Major League Baseball - Get ready for '08!

[mr_pikachu]

Spring training has officially begun, and with the regular season 25 days away there's still all sorts of speculation about how each team plans to succeed in the coming year. From little Steinbrenner's Yankees to the revitalized Blue Jays, from the crippled Cardinals to the arm-heavy Braves, and even from the looming charges for Clemens to the great Bonds debate, it's impossible to know what to expect this year. Heck, Wrigley Field is just as likely to be Cialis Park (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=3270817&sportCat=mlb) when all is said and done.

Who's got your support? Who's drawn your ire? And what teams and players will grab our attention throughout the year? Tell the world what you think, and stay tuned for the 139th season of Major League Baseball!




PLAYOFF SCHEDULE



AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Los Angeles Angels (100-62) vs. Boston Red Sox (95-67)
Boston wins 3-1
Game 1: Boston Red Sox 4, Los Angeles Angels 1
Game 2: Boston Red Sox 7, Los Angeles Angels 5
Game 3: Los Angeles Angels 5, Boston Red Sox 4 (12 innings)
Game 4: Los Angeles Angels 2, Boston Red Sox 3

Tampa Bay Rays (97-65) vs. Chicago White Sox (88-74)
Tampa Bay wins 3-1
Game 1: Chicago White Sox 4, Tampa Bay Rays 6
Game 2: Chicago White Sox 2, Tampa Bay Rays 6
Game 3: Tampa Bay Rays 3, Chicago White Sox 5
Game 4: Tampa Bay Rays 6, Chicago White Sox 2



NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Chicago Cubs (97-64) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (84-78)
Los Angeles wins 3-0
Game 1: Los Angeles Dodgers 7, Chicago Cubs 2
Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers 10, Chicago Cubs 3
Game 3: Chicago Cubs 1, Los Angeles Dodgers 3

Philadelphia Phillies (92-70) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (90-72)
Philadelphia wins 3-1
Game 1: Milwaukee Brewers 1, Philadelphia Phillies 3
Game 2: Milwaukee Brewers 2, Philadelphia Phillies 5
Game 3: Philadelphia Phillies 1, Milwaukee Brewers 4
Game 4: Philadelphia Phillies 6, Milwaukee Brewers 2





AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Tampa Bay Rays (97-65) vs. Boston Red Sox (95-67)
Tampa Bay wins 4-3
Game 1: Boston Red Sox 2, Tampa Bay Rays 0
Game 2: Boston Red Sox 8, Tampa Bay Rays 9 (11 innings)
Game 3: Tampa Bay Rays 9, Boston Red Sox 1
Game 4: Tampa Bay Rays 13, Boston Red Sox 4
Game 5: Tampa Bay Rays 7, Boston Red Sox 8
Game 6: Boston Red Sox 4, Tampa Bay Rays 2
Game 7: Boston Red Sox 1, Tampa Bay Rays 3



NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Philadelphia Phillies (92-70) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (84-78)
Philadelphia wins 4-1
Game 1: Los Angeles Dodgers 2, Philadelphia Phillies 3
Game 2: Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Philadelphia Phillies 8
Game 3: Philadelphia Phillies 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 7
Game 4: Philadelphia Phillies 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 5
Game 5: Philadelphia Phillies 5, Los Angeles Dodgers 1





WORLD SERIES

Tampa Bay Rays (97-65) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (92-70)
Philadelphia wins 4-1
Game 1: Philadelphia Phillies 3, Tampa Bay Rays 2
Game 2: Philadelphia Phillies 2, Tampa Bay Rays 4
Game 3: Tampa Bay Rays 4, Philadelphia Phillies 5
Game 4: Tampa Bay Rays 2, Philadelphia Phillies 10
Game 5: Tampa Bay Rays 3, Philadelphia Phillies 4







FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS


AMERICAN LEAGUE

East Division W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK MN G
x-Tampa Bay 97 65 .599 -- 57-24 40-41 Won 1 ++ 0
y-Boston 95 67 .586 2 56-25 39-42 Won 1 XX 0
NY Yankees 89 73 .549 8 48-33 41-40 Lost 1 XX 0
Toronto 86 76 .531 11 47-34 39-42 Won 1 XX 0
Baltimore 68 93 .422 28½ 37-43 31-50 Lost 1 XX 1

Central Division W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK MN G
x-Chicago Sox 88 74 .543 -- 53-28 35-46 Won 2 ++ 0
Minnesota 88 74 .543 -- 53-28 35-46 Won 1 XX 0
Cleveland 81 81 .500 7 45-36 36-45 Lost 1 XX 0
Kansas City 75 87 .463 13 38-43 37-44 Lost 1 XX 0
Detroit 74 87 .460 13½ 40-41 34-46 Lost 1 XX 1

West Division W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK MN G
z-LA Angels 100 62 .617 -- 50-31 50-31 Won 1 ++ 0
Texas 79 83 .488 21 40-41 39-42 Lost 1 XX 0
Oakland 75 86 .466 24½ 43-38 32-48 Lost 5 XX 1
Seattle 61 101 .377 39 35-46 26-55 Won 3 XX 0


NATIONAL LEAGUE

East Division W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK MN G
x-Philadelphia 92 70 .568 -- 48-33 44-37 Won 3 ++ 0
NY Mets 89 73 .549 3 48-33 41-40 Lost 1 XX 0
Florida 84 77 .522 7½ 45-36 39-41 Won 1 XX 1
Atlanta 72 90 .444 20 43-38 29-52 Lost 1 XX 0
Washington 59 102 .366 32½ 34-46 25-56 Lost 4 XX 1

Central Division W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK MN G
z-Chicago Cubs 97 64 .602 -- 55-26 42-38 Lost 1 ++ 1
y-Milwaukee 90 72 .556 7½ 49-32 41-40 Won 1 XX 0
Houston 86 75 .534 11 47-33 39-42 Won 1 XX 1
St. Louis 86 76 .531 11½ 46-35 40-41 Won 6 XX 0
Cincinnati 74 88 .457 23½ 43-38 31-50 Lost 5 XX 0
Pittsburgh 67 95 .414 30½ 39-42 28-53 Won 1 XX 0

West Division W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK MN G
x-LA Dodgers 84 78 .519 -- 48-33 36-45 Lost 1 ++ 0
Arizona 82 80 .506 2 48-33 34-47 Won 3 XX 0
Colorado 74 88 .457 10 43-38 31-50 Lost 3 XX 0
San Francisco 72 90 .444 12 37-44 35-46 Won 1 XX 0
San Diego 63 99 .389 21 35-46 28-53 Lost 1 XX 0




AL Wild Card W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK MN G
y-Boston 95 67 .586 -- 56-25 39-42 Won 1 ++ 0


NL Wild Card W L PCT GB HOME ROAD STREAK MN G
y-Milwaukee 90 72 .556 -- 49-32 41-40 Won 1 ++ 0




Legend
x-: Clinched division
y-: Clinched playoffs
z-: Clinched best league record
Team: Eliminated from division race
MN (Magic Number): 163 - Wins - (Losses of top competitor)
G: Games Remaining

[Pokemaster Ash]

Like hell they're gonna change the name of Wrigley Field. Knowing the people of this city, if anyone tries, their sorry butt is gonna be thrown out of town so damn fast... Also good riddance to Barry Bonds. I hope he gets thrown in jail for lying to congress and gets his records stripped away. As for Clemens, shame on him...

But on a lighter note, things seem to be clicking pretty well for the Cubs this year (you wouldn't exactly know it by their pre-season record thus far). I'm very hopeful for their chances this year. Hopefully the dreaded streak will not hit triple digits... x_x

[kainashi]

most excited i've been for baseball in a long while. tigers are stacked on offense now. i just hope the bullpen can hold its own.

[Drago]

I know y'all are sick of me doing this every MLB topic, but... what are the Jays odds this year?

[kainashi]

I know y'all are sick of me doing this every MLB topic, but... what are the Jays odds this year?ZILCH.

