This Week In Baseball

[mike546]

Why do the Yankees always have one of these hack at the first pitch games against the D-Rays.

 

This coming against a pitcher with the worst balls to strike ratio in baseball.

 

TAKE PITCHES!

[Guest Fishyswa]

Well I'd complain also, but apparently the games blacked out over here....why? Who knows....

[Brett Favre]

Has it ever happened before, on the same day, in 2 different games, a team down by 3, hits a grand slam to take the lead?

[CanadianChris]

Has it ever happened before, on the same day, in 2 different games, a team down by 3, hits a grand slam to take the lead?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dunno, but it didn't happen today. The Yankees were down by 4.

[mike546]

And the Yanks sweep the Devil Rays.

 

Thank you.

[Jericholic82]

as leading 6-2 top of the 9th, can they hold down the sox ? please......

[Precious Roy]

And the Yanks sweep the Devil Rays.

 

Thank you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

amen

[Guest Fishyswa]

All is right in the universe.

 

Now we just have to sweep good teams.

[Jericholic82]

AS WIN!!!!!

 

 

and the up and down year continues(its on the up swing again of course , and just in time actually) . now if only they can get more than 1.5 games back of the red sox.....

 

cleveland is idle so theyre now a mere half game behind the Indians.

 

 

good times

[MikeJordan23]

All is right in the universe.

 

Now we just have to sweep good teams.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Too bad you don't play any until the last 3 games of the season.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

Eventful day today. The Yankees move just 1.5 behind the Red Sox for the wild card. A White Sox loss brings the Indians to 4.5 back of the AL Central. The Tigers hold a big lead against the Angels and if the Tigers win, we once again have a tie for the AL West.

 

Atlanta's win gives them a comfortable margin on the NL East. Houston holds a .5 game lead over the Phillies and Marlins. We are now down to a 15 game sprint for the NL wild card. Washington at 2.5 back is the only other team with a reasonable shot.

 

And since it seems no one will stop talking about how great the wild card is because of these races, let's run a few what ifs. Under the old setup, the White Sox would lead the AL West by 7 games and the Cardinals would lead the NL East by 15 games (ouch). The Braves would hold a 5.5 game lead over the Astros in the NL West. However, the AL East would see Boston holding a 1 game lead over Cleveland and 1.5 over the Yankees. So we would still see an exciting pennant chase without the wild card.

[cabbageboy]

The whole Wild Card thing has added a bit of excitement but I think it's been a largely negative thing when it comes to the actual playoffs. Baseball is 162 games long, having a team that finishes 2nd in their division win the World Series is a sick joke.

 

Then again, I think they ought to just take the two best teams from the AL and NL and do the World Series. Yeah it wouldn't give a lot of incentive for several teams that aren't going to catch the Cardinals in the NL. And frankly, after a 162 game season I mostly just want it over with...having to follow 3 rounds of playoffs is just a bit much in my view.

[The Czech Republic]

The whole Wild Card thing has added a bit of excitement but I think it's been a largely negative thing when it comes to the actual playoffs.  Baseball is 162 games long, having a team that finishes 2nd in their division win the World Series is a sick joke.

SICK FUCKING JOKE

 

I dunno, I'd rather have the NL Wild Card win the pennant before San Diego. And really, it's hardly as if the Marlins and Red Sox were bad teams. The Wild Card usually has a better, equal, or just a game below a division champ.

 

And frankly, after a 162 game season I mostly just want it over with...having to follow 3 rounds of playoffs is just a bit much in my view.

Nah, I like baseball.

[Vern Gagne]

However, the AL East would see Boston holding a 1 game lead over Cleveland and 1.5 over the Yankees. So we would still see an exciting pennant chase without the wild card.

 

As compared to a close race in the NL Wildcard, AL West, AL East, AL Wildcard and possibly known the AL Central.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

That's true. Considering the Phillies are in the playoff hunt, I have little room to complain. It just seems that expanding the playoffs gives lesser teams a chance to win, and that weakens the later rounds of the playoffs, particularly the World Series. Only in 2004 have I really felt we saw the best two teams in the World Series in the last five years.

