MLB Thread

[Rick Kitchen]

Kansas City seems to be the Cinderella team.  But Colorado was undefeated through the playoffs in 2007, but then got swept in the WS.

[mojoween]

I have no pony in this race so I'm pretty happy with the AL entrant in the WS. And I mean, a team that had to play in to the playoffs is winning in dominant fashion. Not on the scoreboard, but with sweeps and the intangibles.

Alex Gordon is a rock star. I can't believe he didn't get hurt. I love how they have mics on the walls so he hits the fence and it's THUNK.

That big TV screen with the crown on it is cool.

I'm going to miss Ernie, Ron and Cal.

Poor Buck. That's a tough way to go out.

Edited October 15, 2014 by mojoween

[ebk57]

Sigh....

 

 

Sorry, that's all I got at the moment.

[mojoween]

Aim I don't know if you are able to watch right now but if not I hope you get the chance to see the MVP presentation. Adorable.

Oh this is priceless -

@glenperkins: I gave the Royals home field advantage with my save in ASG. They can thank me later.

Edited October 16, 2014 by mojoween

[MyAimIsTrue]

I did see the MVP presentation and Lorenzo's smile could light up a city!

[Splash]

I still can't quite believe that the Royals are going to the World Series.  Everyone I know was just happy that we made it to the postseason and no one dared talk about the WS, so the fact we swept is just nuts.

[Simon Boccanegra]

Back when Pence was with Houston, someone on ESPN called him "the dangerous Hunter Pence" two or three times in the span of several days, so at my house, it stuck. He's forevermore TDHP. "Who's on deck?" "TDHP." 

[tom87]

The Cardinals are giving it to them now with silly mistakes.

[MyAimIsTrue]

This Royals team reminds me so much of my 1991 Braves with a few budding stars but no superstars or egos, a couple of wacky guys, seemingly coming out of nowhere to announce their presence and add much needed excitement to a region.  I still find it weird that I'm getting behind an AL team but my goodness, I'm on their bandwagon.  Plus they have a super fan in KC native Paul Rudd, who can have his way with me any time he wants.

[Sweets McGee]

I sure hope the long layoff doesn't derail the Royals, like it did the 07 Rockies and 06 and 12 Tigers.

[mojoween]

If San Fran wraps it up tonight they'll both be pretty much in the same boat so let's hope for that. (Sorry Cards fans!)

[MyAimIsTrue]

I like to read local newspaper headlines after big events occur in a given city.  Here is today's online Kansas City Star and that's a pretty damn big font:  http://www.kansascity.com/

[xaxat]

The Cardinals are giving it to them now with silly mistakes.

 

It's like the Giants buried some kind of hex under first base. The Cards have had so much drama there.

[Simon Boccanegra]

Well, that's the Giants in October this decade. I've never seen anything like it, and I guess it's only possible in the modern playoff format -- a good team that, if they can keep it close enough in the regular season to get in, becomes a juggernaut in October. I vividly remember in 2010 one of those ESPN cross-country polls as to which of the eight teams in the postseason would win it all. They were dead last. And all of ESPN's (etc.) experts had them losing to the Braves, losing to the Phillies, losing to the Rangers. Same deal in 2012 (Reds, Cardinals, Tigers) and 2014 (this series is still going, but who had them beating the Pirates or the Nationals?). In October, they become the team that can win an elimination game with Barry Zito pitching a road gem into the eighth, on the way to overcoming a 3-1 deficit. The team that can embarrass every analyst who expended 90% of his pregame words on how dominating Cliff Lee or Jason Verlander was going to be against them. Now they're the team that scores, what is it now, nine of its 15 runs in the series to date without a hit? 

[Sweets McGee]

And their fans call it "torture." I know a lot of fans of a lot of teams that would love to be tortured that way.

[Taylorh2]

Steve Perry . Damn! That was great!!!!!!

[mojoween]

I figure regardless which NL team makes the WS, unless a fan of that particular team, almost everyone else is going to pull for the Royals. Partly because it's a good story, partly because they are a fun team, and partly for Giants/Cards fatigue.