[mr_pikachu]

Well, I know some people think the Jays will be the surprise team this year. They shored up their infield over the offseason, and with a balanced lineup across the board they stand a solid chance against most any team. Still, they'll have to knock either Boston or the Yanks from the playoffs, and that's never an easy task.

[mr_pikachu]

Billy Crystal to don Yankees pinstripes (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080311/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bba_yankees_crystal)

This is an even worse gimmick than Michael Jordan's tenure in the MLB. And what's the point of doing it during spring training? Not like it's going to be a huge fundraiser...

[mr_pikachu]

A-Rod could pay Marlins' salaries, still have $6 million left (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/A-Rod-could-pay-Marlins-salaries-still-have-6?urn=mlb,74571)

Yeah, that's right. A-Rod, who makes $28 million a year, earns over $6 million more than the annual salary of the entire Marlins squad.

Personally, I'd rather have a 33-man baseball team than a single player. But hey, whatever.

(Not that the Marlins are going to approach decency this year, but it's still a point to be made.)

[Jeff]

Go Os, 5-1!

Yeah, I know it isn't going to last, but I might as well enjoy it while I can.

Also for anyone who's interested, here's some pics of the Nationals' new stadium (http://www.jdland.com/dc/stadium.cfm?tab=no3). It looks OK, but not as good as Camden Yards IMO. But maybe that's just the Baltimore native in me talking. :P

[Toxicity]

The Mets have been Rickroll'd (http://youtube.com/watch?v=N8ErbVOfvqw)

Also, I still wonder if the Tigers will actually get better this year.

[Pokemaster Ash]

....okay, I have NO comment on what the heck is going on with this Cubs/Pirates series. Back-to-back LONG extra inning games (5 hours and 12 innings Monday, 4½ hours and 15 innings tonight). At the very least, the Cubs came up victorious both games. Please let tomorrow's game be normal...

[mr_pikachu]

Any day the Yankees fall behind Tampa Bay is a good day.


EDIT: NY Yankees unearth buried Red Sox jersey from new stadium (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-yankees-cursefoiled&prov=ap&type=lgns)

Yankees-Red Sox at its finest. -_-

[mr_pikachu]

Should more baseball teams have cheerleaders? (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Should-more-baseball-teams-have-cheerleaders-?urn=mlb,76852)

I only have one thing to say about this... why didn't my peewee basketball team have cheerleaders?

[Toxicity]

Mets fan falls to death off escalator at Shea Stadium (http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8040140)

Quite possibly caused by the content of my previous post.

[Pokemaster Ash]

It seems the Cubs are on the edge of history. Tonight they are getting all set for their 10,000th all-time victory, going all the way back to the start of the game. Only one other team has ever surpassed this mark, the New York/San Fransisco Giants, so obviously this is a HUGE achievement. Combine this with how well they've been playing lately, this could be a VERY good year for the Cubbies...

EDIT: And history is made! It was REALLY close, but the Cubs have historic victory #10,000 against the Colorado Rockies!

[mr_pikachu]

Wainwright throws 126 pitches in 4-3 victory (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-pitchcount042708&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)

I'm fan of the old school, and especially a supporter of Nolan Ryan, so I love this. For all the bulking up and conditioning of modern players, many of them really have forgotten how to just go out there and go after it. Sorry closers, but few things are as impressive as a complete game.


EDIT: Cardinals’ Barton is a space case (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-barton042908&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)

If he keeps hitting .300+, I'll take as many space cases as they can fit on the roster.


EDIT2:

Kansas City 9, Texas 11
LA Dodgers 13, Florida 1
Pittsburgh 13, NY Mets 1
Milwaukee 5, Chicago Cubs 19

Gotta love that defense.

[mr_pikachu]

Clemens apologizes for 'mistakes', continues to deny steroid use (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3381677)


Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said Friday he will talk with his client about whether to proceed with the defamation suit against McNamee following a wave of unpleasant publicity.

"He's getting pummeled," Hardin said then. "I've never seen somebody get beat up like this. In some ways, I think we're on uncharted ground."

You know you're totally screwed when your own lawyer says (on the record!) that nobody's ever been battered like you. Clemens is being an idiot, and that's all there is to it. His whole career's going to become a sham if he doesn't stop now... unless, of course, it's already too late.

[mr_pikachu]

Anyone who watched Albert Pujols' rocket off Brad Lidge in the 2005 NLCS knows his ability to blow apart careers - Lidge just hasn't been the same since that towering, game-changing home run. But last night he hurt the Padres' #2 starter and #1 catcher in an entirely different way, sending both Chris Young and Josh Bard to the hospital (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280521125) in a single trip around the bases.

I pray for the quick recovery of Young and Bard after their gruesome accidents.

[mr_pikachu]

My Cards got ripped last night in an embarrassing 20-2 blowout against Philadelphia... I didn't check the box score, but I'm pretty sure backup infielder Aaron Miles was the only St. Louis pitcher who didn't give up runs (aside from relief pitcher Russ Springer, of course, who was ejected in the 8th for no reason). Let's hope today's game turns out a little better for the home team.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

That was very cool that CC Sabathia hit that home run yesterday. He really is a pretty good hitter, it is just a shame that he hardly gets any chances being an AL pitcher. If our manager had any sense he would let him hit when he pitches and even use him as a pinch hitter, he is probably better than anybody that we have.

It is going to be hard to see CC go if the Indians go ahead and trade him... Unfortunately I think he will be traded, because I don't see anyway that the Indians are going to turn around, too many injuries... plus the Indians have a horrible track record at keeping their own superstars when they reach free agency. It probably is in their best interest to see if there is a good trade out there for him so that they don't get nothing when he reaches FA and likely leaves. Still, it will be sad to see him go, he has given us a lot of good memories, and it has been fun watching him grow from a 20 year old to one of the best pitchers around. Really, even though I have watched the Indians since 1995, CC was probably the first superstar that I got to see "grow up" with the team. I guess if we can't have him then (don't kill me for saying this, mr_pika!!) I hope that he would go to the Cubs and help them lift their curse. I would be a Cubs fan if I wasn't an Indians fan!!

On a side note... can't one of these teams in the Central stand up and do something about the White Sox? As tough as it is to be struggling, it doesn't help to see them in 1st!! Seriously, if the Indians can't have the Central, I would be ok with Detroit or Minnesota (or the Royals XD) winning, but I hate those White Sox.

See, even though I watch the Indians, I also would make a good Cubs fan, because I hate the White Sox. ^_^

EDIT: Oh yay the Indians are officially in last place now. Tribe pride!! On a side note... it has definitely been strange seeing Omar Vizquel back in Cleveland again. He was definitely one of the best guys to ever play for the team, both from a performance and a personality standpoint. I think that when the Indians didn't pick up his option for 2005, he took a part of the city with him... nobody plays forever, but he was always a favorite, and I think everybody had hoped that he would retire here. Plus, he also marketed a very tasty salsa while he played here.

[mr_pikachu]

Christen, you should be ashamed of yourself. Cheering for the Cubs... disgraceful. They might be the only team that would actually make me root for the Yankees in the World Series, if it came to that.

Brandon Inge angles for a lucrative pillow endorsement (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Brandon-Inge-angles-for-a-lucrative-pillow-endor?urn=mlb,90675)

Now there's a star for you.

In other news, THE PUJOLS RETURNS! Now maybe the Cards will stop blowing games in the 9th....

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Christen, you should be ashamed of yourself. Cheering for the Cubs... disgraceful. They might be the only team that would actually make me root for the Yankees in the World Series, if it came to that.
Well, at least I hate one of the Chicago teams, that doesn't make me too terrible does it?

Yay Cleveland is now only tied for last place... it is getting to that time of the year where I am worried that everytime CC pitches it will be the last time for Cleveland. I keeping hearing that the Cubs and Angels were the most interested, but now the rumors seem to be pointing to the Brewers and Dodgers.

[MToolen]

Oh, darn... Izzy (the Cardinals' Jason Isringhausen) is probably headed to the DL. Whatever shall we do? [/sarcasm] Hopefully they can shake off being pwned by the Royals long enough to get Albert back into step.

