EVIL~! alkeiper

Two comments. Bobby Abreu. This Phillies team is going to win somewhere between 83-86 games. The last five season they won 86, 81, 86, 86 and 88 respectively. The fans got sick of that kind of consistancy and demanded the owners fire Ed Wade. They did, Pat Gillick took over, overhauled the team, and apparently made a tremendous amount of progress. Last year they were two out of the wild card with three to play, and this year they are two out of the wild card with three to play. Every year some players step up and some falter. The Phillies had enough players step up to account for the absence of Abreu. One player is almost never the difference in a championship club. Ryan Howard has hit 30 home runs and gotten on base over HALF of the time since the All-Star break. Was he moping in the clubhouse the first half because Abreu wasn't hustling? I doubt it. The truth is this team went through hot stretches when Abreu was still on the team, and had bad stretches when he wasn't. Second, home field advantage. Historically the home team in baseball wins about 52% of the time. It's generally not a significant factor except for extreme ballpark anomalies, such as Coors Field.

Two games back with three to go. We changed GMs, traded Bobby Abreu, make a big fuss about overhauling the team, and we're in exactly the same situation as last year. Given the way the N.L. shaped out this year, the Astros, Padres and Dodgers deserve a lot of credit for charging toward the finish line these last two weeks.

The Washington DC forecast looks promising, as the rain should let up sometime around 4am.

The Phillies might have to play the Dodgers on Monday if they are tied for the Wild Card. Baseball cant afford to delay to the start of the playoffs. They've already got a problem. The Cardinals have a makeup game, and that might force a one game playoff for the Astros for the Central.

This rain delay in Washington is ridiculous, btw. It's 9:50 and the game hasn't even started yet. I realize it's a difficult spot, but it's a slap to baseball fans to make them sit and wait this long. Just move this game to Makeup Monday.

ESPN can't jinx it in our areas. The game's blacked out.

Cabrera has a no-hitter through 8. Now is when you start to take notice.

Ok. I've got this set up properly now. Join us for a live AIM chat at tsmbaseball. Or you can IM alkeiper for an invite.

I set up an AIM chat room, name: tsmbaseball.

I'm still young enough to remember when the Yankees were considered a joke of a franchise, decimated once and for all by the evil and ineffective George Steinbrenner.

Is anyone interested in a live chat for tonight's games?

Would you prefer if they showed game three of the 1977 NLCS?

That was some night of baseball. Philly kept their playoff hopes alive. The Cardinals finally stopped their slide. The big losers were the Reds, who fell 3.5 back with four to play. Today we have a convenient schedule. Houston/Pittsburgh kicks off at 12:35 ET, Roy Oswalt vs. Tom Gorzelanny. Dodgers/Colorado follows at 3pm with Brad Penny vs. Byung Hyun Kim. Philly and Washington finish their series at 7pm, and Milwaukee/St. Louis starts their final series with a game tonight. Meanwhile, ESPN2 is showing two American League games. Don't miss the race to for home field advantage!

I can't take this anymore. I have work early tomorrow.

And for the record, I haven't budged off Pujols for MVP and I'm not doing it now.

Tonight the Phillies introduce closer-by-committee. It's a bold step where you use a different closer every inning.

And I was about to ask if an Astros' division championship would make Berkman the MVP.

What the FUCK was that?!

In case it hasn't been mentioned yet, there's a real possiblility that the Cards would have to make up a game against the Giants Monday, and possibly have a playoff after that. Nats tie the game again. God DAMNIT. This is gonna be a long week.

God damnit. Why won't the Dodgers or Padres f'n LOSE? This is gonna be a long week.

The intentional walk came with one out, first base open, runners on 2nd and 3rd. You set up the double play in that situation. The runner on first doesn't matter, because if the first two runners score, it's over anyway.

Q$*&^$Q*#&^%*&%*&Q#

Looking through the ESPN Scoreboard, a line that said Pitching: Abreu (BAL) caused me to do a double-take until I remembered it was Winston Abreu.

I'm I nuts or did Randall Simon just walk on four pitches?

This is gonna be a loooong week.