This Week In Baseball: 9/22-9/30

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I think we can start this thread since tonight's game involves no playoff contenders.

 

National TV Schedule

 

WEDNESDAY

Chicago Cubs @ NY Mets, ESPN, 7pm

 

SATURDAY

Chicago Cubs @ Milwaukee, Fox, 1pm

NY Yankees @ Boston, Fox, 7pm

 

You wonder why networks don't manage to get more baseball on the last week of the season. I believe TBS holds the rights to any potential tiebreakers. The White Sox visit the Minnesota Twins for a key series Tuesday through Thursday. The White Sox hold a 2.5 game lead. If the White Sox end the season with a half game margin either way, they will need to make up the final game against the Detroit Tigers on Monday. That could cause a messy tiebreaker scenario with the Twins, depending on the outcome. I do not believe there has been a divisional tiebreaker game since 1980.

 

Edit: I'm mistaken. The Mariners and Angels played a tiebreak game in 1995.

[devo 0]

It's worth mentioning that the FOX Saturday lineup is not set in stone - I believe they said that five possible games were Yankees/Red Sox, Mets/Marlins, Cubs/Brewers, Indians/White Sox and Nationals/Phillies and that four of them will be broadcast, the four with playoff implications (or with the most important implications, I guess).

[Guest Smues]

Edit: I'm mistaken. The Mariners and Angels played a tiebreak game in 1995.

 

I remember that one pretty well. Despite being 300 miles from Seattle everyone in town was going nuts, and in my Science and English classes that day they had the game on the TV.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

It's worth mentioning that the FOX Saturday lineup is not set in stone - I believe they said that five possible games were Yankees/Red Sox, Mets/Marlins, Cubs/Brewers, Indians/White Sox and Nationals/Phillies and that four of them will be broadcast, the four with playoff implications (or with the most important implications, I guess).

As long as the 7pm start time stays intact, I have tickets for that game.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Don't worry. The White Sox will make it as clean as possible by getting swept by the Twins.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Hey, Cubs fans: attached is Eddie Vedder's Cubs song he wrote at the behest of Ernie Banks. Apparently, it's being played on Chicago radio stations, so you may or may not have heard it already.

 

IMO, I think the song is kinda hokey, but that's pretty much par for the course for any team "theme song".

EV_All_The_Way_Live_in__Chicago.mp3

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Don't worry. The White Sox will make it as clean as possible by getting swept by the Twins.

Does ANYONE actually believe in their team this year?

[bob_barron 0]

Don't worry. The White Sox will make it as clean as possible by getting swept by the Twins.

Does ANYONE actually believe in their team this year?

 

I believe the Braves can win 70 games.

[Guest]

I do. If we get in, our pitching will win a series.

[devo 0]

I'm not sure whether to smile or scowl at the thread subtitle. I do know that if the Mets don't reach the postseason Tug McGraw might just spin in his grave fast enough to tunnel out.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I believed the Orioles could win more than 64 games this year to beat the Las Vegas odds!

 

I shoulda bet on em.

 

maybe next year when they are only predicted to win 67 games.

 

[Smartly Pretty 0]

Don't worry. The White Sox will make it as clean as possible by getting swept by the Twins.

Does ANYONE actually believe in their team this year?

 

I believe in the Mets. Honestly. Especially if John Maine can pitch out of the pen.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

It's a bit tiresome that a patriotic interlude has to be preceded by the name of the recording company the singer works for.

 

It's also a bit tiresome that said patriotic interlude exists.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

In honor of the Astros, here are some LEGIT screwjobs. Teams that have/had a right to bitch about their circumstances.

 

1908 Cleveland Naps: Finish a half game behind the Detroit Tigers for the AL pennant. Thanks to American League rules, the Tigers are not required to play a full schedule, making up that last missing game.

 

The 1981 Cincinnati Reds had the best record in baseball, but miss the playoffs due to the split season format that came about due to the players' strike.

 

 

[Bored 0]

It's worth mentioning that the FOX Saturday lineup is not set in stone - I believe they said that five possible games were Yankees/Red Sox, Mets/Marlins, Cubs/Brewers, Indians/White Sox and Nationals/Phillies and that four of them will be broadcast, the four with playoff implications (or with the most important implications, I guess).

As long as the 7pm start time stays intact, I have tickets for that game.

Their official line up is announced tommorrow and I'm fairly certain any games they pick up the start time will be moved to accomodate their normal timeslot for FOX Saturday Baseball.

