Bruiser Chong 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 I can see them ditching Simon, but Karros wouldn't be a bad guy to have around, even if it's in a part-time role, although I doubt he'd go along with that, so it may be like the situation with Lofton. Choi'll get better and hopefully they'll stick with him until he fully comes around. Even though they'll probably ditch Simon, him swinging at everything isn't that bad, since he rarely strikes out and almost always makes good contact. That tendency however, has limited him from waiting until some very good pitches come his way to hit out of the park. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Salacious Crumb Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Marlins pitch around Bonds and the Giants go down in 4 or 5 games. Remember the Giants are a non-factor without him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Bricks Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Yankees over Twins in 3 A's over Red Sox in 5 Cubs over Braves in 4 Giants over Marlins in 4 Yankees over A's in 6 Giants over Cubs in 7 Giants over Yankees in 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A Happy Medium 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 American League Boston Red Sox (5) vs. Oakland Athletics Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees (4) Boston Red Sox (7) vs. New York Yankees National League Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs (5) Florida Marlins (5) vs. San Fransisco Giants Florida Marlins vs. Chicago Cubs (6) World Series Chicago Cubs vs. Boston Red Sox (6) <---it's their year, and the Cubs are on the rise, fo real Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bored 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 "It's their year" is getting pretty tired when people come up for reasons for the Red Sox to win it all. Their pitching isn't good enough, period. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KingPK 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Their offense is. And Oakland's is not. If Oakland gets down by 4 or 5 runs, it's gonna be hard for them to come back. That is, of course, if the Red Sox bullpen can get it together. I think they can, but you never know with those guys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Boston is going to need Pedro and Lowe to go deep in all their starts, and/or score 10 when they aren't on the mound. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KingPK 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 I don't know about 10, but yeah, if it's 5-3 in the top of the 8th and I see Scott Sauerbeck or Williamson coming out of the pen, I'm going to be a little ascared. But I think the plan is for Kim to pitch 2 innings every time he comes in (8th and 9th). Of course, Kim ain't Mariano Rivera circa late-90's either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Of course, Kim ain't Mariano Rivera circa late-90's either. Well, no...but he's the only closer who's played on a team that beat the Yankees in a World Series. He had pretty much nothing to do with it, but you take facts like that where you can get them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bored 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Yes because offense wins championships. Wait is that how it goes? Oh well I'm actually quite enjoying people and the media over looking the A's this year. I mean jeez the Red Sox say "Cowboy up!" so you got pick them...errr um well that was Jeff Brantley's reason. Thing to remember going into Game 1....Tim Hudson's best start of the year came in August, matched up up against Pedro Martinez in Oakland. He tossed a shut out giving up just two infield hits. The A's wore out Pedro and had him out of there after five innings. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gert T 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 National League Cubs over Braves in 5 Giants over Marlins in 4 Giants over Cubs in 6 American League Yankees over Twins in 3 Red Sox over A's in 5 Yankees over Red Sox in 7 World Series Yankees over Giants in 6 And I pray that my predictions are wrong! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kahran Ramsus 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Red Sox in 4 Twins in 5 Braves in 4 Giants in 3 I'll do the next rounds as they come, but I do like the Giants to win the whole thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tony149 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 It been nearly 2 years since I've given predictions (NFL -- and I did good too, pretty sure I was either 1 or 2)) on the forum, but I think I'll give it another shot. A's over Red Sox in 5 Yankees over Twins in 4 Braves over Cubs in 4 Giants over Marlins in 4 ALCS Yankees over As in 6 NLCS Giants over Braves in 6 World Series Yankees over Giants in 6 Those are my picks but I'd like to see the Cubs win the World Series against the Yankees or Red Sox, doesn't matter, after beating the Marlins (shock value -- NL's big boys go down) in the NLCS. Hell, I guess I wouldn't mind if the Marlins won. They'd probably blow up the team again, but I'd get a kick out of seeing them win it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vern Gagne 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 I don't trust the Red Sox bullpen. Yankees in 4 Red Sox in 5 Braves in 4 Giants in 5 Yankees in 6 Giants in 7 Yankees in 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vern Gagne 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Here's a quick report on the Twins Starting Pitching: B-. Solid. I look for Radke and Lohse to struggle against the left-handed Yankee lineup. Santana has to get over his nerves. A LH hardthrower always gives the Yankees fits. Bullpen A-. It's essentially a two man pen. With Rincon off and on. The key will be Romero, who will be asked to get Giambi, and the other LH batters out. Offense-B. Don't hit for power, but can generate runs, and seem to get clutch hits when necessary. That's something they didnt' get against Anaheim last ALCS. Defense A. One of the best fielding teams in the league. When the Twins play well their defense shines. This is the only area where the Twins are clearly better than New York. Intangibles-B-.As good has the Twins play has a team, the Yankees have their number. Pitching dominates and the starting are a perfect match for the Yankee lineup. Final Outlook- This is just a horrible matchup for the Twins. Besides the onfield domiance you have to wonder if the the Twins think they can beat the Yankees. What they say in the papers isn't always the case. I have my doubts. To make matters worse, any possibility of the Yankees looking ahead, should be scratched because of last years first round exit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BobbyWhioux Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Marlins pitch around Bonds and the Giants go down in 4 or 5 games. Remember the Giants are a non-factor without him. Just like they went down in 4 or 5 games last year when the Braves and Cardinals did that. Oh, wait a minute, that's right, Santiago and Aurillia kept on driving those runs in anyway, Schmidt and Reuter et al silenced the potent Atlanta and St. Louis offenses, and they made it to the world series. Silly me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Is it just me or would a Boston/Chicago series devalue the championship for whoever wins it? Think about it "HEY! WE WON THE WORLD SERIES!" "Yeah but you beat the other big loser" Either Chicago beats a "cursed" team or Boston beats a team that hasn't won shit in 100 years... I'd laugh if Florida won it's 2nd championship in 5 years while Chicago fans continue to suffer... Yeah, but the Cubs would have to have beatne the Braves and Giants or Marlins en route. Likewise, the Red Sox would've passed the A's and Yankees/Twins. So it would mean something. Geez Choken we already decided you're unqualified to talk about hockey, going for all four here or what? Of Course but it gives the Team's Rivals easy material "It took you 80 years to win another...all you had to do was beat the other big loser"... So it would devalue it in a sense and the LOSER VS LOSER jokes would be too much to handle if we got those two in there...Let's just hope for a Ratings killer like Florida/Minnesota. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spaceman Spiff 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Of Course but it gives the Team's Rivals easy material "It took you 80 years to win another...all you had to do was beat the other big loser"... Do you think either the Cubs or Red Sox would care about that? A WS win is a WS win, regardless of whom you beat. Personally, I think a Cubs/Sox series would get good ratings. Play up the historical aspect, and people would watch to see which team could finally pull it off. Let's just hope for a Ratings killer like Florida/Minnesota. Why? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JangoFett4Hire 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 I guarantee, if either the Sox or Cubs (or, hopefully, both) reach the World Series, ratings records would be shattered. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mik 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 My picks: Florida in 4 : I dare Benito Santiago to beat ANYONE Cubs in 5 Red Sox in 3 Yankees in 3 Marlins in 6 Red Sox in 7 Marlins in 5 Did you expect anything else? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted September 29, 2003 I guarantee, if either the Sox or Cubs (or, hopefully, both) reach the World Series, ratings records would be shattered. No Shit, New York/Chicago would likely get big ratings as but Factor in that most casual people "non-fans" won't watch until it's an elimination game for a BoSox/Chicago. *I meant to say Let's just NOT hope...My bad. Why would I wish THAT much evil on MLB? Oh Yeah Bud Selig. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Evolution Report post Posted September 29, 2003 American League Red Sox d. Athletics 3 games to 2 Yankees d. Twins 3 games to 0 National League Braves d. Cubs 3 games to 2 Giants d. Marlins 3 games to 1 American League Championship Series Yankees d. Red Sox 4 games to 2 National League Championship Series Giants d. Braves 4 games to 1 World Series Yankees d. Giants 4 games to 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sfaJack 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 National League: Cubs over Braves in 5 Giants over Marlins in 4 American League: Red Sox over A's in 5 Yankees over Twins in 3 NLCS: Giants over Cubs in 7 ALCS: Yankees over Red Sox in 6 (as Yogi Berra told Bernie Williams in '99: "Relax. We've been playing these guys for 80 years...they're never gonna beat us!") World Series: Yankees over Giants in 6 (I pray I'm wrong) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cartman 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Red Sox Outlook: Starting Pitching: B+. Pedro Martinez is still arguably the "Best pitcher in baseball" right now. After him they have Derek Lowe, who had another good season despite his early shortcomings on the road. Lowe is also a pain in the