternoon, and Roger's groin muscle sheers clean off of his body. But I give us no chance in hell to hang on to a one game lead with six to play when they play Tampa and Baltimore and we play Oakland and Minnesota. NO CHANCE IN FUCKING HELL. So keep winning Patrick, and secure that home field advantage. I'd rather travel to Cleveland than LA, and we all know how LA has the Yankees number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 Once again Cubs win and Brewers lose. Life is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 My dream is a series between my 2 favorite teams - Red Sox/Cubs. My sentiments are for the Cubs but I don't think so............ Good luck Dan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 (edited) My dream is a series between my 2 favorite teams - Red Sox/Cubs. That would indeed be a very interesting World Series. I'm looking forward to watching at least some Post Season games, though they're usually in the middle of my night. Edited September 23, 2007 by J.A.W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 My dream is a series between my 2 favorite teams - Red Sox/Cubs. My sentiments are for the Cubs but I don't think so............ Good luck Dan. That is my dream as well. Should have happened in 2003, barring a return of Bartman or Little, maybe it can happen this time. With the Cubs visiting the Marlins this week, I am planning to head down for Thursday's 4 pm start. I'm hoping the stadium will be empty and I'll buy or scalp super cheap tickets and sit wherever, but its possible that Cub fans will come out of the woodwork. But a 3 1/2 game lead means that with a little luck, Thursday could be clinching day. Better bring extra film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted September 23, 2007 Report Share Posted September 23, 2007 My dream is a series between my 2 favorite teams - Red Sox/Cubs. My sentiments are for the Cubs but I don't think so............ Good luck Dan. That is my dream as well. Should have happened in 2003, barring a return of Bartman or Little, maybe it can happen this time. With the Cubs visiting the Marlins this week, I am planning to head down for Thursday's 4 pm start. I'm hoping the stadium will be empty and I'll buy or scalp super cheap tickets and sit wherever, but its possible that Cub fans will come out of the woodwork. But a 3 1/2 game lead means that with a little luck, Thursday could be clinching day. Better bring extra film. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quincy Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 ... and Roger's groin muscle sheers clean off of his body. I hear that sometimes happens after one has a fatigued groin earlier in the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim McG Posted September 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 I'd rather travel to Cleveland than LA, and we all know how LA has the Yankees number. It never used to be like that, Dan. Recovering Angel fan here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 I'd rather travel to Cleveland than LA, and we all know how LA has the Yankees number. It never used to be like that, Dan. Recovering Angel fan here. They are the only team in the Torre era with a winning record against them, and they have never lost a post-season series to them in that time period. Good enough for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 Magazine reports Boras had talks with Cubs bidder ESPN.com news services Updated: September 23, 2007, 9:54 PM ET Alex Rodriguez may redefine the term "franchise player," but his agent denies a report that he might soon become a franchise owner. New York Magazine reported on Sunday that the Yankees third baseman could end up with the Chicago Cubs next season with a blockbuster contract that includes part ownership of the team. Rodriguez can opt out of the last three years of his contract after this season. According to the magazine, Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, has already identified the leading candidate to buy the Cubs and has begun negotiations on a mega-deal. The publication's source says that the deal could reach $30 million per year over 10 years, with part of the contract deferred toward an eventual stake in the franchise. The Red Sox have also been mentioned as a possible destination for A-Rod. The team came close to trading for him before he ended up in New York. "Great players with great demand create great rumors," Boras said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Sunday night. "While I would enjoy having lunch with Mark Cuban and [John] Canning, at this point of the year that conversation would not include Alex Rodriguez. I have not talked to anyone." Canning, chairman of private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners LLC, is thought to be a favorite to buy the Cubs from Tribune Co., which is in the process of being purchased by an entity controlled by real estate investor Sam Zell. Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks owner, submitted an application to examine the Cubs' finances. Speaking before Sunday's 7-5 win over Toronto, Rodriguez said the report was "nonsense," as far as he knew. Although he's had his ups and downs in New York in his four years there, A-Rod has carried the Yankees this season and has basically wrapped up the American League MVP award. Rodriguez is batting .312 and leads the league with 52 home runs, 146 RBIs and 138 runs scored. New York is only 1½ games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East and leads the wild-card race by 5½ games. A-Rod's huge numbers couldn't have come at a better time. Ten days after the World Series ends, A-Rod can opt out of the $252 million contract he signed with the Texas Rangers six years ago. He is scheduled to make $27 million in each of the next three seasons. Yankees' executive Randy Levine also responded harshly to the magazine piece. "It's a silly story, and we don't believe it," he told ESPN.com's