EVIL~! alkeiper

Except then we would've never trusted Mitch with the ninth.

94 Montreal Expos (CanadianChris) vs. 1993 Philadelphia Phillies (Usethesledgehammeruh) The Montreal Expos went 74-40 and led the National League in wins before a strike wiped out the remainder of the 1994 season. The Phillies stunned baseball by winning 97 games and then upset the Braves in the NLCS to win the National League pennant. Hall of Famers Expos: [Larry Walker], [Pedro Martinez] Phillies: [Curt Schilling] Unlike most modern teams, the Expos did not carry a lefty specialist in the bullpen. The Expos featured good offense and excellent pitching. The Phillies featured excellent offense and average pitching. With the way the Phillies bullpen collapsed in the '93 postseason, you have to wonder if the Expos will enjoy an advantage late in games. '94 Expos 6, '93 Phillies 5 WP: John Wetteland (1-0) LP: Larry Andersen (0-1) The problem with not carrying a lefty reliever is that the Phils have five lefties in their lineup. The Phillies mounted a seventh inning comeback to tie the game. Larry Andersen struck out the first two Expos in the ninth, but Larry Walker hit a solo walkoff home run to win the game. Starters Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling combined for 19 strikeouts. '94 Expos 11, '93 Phillies 2 WP: Ken Hill (1-0) LP: Danny Jackson (0-1) Sean Berry and Moises Alou both collected three RBIs. Danny Jackson gave up ten hits and six runs in three innings of work. '93 Phillies 3, '94 Expos 0 WP: Danny Greene (1-0) LP: Jeff Fassero (0-1) Sv: Mitch Williams (1) Tommy Greene pitched eight shutout innings and struck out ten batters. Mitch Williams allowed two baserunners and struck out the side, a standard Wild Thing save. '94 Expos 3, '93 Phillies 0 WP: Butch Henry (1-0) LP: Terry Mulholland (0-1) Sv: John Wetteland (1) Wil Cordero and Moises Alou collected RBIs in the Expos' win. '93 Phillies 1, '94 Expos 0 WP: Curt Schilling (1-0) LP: Pedro Martinez (0-1) Sv: Mitch Williams (2) Another fine pitchers' duel between the two aces. Lenny Dykstra hit a solo home run in the sixth to score the only run of the game. '94 Expos 3, '93 Phillies 0 WP: Ken Hill (2-0) LP: Danny Jackson (0-2) Sv: John Wetteland (2) Danny Jackson atoned for his previous failure and pitched a quality start. Ken Hill however again proved too much for the Phillies' hitters to handle. '94 Expos win series 4-2 Ken Hill pitched fifteen shutout innings in the series. The '94 Expos advance and await the winner of the next series. Up Next: 2004 Cardinals vs. 72 Athletics

Bernie Williams would not be a bad choice for the Hall. Many worse center fielders are in. Bernie's HOF Monitor score is 133. Itemizing the score... *20 points for batting above .300 eight times. *10 points for two seasons of 200+ hits. *24 points for eight seasons of 100+ runs, 15 points for five seasons of 100+ RBIs. *2 points for one season of 30 HRs. *4 points for four seasons of 35+ doubles. *15 points for five All-Star appearances. *4 points for four Gold Glove awards. *20 points for playing CF on four World Championship clubs. *6 points for playing CF on two league championship clubs. *6 points for playing CF on four division championship clubs. *6 points for winning a batting title. *4 points for 2,000+ career hits. 121 points, so I missed something somewhere. But you get the idea. Also keep in mind that the HOF Monitor is NOT intended to judge whether a player deserves the Hall. It simply measure the player's chances by measuring past voting patterns.

nWo, bigger name talent and higher production values (something at which WWE is rarely topped). Nitro just LOOKED like a more important show. Plus they ran two hours live each week. Remember Raw was still often taped.

