The Baseball Thread 2007

[Quincy]

Apparently they've been assigned the Torre firing watch, which is really silly. Something is going to be announced at the Stadium. You have camp out at his home to cover the story?

What, they're afraid of missing a shot of ole stone face shedding a tear? We've seen that before, go bug Britney.

Meantime, the first important news about the ALCS: Francona has announced the pitching rotation, and once again he is making the correct call. There is yet another extra off day built into the schedule, in between Games 4 and 5 (there's a travel day between 5 and 6 as always).

I see AZ vs. CO has the same break. I don't like this at all. I hope it's a bright sunny day on the off day between 4 & 5 and it rains buckets on game 5 in both series, just to get rid of this idiocy of scheduling. It's almost as bad as calling a timeout at the last second while the kicker is kicking in the NFL this year. If your top guys can't handle pitching on 3 days rest to hell with 'em.

[Tim McG]

OK.

Um...Guys?

I think at this point we need to ackowledge the best and most competitive division in the MLB: The NL West.

D'backs vs. Rockies for the right to play in the WS.

In short, the NL West is, in fact, the best.

Your baseball analysis has been shown to be lacking. Hope you are not in the forecasting business.

Hm.

I called the Rockies, D'backs and Red Sox.

Gee, Skeith...3 out of 4 sounds like pretty good odds forcasting wise. Don't you think?

I was reacting to your dis of Cleveland as well a your prediction of a Yankee win.

You said that Cleveland was just happy to be there - Cleveland won its division - the Yankees did not. And at the end of the regular season, Cleveland tied for the best record in baseball with the Red Sox and goes without saying had a better record than either the Rockies or D'Backs - Cleveland with 2 potential Cy Young candidates - need I go on?

So how you can say that Cleveland is just happy to be there is beyond me.

OK.

So I got one out of four wrong. Big deal.

Sue me.

Ok

Look sorry, while I was a bit offended at your off-handed dismissal of the Tribe, I had initially meant for some of my comments to be a good natured ribbing of you. I see that they were not taken that way and things went downhill . I am sorry.

No problem.

It's tough to gage somebody when you can't see them face-to-face, ya know?

I screw up that way all the time...it's a big club.

Don't worry about it, OK?

I think was GoodSpeak actually means here, is GO FUCK YOURSELF, IT'S ON!!!!

Trouble maker.

sheesh

[alocispepraluger102]

say it aint so, joe:

End of Torre era in New York?

By MIKE FITZPATRICK, AP Baseball Writer 30 minutes ago

Joe Torre and his Yankees players began the wait Tuesday for George Steinbrenner's decision: Will he keep the manager or let him go after 12 consecutive postseason appearances?

Few players were at Yankee Stadium, a day after their season-ending 6-4 loss to Cleveland, the third straight year New York was eliminated in the first round.

Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Phillips and Jose Molina packed their gear for the long winter. Don Mattingly, mentioned as a possible replacement along with Joe Girardi and Tony La Russa, said succeeding Torre would be difficult.

"It's like following John Wooden or something," Mattingly said. "This guy wins championship after championship and we're in the playoffs in every year. You know, it's really — it's pretty much a no-win situation for someone coming in here to be able to live up to the expectations or live up to what he did. It's not going to happen. So as far someone coming in and taking over this job, it's not a good, you know — it's not necessarily a great situation."

Steinbrenner said last weekend he didn't think he'd bring Torre back unless New York rallied to win the first-round series. The 77-year-old owner has not spoken publicly since the Game 4 defeat.

"There's nothing decided yet," Hank Steinbrenner, a son of the owner and a team senior vice president, said Tuesday.

The younger Steinbrenner praised Torre for the job he did this year, getting the Yankees into the playoffs after a slow start.

"I really do like Joe a lot," he said. "I have a lot of admiration for him."

General manager Brian Cashman said it was too early to make decisions.

"It's a process. The process first and foremost is going to be sitting down with ownership and all the relevant people," he said. "Have some patience. Things take time. There will be a process and we'll work through that, and it will lead us where it leads us."

