Is Playoff Baseball A Huge Work?

[2GOLD]

The fifth down game.

That game you could make a damn good case for a fix. Otherwise, you people are tripping.

[The Czech Republic]

Is it possible to be a fan of both the Cubs and Cardinals?  I'm from Louisville and always watched the Cubs on WGN and all that, but the Cardinals used to have the AAA team here in town.  Either way it means I hate the Astros.

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That one is pretty hard too. At least you don't like the Cubs and White Sox.

[Vern Gagne]

Czech bite the bullet and except a team you don't like will win the World Series. Don't jump on the White Sox bandwagon, because you hate them less than the Astros.

[Slayer]

Game that was obviously fixed:  1998 Buffalo at New England.  Both teams were 5-4, but if NE loses, they were basically out of playoff contention due to losing to Buffalo previously, and thus losing all tiebreaks.

 

The score was 21-17 Buffalo. 

 

*cut conspiracy theory*

You know Buffalo still made the playoffs that year, right?

 

Had they won that game, they just would have lost to Jacksonville instead of Miami.

 

Is it possible to be a fan of both the Cubs and Cardinals?

Oh hell naw

[The Czech Republic]

Czech bite the bullet and except a team you don't like will win the World Series. Don't jump on the White Sox bandwagon, because you hate them less than the Astros.

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--------------------------------------------------------------------^^^^^^

Are you blind to sarcasm.

[Vern Gagne]

No.

[The Czech Republic]

The White Sox winning is the outcome I dread most. I will be irritated by an Astros win, and frustrated by a Cardinals win, but a White Sox win will kick the crap out of me.

[Slayer]

I don't know what it is, be it the history of the team, the southside fanbase, or rather, the recent the influx of "White Sox fans", or being subjected to AJ Polishname's goofy chin, but I just don't want to see the White Sox win the WS.

 

Of course I don't really want to see the Cardinals win either, so I'll just have to accept that someone I don't like will win

[LaParkaYourCar]

You know after last night's Astros/Cards game I begin to wonder if the playoffs are a work like the thread title says. Lidge pretty much offered that homerun to Pujols on a silver platter. It was like he wanted him to do it.

 

I'm not saying that they're necessarily fixing whole series' but maybe the networks step in and say, "we'd make more money if this series went 6 games instead of 5. Could you extend it out?"

 

Okay all kidding aside I don't really think it's fixed. I'm just looking for an excuse for the Astros choke last night.

[the max]

There's no excuse, but there are reasons:

 

1- Ensberg was guarding the line with two strikes and two outs when a double is essentially meaningless. Think about the odds of Eckstein getting ahead of a 97 mph fastball and managing to sneak it down the line fair. Not very good. Ensberg was out of position.

 

2- Lidge essentially pitched around Edmonds instead of challenging him. The worst Edmonds can do is tie the game, but Lidge pitched around him with arguably the best player in baseball right now on-deck.

 

3- Lidge hung the slider instead of coming in on Pujols. He'd thrown the slider to start the AB with a strike. I don't think there's ever a circumstance where I'd throw the same pitch to a hitter as good as Pujols. Lidge should have gone inside with a fastball to try and grab the corner. Again, at worst it's 1-1 and you've established inside with Pujols.

[Richard]

We all know why Namath was able to guarantee victory in Super Bowl III right?

[mike546]

There's no excuse, but there are reasons:

 

 

 

2- Lidge essentially pitched around Edmonds instead of challenging him. The worst Edmonds can do is tie the game, but Lidge pitched around him with arguably the best player in baseball right now on-deck.

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I don't think he was pitching around Edmonds, he was obviously rattled.

[2GOLD]

If you pitch around Edmonds to get to Pujols, you obviously have something wrong in your brain that will require a CAT scan and MRI very quickly.

[Vern Gagne]

I just think Lidge got ahead of himself with Edmonds. Eckstein hit a bleeder and really wasn't much Lidge could do. He seemed to lose his concentration with Edmonds.

[the max]

There's no excuse, but there are reasons:

 

 

 

2- Lidge essentially pitched around Edmonds instead of challenging him. The worst Edmonds can do is tie the game, but Lidge pitched around him with arguably the best player in baseball right now on-deck.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I don't think he was pitching around Edmonds, he was obviously rattled.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

No, he was trying to make the perfect pitch as if he was scared of Edmonds. Again, the absolute worst thing that Edmonds can do is tie the game so you deal with him rather than Pujols. Lidge made too many mistakes. I'm sorry, but I don't buy being "rattled" after a bleeder of a single on a two-strike pitch.