 

Not sure when ESPN picks their Friday game or when TBS picks their Sunday game (or if they even will do a game).

[Bored 0]

The 1981 Cincinnati Reds had the best record in baseball, but miss the playoffs due to the split season format that came about due to the players' strike.

Also that year the Cardinals didn't make the playoffs despite having the best overall record in the N.L. East and the Royals made the playoffs with a losing overall record of 50-53, 4th best in the A.L. West.

[naiwf 0]

Don't worry. The White Sox will make it as clean as possible by getting swept by the Twins.

Does ANYONE actually believe in their team this year?

 

I believe that my team will end up missing the playoffs and that Minaya STILL won't fix the bullpen, although he will overpay for a closer now that Wagner's done for '09. Does that count?

[Richard 0]

The '72 strike resulted in Detroit winning the A.L. East by a 1/2 game over Boston.

[jimmy no nose 0]

I'm not sure how much coverage it got nationally, but in one of the stranger stories of the last few months the Pirates and Pedro Alvarez agreed to a new deal today where he'll get a major league contract and a $6.35 million signing bonus. Not sure what this does to the whole MLB vs. the Players Association hearing about extending the draft deadline following Alvarez and Boras refusing to sign the deal they say was reached after midnight.

[treble 0]

The Jays got stuck with Las Vegas as their AAA team, and both sides sound awfully excited about it.

 

"It is what it is. We're going to make the most of it," 51s president Don Logan said. "Obviously there are a lot more Dodgers fans here than Blue Jays fans ... but we're going to try to do some more things promotionally, and we want to grow the business."

 

Dick Scott, Toronto's director of player development, said the Blue Jays are "very happy to be coming to Las Vegas."

 

"We're excited about it and think it's going to be a good fit," he said. "I don't want it to appear like there was nobody left and we had to pair up with each other. I think it will be a good situation, and we're going to make the best of it."

[CanadianChris 0]

That sucks. What happened to Syracuse?

 

[treble 0]

The Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday ended their eight-year relationship with Las Vegas by agreeing to a two-year agreement with Albuquerque of the Pacific Coast League, and the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League recently severed ties with Toronto after 31 years.

 

The affiliation shuffle also saw the Cleveland Indians depart Buffalo for Columbus, Ohio, the New York Mets leave New Orleans for Buffalo, the Washington Nationals exit Columbus for Syracuse and Florida depart Albuquerque for New Orleans.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

That sucks. What happened to Syracuse?

The relationship between Toronto and Syracuse soured, perhaps because Syracuse was frustrated at the quality of play and prospects. I think Syracuse envisioned acquiring the Mets, but Buffalo swooped in on that one.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Happiness is looking at a crucial game and seeing Omar Infante as the opposing cleanup hitter.

[RepoMan 0]

That sucks. What happened to Syracuse?

The relationship between Toronto and Syracuse soured, perhaps because Syracuse was frustrated at the quality of play and prospects. I think Syracuse envisioned acquiring the Mets, but Buffalo swooped in on that one.

 

Yeah, I read some columns out of Syracuse bitching about SU football and that Buffalo "stole" the Mets to complete a shitty fall. I'm sort of suprised the Buffalo-Cleveland affiliation ended. Cleveland has provided consistantly competitive teams, and it allowed the Indians to grow a surprisingly large fan base in Buffalo. It seems like the Indians are hellbent on keeping all their affiliations in Ohio. But I'm sure most Buffalo and Columbus fans are happy with the new affiliations.

 

[devo 0]

Me and the other four Mets fans in Columbus sure are.

 

I really dislike when the Mets break out the Rally Towels. They've lost their mystique somewhat from being used by every team on God's green Earth.

 

Edit: I'm not even angry anymore.

[NYU 0]

How pathetic. For every other team, it's pretty much like batting practice when it comes to facing Jason Marquis.

 

The Mets give up a grand slam to him.

 

I can't stand it.

[garfieldsnose 0]

Apparently the Cubs pitcher hit a grand slam. This is good.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

How pathetic. For every other team, it's pretty much like batting practice when it comes to facing Jason Marquis.

 

The Mets give up a grand slam to him.

 

I can't stand it.

I can't speak to his pitching (though he's durable), but Marquis is a former Silver Slugger award winner.

[strummer 0]

That's the third time the Mets have given up a grand slam to a pitcher in the past 2 years.

 

and Derrick Lee almost hits one to the camera podium.

 

7-2 Cubs

 

Wild Card lead down to 1