Players have spoken out on Torre's behalf in recent days.

"Everyone in this room unanimously feels the same way about Mr. Torre," Andy Phillips said. "We all love him. We all appreciate what he's given us. We appreciate the confidence he's had in us all year."

After Monday night's loss, Torre's voice trembled a bit when he described how proud he was of his players for digging out of a 21-29 hole to reach the postseason.

"We were dead to the water in a lot of people's eyes," Phillips said. "He kept telling us to keep just playing every day and don't look at numbers."

Girardi, a former Yankees catcher, spent a season as Torre's bench coach before winning 2006 NL Manager of the Year for keeping the rookie-laden Florida Marlins in contention most of the way.

Mattingly, a fan favorite and ex-Yankees captain, was Torre's bench coach this year after previously serving as the team's hitting instructor.

"There is no fall guy. We win and lose as an organization," Cashman said, "There will be no scapegoats, There will be no finger pointing. Whatever we did, we did together."

Phillips and other Yankees can't envision someone else taking over.

"I refuse to think that way right now. I won't let that thought enter my mind," he said, praising Torre for a calm demeanor during turbulent times.

"There's not a guy in here that's not dealing with something that he probably hasn't gone through," Phillips said.

Torre was not at Yankee Stadium, and the team asked media to remove photographers outside his house in suburban Harrison. Cashman and Mattingly spoke with Torre by telephone.

"I'd like to see him come back," Yankees pitching coach Ron Guidry said. "He understands the game, but he has an innate ability to keep a team together. Because where we were in May, a lot of teams might have quit."

Guidry also could envision working for a replacement.

"If someone else comes in here and we're asked to, if I'm asked to stay, yes, I'd love to come back next year," he said.

Torre led New York to four World Series titles from 1996-00 in his first five years as manager but none since. The Yankees extended their season by overcoming a three-run deficit Sunday to win Game 3. But they couldn't do it again in Game 4, eliminated despite a $215 million payroll.

"This has been a great 12 years. Whatever the hell happens from here on out, I'll look back on these 12 years with great, great pleasure," Torre said. "The 12 years just felt like they were 10 minutes long, to be honest with you."

With Steinbrenner in attendance, a cheering crowd chanted "Joe Torre! Joe Torre!" as the manager went to the mound twice in the eighth inning.

Second to Joe McCarthy on the club's career wins list with a 1,173-767 regular-season record as Yankees manager, Torre was almost always loyal, turning to his most trusted players in crucial situations.

Those players might have just gotten him fired.

"I couldn't imagine what he's going through right now, as far as emotions," Andy Pettitte said.

Earning $7.5 million this year in the final season of his contract, the 67-year-old Torre hasn't decided whether he'd want to return. He seemed open to it in recent weeks. Now it looks as if he won't get that chance, even though he is 76-47 in the postseason with New York.

"I've talked to Joe actually a lot this year, just never on the field because people don't want to see that," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "People who know me know the respect I have for Joe."

The Yankees were the only first-round playoff loser that wasn't swept. Rest assured that's no consolation to Steinbrenner.

"It's not Joe's fault," Alex Rodriguez said. "We've got the most prepared coaching staff and the best manager in the game. It's on us, the players."

Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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[T.D.]

say it aint so, joe:

End of Torre era in New York?

-Yawn-

This s**t happens every year that NYY don't win it all. Steinbrenner lets Torre and Cashman twist in the wind. Granted, firings become more likely each year that NYY don't win it all, but by this time the Boss's antics are just tiresome. There's some media dynamic of trying to get more attention than the Mets, and to distract attention from the teams still playing, but IMO Steinbrenner can go shove it...

[Patrick]

Haven't posted since the Cleveland clinch, too busy juggling work so that I can disappear to the Jake for a week of potentially classic postseason action.

First off, to state the obvious, a great clinching game for the Tribe! Perhaps their biggest weakness through much of the season was not putting hits together in bunches. Right now, they are in a zone in that regard. Hopefully it continues for another couple weeks! Really a team win series-wise, tough to single out individual hitters or pitchers as carrying the team (Lofton started the clutch hitting in game 1, Rafael Perez pitched two effective innings in each Tribe win, Carmona was super tough and unflappable, but just about everybody contributed).

