the Official Baseball thread

[Bean]

Or even better: a *Cubs* world championship. But I predict that'll happen sometime around when the sun explodes. Sigh.

My favorite sports teams are the Cubs and Blues. I'm reduced to bandwagoning or other sports if I want to see a championship. It's kind of funny because before 2000, the Cards were really not that good at making the postseason in my lifetime. Now they keep making it. They're like the Braves from the 90s.

[YelseyKing]

Or even better: a *Cubs* world championship. But I predict that'll happen sometime around when the sun explodes. Sigh.

My favorite sports teams are the Cubs and Blues. I'm reduced to bandwagoning or other sports if I want to see a championship. It's kind of funny because before 2000, the Cards were really not that good at making the postseason in my lifetime. Now they keep making it. They're like the Braves from the 90s.

Hm, yeah, good point on that. And the Braves eventually came down to Earth, so I guess so too will the Cardinals. Honestly, I acknowledge they're a damn good team; especially their pitching. I'd be a fool not to acknowledge that Wainwright is absolutely amazing. I just... I dunno, they rub me the wrong way for some reason. Over the years, they've done a lot of little things that just all added up.

It started in 2002, when they swept the Diamondbacks (my favorite team) in the NLDS, with the announcers on the Arizona broadcast being *heavily*, and unabashedly biased towards the Cards. Then a fight that broke out between the two teams early in 2003, which was started by a Cardinals player, but had more severe punishments for a D-backs player... Then 2005, that absolutely soul-crushing ninth inning homer in game 6 of the NLCS by Pujols against the Astros (who I was rooting for, due to being the underdog; they won the next game, at least... even if they got swept in the World Series...). Then robbing the Mets (who one of my friends is a big fan of) in the 2006 ALCS of what would have been a *series* winning homer... Beating the Tigers (another team I like) in the World Series that year... the Rangers being one *strike* away from their first world championship ever (again, the underdog team) *twice*... yeah, that the Cardinals seem built upon that one "miracle" moment... eehhh... Suffice to say, I've got a bit of history with that team, so... yeah. Nothing personal.

[Bean]

Actually, the Astros won that series in 2005 after Pujols' Game 5 home run in Game 6. They went on to get swept by the White Sox. I don't remember how Game 6 in the 2004 one played out, though, but I do know Albert hit a homer in that one to get them going.

2006 was amazing because they were on their last legs from back-to-back 100+ win seasons only to nearly cough up the division in the last month. 83 wins, but then they go on that run in the postseason. I can't remember the last time the Cards actually swept a series either. They just can not do it anymore.

Good news for anti-Cards fans. They've never come back down 3-1 in a series. I don't even think they've ever forced a Game 7. They have blown four 3-1 leads, though, another one of those amazing stats.

But yeah, if the Giants win the NLCS, I'm pulling for the Royals to shut up that even year magic stuff.

[YelseyKing]

Actually, the Astros won that series in 2005 after Pujols' Game 5 home run in Game 6. They went on to get swept by the White Sox. I don't remember how Game 6 in the 2004 one played out, though, but I do know Albert hit a homer in that one to get them going.

Oh, right, it *was* game 5. My mistake. It's been a while. I just remember that homer... kept me awake that night, it did. And yeah, I know they won the NLCS, but got swept in the World Series. That was just silly, especially since they gave up a walk-off homer in one of the series games to Scott freaking Podsednik, who otherwise had no idea what a home run *was*.

As for 2004... I missed the better majority of that season, due to that being a period where my life dramatically changed, and it wasn't until about September that we finally got a chance to even *watch* any games. I will admit that I was surprised how quickly and quietly the Cardinals went down in the World Series, though. You could say momentum was on Boston's side, and indeed it *was*, but the Cardinals had their own climactic LCS, so it's not like the usual World Series drubbing, where one team endures a grueling, but successful and invigorating, game 7 win, and the other is rusty after having sat out for a week due to sweeping the other team.