[Guest Fishyswa]

I just don't see it like that, if these are really teams that don't deserve to be there, they'll quickly be out of it. I never understood when people would say "I want to see a good team win it all". Isn't that by definition what makes a good team?

[cabbageboy]

Tough to argue about 2004 having the 2 best too though considering that it was the 2nd place Red Sox vs. the Cardinals. See, the WC I thought originally was for the rare team like the Giants in 1993 who had the 2nd best record in all of baseball (I think? Or at least the NL) and yet lost out on the playoffs by 1 game to the Braves. The Wild Card is not to let in some slightly above average team like the Marlins in 2003 or the Angels in 2002 only to see them win the World Series. Did the Mets REALLY deserve to be in the World Series in 2000? They mostly got lucky the Cardinals upset the Braves 1st round.

 

I guess I just look at it differently than the NBA, where teams seeded #2 or 3 often get to the Finals. Maybe because even the NBA realizes its regular season is tedious and the players themselves dog it from time to time until the playoffs start?

[Guest Brian]

I think by the pythagorian win triangle (or whatever it's called), the Red Sox because of their runs scored and allowed were the best team in the American League.

[CanadianChris]

I think by the pythagorian win triangle (or whatever it's called), the Red Sox because of their runs scored and allowed were the best team in the American League.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Pythagorean record:

 

Cleveland 86-60

Oakland 86-60

LA Angels 84-62

Chicago 83-62

NY Yankees 81-64

Boston 81-65

Toronto 79-66

 

That last one kills me.

[Guest Brian]

Goddamn, Cleveland is scary.

[MikeJordan23]

I just don't see it like that, if these are really teams that don't deserve to be there, they'll quickly be out of it. I never understood when people would say "I want to see a good team win it all". Isn't that by definition what makes a good team?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I agree, I love the Wild Card. HOWEVER, in baseball specifically, many times the best team doesn't win series. Hell, if you put any two team together in a five/seven game series anyone could win. Can you guarantee me that the Devil Rays wouldn't win a 5 game series against the Angels? Or that the Giants couldn't beat the Braves in a 7 games series? Of course not. That's the problem I think people have with it. The added teams creates the chance of a lesser team beating out a team far superior in a short series.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

I think by the pythagorian win triangle (or whatever it's called), the Red Sox because of their runs scored and allowed were the best team in the American League.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Mostly because when you add the postseason records, the Red Sox had a better overall winning percentage than the Yankees last year (though its very close).

[sfaJack]

The Wild Card is not to let in some slightly above average team like the Marlins in 2003 or the Angels in 2002 only to see them win the World Series.

You mean the Marlins that won 91 games and the Angels who won 99? That's not "slightly above average" in my book. The NL wild card THIS year will be slightly above average...

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

The NL wild card will be the third best team in the league. The low win total is more reflective of overall league balance than any poor quality of the team.

[CanadianChris]

Randy Johnson just got tossed in the second for swearing at the ump after a close call by the home plate umpire.

 

And the announcers have been saying how tired the Yankees bullpen is all game.

[mike546]

And Randy Johnson gets ejected.

 

You HAVE to be kidding me ump. In a Pennate Race!?!

 

Christ.

 

edit: Proctor?!? FUCK.

[Guest TheDon]

Yankees bullpen really isn't tired. It's just Rivera and Gordon. . Arod with a moonshot makes it 8-3 Yankees. Ortiz Who? David Who for MVP?????

[Mik]

Shaping up to be a good game in Miami as the Phils are taking on the Marlins...

[Guest Fishyswa]

"many times the best team doesn't win series."

 

This is exactly what I don't buy. The game is all about playing in those series, it's the point of everything, the end goal, so to say "the better team lost" doesn't work, becaue if they were the better team, they would of won when it came time to prove that.

 

If the Cardinals win 105 games in an effort to get to the world series and the Red Sox win 95, I'm not gonna say the team that got swepted in 4 games was better just because they won more games when it didn't count.

[Brett Favre]

Well, since 1996, with the exception of 1997, the Yankees or the team that's beaten the Yankees have won the World Series. Just wanted to say that. It sorta ties in to the best team winning it all.