Would all those media types insisting on pitching Sabathia on short rest in game 4 please step forward for a well-deserved smackdown? Worked tremendously for Wang, didn't it? Byrd was just effective enough, and unlike Game 3, Wedge took him out before NY really got to him. We'll start this parade with ESPN's own Howard Bryant.

...which would you choose? Is the fear/hatred/concern/whatever for NYY so deep that you'd prefer the Tribe on regular rest?

Well, I'm not Dan, but the Yankees beat the Red Sox 5 of the last 6 they played, so I sure would rather them face the Indians than the Yankees regardless of who is pitching!

Well it certainly looks like it will be the Indians and Patrick will get his wish of having his two aces ready to start Games 1 and 2, but at the same time I have to point out that Manny missed all but about five innings of those 6 games when he hurt his oblique, and now he is back and crushing the ball. I'd still feel pretty good if its the Yankees if Manny is in the lineup and hot as Georgia asphalt.

Maybe it's different when it's a team in your own division and the games were recent, but I think the Tribe's post-season success against NY after getting swept in the regular season demonstrates that past success is no guarantee of future performance. As Dan notes, Manny missed almost all of those games. And do you guys really fear the Yankees behind Pettitte, a suddenly unreliable Wang, junkballer Mussina, rookie Hughes, and no Clemens, more than Tribe with Sabathia/Carmona/Westbrook/Byrd? That bullpen of Joba and Mariano and ...? Is the Tribe lineup that inferior? If yes, then I think you're nuts, ...but I admit to being a bit biased. Or maybe it's this psycological nonsense within Red Sox Nation that explains it.

In the meantime, I have to wonder how A-Rod feels about getting booed (which hasn't happened that much yet) when Derek McFistPump has been killing the team with DPs but no one gives him a hard time.

I also found this pretty amusing, Jeter was brutal but got no abuse. I guess he's only making $21.6M in 2007 and arrived a long time prior to ARod.

why do you think indians/bosox will be a classic? will trot nixon be fired up against his old team?

This is a silly comment. Do the Indians need someone to get especially fired up about facing their old team? Trot Nixon is the fifth outfielder on the Indians. Perhaps the only position player that means less to Tribe success at this point is reserve infielder/pinchrunner Josh Barfield. Will Alex Cora get fired up about facing his old team (the Indians)?

Congratulations to Patrick, Skeith, SoulStation and any other Cleveland fans, on getting it done in New York, driving the stake through the Evil Empire and offing Darth Vader's chief Lieutenant in the process.

We all know which team I will be rooting for, so to the greatest extent possible without actually implying that I hope Cleveland wins, good luck in the ALCS and may the best team win in a hard fought, well-played series. There can't be any excuses as the pitching is lined up and there is plenty of rest for both teams, so let's find out which of the 96 win teams is best.

Likewise you know which one I'll be rooting for, and I share this sentiment. Both teams appear reasonably healthy and equally rested. Tribe didn't have the benefit of facing an injured lineup in their ALDS series. Here's hoping the play on both sides (and the umpiring) is at a high level.

Congrats on the win. If you don't mind, I will now jump on the Indians bandwagon.

I realize some of the games were close, maybe it was just Tony Gwynn getting under my skin.

Hop on the bandwagon, plenty of room, let's knock out another one of those long world series droughts like in Boston and CWS (...too bad Cubs didn't get anything done in the postseason).

[Patrick]

I get so tired of ESPN's pro-NY bias. On the radio, they sounded downright disappointed that their beloved Yankees had just lost. No celebration for Cleveland or anything like that. Just, "Swing and a miss, and the ball game is over." Like it was some kind of late August game by two teams in dead last.

Sunday night's game, they were going apeshit that NY was winning. Last night, they were so subdued, I thought they had slipped into a coma.

Can you imagine how much these a-holes would be juicing their undies if Cleveland struck out swinging, giving the series to NY? Fucking assholes, these shitheads at ESPN.