2003 Atlanta Braves (Fokai) vs. 2004 New York Yankees (Precious Roy) The New York Yankees won 101 games and took the Boston Red Sox seven games before losing a hard fought ALCS. Actually they choked hard, but we are trying to be nice. It was not as bad as the '64 Phillies. The Atlanta Braves won 101 games as well but fell short in the first round, losing to the Chicago Cubs in five games. Hall of Famers Yankees: [Derek Jeter], [Alex Rodriguez], [bernie Williams], [Gary Sheffield], [Mike Mussina], [Mariano Rivera] Braves: [Chipper Jones], [Andruw Jones], [Gary Sheffield], [Greg Maddux], [John Smoltz] An interesting situation as both teams hold Gary Sheffield. Both teams have extremely good closers as well. The Braves were the one team in their run that had average pitching but exceptional hitting. The Yankees had good hitting but below average pitching. They exceeded their pythagorean record by twelve wins. '04 Yankees 4, '03 Braves 2 WP: Kevin Brown (1-0) LP: Greg Maddux (0-1) Sv: Mariano Rivera (1) Kevin Brown allowed one run over seven innings and Yankees' Gary Sheffield hit two doubles. The Yankees broke the game open with two insurance runs off Roberto Hernandez in the eighth. '03 Braves 4, '04 Yankees 1 WP: Russ Ortiz (1-0) LP: Mike Mussina (0-1) Sv: John Smoltz (1) Javy Lopez hit a two-run home run in the ninth to seal the win for the Braves. '03 Braves 8, '04 Yankees 5 WP: Mike Hampton (1-0) LP: Javy Vazquez (0-1) Sv: John Smoltz (2) Rafael Furcal's three-run double in the eighth inning proved to be the difference. Both Hampton and Vazquez struggled but kept their teams in the game. Paul Quantrill allowed three earned runs in a third of an inning. '04 Yankees 6, '03 Braves 5 WP: Tom Gordon (1-0) LP: Darren Holmes (0-1) Sv: Mariano Rivera (2) Ruben Sierra hit a pinch hit home run in the eighth to score the go-ahead run. Chipper Jones hit a home run, double and three RBIs in the loss. '03 Braves 7, '04 Yankees 4 WP: Greg Maddux (1-1) LP: Kevin Brown (1-1) Sv: John Smoltz (3) Marcus Giles' grand slam in the fourth inning gave the Braves a commanding lead which they never relinquished. The Braves lead three games to two, with the last two games coming in Yankee Stadium. '03 Braves 17, '04 Yankees 3 WP: Russ Ortiz (2-0) LP: Mike Mussina (0-2) What do you say after a game like this? The damage came in an eight run fifth inning, where Vinny Castilla and Robert Fick each hit three-run home runs. Even Mariano Rivera gave up three runs in an inning of work. 2003 Braves win series 4-2 Alex Rodriguez hit .174 but led the Yankees in RBIs with six. Marcus Giles led the Braves with 10 RBIs. The Braves advance to play the 2001 Mariners in the third round. Up Next: '93 Phillies vs. '94 Expos

What about Jindrak/O'Haire over Luger/Bagwell? They didn't become huge stars, but they were legitimate contenders from that point on.

This isn't just WWE though. What did Harley Race ever do in the WWF? Verne Gagne was never even in the company to my knowledge. Both are still in the Hall. Verne Gagne wrestled at least six times in Madison Square Garden in the '70s.

2001 Arizona Diamondbacks (cartman) vs. 2001 Seattle Mariners (criplercrosface9) The Seattle Mariners won an American League record 116 games, but the Diamondbacks won the World Series that season. Hall of Famers Diamondbacks: [Curt Schilling], [Randy Johnson] Mariners: [ichiro Suzuki], [Edgar Martinez] Ichiro a Hall of Famer? The Monitor seems to think so. Most hitters who lead the league in hits three times, batting average twice have a good shot. If Ichiro puts in his ten years, he should get in. He was obviously a Hall caliber player at his peak. The Mariners featured great hitting and pitching, including a fantastic bullpen. 2001 was a year where everything clicked. The Diamondbacks had strong pitching, led by Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson. Their offense was slightly above average thanks to the outstanding season of Luis Gonzalez. One difficulty facing the D'backs is that due to their first series, Schilling and Johnson will not be available until games three and four. '01 Mariners 4, '01 Diamondbacks 3 (10 Innings) WP: Arthur Rhodes (1-0) LP: Bret Prinz (0-1) The Diamondbacks scored all three runs in the fourth off Freddy Garcia, including a two-run single by Mark Grace. Garcia hung tough and lasted eight innings. Miguel Batista pitched shutout ball for seven innings but ran into trouble in the eighth, giving up two earned runs. Byung-Hyun Kim shut the door in the eighth but the Mariners squeaked in the tying run in the ninth on Edgar Martinez's double followed by a sac fly from Mike Cameron. Dan Wilson hit the walk off home run in the tenth. '01 Mariners 7, '01 Diamondbacks 5 WP: Jamie Moyer (1-0) LP: Brian Anderson (0-1) Sv: Kazuhiro Sasaki (1) John Olerud's bases clearing double capped a five-run fifth for the Mariners. '01 Mariners 5, '01 Diamondbacks 4 (11 Innings) WP: Kazuhiro Sasaki (1-0) LP: Greg Swindell (0-2) Sv: Jeff Nelson (1) Damian Miller hit a two-run home run in extra innings to send the game into extra innings. Carlos Guillen's RBI single plated the go-ahead run in the 11th. Center fielder Mike Cameron threw out Erubiel Durazo at home plate to end the inning in the bottom of the frame. '01 Diamondbacks 3, '01 Mariners 2 WP: Bret Prinz (1-1) LP: Norm Charlton (0-1) Sv: Greg Swindell (1) A two-run eighth inning saved the game (and series) for the Diamondbacks. Luis Gonzalez hit an RBI triple and Mark Grace followed up with an RBI single. '01 Mariners 6, '01 Diamondbacks 1 WP: Freddy Garcia (1-0) LP: Miguel Batista (1-1) Bret Boone and Mark McLemore each hit two-run home runs to drive the Mariners to victory 2001 Mariners win series 4-1 Most games were close but the Mariners' deep bullpen gave them an advantage. The Mariners advance to play the winner of the series between the '03 Braves and '04 Yankees. Up Next: 2003 Braves vs. 2004 Yankees