[mr_pikachu]

Bah, Izzy. What did he pitch after returning, four innings? Until he gets his head together, I'd rather have Franklin or even Springer in the role. The good news is that we took a 5-1 win today, keeping Boggs undefeated and dodging a season series sweep - by the Royals.

I've been meaning to ask other Cardinal fans about this... what are your thoughts on Adam Kennedy? I wish he'd be sent back to AAA for awhile. He seems like the only obvious hole in the batting order, he's a horrid defensive 2nd baseman, and he has absolutely no skill at clutch hitting.

He and La Russa are infuriating right now. Take the 8th inning pinch hit two games ago. With a three-run deficit and two men on, why on earth would you yank Ankiel for some guy you just called up from Springfield? Pulling pitchers when they're doing well, not pulling guys when they're blowing leads... I'm pretty sure it was Lohse who Tony let walk three straight batters to concede a late tie earlier this week. He's brilliant and incredibly moronic in turns. Lately, it's been the latter.

[kainashi]

LET'S GO TIGERS

come back soon, miguel. :(

[Perfect Chaos]

I love how the NL East has the 1st and 4th place teams seperated by only 4 1/2 games.

I was sad that the Mets let Willie Randolph go. I don't think he was the the problem at all, more like the players are underperforming and I really think Omar Minaya and Jeff Wilpon are complete morons. Moises Alou has been a big bust the entire time he is here, and I'm kinda starting to believe all the people who say that Minaya is trying to build an All-Latin player team.

Oh well, I just pray we make it to the playoffs SOMEHOW this season (don't have much faith we will make it though). What a waste of a season...

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Meh, the Indians have a press conference scheduled for 12:30 PM to announce the trading of CC Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers. This one hurts a lot, but I guess it had to be done, there was practically no chance of him being re-signed by Cleveland, so it is best to get something in return for him. At least he is going to the NL, which is cool, because he is a good hitter too. The Indians really look to have a messy rotation next year... Carmona, Lee, Laffey, and then who knows until Westbrook comes back halfway through next season. Carmona and Laffey are good, but Lee is a mystery, he can have very long stretches of being excellent, and very long stretches of being horrible. I would be very surprised if he was this good next year.

[mr_pikachu]

The entire NL West is below the .500 mark. Hurrah!

On a side note, the top three teams in the NL Central would all be leading either of the other NL divisions. Right now, it's a three-team race for the top two divisional slots.

*really wishes the Brewers hadn't acquired Sabathia*

During one of the Cards-Cubs games, a FOX announcer made a good point about the Cubs. Yes, they're winning right now, but they could have a rough last few weeks, with 16 of their final 22 games on the road (including the last seven games against the Mets and Brewers).

Thus far, Chicago has been absolutely dominant at home with a record of 33-10; their away record of 20-26, however, leaves a lot to be desired. If the divsion or wild card race is still close in September, the Cubbies could be in serious danger.

[Pokemaster Ash]

Well I blame some of the Cubs' recent road woes as of late on the Interleague games, in which they got trashed by the surprisingly good Tampa Bay Rays (what the hell!?) and had a few players wind up on the DL or otherwise away from the team. I'm sure once everyone is back to full strength again and we get down to business, the Cubs will be powerful once again.

Besides, 19 of their remaining games are against either St. Louis or Milwaukee, and they usually put up a pretty good fight against those two teams no matter what. I'm not too worried about their chances, but they really do need to work on their road record a bit. I'm confident, though, that this might just be the year the way things have played out thus far.

[mr_pikachu]

Interleague? That's kind of a weak excuse. I mean, the Cards drew Boston in their East showdown and nearly swept them (I blame La Russa for the sole loss). As for the DL, we're missing our two best starters, Carpenter and Wainwright, and some of our other top players have spent a portion of the year warming the bench (Pujols, Molina... Pujols).

I will say that I wish our record against divisional rivals was better. 4-5 against Pittsburgh? Bleh. Sure, marks like 8-4 vs. Houston are nice, but being 15-15 against the rest of the division provides little comfort in a race against Chicago and Milwaukee. I'd like to see St. Louis push a little harder against those opponents so that they don't have to rely on their 5-1 standing against the Nats.

[Pokemaster Ash]

Well I wasn't blaming interleague per se, but the Cubs did have to deal with something in Toronto and Tampa Bay that I don't think anyone in the NL has: an astroturf field. Some of the smaller DL stints were due to players hurting themselves on that stuff (as I don't think there is any sort of cushioning underneath, so they might as well have been playing on cement), plus the ball bounced and rolled differently than on normal grass fields. Also who the hell expected Tampa Bay to be so good this year? Usually they're with the Kansas City Royals and stinking up the AL (much like the NL West in its entirety).

The Cubs did bounce back alright, however. They took two out of three from the Cardinals in the latest series, and it was pretty close to a sweep. They've almost got their stuff back (now if only the bullpen can stabilize a little).

[Too Cool Scyther]

I love how everyone seem to always over look my Angels. :) It's great.

[mr_pikachu]

Ugh, that was a frustrating All-Star Game. Part of me actually wishes it had gone a few innings further so that some catastrophe (like a forced forfeiture) would give Selig no choice but to fix the system.

(Adding more players won't be enough; the managers will just shift their strategies to use each one for even fewer innings. I support something along the lines of reserve players who only play in the event of an injury or extra innings.)

As it was, Lidge blew the game in the 15th inning despite a game-saving catch by Ludwick earlier in the frame. I was worried when they had to pull Webb... Lidge just hasn't been the same since Pujols rocked him, despite what certain commentators might claim.

The aptly-named Uggla is the goat. Three strikeouts, three errors, and a weak double play that ended an NL rally with runners on the corners. That's awful on a historic level... I can't remember a worse All-Star Game performance. Can you?

[mr_pikachu]

Since I don't want to talk about how the Cardinals' complete lack of relief pitching (or, more correctly, the exhaustion of what little they have) has put them on the verge of being swept in a four-game home series against Milwaukee, which consequently has pushed them three games back in the division and two in the wild card, and since I'd rather not think about how Tony La Russa's insistence on trying to get Isringhausen to 300 save with St. Louis despite the fact that he keeps blowing games is costing us our miraculous playoff run, I'll just comment on Placido Polanco's superstar batting technique:

http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/SB-Choked-Bat-R.jpg

[Pokemaster Ash]

What the hell!? .....I don't even want to know where that came from...

Anyway, the Cubs manage to just barely escape Arizona with a win (and what a win, with a Grand Slam by Reed Johnson) and they beat up on the Florida Marlins, breaking a rather unfortunate losing streak against them. Things seem to be piecing themselves back together again with most of the key players back on the team (and being back at Wrigley for the Marlins series helps). They REALLY need to pick up the road record, but for now if they can keep the Brewers and Cards at bay, things should be okay. Only about 60 games left, give or take.

Hopefully, should the Cubs make it back to the playoffs, they can avoid the Diamondbacks this time. Nothing against the team, but for some reason the Cubs have some serious bad luck in their park. In short, !%#& Chase Field...

[mr_pikachu]

*ignores four-game sweep of the Cards*

Time for an odd little aside. The Seattle Mariners are going to host two games later this year with a pair of "peanut-controlled" sections. (Story here (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Top-O-The-Order-DON-T-buy-me-some-peanuts-and-?urn=mlb,95734).) The sections will be cleaned before the game, and nearby concession stands will be prohibited from selling peanuts. The idea is to allow people allergic to peanuts to watch the game without fear of a reaction.

I actually don't have a problem with this. In fact, I'll go beyond what the reporter said in his article and say that if stadiums want to do that every game, it's great. Anything to allow the most fans to enjoy the game. However, those stadiums should keep those sections the same every game so that fans like me who crave a soda and a bag of peanuts as their primary ballpark snacks can also get the optimum ballpark experience. Everybody wins, right?

Thoughts?