I generally like Jon Miller (though he seems to be getting old/stale--might be from too much Joe Morgan exposure), but I was a bit surprised by how offhand he was on the radio broadcast about the last batter. Couldn't tell if he didn't really care, or was a bit distracted by something else (...like the NFL game??).

I also was slightly irritated about how the postgame coverage was entirely about NY. Yes an era in NY likely has ended. Can we limit how much time we talk about it, at least to the national audience, especially before the best part of the season is over? [Or do the best parts have to have NY playing??] Maybe folks could wait until Torre is officially canned or ARod officially bolts. It will only be a few days/weeks longer. Or maybe they can talk about it now and get it completely out of their system before Friday (...like that's going to happen!). Nevermind how well the Tribe played. Given the large numbers that were confident that the Cleveland kids would choke and the senior citizen pinstripers would benefit immensely from their wealth of postseason experience, I'd think someone would step up and discuss how surprisingly well (to these NY pundits) the small market team played (regular season and DS). Somehow if Cleveland had been eliminated, I don't think the media would spend one tenth the time on Westbrook/Byrd/Borowski shortcomings. Ah, to not live in NY.

OK.

Um...Guys?

I think at this point we need to ackowledge the best and most competitive division in the MLB: The NL West.

D'backs vs. Rockies for the right to play in the WS.

In short, the NL West is, in fact, the best.

Your baseball analysis has been shown to be lacking. Hope you are not in the forecasting business.

Apparently, you haven't been following the National League for the past month.

The lead changed multiple times in the NL West and the deciding game for the Wildcard was a playoff between San Diego and Colorado with Arizona already the NL West Champs. Any one of those three teams could have won the West. LA hung around untill the Giants knocked them out of first place back on September 9th.

AZ and Colorado sweep Philly and the Cubs respectively and now meet to decide who goes to the World Series.

Now, I don't know what you're seeing, but that sure as hell looks like very competitive division to me.

Sure hope you aren't in the sporting news business.

Before the season started, I think one could make a pretty good argument for the AL Central, but Minnesota and CWS had miserable seasons (...yet Ozzie Guillen somehow managed to sign a very lucrative multiyear extension). Hooray for the NL west. They were exciting down the stretch and impressive in the first round. Lots of fresh faces. After going a combined 3-15 in recent postseasons, it's about damn time. And did I hear correctly on PTI that there still are 10K+ tickets available for each of the first two NLCS games? If true, that is really lame. Edit: I may have misheard this--there may be 12K tickets in total still available for the 2 games. Still lame.

Edited October 10, 2007 by Patrick

[Tim McG]

OK.

Um...Guys?

I think at this point we need to ackowledge the best and most competitive division in the MLB: The NL West.

D'backs vs. Rockies for the right to play in the WS.

In short, the NL West is, in fact, the best.

Your baseball analysis has been shown to be lacking. Hope you are not in the forecasting business.

Apparently, you haven't been following the National League for the past month.

The lead changed multiple times in the NL West and the deciding game for the Wildcard was a playoff between San Diego and Colorado with Arizona already the NL West Champs. Any one of those three teams could have won the West. LA hung around untill the Giants knocked them out of first place back on September 9th.

AZ and Colorado sweep Philly and the Cubs respectively and now meet to decide who goes to the World Series.

Now, I don't know what you're seeing, but that sure as hell looks like very competitive division to me.

Sure hope you aren't in the sporting news business.

Before the season started, I think one could make a pretty good argument for the AL Central, but Minnesota and CWS had miserable seasons (...yet Ozzie Guillen somehow managed to sign a very lucrative multiyear extension). Hooray for the NL west. They were exciting down the stretch and impressive in the first round. Lots of fresh faces. After going a combined 3-15 in recent postseasons, it's about damn time. And did I hear correctly on PTI that there still are 10K+ tickets available for each of the first two NLCS games? If true, that is really lame. Edit: I may have misheard this--there may be 12K tickets in total still available for the 2 games. Still lame.

Please.

