MLB 2008

[Dan Gould]

Looks like Beckett is a "go" for Game 3. From the Globe:

Beckett threw 67 pitches in what Terry Francona called a “real productive” bullpen session, “which is a pretty aggressive side. But I think we needed to do that. Certainly, you’re always checking on health. And with Josh, it’s important to – he needs to know going into the [Game 3] start that he has available what he needs to win. So today was a very productive day. Nothing was cut short, [his] fastball had some finish to it. Threw all his pitches. I think we were very pleased with the way things went.”

[Tom 1960]

Is it just me or is Dick Stockton a terrible announcer? He seemed to make numerous flubs last night when calling the Dodgers/Cubs game for TBS. 1 Example: The Dodgers had just finished batting at the top of the 7'th innning. Stockton then announces we'll return for the top of the 8'th!

[papsrus]

Is it just me or is Dick Stockton a terrible announcer? He seemed to make numerous flubs last night when calling the Dodgers/Cubs game for TBS. 1 Example: The Dodgers had just finished batting at the top of the 7'th innning. Stockton then announces we'll return for the top of the 8'th!

Yep. I remember thinking a couple of times that he had messed up the count or number of outs.

Wouldn't it be something if the Dodgers advance and the Angels get bounced?

Lovin' the Rays win today. Longoria! And it was good to hear Harold Reynolds back in the broadcast booth. I always was suspicious of the way he got turfed out at ESPN. Never smelled right to me.

[zen archer]

Is it just me or is Dick Stockton a terrible announcer? He seemed to make numerous flubs last night when calling the Dodgers/Cubs game for TBS. 1 Example: The Dodgers had just finished batting at the top of the 7'th innning. Stockton then announces we'll return for the top of the 8'th!

Yep. I remember thinking a couple of times that he had messed up the count or number of outs.

Wouldn't it be something if the Dodgers advance and the Angels get bounced?

Lovin' the Rays win today. Longoria! And it was good to hear Harold Reynolds back in the broadcast booth. I always was suspicious of the way he got turfed out at ESPN. Never smelled right to me.

Well , what smells is Tampa .....they just reported on WBZ-TV here in Boston that they couldn't sell out the Trop ??

Is this true ?......sad if they can't sell out a playoff game.

[Tim McG]

Well, even though the Cubbies and Angels never got off the bus last night, they are still my picks to go all the way to the World Series this year.

I don't think the Cubs are going anywhere , they looked flat yesterday . Also i don't care what anyone says

BUT the Manager in baseball matters in the playoffs and Torre will out manage Piniella , who is the most overated

manager in the game !

Manny Matters .....he is that good , i still don't understand why he is running hard down the first base line, he never did that in 8 years here in Boston .....he never ran that hard !

True.

But the manager doesn't bat or pitch.

One game in a five game series isn't enough to convince me, Zen. I say we take the "wait and see" approach on this one.

[tkeith]

Is it just me or is Dick Stockton a terrible announcer? He seemed to make numerous flubs last night when calling the Dodgers/Cubs game for TBS. 1 Example: The Dodgers had just finished batting at the top of the 7'th innning. Stockton then announces we'll return for the top of the 8'th!

Yep. I remember thinking a couple of times that he had messed up the count or number of outs.

Wouldn't it be something if the Dodgers advance and the Angels get bounced?

Lovin' the Rays win today. Longoria! And it was good to hear Harold Reynolds back in the broadcast booth. I always was suspicious of the way he got turfed out at ESPN. Never smelled right to me.

Reynolds: Agreed. He was the best part of BBTN, followed by Kruk. Having Olney show up on that show is a travesty.

Stockton sucks, always did. He's one of the reasons I didn't enjoy Sox broadcasts as a kid; fucking blowhard of Musberger proportions.

[Neal Pomea]

Victorino hits Grand Slam off Sabathia! Phils up 5-1!

[papsrus]

Is it just me or is Dick Stockton a terrible announcer? He seemed to make numerous flubs last night when calling the Dodgers/Cubs game for TBS. 1 Example: The Dodgers had just finished batting at the top of the 7'th innning. Stockton then announces we'll return for the top of the 8'th!

Yep. I remember thinking a couple of times that he had messed up the count or number of outs.

Wouldn't it be something if the Dodgers advance and the Angels get bounced?