The 1983 World Series was pretty boring, and not just because the Phils lost.

Pinned upon request.

I honestly don't pay attention to any free agent declarations. If a guy's contract is up, he certainly can explore his options as we'd expect him to. I don't see how any of it is a big news story. In good news, Denny Matthews of the Royals was announced as this year's Ford Frick award recipient (the broadcaster's wing of the Hall). He's a great announcer and this honor is well deserved.

What the Cubs did is vastly improve their pitching depth. Last year they gave 57 starts to Sean Marshall, Carlos Marmol, Angel Guzman and Juan Mateo. All were 23/24, and none were ready. This year they added Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis and Wade Miller. Everyone takes cracks at Marquis, but if we're so quick to jump on a guy who played above his head, why don't we give the same credit to someone abnormally bad? Marquis has a 4.55 ERA in 910 career IP. I doubt he'll pitch as badly this year as he did last year. Their pitching will be much better. The question is if they can fix their impatient offense. The big problem with the Astros is that they had five players in their lineup hitting less than .250. That's a simplistic way of looking at things, but it serves a purpose. The only impact hitters on the club are Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee. Other teams have the same, but their back end hitters are better. The Astros give up a lot of run scoring opportunities because Brad Ausmus and Adam Everett are just awful hitters. Craig Biggio had a .306 OBP. They've got two many bad hitters, so when Berkman and Lee do their hitting there are fewer runners on base. That'll hurt in the long run.

Bullpens are used as they existed as a time, adjusting for the modern game as necessary. The '27 Yankees are a weird case because they did have an ace reliever in Wilcy Moore. It becomes an interesting case when it comes to pitchers batting for themselves say down a run in the 8th. It used to be common, but such a strategy today might not prove fruitful.

It wouldn't surprise me to see the Astros make a run. If all the pieces fall in the right places, they could win the Central. Quite a few teams could win the Central. My position is that if I'm laying odds, I'd take the Cardinals. The Cards have marginally improved their offense by adding Adam Kennedy. The pitching staff was so bad last year that it can't possibly get worse. I expect the Cards will make some move during Spring Training. Jon Lieber is probably available for a "B" reliever at this point.

Yes.

Here's how I see the NL Central right now. 1. St. Louis 2. Milwaukee 3. Chicago 4. Houston 5. Cincinnati 6. Pittsburgh If the Cardinals can shore up the back of their rotation, they should take the division.

WWE ran a tournament on their European tour in February of 1997. Davey Boy Smith defeated Owen Hart in the final.

