2007 World Series

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

How injured or baseball retarded do you have to be to inadequately field first base, anyway.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

How injured or baseball retarded do you have to be to inadequately field first base, anyway.

 

You must be less than this gimpy in order to ride this ride.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Youkilis will probably come in in the later innings as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement. I would hope Francona wouldn't leave Ortiz out there for a potential Buckner situation. Having Ortiz in the lineup gives you so many more benefits, though, because of the intimidation factor, IMO.

 

Ortiz isn't that bad defensively. Certainly not to the point that I'd expect him to pull a Buckner. His lack of time in the field is totally related to his knees and injury proneness and little to do with the actual quality.

 

I really think this story is getting a tad too much coverage. The difference between Youkilis and Ortiz isn't that large that it's going to make a big difference in the course of one or two games.

 

You know what was probably the best option? Crazy as it may sound on paper, an infield of Lowell, Pedroia, Youkilis, Ortiz from left to right would probably work out okay. Pedroia was a SS in the minors and Youks has played a handful of games at second with okayish results. It wouldn't be pretty defensively, but probably a wash overall once you get Lugo's bat out of the lineup. It's not worth trying because of the uproar it might cause, but something interesting to think about nonetheless.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

You know what was probably the best option? Crazy as it may sound on paper, an infield of Lowell, Pedroia, Youkilis, Ortiz from left to right would probably work out okay. Pedroia was a SS in the minors and Youks has played a handful of games at second with okayish results. It wouldn't be pretty defensively, but probably a wash overall once you get Lugo's bat out of the lineup. It's not worth trying because of the uproar it might cause, but something interesting to think about nonetheless.

 

Personally, I think trying to skate by on defense in Coors Field is pure insanity. What's wrong with just having a heck of a pinch hitter sitting on the bench?

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Snappy retort, yes, but it's not like Buckner was a blithering idiot at fielding, which is, of course, part of why he's the tragic story that he is. Unless your designated hitter is Frank Thomas, The Later Years, who cannot be trusted to do more than swing and jog without the risk of injury, I can't fathom somebody being so fundamentally deficient at fielding first base that the defensive liability overshadows the hitting ability.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Snappy retort, yes, but it's not like Buckner was a blithering idiot at fielding, which is, of course, part of why he's the tragic story that he is. Unless your designated hitter is Frank Thomas, The Later Years, who cannot be trusted to do more than swing and jog without the risk of injury, I can't fathom somebody being so fundamentally deficient at fielding first base that the defensive liability overshadows the hitting ability.

I think the difference between a great first baseman and an average first baseman is negligible. A bad fielder at any fielder is a problem, reason being because he can be exploited by the offense. I think Ortiz can hold down the fort ok in any case.

[Danville_Wrestling 0]

Buckner is an unfair scapegoat for why the Sox lost that '86 series anyway. If Bob Stanley hadn't thrown a wild pitch to Mookie Wilson on a 2-2 count then the Mets wouldn't have tied that game before Buckner's fatal error and who knows, if Mookie still knocks a ground ball to Buckner with Keith Mitchell coming home then maybe Buckner gets it, tags 1st base, and Boston wins the Series. I've never pinpointed Buckner as the main catalyst for the Game 6 loss.

 

And just to clarify my previous statement on the Ortiz-Youkilis situation, I only support Youkilis being in for the injury situation and not the fear of Big Papi going blind and not seeing the ball. The idea of taking out Lugo, though, and putting Youk at second is interesting but I'm having nightmares of how that would work in practice.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Bucker is an unfair scapegoat for why the Sox lost that '86 series anyway. If Bob Stanley hadn't thrown a wild pitch to Mookie Wilson on a 2-2 count then the Mets wouldn't have tied that game before Buckner's fatal error and who knows, if Mookie still knocks a ground ball to Buckner with Keith Mitchell coming home then maybe Buckner gets it, tags 1st base, and Boston wins the Series. I've never pinpointed Buckner as the main catalyst for the Game 6 loss.

 

Agreed. Actually the worst decision might have come two innings earlier. Up 3-2 in the top of the eighth, the Red Sox have the bases loaded with two out. Bill Buckner comes up, and Davey Johnson brings in lefty Jesse Orosco to pinch-hit. With DH Don Baylor sitting on the bench, McNamara sticks with Buckner who flies out. With a lefty-lefty situation, Buckner was helpless at the plate. He should've been out for a defensive shift anyway at that point, why not pull the trigger?

[CanadianChris 0]

I agree totally that Buckner wasn't at fault for them losing Game 6. It was a mixture of Schiraldi, Stanley and McNamara. McNamara was totally at fault for putting Buckner in that position to begin with.

[KingPK 0]

I was about to fire up the AIM chatroom for the game, but I noticed that the game isn't starting until 8:40 tonight. What the fuck, FOX?

[CanadianChris 0]

I think they're trying to push the start times further and further back without anyone noticing. By Game 7 (assuming there is one), it'll start at 9:05.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I was about to fire up the AIM chatroom for the game, but I noticed that the game isn't starting until 8:40 tonight. What the fuck, FOX?

Don't you know we can't start a game until the west coast gets home? They work seven days a week you know.

[CanadianChris 0]

I was about to fire up the AIM chatroom for the game, but I noticed that the game isn't starting until 8:40 tonight. What the fuck, FOX?

Don't you know we can't start a game until the west coast gets home? They work seven days a week you know.