Lovin' the Rays win today. Longoria! And it was good to hear Harold Reynolds back in the broadcast booth. I always was suspicious of the way he got turfed out at ESPN. Never smelled right to me.

Well , what smells is Tampa .....they just reported on WBZ-TV here in Boston that they couldn't sell out the Trop ??

Is this true ?......sad if they can't sell out a playoff game.

Nah, they sold out. From the CBSportsline report:

Tampa Bay ranked near the bottom of the attendance charts this year, but The Trop rocked on this day with a sellout crowd of 35,041.

Part of the confusion might be that they have permanently blocked off the very back sections of the upper deck, which were terrible seats -- above the dreaded catwalks in some cases.

I know optimism is high right now with them in the playoffs and all, but I get the feeling they've turned the corner as far as the fan base goes. The place looked like it was rockin' today. ... They did have some disappointing crowds during the season, but they also had a decent number of raucous crowds and drew better this year than any previous year, averaging 22,259 -- 26th out of 30 teams. Not great, but not terrible, and moving in the right direction. Last year they averaged 17,148 -- 30th out of 30 teams.

I recall the Braves pretty regularly being unable to sell out playoff games.

Edited October 3, 2008 by papsrus

[Soulstation1]

dodgers are beating down the cubs

[T.D.]

...I recall the Braves pretty regularly being unable to sell out playoff games.

I'm an old fart, but back in the ancient days before MLB discovered marketing and became mega-popular, even World Series games didn't always sell out. I recall seeing empty seats for Fall Classic games in Baltimore and Oakland, just off the top of my head.

[papsrus]

Don't know who's going to win what, but I'm thinking the Brewers might be very dangerous in a short series. I'm liking them as a dark horse.

heh heh ... did I say Brewers? ... Pffft. ... Dodgers is what I meant to say. The Dodgers might be very dangerous in a short series.

[Dan Gould]

dodgers are beating down the cubs

And its depressing the hell out of me.

[Chalupa]

Victorino hits Grand Slam off Sabathia! Phils up 5-1!

How fuckin' great WAS THAT???? Wahoo!!! :party:

[Quincy]

dodgers are beating down the cubs

And its depressing the hell out of me.

5 game series are a bitch. A couple of moderately hopeful things to cling to. The Dodgers have never faced Harden. Not even in interleague play when he was with Oakland. (On the other hand Manny has and is 3 for 11 lifetime. All 3 hits were home runs. And game 3 starter Kuroda has pitched terrifically since August.) The other mildly positive thing for the Cubs is the Dodgers didn't face Ted Lilly this year. (Manny has faced him 46 times and slugs .619 against him.) Both have been pitching well post-All-Star break.

So I don't rule out the Cubs winning the next 2. But should they do that, Game 5 will be unbearably tense.

[GA Russell]

I recall the Pirates that, in was it "78 or '79?, at least one World Series game they didn't sell out. I lived in Pittsburgh at the time, and I remember thinking that I could just drive right down and buy a ticket to the World Series! However, it was snowing lightly, so I didn't bother.

[tkeith]

I recall the Pirates that, in was it "78 or '79?, at least one World Series game they didn't sell out. I lived in Pittsburgh at the time, and I remember thinking that I could just drive right down and buy a ticket to the World Series! However, it was snowing lightly, so I didn't bother.

AND Three Rivers Stadium held, what, 72K?

[Dan Gould]

dodgers are beating down the cubs

And its depressing the hell out of me.

5 game series are a bitch. A couple of moderately hopeful things to cling to. The Dodgers have never faced Harden. Not even in interleague play when he was with Oakland. (On the other hand Manny has and is 3 for 11 lifetime. All 3 hits were home runs. And game 3 starter Kuroda has pitched terrifically since August.) The other mildly positive thing for the Cubs is the Dodgers didn't face Ted Lilly this year. (Manny has faced him 46 times and slugs .619 against him.) Both have been pitching well post-All-Star break.

So I don't rule out the Cubs winning the next 2. But should they do that, Game 5 will be unbearably tense.

Well my feeling going in was that the Cubs had an advantage in depth of the starting rotation, but I didn't expect them to have must-win games in L.A. I do know I won't go for four straight late nights if Saturday's game doesn't start off well.

[MartyJazz]

dodgers are beating down the cubs

And its depressing the hell out of me.