This morning on Mike & Mike Greeny said that he's pulling for the Royals now (even though he felt badly for Buck, so many of those ESPN guys are friendly with him after his employment there and why not, Buck seems like an easy guy to respect) but when he was growing up, as a Yankee fan he HATED George Brett and the Royals.

I was a year away from any kind of baseball fandom the last time the Royals were in the WS, I mean I know about pine tar but does anyone know what that would be about? Were the Royals the Evil Empire in the 80's?

[MyAimIsTrue]

I was a year away from any kind of baseball fandom the last time the Royals were in the WS, I mean I know about pine tar but does anyone know what that would be about? Were the Royals the Evil Empire in the 80's?

 

Not in the least.  The Royals were a damn good team from the mid 1970's until the early 1980's but they always came up second to the Yankees in those days in terms of success.  I don't recall hearing a bad thing about the Royals ever, though I will admit back then I thought George Brett was an ass for reasons I don't remember now other than the pine tar game.

[RedheadZombie]

I was reading up on the 85 Series and one thing I couldn't find is if the blown call was the third out? If it was I can see the resentment by the Cards fans but still...they had opportunities after that. I mean, 11-0? What happened there?

 

It was game six, bottom of the ninth, Cardinals having won three out of the previous five games.  Cardinals were leading 1-0, and the bad call was on the Royal's first batter.  Why we lost game 7?  Loss of momentum?

[King of Birds]

Okay, if we're dwelling on past series  .... 10 years ago today. The very very very painful 19-8 game. Before there was Dave Roberts there was the Matsui Godzilla game. (Or from the Sox side, the Tim Wakefield Sacrificial Game.) I was in agony 10 years ago tonight.

[Simon Boccanegra]

Re: Ishikawa's blast: Wow. People might be sick of the Giants, but they do have a sense of the grand narrative, don't they? 

 

Should be an exciting WS.  

 

ETA: I do feel bad for Wacha. Terrible spot for him.  

Edited October 17, 2014 by Simon Boccanegra

[RedheadZombie]

Ugh, why did Matheny pull Wainwright?  Made absolutely no sense.

[mojoween]

I appreciate Joe Buck's restraint in saying "the Giants win the pennant!" just one time. And I also appreciate the Giants wrapping this up in the bottom of the ninth so I can go to bed.

Hey both WS teams had to play their way in, didn't they?

There is NOTHING about the MLB playoffs from 10 years ago I want to remember. Unless you can change the outcome of the ALCS.

Edited October 17, 2014 by mojoween

[tom87]

That lost is squarely on Mike Matheny. 

 

Congrats SF but have to go against my usual plan of hoping for the National league team  to win and root for the Royals.   I am still a Missouri kid and they haven't won  forever.

Edited October 21, 2014 by tom87

[ketchuplover]

Brewer's fans are rejoicing :)

[mojoween]

When Ishikawa was rounding the bases I wondered why it looked like he was rude to a teammate or coach who was trying to congratulate him.

Well Buster Olney told a story that Jake Peavy (who he declares to have poor eyesight, ooookay) didn't realize that the ball had left the park so he was trying to congratulate Ishikawa. I think that's pretty funny.

[Simon Boccanegra]

I saw a Peavy interview, and he said he does have very poor eyesight. I resist the temptation to make the obvious joke about some of his Boston starts.  

 

I'm kind of unclear on how his having poor eyesight explains anything about him attempting to congratulate Ishikawa, but I'm probably just being slow. (We all have our handicaps.) I guess he thought it might have just been a double, and so the winning run had already crossed and there was no need for Ishikawa to touch? I dunno.  

Edited October 17, 2014 by Simon Boccanegra

[mojoween]

I'm going to assume he thought it was a long fly ball and the runner was able to tag from second and score? Or maybe I'm giving him too much credit.

[MyAimIsTrue]

I'm good at a lot of things but prognosticating is not one of them as so much for my declaration of a Nationals vs. Orioles World Series.  Anyone see SF vs. KC coming a month ago? 

 

Like a previous poster said I too am putting aside my NL loyalties to root for the Royals.

[attica]

I like this clip of hearing the Royals win the pennant from the parking lot. Makes me giggle with delight.

[Simon Boccanegra]

Baltimore/KC is the only series so far I've not picked correctly. I had the two wild-card games, the various divisional series and the NLCS right; I just did not have a bead on how the ALCS was going to go, so I never came down on either side. One thing is for sure, a sweep for either team was not on my radar.  

