MLB League Championship Series Thread

[Guest Vitamin X]

Which is why I dislike the idea of shortening the season. There should be more regular season, less playoffs as a rule.

 

Ugh. I already can't stand the never-ending season. You play for ten months out of the year, in 300 games lasting 5 hours each to make the playoffs, and then you're gone after a week. Everything about baseball needs to be more compact. The playoffs don't have to be longer, but I won't put up with meaningless teams playing longer than they have to.

 

I couldn't agree more. Baseball before summer is just not very interesting at all, but the playoffs are one thing they do right, which is something that only they and the NFL do well. The NBA and NHL playoffs drag on foreeeever, which is bad with the NBA in particular because you'll have a ton of matchups that aren't interesting in the slightest but they'll be on every other day because that's just the way it worked out.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

God, every other day would be nice. Instead, we get three-day waits to build up for the excitement of shitty first round series like the Wizards against the Nets.

 

Star Ocean's attempt at hyperbole just makes him look like an idiot. Only stupid people advocate cutting back the baseball season. I find baseball interesting from Opening Day onward.

[bob_barron 0]

The NHL playoffs are the best of the playoffs by far. You can't beat overtime hockey

[cabbageboy 0]

I'll flat out say how I feel about the Wild Card: I think it sucks. The first couple of years I really didn't care either way since the WC was mostly just some jabroni team that got beat 3-0. The first real backlash I had against the WC was in 1997 with that Marlins team. These guys finished about 9 games behind the Braves and due to this crackpot system and a bit of luck ended up winning a World Series. The irony is that the Marlins actually were the 2nd best team in the NL that year, but there is no way a team with 9 fewer wins should end up in the World Series.

 

The original intent of the Wild Card was to prevent another 1993 doomsday scenario where the Giants were left out of the playoffs despite the 2nd best record in baseball. The feeling was that such a stellar team should be included, and if the WC winner wasn't anything great in other scenarios at least they would be gone quickly 3-0. Instead we have a different sort of doomsday scenario, where these WC teams that barely scrape into the playoffs beat favored teams (who have long since clinched divisions, while the WC team has had to fight).

 

Oh, and all these rounds of playoffs lead to games being played in freezing, rainy weather. If the WS was played shortly after the reg. season was over, there might be a little more decent weather.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

The NHL playoffs are the best of the playoffs by far. You can't beat overtime hockey

Them lies.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Which is why I dislike the idea of shortening the season. There should be more regular season, less playoffs as a rule.

 

Ugh. I already can't stand the never-ending season. You play for ten months out of the year, in 300 games lasting 5 hours each to make the playoffs, and then you're gone after a week. Everything about baseball needs to be more compact. The playoffs don't have to be longer, but I won't put up with meaningless teams playing longer than they have to.

Simple solution: You don't have to watch.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Star Ocean 3 is like a gimmick that isn't really defined.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

One solution for the wildcard dilemma is to allow them to play against their divisional rival in the first round if necessary. The only case in which the wildcard should be separated from their division's champions is when they both have the top two records of the league.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Buck and McCarver brought up umpire statistics and did a fairly good job with it. A couple of points though.

 

-They said umpires' ERA. It's actually runs allowed, not just earned runs.

 

-I thought it was disingenuous to bring up Questec. The two are unrelated.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I think the MLB playoff system is great as is. I like that half the league doesn't get in like the NHL or NBA. I heard one interesting suggestion on the radio that could be good, though: Have two wildcard qualifiers from each league. The two teams would play each other in a one game playoff. The winner would get the wildcard spot in their league. That way, that team has to use one more pitcher, giving their opponents a slight advantage in the LDS. Of course, this would be similar to the Padres/Rockies game at the end of this season, which hasn't slowed down the Rockies, but I don't think it's a bad idea.

[Star Ocean 3 0]

Which is why I dislike the idea of shortening the season. There should be more regular season, less playoffs as a rule.

 

Ugh. I already can't stand the never-ending season. You play for ten months out of the year, in 300 games lasting 5 hours each to make the playoffs, and then you're gone after a week. Everything about baseball needs to be more compact. The playoffs don't have to be longer, but I won't put up with meaningless teams playing longer than they have to.

Simple solution: You don't have to watch.

 

Well, I don't really have to do anything.

 

But, I like to watch meaningful games, that's why I don't like the season being so long.

[Hawk 34 0]

Which is why I dislike the idea of shortening the season. There should be more regular season, less playoffs as a rule.

 

Ugh. I already can't stand the never-ending season. You play for ten months out of the year, in 300 games lasting 5 hours each to make the playoffs, and then you're gone after a week. Everything about baseball needs to be more compact. The playoffs don't have to be longer, but I won't put up with meaningless teams playing longer than they have to.

Simple solution: You don't have to watch.

 

Well, I don't really have to do anything.

 

But, I like to watch meaningful games, that's why I don't like the season being so long.