That said, I'm glad the Cardinals were the ones who made it that year. Throughout history, the Red Sox had been hounded by players whose first or last names started with B (Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner, Aaron Boone), and the 2004 Astros had... no shortage of *those*. (Seriously. Bagwell, Berkman, Biggio, and Beltran. Yikes.)

[pholtos]

Gotta say, I expected this result. I'm pretty good at seeing when the Cards hit their limit. I anticipate the Royals winning from what I've seen so far.

[Bean]

I didn't really watch much of it since I kind of figured they'd lose tonight. Saw the home run to end it, though. Don't know what to say. You can only blame the manager for so much, but when you look at the Cards only getting a single hit over the final six innings in an elimination game... Yeesh.

[YelseyKing]

So... yeah, that was all kinds of predictable. I didn't post because I didn't want to gloat. It's not like anyone active in this thread is pushing for the Giants, after all.

So.

Go Royals!

[Bean]

The Giants will win, and baseball is doomed until the Cubs or Cards save it next year. The end.

[YelseyKing]

I wonder if we'll ever see a different National League team in the World Series, or if it's going to be Giants on even-numbered years, and Cardinals on odd-numbered years from here on out.

[pholtos]

Even though I'm a Cards fan, really... that isn't fair.
(I'd rather see someone besides the Cards, Giants, Dodgers, etc. etc. etc. every year)

[YelseyKing]

Even though I'm a Cards fan, really... that isn't fair.
(I'd rather see someone besides the Cards, Giants, Dodgers, etc. etc. etc. every year)

One thing that I liked when I initially started watching baseball was the variety of teams that managed to make it to -- and win -- the World Series. From 2001 to 2009, there were *eight* different winners (Diamondbacks, Angels, Marlins, Red Sox (twice, which I didn't mind, because I'm a fan, and it'd been approximately 5000 years since they'd won one previously), White Sox, Cardinals, Phillies, Yankees).

Then came the 2010s, and it's been... all repeats since then. Giants twice, Cardinals, Red Sox... getting repetitive. Especially since many of those seasons have seen some very intriguing possibilities; teams like the Nationals, Pirates, Rays, and Rangers who rarely make the playoffs entirely (three of those teams having *never* won one, period), only to be quickly ousted by one of the more "postseason-experienced" teams, leading to, at least in my opinion, considerably less interesting World Series.

Don't get me wrong, if one of my teams (Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Cubs, Brewers, Mariners, Braves) makes it, I'll totally root for them. But if none are a possibility, my preference goes with the team that has won fewer championships. I'm a sucker for the underdog, I guess.

[pholtos]

To be honest if the Cards didn't make it I'd probably route for the teams that typically don't make the playoffs.

Oh and I still think the Royals will win the thing.

[Bean]

Cubs are still a bit off, Pirates might be trending down again, Reds and Brewers are terrible options. Washington would be neat, Atlanta for my childhood's sake, Marlins would be okay if they didn't sell after winning, Mets and Phillies are blah. Colorado, San Diego, and Arizona would all be nice. Forget the other two California teams.

But we all know that it will be the Cubs vs. Rays next year to prove Spielberg's Back to the Future: Part II prediction (somewhat) correct.

[pholtos]

RIP Oscar Taveras... you left way before your time...

[Bean]

He was only 22. I woke up to that and was just shocked by it.

[YelseyKing]

I heard about that... damn shame. He looked to have a promising career ahead of him, too, but... now we'll never know...

[Bean]

I guess I'll watch Game 7 tomorrow. Go Royals.

[YelseyKing]

That was apparently the second-biggest World Series shutout-blowout in history. With the biggest... also being the Royals, in 1985 vs. the Cardinals. Hah.

Here's hoping they can take tonight's game, too. I don't want the Giants winning the World Series every even-numbered year now!

[pholtos]

Congrats to the San Fransisco Bumgarners for winning again.