Buster Olney on Sunday evening. "However, if it was true, it would be grounds to disqualify the applicant even before he went through the process, because it would demonstrate a disregard for major league rules and procedures, and we're confident the commissioner would feel the same way." Levine later said he spoke to Bud Selig, and the commissioner agreed with Levine's interpretation of the story, and its possible implications. A player can neither have part ownership of a team nor negotiate for future ownership. The Yankees, who are all but assured of making the playoffs for the 13th straight season, likely won't watch A-Rod walk without attempting to sign him to an extension. But they have to act rather quickly. The Rangers are paying $29 million of Rodriguez's remaining deal. The moment he opts for free agency, the Yankees lose that money. They keep it if they can sign A-Rod to an extension. So in the midst of a playoff run, the Yankees must decide what to do with the guy that got them there. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 I figured this was all Bradley's fault, but interesting comments by his 1st base coach... SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A wild-card race that was already wild turned absolutely bizarre Sunday, and Milton Bradley was right in the middle of it for the San Diego Padres. Bradley was ejected and then hurt his right knee when Padres manager Bud Black spun him to the ground in an attempt to keep him from going after an umpire. The Padres were livid, claiming that first base umpire Mike Winters baited Bradley in the eighth inning, leading to a confrontation that overshadowed the surging Colorado Rockies' 7-3 win and an impressive three-game sweep of the wild card-leading Padres. Bradley, whose volatile temper has overshadowed his talent during his career, called it "the most unprofessional and most ridiculous thing I've ever seen." "It's terrible. And now, because of him, my knee's hurt," said Bradley, a second-half catalyst for the Padres who was in his third game back from an injury that sidelined him for nearly two weeks. "If this costs me my season because of that, he needs to be reprimanded. I'm taking some action. I'm not going to stand pat and accept this because I didn't do nothing wrong." Asked about his knee, Bradley said: "I've got to get an MRI. It's killing me, though." The punchless Padres retained their half-game lead over Philadelphia, which lost 5-3 to Washington, while the Rockies pulled within 1½ games by winning their season-high eighth straight. San Diego stayed 2½ games behind first-place Arizona in the NL West with seven to play. Colorado is four back of the Diamondbacks with six games remaining. An inning before Bradley was hurt, the Padres lost center fielder Mike Cameron after Bradley stepped on his right hand while the two pursued Garrett Atkins' inside-the-park home run. As Bradley walked to the plate in the eighth inning, he and umpire Brian Runge talked for about 25 seconds. Bradley singled, then said something to Winters. Later on in Kevin Kouzmanoff's at-bat, it escalated into an argument, with Bradley going toward Winters. First base coach Bobby Meacham began to restrain Bradley and Black came running out. Bradley got away from Meacham, but Black grabbed him by the jersey. Division Magic Numbers The magic number is derived by adding one to the number of remaining games and subtracting the number of games ahead in the loss column from the second-place team. Here's where the leaders stand: AL EAST x-Red Sox 6 AL CENTRAL x-Indians Won division AL WEST x-Angels Won division NL EAST Mets 5 NL CENTRAL Cubs 4 NL WEST D-backs 5 x-clinched playoff spot Bradley was attempting to get free and, after a few seconds, Black spun Bradley around and the player collapsed. Bradley immediately grabbed his right knee and eventually had to be helped off the field. "I was trying to pull Milton away from the argument," Black said. Runge said that after Bradley struck out looking to end the fifth, he "flipped the bat about 5-10 feet in front of me." Bradley said Runge asked him in the eighth if he threw his bat at him. "I said, 'Are you kidding me? That's ridiculous.' He said, 'Well, it was reported to me by the other umpires that you threw your bat at me.' And I said, 'That's completely ridiculous. I've done a lot of things. I'm trying to turn it around. I would never harm anybody." Once on first base, Bradley asked Winters if he told Runge he threw his bat. "He goes, 'Yeah, you did.' I go, 'Are you kidding me? That's completely ridiculous. If I strike out and the inning's over, why are you looking at me? Everything's always about me." Then, a fan heckled Winters. "I pointed to the guy in the crowd, affirming it," Bradley said. Bradley said Winters responded with a string of expletives. "That's when I went at him and he kicked me out," Bradley said. Crew chief Bruce Froemming wouldn't allow a reporter to speak with Winters. Froemming said Bradley "got grumpy with Mike Winters. Winters told him to knock it off and he continued it. There is no covering up what he did. He had to be physically restrained. We're not going to put up with it if he wants to talk." One batter later, Black ran onto the field after third-base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt called a checked-swing strike on Adrian Gonzalez and was ejected. Meacham defended Bradley. "In 26 years of baseball, I can honestly say that's the most disconcerting conversation I have ever heard from an umpire to a player," Meacham said. "It was almost like he wanted to agitate the whole thing. He wanted to get Milton boiling for some reason. Milton, he held his cool. I was just appalled." Padres CEO Sandy Alderson, a former general manager and president of the Oakland Athletics, said he'd never seen a player injured like that. "But as far as I'm concerned, it was necessary," he said. Alderson used to work in the commissioner's office, where one of his duties