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Since I don't want to talk about how the Cardinals' complete lack of relief pitching (or, more correctly, the exhaustion of what little they have) has put them on the verge of being swept in a four-game home series against Milwaukee, which consequently has pushed them three games back in the division and two in the wild card, and since I'd rather not think about how Tony La Russa's insistence on trying to get Isringhausen to 300 save with St. Louis despite the fact that he keeps blowing games is costing us our miraculous playoff run, I'll just comment on Placido Polanco's superstar batting technique:

http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/SB-Choked-Bat-R.jpg

XD I have no idea what Polanco is doing in that picture, it was taken from a game against Cleveland, but I don't remember seeing that lol.

Yeah, it seems that CC Sabathia played a little part in Milwaukee sweeping St. Louis, I'm sorry about that... I think that he is going to do very well over in the National League, because most of the hitters haven't seen him, and so they will probably be patient against him. When teams beat him, it is usually by being aggressive against him, because he usually throws down the middle to get the first strike, but once he gets 2 strikes, he does an excellent job of finishing hitters off. I have heard that the Indians hope to be able to resign him after this year, that would be awesome, trading him for a bunch of prospects and then resigning him, but I doubt the Indians can pull it off. This front office is terrible at pulling off big signings, and they usually make moves that are completely opposite of what would be good for public relations!!

[MToolen]

First off, Anthony Reyes got traded for Minor Leaguers- ouch. Although, when your club's lost 5 in a row, desperation may start to kick in.

Well, I'm glad I stayed up for last night's Cardinal-Met 14 inning game. Nice payoff on the wait and a historic night for Skip Schumaker: he's first Cardinal to have a 6 hit game since Terry Moore in 1935.

Today's game was not exactly such a boost to self-esteem, though. I guess Cardinal Nation will have to once again just tough it out.

[mr_pikachu]

As if the Angels needed to get any stronger, they just made a deal for Mark Teixeira of the Braves to add a little more power to their lineup. Looks like Atlanta, who received first baseman Casey Kotchman and a minor league pitcher in the trade, might be throwing in the towel for this year.

In other news, an unnamed baseball player is accused of accosting a California taxi driver for "not knowing where the hell Los Angeles of Anaheim is." We'll have all the details on this story as it develops.

[mr_pikachu]

With a mere twelve and a half hours remaining before the deadline and Sabathia, Nady and Pudge already taken, what blockbuster deals can we expect as the clock winds down? Will Maddux push a contender to the top? Will Manny be Manny in another city? What about the likes of Ibanez, Bay, and Holliday?

Only one thing is certain: this will be an interesting twelve hours.

[MToolen]

Will Manny be Manny in another city?

Probably. (http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Manny+traded+to+Dodgers%3F&articleId=b13f7d39-6488-457a-8bc6-83506f724cc7)

I'm glad Mather has been stepping up for the Cards. From what I've seen, heard, and experienced, part of the resiliency and staying power of Cardinal Nation is an almost brotherly bond, at least more than being just teammates would indicate. The training partnership of Pujols and Molina is a clear example.

[Pokemaster Ash]

All seems to be rather quiet on the trade front, except for Ken Griffey Jr. heading to the Chicago White Sox. Even as a Cubs fan, I'm impressed (though admittedly I'm a neutral Cubs fan, I like the Sox too). This should make an already interesting situation better, especially considering he's going from an almost-last place NL Central team to a first place AL Central team (this also makes him less of an annoyance to the Cubs, except maybe in Interleague or (Heaven forbid) a Cubs/White Sox World Series).

[mr_pikachu]

So, Manny's a Dodger now. Let's see how he likes playing for a club straddling .500. And Griffey's back to the AL, huh? Interesting. Kind of unexpected, considering the historic mark he just crossed, but maybe the throat-slash sign he made a few days ago went a little too far. Or maybe the Reds are just desperate.

You make a good point about the Cards, MToolen, and that's why I didn't expect St. Louis to make any huge moves near the deadline. There's a lot to be said for the bonds that form between players; I commend the staff as a whole for fostering that sort of environment. When the Cardinals ship off talent, it's usually because they really feel like it's a good deal. (Scott Rolen, anyone?)

[mr_pikachu]

As the insane Cardinals fan I am, I've done a little statistical analysis comparing St. Louis and Milwaukee (virtually even by record; St. Louis has one extra win and loss). This simple analysis calculated the combined winning percentages of all remaining opponents for both teams (factoring in the number of games remaining with each opponent, of course) to give a degree-of-difficulty estimate.

St. Louis' remaining opponents: .513
Milwaukee's remaining opponents: .476

This looked rather terrifying. But then I noticed something. The next few opponents for each team were on the extremes of each end of the scale. Specifically, the Cardinals are in the midst of a series with Philadelphia (2 games remaining) and will then play the Dodgers (3 games), Cubs (3 games), and Marlins (4 games). Milwaukee, on the other hand, is currently bashing Atlanta (2 games remaining) before taking on Cincinnati (3 games), Washington (4 games), and San Diego (3 games). Oddly, each of these stretches ends on August 14. So, averaging the opponents after that point in the year, I obtained the following:

St. Louis' opponents after August 14: .505
Milwaukee's opponents after August 14: .496

Conclusion? St. Louis can maximize their chances to overtake the Brewers by keeping the pace over the next two weeks. If they fall behind significantly, it's over. If they pressure Milwaukee, we can look forward to a wild finish.

[MToolen]

Hooray for Cardinals fans taking this post over. I just want to say that this club should play softball after they retire. Since they'd only play seven innings, they'd win every game.

[mr_pikachu]

Maddux goes to the Dodgers as extra support against Arizona; Padres fans wonder how they fell to last in such a horrid division.

St. Louis is slowly running out of daylight, especially since the Brewers have a fairly easy schedule for the rest of the month. The Cubs, on the other hand, are pulling away; their cross-town rivals hold a much smaller lead.

Seattle's on the verge of being eliminated from contention for the AL West. They could very well be out by the end of this week, as they're now 30.5 games down with 38 left to play.

The Rays have extended their lead to 4.5, while the Yanks continue to fall further down the standings. The Mets, on the other hand, currently lead their three-way dogfight in the NL.

Some races are becoming much clearer. Others are only getting much more interesting. With under 40 games left, it's a frantic race to the finish....

[mr_pikachu]

Huge baseball news!

Umpires, MLB sign agreement on instant replay (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080821/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbo_instant_replay)

It's now inevitable. While no timetable has yet been set - I hope they at least wait until after the playoffs - the sport as a whole seems ready to embrace a new system.


EDIT: Waiting until after the playoffs? What dream world was I living in? (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3547447)

*grumbles*

[Number1ChanseyFan]

The Indians are finally playing good baseball after all of this time and are actually kinda entertaining to watch!! All it took was trading our best players or putting them on the DL!! It's been a lost season, but it has been fun watching Cliff Lee put together that 18-2 record this year, I never expected that!! Actually, knowing the way that Cleveland's luck tends to go, I am really surprised that the Indians didn't trade him this offseason when there were so many rumors going around saying that he would be traded.

And now, I am posting my pride and joy, the Indians Hit-By-Pitch counter. I have no idea what the major league record for a team getting hit by pitches in a single season is, but I know that this year the Indians are definitely the best at getting in the way of the baseball as it leaves the pitcher's hand and travels towards the catcher's mitt. I am so proud of them!! With 2 players getting hit last night, they are up to 84 HBP on the year!! I am so hoping that they make it to 100 this year!!

[mr_pikachu]

Today, the Chicago White Sox fell to 14-11. (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280428104&action=playvideo&hcmp=motion)

As the home team. In Baltimore.

Oh, and by winning their next game, they improved to 75-56 with a two-game winning streak.

If any part of that made any sense to you, please explain Baseball Statistics 101 to me again. I need help.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Yay!! The Indians have now extended their winning streak to 9 games as Cliff Lee improved to 19-2!! Maybe the Indians are this years version of the 2007 Colorado Rockies!! j/k It was quite an eventful night... Jamey Carroll hit his first home run, and both Asdrubal Cabrera and Franklin Gutierrez were hit by a pitch for the Indians 85th and 86th HBP of the year!! BTW, I found out during the game tonight... the major league record for a team getting hit by pitches in a single season is 100, by the 1997 Houston Astros.