 

Didn't you notice that the last week of baseball was loaded with meaningful games? In the NBA, you're lucky to see a battle for 8th seed in the final week of play.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I think the MLB playoff system is great as is. I like that half the league doesn't get in like the NHL or NBA. I heard one interesting suggestion on the radio that could be good, though: Have two wildcard qualifiers from each league. The two teams would play each other in a one game playoff. The winner would get the wildcard spot in their league. That way, that team has to use one more pitcher, giving their opponents a slight advantage in the LDS. Of course, this would be similar to the Padres/Rockies game at the end of this season, which hasn't slowed down the Rockies, but I don't think it's a bad idea.

 

That seems entirely counterproductive to me. The argument against the Wild Card is that it dilutes the playoff field by adding a 3rd and 4th team to the mix. A wild card play-in opens up the possibility for the 5th best team to make the field. I am not interested in seeing a team that proved it was only 5th best in its league over 162 games getting a chance to win the World Series.

[Guest Smues]

Well, I don't really have to do anything.

 

[bill Hicks] Yeah you do, you have to take up space![/bill Hicks]

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Which is why I dislike the idea of shortening the season. There should be more regular season, less playoffs as a rule.

 

Ugh. I already can't stand the never-ending season. You play for ten months out of the year, in 300 games lasting 5 hours each to make the playoffs, and then you're gone after a week. Everything about baseball needs to be more compact. The playoffs don't have to be longer, but I won't put up with meaningless teams playing longer than they have to.

Simple solution: You don't have to watch.

 

Well, I don't really have to do anything.

 

But, I like to watch meaningful games, that's why I don't like the season being so long.

What's the difference? There are the same number of meaningful games. Just more meaningless games. I don't know how many live games you attend each year. As someone who attends a great deal of minor league games a year (all but one utterly meaningless), there aren't enough of them. Keep in mind as well the minor league season is no more than 144 games.

 

Baseball is not just a sporting event. It's an outing, similar to taking in a night at the movies. It SUCKS when I can't get a good seat to a game because it's too meaningful. I'd rather go to a meaningless game, sit close to the action and enjoy myself.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Nice use of sample size with the 0-2 count. If you look at Ramirez's career, he hits .178 at 0-2. After 0-2, it's .210.

[randomguy 0]

First time I've seen a ball hit a runner in a long time.

[Slayer 0]

Hey, stop hitting the ball to Cabrera

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

This ump is all over the place with the balls and strikes calls.

[bob_barron 0]

Them lies

 

Aside from the WNBA playoffs of course.

[Craig Th 0]

Can we please top talking about Beckett pitching in Game 4?? We KNOW he is good. But I have plenty of faith in Wakefield. Let's not forget he went 17-12 this season and is pretty good in the playoffs.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

Didn't you notice that the last week of baseball was loaded with meaningful games? In the NBA, you're lucky to see a battle for 8th seed in the final week of play.

Say again, over?

 

 

2007: Warriors clinch playoff berth on the final day.

 

2006: Orlando eliminated on last week of play.

2006: Kings clinch on next-to-last game.

 

2005: Nets clinch playoffs on last game of season.

2005: Timberwolves eliminated with three games to go.

 

And a quick glance at the historical standings on ESPN.com suggests that at least one playoff berth has still been up for grabs going into the last week of the regular season every year since at least 1991-92 (which is as far back as ESPN goes). So, the next time you feel the need to make a point about how great MLB is, I would ask that you leave the NBA out of it, since you don't appear to know what the fuck you're talking about in that regard.

[-DeN- 0]

This ump is all over the place with the balls and strikes calls.

 

Yeahman. Full disclosure: I'm a Red Sox Fan, though I'm not claming bias. This guy is just wildy inept. Plus he's yelled "YEAH YOU WENT" at players from both teams on check swings called strikes (Haffner called him out on this, then found himself on the wrong side of a called strike which was clearly two feet outside). Strikes me as wrong. Also cunty.

 

I agree with the baseball traditionalists on almost everything brought up on this board, but I want Robot Umps.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

It honestly never occurred to me that the Texas Rangers have gone second longest without even winning a league championship.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Just for fun, I have a stopwatch on this.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

That last pitch by Betancourt took 29 seconds.

 

And 34 seconds for another one. The rule is 20, FWIW. Games are long enough without watching Rafael Betancourt's sloooooow, deliberate style. Thank god he throws strikes when he does throw.

[vivalaultra 0]

Just popping in to mention-over on mlb.com, they're showing some of the best LCS games in years gone by. They have the Astros-Mets 16 inning game (aka, the best postseason game like ever) up to watch for free among others.

[randomguy 0]

Wow the Dback baserunning is atrocious.

[Bored 0]

It honestly never occurred to me that the Texas Rangers have gone second longest without even winning a league championship.

And they've never even won a postseason series either. Now that takes talent.

 

In fact I'm pretty sure the Rangers/Senators are the oldest franchise in the four major sports to never reach the championship round of it's sport. Next oldest would be the New Orleans Saints.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I'm amazed the Texas Rangers drew their worst attendance in their first two seasons after relocation. Usually those are boom years. Maybe they hadn't expanded the minor league park properly. The Washington years were putrid. To the Rangers' credit though, their fans have always given them reasonable support. Not always great, but never in the toilet.