Hey, in baseball, depression is reserved for the one team you love that disappoints the hell out of you. So snap out of it, your Sox are up 1-0 and have snatched home game advantage. As for the Cubbies, it looks like it'll be 100+ years and still counting. Besides, wouldn't it be exciting for you to possibly see Torre and Manny face your beloved Sox?

[Dan Gould]

Perhaps you haven't noticed some of my other posts, Marty.

My father is 82 and has significant medical issues. My mother is 75 and in August spent three days in the hospital with uncontrolled high blood pressure. They are lifelong Cub fans, and even if I turned to the Sox as my main team thirty years ago, I will always be a Cub fan. My own experience seeing the end of a lifetime of disappointment only makes it more important that they experience it too.

It might ease the pain a bit if the Red Sox move on, but there will still be a lot of pain if the Cubs are eliminated.

[MartyJazz]

Well, now that you mention it, I had forgotten, and OK, now I understand. But don't get me wrong, as a Yank fan, none of these playoff results truly get to me, although I am pulling for Tampa Bay.

[papsrus]

I recall the Pirates that, in was it "78 or '79?, at least one World Series game they didn't sell out. I lived in Pittsburgh at the time, and I remember thinking that I could just drive right down and buy a ticket to the World Series! However, it was snowing lightly, so I didn't bother.

AND Three Rivers Stadium held, what, 72K?

Not quite.

Capacity 38,496 (2001)

Although, ballparks.com has it at 47,971 (baseball).

Edited October 3, 2008 by papsrus

[sheldonm]

dodgers are beating down the cubs

..couldn't be happier that the Cubs are getting beat; gotta keep that streak alive; happy for the Phils as well.

m

[T.D.]

I recall the Pirates that, in was it "78 or '79?, at least one World Series game they didn't sell out. I lived in Pittsburgh at the time, and I remember thinking that I could just drive right down and buy a ticket to the World Series! However, it was snowing lightly, so I didn't bother.

AND Three Rivers Stadium held, what, 72K?

Not quite.

Capacity 38,496 (2001)

Although, ballparks.com has it at 47,971 (baseball).

Those numbers seem low to me. Wiki says

The stadium originally seated 58,729 for baseball.[15] In the early 1990s, the Pirates placed tarps on most of the upper deck to create a better baseball atmosphere, reducing capacity to 47,687.

Three Rivers closed in 2000, so the 2001 figure is for the new park.

Edited October 3, 2008 by T.D.

[papsrus]

I recall the Pirates that, in was it "78 or '79?, at least one World Series game they didn't sell out. I lived in Pittsburgh at the time, and I remember thinking that I could just drive right down and buy a ticket to the World Series! However, it was snowing lightly, so I didn't bother.

AND Three Rivers Stadium held, what, 72K?

Not quite.

Capacity 38,496 (2001)

Although, ballparks.com has it at 47,971 (baseball).

Those numbers seem low to me. Wiki says

The stadium originally seated 58,729 for baseball.[15] In the early 1990s, the Pirates placed tarps on most of the upper deck to create a better baseball atmosphere, reducing capacity to 47,687.

Three Rivers closed in 2000, so the 2001 figure is for the new park.

Lets go with 58. Whichever number you take, none of 'em are 72K.

[Chalupa]

Did anyone hear the announcer last night who said that he loved playing in Chicago because,"the fans never boo the Cubs. They'll boo the visiting teams but never the Cubs." ?? Unfortunately, I turned the game off after Manny's homer made it 6-0 because I would have loved to have heard what he said after the fans booed the home town team out of Wrigley.

Fans were disgusted, and they left so early you would have thought the game had been played at Dodger Stadium, not Wrigley Field. Those who stayed booed loudly, particularly whenever right fielder Kosuke Fukudome, the darling of the club early in the season, flailed at the plate. These are not the cute, pleasantly drunk Cubs fans of the past. That all disappeared after the Bartman game. These are passionate, yet impatient and increasingly bitter, fans who desperately want a payoff for their decades of devotion.

In other words, they're becoming like Red Sox fans were before 2004.

"Why do you guys want to talk to them?" one fan said as he passed the line of reporters waiting outside the Cubs' clubhouse after the game.

"Ask Lou why they sucked so much tonight," another suggested helpfully.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2008...tory?id=3623396

Edited October 3, 2008 by J.H. Deeley