EDIT: Yay!! 10 game winning streak!! The last time the Indians played in Detroit in July, Detroit won both games and sent the Indians to a 10 game losing streak... Also, both Ryan Garko and David Dellucci were hit by pitches, bringing the season total up to 88!! ^_^

EDIT 8/29: Meh, the winning streak is over... but Dellucci got hit by a pitch again!! HBP #89!!

[mr_pikachu]

Ugh. As much as I hate to say it, the door's shutting fast on my Cards... when you can't win against the Houston Astros with Looper going against Moehler and a three-run cushion before your defense hits the field, you've got problems. Ankiel hits a 3-run shot in the first, and you give up 6 in the bottom half... ugh. Way to spoil a 4-for-4 night by Pujols, too.

They're 5.5 behind Milwaukee and tied with the Phillies. St. Louis needs to get moving, and they need to do it now.


EDIT: Brewers want call overturned, no-hitter for CC (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080901/ap_on_sp_ba_ga_su/bbn_nl_rdp)

Wow. This might be the first time I've ever seen anything like this... a team arguing not with the umpires, but with the official scorer. What the crap?

And players say they don't care about stats. Jeez. I give credit to Sabathia for being the only Brewer not to argue this point. To the rest of them, grow up! If you say he could have thrown out LaRoche - an argument disputed by many - then it's his own fault for dropping the ball. Don't leave it up to a judgment call by the scorer; make the damn play or stop whining. At least C.C. understands that much.


In another story of baseball woe, check out the $300 million migraine (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-arod083108&prov=yhoo&type=lgns).


EDIT2: Philadelphia lost... Milwaukee lost... even the Cubs lost... and the Cardinals failed to pick up a game on everyone. >_<


EDIT3: With Boston's win tonight, the Seattle Mariners are officially the first team eliminated from postseason contention!


EDIT4 (somebody else please post here): You want proof that Floridians don't appreciate baseball? How about Wednesday's game (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280903128) between the contending Marlins and the visiting Braves, which was watched by a whopping 600 fans?


(Note: The "initial text" of this post actually came from my previous post, which I am now deleting in order to avoid triple posting.) >_>

[mr_pikachu]

Whoops! Angels' Sean Rodriguez strikes out after 4-2 count (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Whoops-Angels-Sean-Rodriguez-strikes-out-after?urn=mlb,105854)

All the instant replay (http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/26535721/) cameras in the world can't save us now.

[Pokemaster Ash]

And after that agonizing 6 game losing streak, the Cubs are finally looking like themselves again, beating the Cincinatti Reds 14-9 with three homers by Soriano, and two other homers by Mark DeRosa and pitcher Jason Marquis. Can't say much for the efforts of the bullpen, however, but hopefully the Cubs can put those games behind 'em and focus on making their way to the finish line in one piece.

And also YAY, the Diamondbacks got knocked out of first place in the NL West. I don't really want to see them again in the playoffs...

[Number1ChanseyFan]

The Indians really know how to celebrate a 10 game winning streak. Last weekend, coming off 10 consecutive wins, and going into a home series against one of the worst teams around, the Seattle Mariners, the Indians promptly dropped all 3 games. XD Cliff Lee did win his 20th game though, (20-2 record, that is just so awesome looking!!) and it came against the White Sox, which was extra nice considering my err... distaste for the White Sox. The Indians won the first 2 games of the White Sox series, but lost the last one... they really needed a sweep in that series to keep their longest of longshots at making a run at 1st place alive... But c'mon Minnesota, stop blowing all of these games late, and overtake the Sox already!! We took 2 out of 3 from the Sox for you guys, did you really have to get owned by Toronto?!

Oh, and I am getting concerned, the Indians have been stuck on 91 hit batters for a couple of games... they gotta start picking up the pace a little bit if we are going to get the record!!

[mr_pikachu]

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for winning the AL West and becoming the first team in baseball to secure a spot in the '08 playoffs!

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Last night, as the Indians continues their journey back to .500, Franklin Gutierrez was hit by a pitch in the 4th inning, giving the Indians their 92nd HBP of the year, tying the American League record set by the Blue Jays in 1996, and leaving them 8 behind Houston's all time record.

[mr_pikachu]

Damn it all! The Cubs "beat" the Cardinals in a game full of complete crap. From a no-call on an obvious balk that would have tied the game later in the 8th to an idiotic slide past third base by Brendan Ryan in the ninth... ugh. Losing to the Cubs sucks enough, but when it's as idiotic as this game was....

[mr_pikachu]

Angels’ K-Rod gets record 58th save (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=280913103)

Congratulations to Francisco Rodriguez, one of the biggest reasons for the Angels' overwhelming postseason push. With 14 games left, how far will he extend his total?

[Pokemaster Ash]

As the Cubs beat the Astros 5-0 and take a 7½ game lead in the NL Central, Carlos Zambrano makes history as he pitches a no-hitter!

.....I am just completely speechless

[mr_pikachu]

News alert!

The Milwaukee Brewers, tied with Philadelphia for the wild card lead with just 12 games to go, have fired manager Ned Yost (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3589405). The slumping Brewers have left the door wide open for their National League rivals by losing 11 of their last 14 games, and Milwaukee management responded with one of the most untimely baseball firings in history.

[mr_pikachu]

UNBE-FREAKING-LIEVABLE!

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and a 6-2 lead, Ryan Braun misplayed a line drive to left, giving Amaris Ramirez a double. Edmonds knocked him in with a single to center, DeRosa moved him over with a shot in the right-center gap, and Soto crushed the first pitch he saw over the left field wall. One out away, yet this one's going to extra frames... one of the most absurd comebacks I think I've ever seen.


EDIT: And the Cubs win it in 12. I don't even know who the goat in this game is. Maybe the closer who allowed four runs in the ninth?

[Pokemaster Ash]

I don't know, I was VERY impressed that they came back. The Magic Number is 2!

You're probably just ticked cause the Cubs will be breaking out the champagne and NL Central champs memorabilia while the Cardinals are in the Wrigley Field visitor's clubhouse feeling useless. :P

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Things are looking up!! All that has to happen for the Indians to make the playoffs is this...

They have to win every game the rest of the way.

Chicago and Minnesota has to lose every game the rest of the way, except for the 3 games that they play against each other in Minnesota. Minnesota must win 2 of those games.

Then, there will be a 3 way tie for first place at the end of the season!! Actually I wonder how that would work. It would be interesting, that's for sure!!

Meh, all of the sudden the opposing pitchers have stopped hitting our players for some reason, that is very disappointing!!

EDIT: Yay!! Finally the Indians got 2 HBP tonight!! The total is up to 94, giving the Indians the American League single season HBP record!! There was also an entertaining fight between the Tigers and the Indians too, and combined with a relatively full stadium that was energetic, it was a pretty fun game with a come from behind win. By winning, the Indians technically held off elimination for another day, but the White Sox beating the Royals has basically eliminated the Indians, since they can only finish with 85 wins, and with Chicago now @ 85, and Minnesota @ 83, and Chicago having 3 games with Minnesota, one of them has to get at least 86 wins. Oh well, I guess it's time to officially announce Cleveland's official motto...

"Maybe next year!!"

So, here's to 7 more hit batters, finishing over .500, and hoping the Twins find a way to overtake the White Sox!! ^_^

[mr_pikachu]

The Angels and Rangers are currently in the midst of a 13-12 battle... after five innings. Yay, defense!

Oh, and Christen, I'm afraid that the White Sox are just one inning away from eliminating your Indians... sorry.

In other news, the Cubs' magic number is one despite taking a 12-6 tumble to the Cardinals, who are looking to trade Adam Kennedy (FINALLY!). The Reds throttled Milwaukee 11-2, while Florida yanked Philadelphia 14-8 and Houston shut down the Pirates, 5-1.