ass for opposing hitters when his sinker is on. Nothing pisses off the power hitters more than weak ground balls that don't even leave the infield. Then Tim Wakefield(who will pitch game 2 in oakland to make sure lowe pitches at home in game 3) is a crapshot. He either comes at you with a good moving knuckler, or a garbage curve. After those three it's either Burkett or Suppan...Both of whom have been marginal at best. Bullpen B. Now I know this bullpen has been very shady this season, but, I gotta believe that pitchers like Williamson, Sourbeck, and Embree can be insanely valuable if they "get it together" as they say. All three have been solid in their respective careers, and this is like a new season for them to start over with in the playoffs. Kim, I am very scared of...at least against the Yankees. After those guys you might see the likes of Timlin, Mendoza, or Arroyo depending on who actually is on the playoff roster. Yes, Mendoza sucks this year...BUT...there's always that playoff experience... Offense- A+. Is there really anything I have to say about their offense? 6 players with 20+ homeruns(would have been 7 if Mueller, the Batting Champ, hit one more), Nomar, Manny, Ortiz, Damon, Mueller, Millar, Varitek, Nixon...Who do you pitch around? Will Oakland still walk Manny to get to Ortiz knowing that Ortiz is hitting well over .500 after a Manny Intentinal walk? Defense B-. Not a great defense by any means, but not a bad one either. The only real weaknesses come from Walker at 2B, and the fact that Manny doesn't have alot of range in LF. Intangibles- A-. Definitely one of the most resilliant teams in recent memory. Every time they got beat in what people would consider an "Emotional Loss" they would come back and drop 14 runs the next night or two and shut us up. The Chemistry, due in great part to Theo Epstein and Grady Little, is incredible on this team. People complained last Friday after the "Overdone Party" occured at Fenway when the Sox clinched the Wild Card. Yet nobody stopped to think that maybe they were celebrating like that because they are doing what a real team is supposed to be doing...Having Fun. Final Outlook- Most people consider this a bad matchup for the Sox since the A's have "Great Pitching". But the fact is that their, arguably, best pitchers is out with an injury(Mulder). Hudson is a GREAT pitcher, and Zito is damn good, but after those two I wouldnt depend on Lily too much. Game one is the KEY to this series for Boston. If they win with pedro against Hudson in game one, in Oakland, they will probably win the series. If they lose game one, well...it doesn't look too good. (Rant) What the fuck is with the times of these games for Boston and Oakland. I mean does it not seem really stupid to make these two teams play a game at 10pmEST for game one, and then the very next day, around 13 hours after game 1 ends, they play game 2 at 4PM EST. That is complete garbage. How can they justify putting the best pitching matchup of the ALDS so late when there would be considerably more interest nationally...instead of putting the Marlins/Giants game in that slot. For East Coast fans(exluding Red Sox, and Marlins fans) who do YOU want to watch more? Pedro vs. Hudson, or Barry Bonds getting walked 4 times? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Bonds is a bigger "DRAW" then Pedro, thus is why Fox decided to air those four walks instead. I find it interesting that No One is really talking about Minnesota, all I've heard the last few days are The Yankee Legancy, The Braves Dominance/Choking, The Sox/Cubs losing history, Underdog Marlins, The Bonds Factor, The Pitching Staff of Oakland... But NOTHING about Minnesota. Mainly because they Lack Starpower and are in a shitty Market and don't really have an idenity, Last year they were the "CONTRACT THIS!" kids but not this year... Which might mean good things for them this time around, Less Pressure, No one expects them to win... I still think NY will trounce them in 4 however. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 The funny thing is that the Red Sox beat the Cubs to win their last world series, in 1918. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Red Sox vs. Cubs would be great. Just imagine the fan suicides that would happen when one of the teams lost. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mik 0 Report post Posted September 29, 2003 Anyone who commits suicide over the outcome of a sporting event only proves to make Charles Darwin look like more and more of a genius. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Salacious Crumb Report post Posted September 29, 2003 The Giants have proven all season that they can't win without Bonds. They had other offensive threats in the playoffs last year and the Braves especially are a way better team than they were last year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treble 0 Report post Posted September 30, 2003 Well, emotions aside (well, sort of), here are my predictions: AL Yankees over Twins in 4 (Twins could probably pull one out at the Metrodome) Red Sox over A's in 5 (Loss of Mulder may be the difference) Red Sox over Yankees in 7 (Yankees lose, George goes nuts, I'm happy) NL Giants over Marlins in 4 (Fuck the Marlins) Cubs over Braves in 5 (Just a gut feeling) Cubs over Giants in 6 (At least Felipe got to the playoffs) Word Series Red Sox over Cubs in 5 (Sox are just too good for the Cubs) -Well, it's hard to put my emotions aside, but I'll just be happy so long as neither the Yankees or Marlins make it all the way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