Anybody can say whatever they want in the pre-season.....what does that mean?

I've been saying the NL West is the most competitive division in baseball since late August.

Big, giant, HUGE difference, Patrick.

[MartyJazz]

A tip of the cap here to the Indians and their fans on this board from this disappointed long time (50 years+) Yankee fan. Tribe was terrific, great clutch hitting throughout the series and dominant starting pitching especially in the first two games. Turning point of course was game 2, one the Yanks had to win after getting a great performance from their one money pitcher, Pettite. But one run and three hits in 11 innings doesn't cut it, particularly in the playoffs.

Some hindsight from a Yankee perspective. Can't figure out why Torre started Wang on three days rest when he had a well rested Mussina who pitched creditably in September following a brutal August. Derek as well as most of the Yankee hitters, with the possible exception of Damon, certainly didn't do anything with men on bases, however I can't fault that last DP he hit into as it was a hard shot up the middle, the Tribe 2nd baseman being positioned perfectly. (Never realized how much Derek pumps his fists to piss off at least one guy on this board, but I guess he does considering that "McFistPump" surname Dan bestowed upon him). As for A-Rod, mixed feelings about him. Certainly he is mostly responsible for getting the Yanks to the postseason, but he was brutal for most of the series, his one big hit not coming until the Yanks were down 6-2 in the final game. A-Rod's strikeout on a ball 4 pitch in the 9th inning of the 2nd game with the winning run on 2nd base is the memory I'll take from this series.

I'll be rooting for the Tribe against the Red Sox.

[Patrick]

Please.

Anybody can say whatever they want in the pre-season.....what does that mean?

I've been saying the NL West is the most competitive division in baseball since late August.

Big, giant, HUGE difference, Patrick.

Sheesh. Relax buddy. I acknowledged the NL West was exciting and competitive. Where's the tipping of the cap smiley? Can we take from your last comment that we should ignore everything anyone says before (late) August? If we flipped back to the first pages of this thread is there some non-Bonds wisdom there from you that should have been ignored (...then and now). [i have no idea if there is, and I'm not going to spend the time sifting, but maybe it'll save me some reading time next spring ] I'm not arguing that the AL Central was, or should have been, better. Big, giant HUGE deal.

Kudos to the NL West. They will have a team in the World Series this year for the first time since '01 and '02. SD, LA, and their respective fandoms can inflate their chests with the knowledge that they finished with winning records in a tough division--especially SD, they nearly won the thing. SF can try to take solace from the fact that they played in a division that was tough this year, and were almost .500 at home. I'm happy to see some new faces, not the usual suspects, in the postseason.

Anyone making plans for a trip to 'Zona for games 1 and 2? Should the DBacks reach out to the local Cubs fandom to fill their LCS seats?? Maybe a Bartman bobblehead promotion will help the seats.

MartyJazz: totally agree with you with respect to Mussina. I guess Torre figured he and Wang were both available, and started with Wang. Trouble with that approach is knowing when to switch between them (before too many runs have scored), and the potential for inherited runners to score (given that neither pitcher is a certain "shut down" guy at the moment). I was fearing that Moose might provide something like the "turn back the clock" type performance that many figured Clemens would provide (and that Pettitte did).

[Dan Gould]

(Never realized how much Derek pumps his fists to piss off at least one guy on this board, but I guess he does considering that "McFistPump" surname Dan bestowed upon him).

You've never noticed that the Captain pumps his fist after every single "big" moment in every single "big" (post-season or not) game? Its been going on for 12 years!

However, I would have much preferred that it were A-Rod who had hit into all the DPs and batted under .200. Then you would have seen this sobriquet: Slappie McPurpleLips.

[Dan Gould]

And do you guys really fear the Yankees behind Pettitte, a suddenly unreliable Wang, junkballer Mussina, rookie Hughes, and no Clemens, more than Tribe with Sabathia/Carmona/Westbrook/Byrd? That bullpen of Joba and Mariano and ...? Is the Tribe lineup that inferior? If yes, then I think you're nuts, ...but I admit to being a bit biased. Or maybe it's this psycological nonsense within Red Sox Nation that explains it.