was overseeing umpires. "We're not going to sit by and see an umpire bait a player," Alderson said. He added that if the commissioner's office concludes the situation was handled appropriately, "I'll be shocked." Brad Hawpe homered for the second time in three games and Jeff Francis earned his 17th victory for the Rockies, who roughed up Greg Maddux. Colorado also won its franchise-best 84th game as it tries for its second playoff appearance in its 15-year history. The Rockies won the NL wild card in 1995 before losing to Atlanta in the first round of the postseason. "Their actions speak louder than anything I can tell you guys," manager Clint Hurdle said. "I'm just proud of the way they're going about their business." Hawpe went 8-for-13 with two homers and five RBIs in the series. He is 12-for-21 with 10 RBIs in his last five games. Francis (17-8) held the Padres to two runs and seven hits in eight innings to tie the franchise mark for wins in a season. He struck out eight and walked one. Maddux (13-11) lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing five runs and eight hits. Bradley homered to center in the third. Josh Bard connected in the ninth. Game notes It was Colorado's 36th road win, tying the franchise mark set in 1997. The Rockies have three more road games, starting Tuesday at Los Angeles. ... Francis' 17th win tied Kevin Ritz (1996) and Pedro Astacio (1999) for the franchise single-season record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 Man, how about the NL Wildcard race??? Fightin' Phil's .5 game out, Colorado, 1.5, and get this, the completely given up for dead by everyone Braves 3.5 out!!! They also play 3 games against the Phils in Philly. And the Braves starting pitching is as good as it has been all season right now....but, I really would rather see the Phillies or Colorado get in...Well, I think. Braves could have easily won 15-20 more games this year if the ol Manager was a better in game manager. But, IF by some fairly large miracle, the Braves snuck it, it could only happen with someone like Cox, he just refuses to believe it is over, when it's over! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 My dream is a series between my 2 favorite teams - Red Sox/Cubs. My sentiments are for the Cubs but I don't think so............ Good luck Dan. Say, I thought you had given up on the majors??? I guess one never gives up on the Cubs...permently! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 Permently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 My dream is a series between my 2 favorite teams - Red Sox/Cubs. My sentiments are for the Cubs but I don't think so............ Good luck Dan. That is my dream as well. Should have happened in 2003, barring a return of Bartman or Little, maybe it can happen this time. With the Cubs visiting the Marlins this week, I am planning to head down for Thursday's 4 pm start. I'm hoping the stadium will be empty and I'll buy or scalp super cheap tickets and sit wherever, but its possible that Cub fans will come out of the woodwork. But a 3 1/2 game lead means that with a little luck, Thursday could be clinching day. Better bring extra film. Man, and I thought it was cool seeing Sammy hit #600 against his former team. I hope it works out for ya, Dan. And yes, this Cubs fan also says take LOTS of pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 My dream is a series between my 2 favorite teams - Red Sox/Cubs. My sentiments are for the Cubs but I don't think so............ Good luck Dan. That is my dream as well. Should have happened in 2003, barring a return of Bartman or Little, maybe it can happen this time. With the Cubs visiting the Marlins this week, I am planning to head down for Thursday's 4 pm start. I'm hoping the stadium will be empty and I'll buy or scalp super cheap tickets and sit wherever, but its possible that Cub fans will come out of the woodwork. But a 3 1/2 game lead means that with a little luck, Thursday could be clinching day. Better bring extra film. Man, and I thought it was cool seeing Sammy hit #600 against his former team. I hope it works out for ya, Dan. And yes, this Cubs fan also says take LOTS of pictures! Yeah, but the problem right now is that we've been in a super wet weather pattern that is supposed to continue at least through Wednesday. I'm hoping they're right about that but I wouldn't be surprised if Thursday ends up with a doubleheader. Hell, even before the rainy season, a 4 pm start is tempting fate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 My dream match-up would be Padres/Angels. I remember listening to the very first Padre game played as a ten year old -- of course, the minute I had to leave San Diego in 1982, they get good. Another reason I'd like this to happen is to have a World Series with nice weather; Chicago/Boston, what would the high temp be? 42? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 Well, both Clemens and Burnett were scratched but I got the result I was hoping for: 4-1 Jays. Two game lead, six to play, magic number of 5. And what might be a big help, too, is the fact that Pettite took Roger's spot instead of opening the series against the Rays. Pettite almost always had his way with the Devil Rays, now we'll see if Roger is finally ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 I'll mention here that I have ZERO SYMPATHY for Milton Bradley. When you spend you whole career acting like a nut case, it's all on him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 Yankees lost today, so the gives Boston (and Dan ) some added breathing space. PS: GHF -- I'm really starting to dig your man's touch on the keyboard. You still have your Three Sounds collection? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulstation1 Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 i went to the dodgers and d-backs game on sunday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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