[YelseyKing]

Congrats to the San Fransisco Bumgarners for winning again.

No congrats from me. Fark them, seriously. *No one* other than Giants fans wanted to see that hack team win *again*. >_<

I hate that stupid "wild card game". This whole World Series was a sham, with *neither* team having any business being *in* the postseason at all, let alone the *World Series*.

Yeah, I'm a bit disgusted.

[pholtos]

That was a sarcastic congrats from me. Basically one player made all the difference, and I hate HATE with a passion teams like that.

That's why I was so pleased when we whooped the Dodgers. They were all "Kershaw Kershaw", same effect there.

[CRBWildcat]

No congrats from me. **** them, seriously. *No one* other than Giants fans wanted to see that hack team win *again*. >_<

I hate that stupid "wild card game". This whole World Series was a sham, with *neither* team having any business being *in* the postseason at all, let alone the *World Series*.

Oh, they had business there, alright: to win it all. Much as I hate to say it, Kansas City's a much better team all-around than anyone else in the American League. Better than the Tigers, better than the Orioles, better than everyone. To have gotten as far as they did against the Giants was wonderful. Simply wonderful.

As for the Giants, I generally don't pay much attention to the National League. None of them are close enough geographically for me to care all that much.

I wanted Detroit to be there, no question, but first-place team or not their relievers are just plain not up to the task.

So, congrats to the Giants, to the Royals, and to everyone who made the playoffs. As for the major leagues in general: see you next spring.

[YelseyKing]

That was a sarcastic congrats from me. Basically one player made all the difference, and I hate HATE with a passion teams like that.

That's why I was so pleased when we whooped the Dodgers. They were all "Kershaw Kershaw", same effect there.

Oh, heh. I re-read your post. I guess I missed that. Yeah, Bumgarner pretty much won that series by himself. Bleh. Though to be fair, the Cardinals seemed to be coasting on late inning homers by Matt Adams and Kolten Wong throughout the postseason. So.

Also, I should elaborate as to why I think the Giants and Royals really didn't belong there. Like I said, I'm not a big fan of that new "wild card" game. It's generally been fairly close since they started it a few years ago, but almost every time it's been played, it's been won by the team with the worse record. Granted, the postseason in general tends to come down to "who's hotter in September and October", but it's the fact that this is a one-and-done deal that makes it feel so unfair. At least with the other three postseason series, you have a *series* to determine the winner, so one bad pitching performance isn't necessarily going to end your entire run abruptly. With this new format, a team eight games back could conceivably steal the rightful wild card spot over a much better game by simple virtue of as little as a lucky bloop single.

I've always liked the wild card concept itself, if for no better reason than due to the early 2000s Braves, who would regularly win their division by 10-15 games. It gave the other teams in a division absolutely dominated by one team a fair chance down the stretch, rather than the entire month of September being all but meaningless for four teams in one division. But increasing it to *two* just makes it feel like all you really need to do is kinda survive down the stretch, playing *just* well enough that you can slip into this one game playoff, and taking it from there.

And no, I don't actually believe the Giants and Royals were the best teams in the respective leagues. If they *were*, they'd have won their divisions. As it was, neither team actually even managed to be the *second* best team in all of the league. Both of them got in by virtue of winning a single "winner take all" game. They were simply the teams that had the most things go right for them when it mattered most.

But oh well. There's always next year for something cool to happen.

[CRBWildcat]

We're going to have to agree to disagree, then; it's been my experience that the best teams in the playoffs aren't always the ones with the best records in their divisions.

*shrug* But, whatever. You're right; 2015's for another time, and another chance. ;)

Wait 'til next year, Detroit.

[Bean]

I can't get too upset by it. Giants went on one of their even year runs like the Cards do when they just barely make it in. Whatever. I watched all of two innings of the whole World Series, though, so you can tell I was mentally checked out when the home team lost. Next year, it's my team and not my home team going all the way. Go Cubs.