The "fear" of the Yankees comes down to, yes, an inability to beat them down the stretch, and the knowledge that their batters seemed to have an inordinate amount of success against our best pitchers. Add to that the over-the-top extreme treatment of a Yankees-Red Sox tilt and the resulting exhaustion, and its fine with me that we get Cleveland, even with two excellent pitchers ready to start.

As for the reasons why I think we will handle Cleveland:

Our pitching is so much better than the Yankees there is no comparison.

The Indians are unlikely to maintain such a record of two-out RBI hits.

Simply stated, the Indian lineup can be pitched to, and is easier to pitch to than the Yankee lineup. In fact, the Indians averaged almost a full run less per game than the Yanks (157 fewer runs scored).

Borowski vs Papelbon. 'Nuf said.

Its really very simple: If the Red Sox pitchers do their jobs, I don't see how Cleveland wins.

Edited October 10, 2007 by Dan Gould

[ghost of miles]

A tip of the cap here to the Indians and their fans on this board from this disappointed long time (50 years+) Yankee fan. Tribe was terrific, great clutch hitting throughout the series and dominant starting pitching especially in the first two games. Turning point of course was game 2, one the Yanks had to win after getting a great performance from their one money pitcher, Pettite. But one run and three hits in 11 innings doesn't cut it, particularly in the playoffs.

Some hindsight from a Yankee perspective. Can't figure out why Torre started Wang on three days rest when he had a well rested Mussina who pitched creditably in September following a brutal August. Derek as well as most of the Yankee hitters, with the possible exception of Damon, certainly didn't do anything with men on bases, however I can't fault that last DP he hit into as it was a hard shot up the middle, the Tribe 2nd baseman being positioned perfectly. (Never realized how much Derek pumps his fists to piss off at least one guy on this board, but I guess he does considering that "McFistPump" surname Dan bestowed upon him). As for A-Rod, mixed feelings about him. Certainly he is mostly responsible for getting the Yanks to the postseason, but he was brutal for most of the series, his one big hit not coming until the Yanks were down 6-2 in the final game. A-Rod's strikeout on a ball 4 pitch in the 9th inning of the 2nd game with the winning run on 2nd base is the memory I'll take from this series.

I'll be rooting for the Tribe against the Red Sox.

Nice post, Marty (I've noticed the Yankee fans are the most gracious around this joint). Here's an addendum to the AP story aloc put up:

In his office at Yankee Stadium, Cleveland manager Eric Wedge got a congratulatory phone call from Torre after Monday night's game.

"He's a class act," Wedge said. "For him to even think about our team and our organization ... it meant the world to me. He's one of the greatest managers in the history of the game. What he has accomplished is historic, and beyond that he's a great human being.

"For him to even throw one thought our way is pretty special and for him to respect our club means so much," he added. "Joe Torre should manage as long as he wants to manage."

[Noj]

It's silly to think Torre's job is in jeopardy. The Yankees pitching staff put too much pressure on their hitters. Get some better arms, not a new Skipper.

[MartyJazz]

The "fear" of the Yankees comes down to, yes, an inability to beat them down the stretch, and the knowledge that their batters seemed to have an inordinate amount of success against our best pitchers. Add to that the over-the-top extreme treatment of a Yankees-Red Sox tilt and the resulting exhaustion, and its fine with me that we get Cleveland, even with two excellent pitchers ready to start.

As for the reasons why I think we will handle Cleveland:

Our pitching is so much better than the Yankees there is no comparison.

The Indians are unlikely to maintain such a record of two-out RBI hits.

Simply stated, the Indian lineup can be pitched to, and is easier to pitch to than the Yankee lineup. In fact, the Indians averaged almost a full run less per game than the Yanks (157 fewer runs scored).

Borowski vs Papelbon. 'Nuf said.

Its really very simple: If the Red Sox pitchers do their jobs, I don't see how Cleveland wins.

Have to agree with your assessment even though I'll be rooting for the underdog.