Noteworthy games in the AL included Boston's homerless 4-3 victory over Toronto, taking away any chance for the Jays or Yanks to win the AL East outright, and a devastating 11-1 win by Tampa Bay over the Twins. New York barely held on to its AL East hopes by taking down Baltimore 3-2, but they could be eliminated from postseason contention before the weekend is done.

[Pokemaster Ash]

Oh well, I guess it's time to officially announce Cleveland's official motto...

"Maybe next year!!"

You know you're gonna get sued by Cubs fans.

I'm glad to hear the Brewers got destroyed today. Makes me feel better about what happened earlier today. At least the Cubs managed to make it 12-6 instead of getting plowed 12-2. The magic number is 1, odds are very good on a clinch tomorrow.

And yay, the White Sox remain alive. It would be nice to see them in the playoffs alongside the Cubs for once. Maybe they can play spoiler in the AL playoffs and set the Cubs up for an easy shot in the World Series?</waytoohopeful>

[Number1ChanseyFan]

You know you're gonna get sued by Cubs fans.
Nah I don't think so, I mean we are practically the American League version of the Cubs, us Indian fans have a lot in common with you guys. Besides, you guys can't keep everything to yourselves. I mean, if you sue us for "maybe next year", then where is it going to stop? Are you going to sue us in 2048 when we play up the "100 years since winning our last World Series?"

Wow I'll be old in 2048... what am I saying? I'm already getting old now!! :(

BTW, don't get too confident about the White Sox setting you up for an easy World Series win... afterall, they had a crappy team go all the way in 2005. ;)

[Pokemaster Ash]

Perhaps, but the Cubs can usually beat the White Sox up pretty good no matter what. They're pretty much .500 all-time against each other, so it could go either way, but the Cubs have the better team of the two of them.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Perhaps, but the Cubs can usually beat the White Sox up pretty good no matter what. They're pretty much .500 all-time against each other, so it could go either way, but the Cubs have the better team of the two of them.
Well, good luck to your Cubs anyways, they definitely have my support to win it all. Then the Indians will have the longest streak in the majors without winning a World Series. And after your Cubs win it all this year, you will still have 40 years to celebrate being the only team to go 100 years between World Series victories, because believe me, the Indians WILL break your streak, they will make it well beyond 100 years. We had one "unbreakable" streak broken this year when the Red Sox passed our 455 consecutive regular season sellout streak, but we will not lose this record, I promise.

So... the Indians have made it back to .500, it was a long, hard fight to get back to being average. The Indians will get to see Paul Byrd pitching for Boston next week. For some reason, it seems especially weird to play against somebody that was playing for your team earlier in the same year, especially since it is for Boston, against who he pitched so well against in the ALCS last year. Oh well, it is something to look forward to anyways, even though he has always owned Cleveland when pitching against them.

And most importantly, Jamey Carroll became the 95th Cleveland batter to be battered by an opposing pitcher when he was hit by a pitch in the first inning!! ^_^

[Pokemaster Ash]

And today, the Cubs clinch the NL Central for the second year in a row. This is the first time they've one back-to-back titles of ANY kind since....well, since 1907 & 1908. Do the history buffs in the audience think that sounds familiar? (Well, they got the pennant in 1906 as well, but lost to the White Sox in the World Series)

While not set in stone, looking like the playoff assortment is going to be Angels, Cubs, Rays, Mets, White Sox, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Phillies. Of course, the Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Twins could still sneak in, but the odds decrease day by day.

[mr_pikachu]

Goodbye, Yankee Stadium.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Goodbye, Yankee Stadium.
I still can't help but be a little surprised that Yankee Stadium is being closed. I mean, the Yankees had such great luck in there, it makes you wonder why they would want to change anything. lol But yeah, the Indians have a part in their history, such as playing the final playoff game at Yankee Stadium last year... Also, the Indians get to play the Yankees next year on Opening Day at their new $1.3 billion stadium, which is pretty awesome IMO. I would love to have tickets to that game, even though Yankee Stadium is probably over 7 hours away from me.

So, the Indians played their final home game of the year and got above .500. Now, we finish the season with a rematch of last year's ALCS (although Beckett vs. Jackson doesn't look like a favorable matchup tonight XD) and a chance to ruin the White Sox's season, but if we are going to mess up the White Sox, Minnesota has got to do their part too against the White Sox this week.

BTW, Grady Sizemore earned our 96th HBP of the year yesterday!!

EDIT: Meh, I must admit that I am a little surprised that the Indians won this game... I mean, they were owned by Josh Beckett in the playoffs last year, and I certainly didn't think that Zach Jackson would be the guy to beat him, but I guess that is why you play the games. If only we could turn back time, and tonight was Game 7 of the ALCS... oh well, better late than never, right?!

But the best part of tonight was in the second inning, when Ryan Garko and Kelly Shoppach combined for back to back.... hit by pitches!! But the Indians weren't finished there... in the 5th inning, Ben Francisco was hit by a pitch too!! That was 3 in 1 game!! I don't know if it makes up for what Boston did to the Tribe last October, but I still appreciate the effort!!

So, the total is now up to 99 HBP. The next Cleveland hitter to be hit will tie the record, and the one after that will break it!! 6 games remaining, and only 2 more hit batters to go!! This is definitely getting exciting now!! ^_^

EDIT 2: Wow, Cleveland loses at Fenway and a huge celebration breaks out on the field... looks so similar to how last season ended... but this time it doesn't matter, we had nothing to lose, and Kelly Shoppach made history tonight when he was hit by a pitch to bring the total of Indians hit by pitches this year up to a major league record tying 100!! One more battered batter and the record is ours!!

Oh, and the Twins are killing the White Sox!! Yay!!

[mr_pikachu]

The Yankees decided to tear down the House That Ruth Built, and now they've been eliminated from postseason contention. Please, oh please let this be the new curse of the Bambino....

[mr_pikachu]

Hey, you remember that guy? You know, the one who hit 73 home runs in 2001? The guy who broke McGwire's record after inflating like a blow-up doll?

Yeah, you'd forgotten him. Happily, too, I'm sure. Sorry for reminding you. But according to the government, he already tested positive for 'roids (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3607708).

[Number1ChanseyFan]

:birthday::birthday::birthday::birthday::birthday: :birthday::birthday::birthday:
The Indians are now proud owners of the all time Major League record for being hit by pitches in a season, breaking the 1997 Houston Astros record of 100. Grady Sizemore became the 101st Indian to be hit this year... we may as well throw in a couple more over the weekend to make sure the record stays out of reach!!

Twins are down 6-3 in the 5th :( Come on guys, the Indians are gonna help you out over the weekend!! ^_^ Then we can make the choke sign that Ozzie Guillen made to us back in the final series of 2005 when the Indians err... choked lol

http://homerderby.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/ozzie-choke-small.thumbnail.jpg

[Pokemaster Ash]

Okay, whoever the umpire was that was in charge of the grounds crew tonight in the Cubs/Mets game should be fired, or at least demoted to minor league games. It was raining torrentially throughout most of the damn game and there wasn't a single rain delay! It should have ended in the 7th, with the rain coming down like crazy (and incidentally, the Cubs with a 6-3 lead). Instead they play on, the wet ground actually causing a player to slip and fall and a run to score in the process. I thought at that point it was automatically time to bring out the tarp when players can't keep their footing? Seems to be that way every other time I see players falling over on wet ground.

Instead of the Cubs winning 6-3 in a rain-shortened game (any intelligent umpire would have called it instead of letting it keep going like that, even if the game was crucial to playoff standings), the Mets win 7-6 and ruin the Cubs' chances for a 100-win season. What the f***!? Someone should really take a look at that game and see if it should have been put into rain delay at some point so the infield could dry out a little, or at least something put on the infield to maintain traction much sooner than the bottom of the 8th inning.

[mr_pikachu]

Oh, you're just mad that the backup catcher blew the game by falling over like a one-legged stool. ^_^

Incidentally, what do you have to be mad about? The Cubs are in the playoffs with the NL's best record. Greed is a sure route to disaster, you know... just ask Bill Belichick.