Besides, it doesn't matter, because everyone knows no one goes to bed on the east coast until 2:00 anyway.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I was about to fire up the AIM chatroom for the game, but I noticed that the game isn't starting until 8:40 tonight. What the fuck, FOX?

Don't you know we can't start a game until the west coast gets home? They work seven days a week you know.

Besides, it doesn't matter, because everyone knows no one goes to bed on the east coast until 2:00 anyway.

Sleep is so overrated. I only need 4-5 hours at most to function properly at work. And if I do it several days in a row, that's just dandy!

 

[KingPK 0]

TSMBaseball for the chat, as usual.

[Mike wanna be 0]

Is it too much to ask for one competitive game?

[Guest Smues]

Hey look, the Rockies got some runs.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

Is it too much to ask for one competitive game?

Well, if Gagne ever gets to play...

Truth be told if Boston does win, I will be happy when Gagne gets his ring. I liked his work as a Dodger.

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

 

Ha ha!

[Mike wanna be 0]

Ugh. Stop being wusses, Colorado. They appear to have figured out your "Throw shit until the count's in their favor and then throw the exact same thing to every batter" pitching strategy. Make them swing and stop forcing yourself into must-throw-strike situations. And for god's sake would you get out the guys that hit in front of Ortiz and Ramirez so you don't continually end up with the bases loaded with nobody out? No wonder you keep giving up assloads of runs, you morons.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I don't want to hear another complaint from a Red Sox fan for at least another decade after this series.

[KingPK 0]

The chairs at Fenway are still too small.

[strummer 0]

Will this 2nd championship for the Sox finally get Sportswriters to accept the Sabermetric community into the mainstream and look objectively at their strategies?

 

Of course not, they will just pass this off as "destiny" and a bunch of "gritty" players

 

 

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

This Red Sox team isn't half as gritty as the 2004 Idiots. That was just a damn fun team to root for. Half these guys still haven't been fully unwrapped from their cellophane packaging, nobody likes J.D. Drew, Eric Gagne is a walking steroid PSA, and two of their best pitchers don't even speak English. I mean, it was inevitable that they'd be compared with the 2004ers, so it's almost not fair, but this is decidedly less compelling. I'm wary of sounding like a creaky old sportswriter, but there's nothing here that really contributes to the baseball lore, you know? They didn't really dominate the regular season, they didn't make a huge run to get in. They didn't have any sort of flair for the drama, nor did they ever demolish everything in their path like a machine the likes of which we've never seen. They just go about their business and play really well, but never in any transcendent way. It's hard to describe. The team just feels soulless in a weird way: not like a Yankees Evil Empire of hired mercenaries way, though. It's a distinct and altogether new sort of emotional vacancy.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

They didn't really dominate the regular season, they didn't make a huge run to get in. They didn't have any sort of flair for the drama, nor did they ever demolish everything in their path like a machine the likes of which we've never seen. They just go about their business and play really well, but never in any transcendent way. It's hard to describe. The team just feels soulless in a weird way: not like a Yankees Evil Empire of hired mercenaries way, though. It's a distinct and altogether new sort of emotional vacancy.

 

Thats really has been the problem with baseball this season. Red Sox (and the Indians) had the best record with a nearly .600 record, but they NEARLY did, and no team was worse than .407 (okay that is bad, but not horrendously bad) so you had pretty much an entire league of dreck. Especially the NL where the Rockies actually needed Game 163 just to join Arizona as the only teams to win 90 all year (and both right on the nose).

 

All attendance records aside, and probably in large part to all the controversies, this just was not a good year for baseball.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I don't want to hear another complaint from a Red Sox fan for at least another decade after this series.

 

Yeah, no kidding.

 

I got excited when the Rockies managed to put up some runs. Unfortunately, I fell asleep (had a long work day yesterday), and they had lost when I woke up again.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

They didn't really dominate the regular season, they didn't make a huge run to get in. They didn't have any sort of flair for the drama, nor did they ever demolish everything in their path like a machine the likes of which we've never seen. They just go about their business and play really well, but never in any transcendent way. It's hard to describe. The team just feels soulless in a weird way: not like a Yankees Evil Empire of hired mercenaries way, though. It's a distinct and altogether new sort of emotional vacancy.

 

Thats really has been the problem with baseball this season. Red Sox (and the Indians) had the best record with a nearly .600 record, but they NEARLY did, and no team was worse than .407 (okay that is bad, but not horrendously bad) so you had pretty much an entire league of dreck. Especially the NL where the Rockies actually needed Game 163 just to join Arizona as the only teams to win 90 all year (and both right on the nose).

 

All attendance records aside, and probably in large part to all the controversies, this just was not a good year for baseball.

A lack of standout teams isn't a sign of overall mediocrity. It just indicates the talent is spread out. Look at the 1916 American League. Were there 5-6 good teams that year? No, it's just that the Philadelphia A's really stunk.

 

This was a good year for baseball, a bad one for playoff baseball.

[CanadianChris 0]

There hasn't been a good postseason since 2004.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

At least these Sox won their division. The 2004 Sox at least had a curse and deficit in the ACLS in order to win the WS.

[Slayer 0]

They didn't really dominate the regular season, they didn't make a huge run to get in. They didn't have any sort of flair for the drama, nor did they ever demolish everything in their path like a machine the likes of which we've never seen. They just go about their business and play really well, but never in any transcendent way. It's hard to describe. The team just feels soulless in a weird way.

So they've become the Spurs?