Note: As for not noticing Derek's fist pumps, I've seen that motion so often from so many players I hadn't realized that DJ does it all the time (if your perception is correct).

P.S. If A-Rod walks, here's hoping that the Yanks bid for Lowell as I've read his contract is up. That's a home grown product they shouldn't have let get away.

[skeith]

Please.

Anybody can say whatever they want in the pre-season.....what does that mean?

I've been saying the NL West is the most competitive division in baseball since late August.

Big, giant, HUGE difference, Patrick.

the Giants? the Dodgers? both teams with Big time losing records. The two top teams in the AL Central have better records than the D'backs and Rockies. So educate me.

[Noj]

I don't think "most competitive" necessarily describes the level of competition as being higher than that of the AL. The NL is more competitive with itself.

[Dan Gould]

Please.

Anybody can say whatever they want in the pre-season.....what does that mean?

I've been saying the NL West is the most competitive division in baseball since late August.

Big, giant, HUGE difference, Patrick.

the Giants? the Dodgers? both teams with Big time losing records. The two top teams in the AL Central have better records than the D'backs and Rockies. So educate me.

What I can't comprehend is why Goodspeak thinks its impressive when your prognostication takes place after 5/6th of the season is gone.

Is it more impressive to predict in March that the Brewers will be competitive in September, or is that prediction more impressive in August? How about predicting the Super Bowl matchup in August vs January? :rolleyes:

[papsrus]

Well, some weird news from Yankee Stadium. According to the Boston Globe, they are threatening to cut off media access to the stadium unless they cease and desist the swarm they've got at Torre's Westchester county home. Apparently they've been assigned the Torre firing watch, which is really silly. Something is going to be announced at the Stadium. You have camp out at his home to cover the story?

Meantime, the first important news about the ALCS: Francona has announced the pitching rotation, and once again he is making the correct call. There is yet another extra off day built into the schedule, in between Games 4 and 5 (there's a travel day between 5 and 6 as always). Bottom line, usually the Game 3 starter is lined up to go in Game 7. So, Francona has switched Schilling and Dice-K again. Schilling goes in Game 2 and can go in Game 7 on seven days rest. Dice-K goes in Game 3, on the road where he has pitched better this season, and can go in Game 6 on regular rest.

This is absolutely perfect. Dice on the road for the first start, Schilling lined up to start Game 7 - or Game 1 of the Series if we can get past the Tribe quicker.

Fwiw, Lester and Wakefield will be bullpen buddies, throwing on the same day, with Wakefield penciled in for Game 4 if his back is OK, Lester to go otherwise.

Dan

Am I correct in that there are games Friday and Saturday, no game on Sunday. Game 3 is Monday night

Yep LINK

should be a good series!

[Tim McG]

Please.

Anybody can say whatever they want in the pre-season.....what does that mean?

I've been saying the NL West is the most competitive division in baseball since late August.

Big, giant, HUGE difference, Patrick.

Sheesh. Relax buddy. I acknowledged the NL West was exciting and competitive. Where's the tipping of the cap smiley? Can we take from your last comment that we should ignore everything anyone says before (late) August? If we flipped back to the first pages of this thread is there some non-Bonds wisdom there from you that should have been ignored (...then and now). [i have no idea if there is, and I'm not going to spend the time sifting, but maybe it'll save me some reading time next spring ] I'm not arguing that the AL Central was, or should have been, better. Big, giant HUGE deal.

Kudos to the NL West. They will have a team in the World Series this year for the first time since '01 and '02. SD, LA, and their respective fandoms can inflate their chests with the knowledge that they finished with winning records in a tough division--especially SD, they nearly won the thing. SF can try to take solace from the fact that they played in a division that was tough this year, and were almost .500 at home. I'm happy to see some new faces, not the usual suspects, in the postseason.

Well....OK then.

[Tim McG]

Please.

Anybody can say whatever they want in the pre-season.....what does that mean?

I've been saying the NL West is the most competitive division in baseball since late August.

Big, giant, HUGE difference, Patrick.

the Giants? the Dodgers? both teams with Big time losing records. The two top teams in the AL Central have better records than the D'backs and Rockies. So educate me.