[Pokemaster Ash]

It's not so much I'm angry the Cubs didn't win. I'm angry that tonight's umpires apparently have no concern at all for the safety of the players. I remember in one game that was completely called off (prior to the 5th inning, so nothing counted) at Wrigley a couple of years back in which a player got seriously injured due to the conditions. That pretty much was the end of the game right there. What if a Cubs or Mets player got injured in tonight's game as a result of the sloppy terrain? That's careless, really.

[mr_pikachu]

It's about time we talked playoff scenarios!

At present, five of the eight playoff spots have been claimed:


AL East Champion: Tampa Bay
AL West Champion: LA Angels
AL Wild Card: Boston
NL Central Champion: Chicago Cubs
NL West Champion: LA Dodgers


The Cubs have clinched home field advantage until the World Series, but the Angels have yet to do so. The only way they will lose that right, though, is if they lose their last three games and the Devil Rays win their last three. Based on the head-to-head tiebreaker, Tampa Bay would have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

With three games left, Tampa Bay leads Boston by two. If they wind up tied, Boston will be the AL East champion thanks to the head-to-head tiebreak, and Tampa will enter as the wild card.

Should Minnesota and the White Sox tie, on the other hand, they will have a one-game playoff to decide who moves on and who goes home - any ties that would eliminate a team must be decided by playoff games. Home field advantage for that playoff would be determined by a coin flip.

If the LA Angels are the AL's top-ranked team, they will play the wild card winner (either Boston or Tampa), leaving the division champion to face Minnesota or the Chicago Sox. Ironically, that scenario holds even if Tampa pulls out a comeback on the Angels in these last three games - they can't play the wild card if it's from their own division.

To the NL! If Milwaukee wins the wild card, the Cubs will face the Dodgers and the Brewers will play the NL East winner (Philadelphia/NY Mets). Should either the Phillies or the Mets win the wild card, Chicago would play that team and the Dodgers would square off against the NL East winner.

If the Phillies and Mets end their season in a tie, and both of them have better records than Milwaukee, the Mets will win the division based on the head-to-head tiebreak.

If the Phils, Mets, and Brewers are in a three-way tie at the end of the season, the former two teams will play first to determine the division champion. The loser will then play the Brewers to decide the wild card.

The Astros are still in it, too. If they get into a three-way tie with the Brewers and Mets, the three will be designated teams "A," "B," and "C." The Astros will have the right to choose their designation first, since they have the highest winning percentage between the three teams. (Earlier tiebreaks are omitted since Milwaukee was better in head-to-head matchups against Houston, Houston was better than the Mets, and New York was better than the Brewers.) The Brewers will choose second, and the Mets third. Team "A" will then host team "B," and the winner will play at home against team "C."



Don't like reading so much text? Let me summarize it in statistical form.

(I'll omit the obvious ones... all ties that would eliminate a team have to be decided with a playoff game, and teams can't play the division series against a divisional rival.)




AMERICAN LEAGUE SCENARIOS

Minnesota > Chicago Sox
#1 LA Angels vs. #4 Boston
#2 Tampa Bay vs. #3 Minnesota

Chicago Sox > Minnesota
#1 LA Angels vs. #4 Boston
#2 Tampa Bay vs. #3 Chicago Sox



NATIONAL LEAGUE SCENARIOS

Philadelphia = NY Mets, Philadelphia & NY Mets > Milwaukee
#1 Chicago Cubs vs. #4 Philadelphia
#2 NY Mets vs. #3 LA Dodgers

Philadelphia = NY Mets = Milwaukee
Playoff #1 (NL East Champion): Philadelphia vs. NY Mets
Playoff #2 (NL Wild Card): Playoff #1 Loser vs. Milwaukee

Philadelphia > NY Mets, NY Mets > Milwaukee
#1 Chicago Cubs vs. #4 NY Mets
#2 Philadelphia vs. #3 LA Dodgers

NY Mets > Philadelphia, Philadelphia > Milwaukee
#1 Chicago Cubs vs. #4 Philadelphia
#2 NY Mets vs. #3 LA Dodgers

Philadelphia > NY Mets, Milwaukee > NY Mets
#1 Chicago Cubs vs. #4 LA Dodgers
#2 Philadelphia vs. #3 Milwaukee

NY Mets > Philadelphia, Milwaukee > NY Mets
#1 Chicago Cubs vs. #4 LA Dodgers
#2 NY Mets vs. #3 Milwaukee



If the regular season ended today...

AMERICAN LEAGUE

#1 LA Angels vs. #4 Boston
#2 Tampa Bay vs. #3 Minnesota



NATIONAL LEAGUE

#1 Chicago Cubs vs. #4 LA Dodgers
#2 Philadelphia vs. #3 Milwaukee



...Any questions?

(Thanks to Baseball-Reference.com (http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/division_ties.shtml).)


EDIT: Whoops, I forgot that the Astros were still mathematically alive.


EDIT2: Scenarios edited to reflect the most recent results.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Yay!! 11-8 win over the White Sox last night!! Ryan Garko had his first ever multi-home run game and first ever grand slam, and the Indians even threw in 2 more hit by pitches to strengthen our record, now at 103.

Unfortunately the Twins also lost... Come on guys, we are trying to help you out!!

EDIT: Meh, if only there was another week or two in the season the Indians may have ended up winning this division lol. Oh well, more fun at the White Sox expense, which is the best kind of fun. But really Minnesota, we can't win this thing for you, you are going to have to win a game eventually... help us help you!!

[mr_pikachu]

Well, 'sota won today, but so did the Sox. Now, if Chicago can win their makeup game tomorrow against Detroit, they'll host the Twins in a one-game playoff for the division, with the winner facing the Rays.

In other news, the Mets collapsed at the end again hanging Milwaukee the wild card and a generous matchup against Philadelphia, who held a meager two-game advantage over the Brewers in the regular season. That leaves the Cubs to face the Dodgers and Boston with a duel against the AL's Los Angeles.

In conclusion...

Los Angeles Angels vs. Boston Red Sox
Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. Minnesota Twins OR Chicago White Sox

Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers

[Number1ChanseyFan]

The Tribe couldn't finish the job today, (what else is new? lol) those 4 double plays really killed them. So yeah, hopefully we did enough to mess them up, and I hope that the Tigers take care of business tomorrow!!

Oh and mr_pika, I know some strange things have happened this year, but I don't think that the Rays will be playing the Mets in the first round. ;)

[mr_pikachu]

Oh and mr_pika, I know some strange things have happened this year, but I don't think that the Rays will be playing the Mets in the first round. ;)

...You saw nothing!

(Nah, those things are bound to happen when you try to keep track of so many insane scenarios at once. Like the theoretical three-way tie with Houston, Milwaukee and the Mets... *shudders*)

On a related note, the playoff schedule has been updated with all available information. Check it out, and watch the Tigers and Sox tomorrow!

[Pokemaster Ash]

And the White Sox live to play another day! And on national television, too.

The playoffs kick off with a one-game tiebreaker between the White Sox and the Minnesota Twins, with the Sox having home field advantage. Their little Metrodome mini-curse won't be a factor this time around...

(I'm sure every team has that one ballpark they never want to play at again. The Cubs probably would like to never see Chase Field again if they can help it...)

I wouldn't mind seeing a Cubs/Sox World Series, either Red Sox or White Sox. Not only would the odds be in the favor of the Cubs, but it would just be epic. Two legendary teams facing off or the cross-town classic brought to extraordinary new heights. I feel a rush just thinking about it...

[mr_pikachu]

If you want to see something freaky, check out the home/away records of Minnesota and the Chicago Sox (standings in the first post of this thread!).

[Pokemaster Ash]

Heh heh heh. For the first time in 102 years, BOTH Chicago baseball teams are headed to the postseason. The White Sox win a pitcher's duel 1-0 with a home run by Thome and some awesome fielding plays. Let's see what happens now...

[MToolen]

If you want to see something freaky, check out the home/away records of Minnesota and the Chicago Sox (standings in the first post of this thread!).