1982 Milwaukee Brewers (snuffbox) vs. 2004 Houston Astros (UTBroward) The Brewers won their first and only league championship and came one win away from a World Championship. The Astros fell short of a league championship but won their first playoff series after seven failures. Hall of Famers Brewers: Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Rollie Fingers, Don Sutton Astros: [Jeff Bagwell], [Craig Biggio], [Jeff Kent], [Roger Clemens] The Brewers were an all-offensive club, "Harvey's Wallbangers" posted a team OPS+ of 121. Their pitching staff was below average, but it is worth noting that the club will have the services of Rollie Fingers. Fingers missed the 1982 postseason. The Astros were a balanced club. '04 Astros 4, '82 Brewers 2 WP: Roger Clemens (1-0) LP: Mike Caldwell (0-1) Sv: Brad Lidge (1) The Astros scored all four runs in the first three innings. Jeff Kent hit a two-run home run. '04 Astros 3, '82 Brewers 2 WP: Roy Oswalt (1-0) LP: Pete Vuckovich (0-1) Sv: Brad Lidge (2) Mike Lamb drove in two RBIs with a single in the 7th and Brad Ausmus followed with an RBI single of his own. '04 Astros 7, '82 Brewers 4 WP: Dan Miceli (1-0) LP: Bob McClure (0-1) Sv: Brad Lidge (3) Jeff Bagwell collected four hits including a double and a home run, and three RBIs. Andy Pettitte struggled through six but kept the Astros in the game. The Astros now lead the series 3-0. '82 Brewers 13, '04 Astros 3 WP: Don Sutton (1-0) LP: Brandon Backe (0-1) A complete victory for the Brewers. All nine starters scored runs in the victory, including pitcher Don Sutton. The Astros committed four errors in the loss. '04 Astros 13, '82 Brewers 3 WP: Roger Clemens (2-0) LP: Mike Caldwell (0-2) Jeff Bagwell hit three home runs, giving him five for the series. Mike Caldwell gave up ten runs, five homers in two starts. 2004 Astros win series 4-1 A slaughter, far from what I expected going in. The '04 Astros advance to play the 1927 Yankees in the second round. This concludes the first round of play. Second Round: '01 Mariners (Criplercrosface9) vs. '01 Diamondbacks (cartman) '03 Braves (Fokai) vs. '04 Yankees (Precious Roy) '94 Expos (CanadianChris) vs. '93 Phillies (UsetheSledgehammeruh) '04 Cardinals (The Man In Blak) vs. '72 Athletics (Porter) '10 Athletics (Harley Quinn) vs. '92 Blue Jays (Kahran Ramsus) '76 Reds (Imarkout4eldandy) vs. '98 Padres (Richard) '12 Giants (Chuck Woolery) vs. '06 Twins (Verne Gagne) '98 Astros (vivalaultra) vs. '97 Orioles (Marvinisalunatic) '98 Yankees (Cena's Writer) vs. '50 Phillies (alkeiper) '19 White Sox (2Gold) vs. '02 Angels (UndertakerHart) '46 Red Sox (humanoid92) vs. '86 Astros (Just John) '90 Athletics (Bored) vs. '04 Red Sox (Cheech13) '86 Mets (naiwf) vs. '75 Red Sox (Mole) '84 Tigers (MFerXtreme87) vs. '56 Dodgers (Kingofthe909) '27 Yankees (phoenixrising) vs. '04 Astros (UTBroward) '95 Braves (Smeus) vs. '85 Blue Jays (treble)

Dusty Rhodes vs. Superstar Billy Graham (September 26, 1977) Bob Backlund vs. Pat Patterson (Cage Match - September 24, 1979) Pat Patterson vs. Sgt. Slaughter (Alley Fight - May 4, 1981) Bob Backlund vs. Jimmy Snuka (Cage Match - June 28, 1982) Jimmy Snuka vs. Don Muraco (Cage Match - October 17, 1983) Sgt. Slaughter vs. The Iron Sheik (Boot Camp Match - June 16, 1984) Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect (Summerslam '91) Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (Wrestlemania X) Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania X) Cactus Jack vs. Triple H (Falls Count Anywhere - September 22, 1997) Triple H vs. Cactus Jack (Street Fight - Royal Rumble 2000) Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H (Wrestlemania XX)

It did help that while the Marlins had awful starting pitching, their bullpen was quite good.

This is both the best and worst flamewar I've ever seen.

+1 for the Young Ones reference.

I wonder about their offense. I think those Astros teams were probably the very definition of team offense, and I don't know if that translates.

They didn't. They had good enough pitching to carry the team to four games.

I ran a 1,000 game series between the two clubs, and the Astros won 67% of the time. One thing you have to remember is that bad teams like the Marlins can shed their worst players in a short series.