What I can't comprehend is why Goodspeak thinks its impressive when your prognostication takes place after 5/6th of the season is gone.

Is it more impressive to predict in March that the Brewers will be competitive in September, or is that prediction more impressive in August? How about predicting the Super Bowl matchup in August vs January? :rolleyes:

Maybe because one is a baseless guess and the other is a clear indiction.

Who said it's impressive Dan....? Taking poetic license with the facts again?

As to better records...the AL uses the DH. The NL bats the pitcher. AL generates more offense especially against NL teams, ergo the better records. Nuff said. End of comment.

[Quincy]

Is it more impressive to predict in March that the Brewers will be competitive in September, or is that prediction more impressive in August? How about predicting the Super Bowl matchup in August vs January? :rolleyes:

Maybe because one is a baseless guess and the other is a clear indiction.

Baseless? Doesn't have to be. You look at the rosters in the spring, the new additions, the players who parted, young players who are looking to break out, older ones who may break down. One often can end up looking foolish as things in real life often follow a different course than how things look on paper, but...I don't even know why I'm bothering to reply.

[skeith]

Please.

Anybody can say whatever they want in the pre-season.....what does that mean?

I've been saying the NL West is the most competitive division in baseball since late August.

Big, giant, HUGE difference, Patrick.

the Giants? the Dodgers? both teams with Big time losing records. The two top teams in the AL Central have better records than the D'backs and Rockies. So educate me.

What I can't comprehend is why Goodspeak thinks its impressive when your prognostication takes place after 5/6th of the season is gone.

Is it more impressive to predict in March that the Brewers will be competitive in September, or is that prediction more impressive in August? How about predicting the Super Bowl matchup in August vs January? :rolleyes:

Maybe because one is a baseless guess and the other is a clear indiction.

Who said it's impressive Dan....? Taking poetic license with the facts again?

As to better records...the AL uses the DH. The NL bats the pitcher. AL generates more offense especially against NL teams, ergo the better records. Nuff said. End of comment.

I have never understood this argument. That the AL generates more offense yes, but as for the Wins/Loss columns in the regular season, since NL teams mostly play other NL teams not sure how it affects wins/losses compared to the AL. While yes there is now interleague play during the regular season, but when that happens, doesn't the visiting team play by whatever the home team's league rule is on the DH - so then what would be the advantage to an AL team?

Edited October 10, 2007 by skeith

[catesta]

Predictions on Arizona and Colorado?

Pretty soild pitching match up for Game 1, but I give the edge to AZ.

As for the series, probably Colorado in 6.

[Dan Gould]

Please.

Anybody can say whatever they want in the pre-season.....what does that mean?

I've been saying the NL West is the most competitive division in baseball since late August.

Big, giant, HUGE difference, Patrick.

the Giants? the Dodgers? both teams with Big time losing records. The two top teams in the AL Central have better records than the D'backs and Rockies. So educate me.

What I can't comprehend is why Goodspeak thinks its impressive when your prognostication takes place after 5/6th of the season is gone.

Is it more impressive to predict in March that the Brewers will be competitive in September, or is that prediction more impressive in August? How about predicting the Super Bowl matchup in August vs January? :rolleyes:

Maybe because one is a baseless guess and the other is a clear indiction.

Yes, its a clear indication that you can read the standings and determine that the division is highly competitive. That's quite impressive. You know, I just read some poll numbers and I can say without fear of contradiction that the war in Iraq isn't very popular. Impressed?

Who said it's impressive Dan....? Taking poetic license with the facts again?

What else does "Please ... Anybody can say whatever they want in the pre-season ...

Big, giant, HUGE difference" mean? You're not trying to get credit for your "prescience"?

[Dan Gould]

Predictions on Arizona and Colorado?

Pretty soild pitching match up for Game 1, but I give the edge to AZ.

As for the series, probably Colorado in 6.

Everyone keeps picking against AZ and they keep winning. I say they reach the World Series .... where they get their asses handed to them by Boston or Cleveland.