That's trippy. Next thing you know they'll all have the same shoe sizes or something.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

That's trippy. Next thing you know they'll all have the same shoe sizes or something.
Before that game, both teams also had the same record against Central Division opponents. (43-29)

So yeah, that was hard to watch... especially a 1-0 game with Jim Thome providing the only run... it doesn't get much worse for a Cleveland fan. XD Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota, we all failed to stop them. :(

[mr_pikachu]

I love watching favorites go down in flames. It's even better when that favorite is the Chicago Cubs using their ace at home.

Just two games to go! I've never rooted for the Dodgers harder than I am now.


EDIT: One of two things is going to happen in the Cubs-Dodgers game tonight. Either Zambrano will shut down the Dodgers and bring new life to the team, or he'll get lit up and leave them on the cusp of elimination.

If the former happens, Dodgers in 4. If the latter occurs, Cubs in 5. That's my call.


EDIT2: TBS aired a stat earlier tonight that said only 7 of 54 MLB teams in history who have fallen to a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series have come back to win.

This is interesting, sure, but misleading when you apply it to the Cubs (should they lose tonight). After all, only one of those seven teams lost those first two games at home: the 2001 Yankees had to steal Games 3 and 4 in Oakland before winning the series back in New York.

Furthermore, 4 of those 7 teams didn't have to win a single game on the road! The format for best-of-five series used to minimize travel, giving one team home field advantage for the first two games and the other team the edge for the last three. So the '81 Dodgers, '82 Brewers, '84 Padres, and '95 Mariners probably weren't so worried when faced with the task of winning three in a row... all at home.

To summarize this little stat:

1981 NLDS: Dodgers d. Astros (Games 3-5 at home)
1982 ALCS: Brewers d. Angels (Games 3-5 at home)
1984 NLCS: Padres d. Cubs (Games 3-5 at home)
1995 ALDS: Mariners d. Yankees (Games 3-5 at home)
1999 ALDS: Red Sox d. Mariners (Games 3-4 at home)
2001 ALDS: Yankees d. Athletics (Game 5 at home)
2003 ALDS: Red Sox d. Athletics (Games 3-4 at home)

The only team in history to come back from an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series after dropping the first two at home was the 2001 Yankees. Every other team in history has failed.

Are the Cubbies feeling the pressure? You bet.

(Thanks to these (http://mlb.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20071003&content_id=2247203&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb) sources (http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/).)


EDIT3: The Cubs are down 5-0 in the second, and Joe Torre just went into the clubhouse to start packing for the NLCS. He just doesn't know whether he's preparing to go to Philadelphia or Milwaukee yet.

[mr_pikachu]

Wow... this is kind of weird. Each series is through two games, and we could end up with four division series sweeps. In the history of division series play, the only year in which we ever had three sweeps was '07.

[Knight of Time]

Umm, mr_pikachu, there's something you should know about the poll up top...

The Tampa Bay Rays dropped the "Devil" from their name, and you have them twice up there, once as AL East champion, and again (by accident?) under AL Wild Card (which should be Boston Red Sox).

As a Red Sox fan, well, I have strong hopes they'll win it all, again.

[mr_pikachu]

There are still people in this world who like the Red Sox? I thought those days were over, now that they've won a title. Figured you'd move on to an even more pathetic team... like the Cubs.


EDIT: This post is not spam.

Well, I mean, it is, but... it isn't.

That is, not in that...

You see, it's... spam isn't just...

...

Shane Victorino's abiding love for Spam dish angers PETA (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Shane-Victorino-s-abiding-love-for-Spam-dish-ang?urn=mlb,115113).

*dies*


EDIT2: Red Sox rally has perfect timing (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-alcsgamefive101708&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)

Union says teams acted in concert against Bonds (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-bonds-collusion&prov=ap&type=lgns)

Which is the bigger news item? You decide.

[mr_pikachu]

Was I the only one who missed the start of Game 6 (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Not-very-funny-TBS-difficulties-preventing-ALCS?urn=mlb,115805)?

(I guarantee TBS just lost any chance at renewing whatever contract they have with MLB....)

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Was I the only one who missed the start of Game 6 (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Not-very-funny-TBS-difficulties-preventing-ALCS?urn=mlb,115805)?

(I guarantee TBS just lost any chance at renewing whatever contract they have with MLB....)
Yeah, I was wondering what the heck was going on when I turned on the game, and Bloopers was on followed by Steve Harvey. lol

But yeah, the sooner that TBS stops doing playoff telecasts, the better off. I have renamed the Mute button on the remote the "TBS" button. XD Fox does a much better job IMO. Even if Fox's little score thingy at the top of the screen is kinda plain looking compared to one's that they used in the past...

I found it silly when people were writing Boston off when they were down 3-1 in the series, I mean, I saw up close and personal last year what a 3-1 series lead means in the LCS... especially against Boston... However, I must admit, although I didn't count Boston out going in to Game 5, when it was 7-0 Tampa in the 7th, I was pretty certain that Tampa was going to finish it off. I guess you never know. lol

[mr_pikachu]

At the beginning of this year, how many of you called a Tampa Bay-Philadelphia World Series?

Hmm? Anyone?

[Number1ChanseyFan]

I did!! Honestly, I thought for sure the World Series was going to consist of a team coming into this year had finished higher than last place only one time in 10 years, and never lost less than 90 games, as well as the only team in MLB to have lost 10,000 games in their existence... it was a no brainer!!

Ok, I never saw this coming. lol

BTW for anybody who is interested, (which will be nobody here) Cleveland went 5-2 (would have been 6-1 if not for the bullpen giving up 6 runs in the 9th inning of one game without getting a single out.) against Tampa this year. So yeah, we were better than the best in the American League...

I really don't know who I want to win... Philly has our old hitting coach/manager as their manager, and they certainly deserve it, they have had a difficult history, not unlike the Indians. Plus, they definitely could use some happiness with Charlie Manuel's mom and Shane Victorino's grandma passing.

On the other hand, I think that Tampa has less pressure on them, I mean, no matter what happens, this season has been a huge success for them considering where they came from. But I also like them for couple of reasons, they kicked the White Sox butt in the playoffs, plus Andy Sonnanstine was born at the same hospital as me and grew up about 10 minutes away from me, so there is a little hometown thing going on there. Plus, who wouldn't want to be able to say that their team owned the World Champions that year?

[mr_pikachu]

This (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3655273) is a pretty good article. Jayson Stark basically went into detail about how the last four World Series have been devoid of drama and incredibly short - it the first time since the 1910s that four World Series in a row have ended within five games. It's also the first time we've ever had three sweeps in four years.

Here's the critical question. Will the Rays and Phillies break that streak with an instant classic, or will Barack Obama run his half-hour ad (http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/27217024/) when no one's watching?

[mr_pikachu]

Well, we're... not watching history right now. After all, the Rays and Phillies did not finish Game 5 yesterday because of the torrential rain, they did not continue today, and forecasters are not sure if they will even get to play tomorrow. A possible Game 6 continues to get pushed back further and further.

Anyone know if Obama's half-hour infomercial will be preceding the resumption of Game 5 now? :s:

[Fett One]

The weather is so bad here we may have to wait until Thursday for the game to continue. Just to give you an idea of how bad it is, it snowed today. It never snows in October. Anyway, when the game does resume I hope the Phillies win. It's been far too long since one of our major sports teams has won a championship game.

[mr_pikachu]

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2008 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS, THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES!

[Fett One]

This is a great night here in Philly. The last time we had a team win a championship was 25 years ago.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

I am quite happy for the Phillies, their team and their city deserved it. It was a nice story with the unfortunate passing of Charlie Manuel's mom and Shane Victorino's grandma. Charlie was a good manager in Cleveland, but he was kinda mistreated by the front office and not really appreciated by the fans, but he is a good guy.

I must be getting soft in my old age or something. As happy as I was for Philly, I did feel a little bad for Tampa. They really did accomplish a lot, but I can definitely sympathize with them. When I was looking at their dejected faces I could actually picture Cleveland hats on them!! I am just so used to that expression. lol