Major League Baseball - Get ready for '08!

[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 sources.)


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.

*dies*


EDIT2: Red Sox rally has perfect timing

Union says teams acted in concert against Bonds

Which is the bigger news item? You decide.

[mr_pikachu]

Was I the only one who missed the start of Game 6?

(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?

(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 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 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?

[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