 

I had Giants in five in the NLCS, and I knew they would split the two games in St. Louis and then win all three at home. 

 

Last year, I called everything except the World Series. Wanted Boston, expected St. Louis after crunching the numbers. I had the number of games right, but not the outcome.  

Edited October 17, 2014 by Simon Boccanegra

[rippleintime17]

Jake does have poor eyesight. He normally wears glasses for his press interviews and contacts when he pitches, so maybe he didn't have his contacts in? Either way, he was rushing Ishikawa because he didn't realize the ball had gone out. Ishi later clarified that he wasn't sure what the specifics of the rules were about running the bases for the homer to count and if he'd be penalized if he stopped running at any time, which is why he pushed Jake out of the way saying "MOVE! I HIT IT OUT!" It's a pretty funny story. And I hope Jake gets some fresh contacts for the World Series. 

 

What a crazy and fun game that was! As much as I love Travis' homer and big moment, Michael Morse's felt just as huge and I couldn't be happier for him. I know a lot of baseball fans without a horse in the race are going to be rooting for the Royals but the Giants never fail to amaze me with how much fun they are and how they manage to create these awesome moments. It's this kind of magic that ultimately made me a fan of the Giants back when I was mostly into the AL and they stole my heart! And even playing against the Royals, I hope they steal a few more along the way! 

[MyAimIsTrue]

I like this clip of hearing the Royals win the pennant from the parking lot. Makes me giggle with delight.

 

Grrr, damn company firewall blocks that site.  I hate it when I can't have fun while at work!

 

Also, I'm a total dork.  How in the world do you add text to the link?  I knew how to do it on TWoP but for the life of me cannot figure out how to do it here. 

[Simon Boccanegra]

I think a lot of players have that uncertainty about the rule in similar situations. I remember Joe Carter, in interviews after the famous 1993 WS homer off Mitch Williams, saying he was so euphoric that he was not sure he touched all the bases, and he worried that it was going to "come back" on his team in some weird protest. Another case where it really shouldn't matter, as it changed the score from 5-6 Philadelphia to 8-6 Toronto, so Paul Molitor from first was the winning run.  

[King of Birds]

How in the world do you add text to the link?  ... for the life of me cannot figure out how to do it here.

You're a mod?

1) write text

2) highlight text

3) click on the handcuffs/ link icon (next to the 1 2 3 icon)

4) click 'okay' on the pop-up after you've cut n pasted the link info

 

There is a practice area here on PTV.

 

Bummer to the dude who had to stand in the empty parking lot with a camera instead of being inside/ watching on TV.  A guard?

[MyAimIsTrue]

You're a mod?

 

Deserved ouch.  Yes.  And thanks :)

[King of Birds]

mojoween  - just pretend you didn't click on the MLB thread.

 

Just, go check another thread. I'll wait.

 

doo doo 

doo doo do

do doo

 

Happy 10th Anniversary of the 2004 Game 4! The Dave Roberts Steal! Mariano Rivera blew a save! Big Papi in the 12th!

[Simon Boccanegra]

Aw, if I weren't already baseball-oversaturated, I would get out my DVD set. I loved that series. Such drama. Game 6 was the tops for me -- the overturned call on Bellhorn's home run, the sock, the slap, the near-riot. As riveting as the rest of it was, nothing could beat that.  

Edited October 18, 2014 by Simon Boccanegra

[mojoween]

Damn you. I'm not clicking on that, I don't care what you offer me to do so.

In other non-painful news, I don't know who pissed in this guys Cheerios, but this is far from the Worst World Series Ever.

[Simon Boccanegra]

Sensational click-bait. 

 

People like Schoenfield know damned well that the modern playoff format makes match-ups like this one a possibility; they've had the better part of two decades to adjust to it. They also know that even in the "good old days," before there was one wild card let alone two, a team like the 1987 Minnesota Twins (85-77) could win it all. It happens. The regular season has become about staying close enough to have a chance. Then, the teams that are up to it, with their best contributors healthy, often find an extra gear. 

 

They know this, but they'll still be there in March of next year telling us that some team that is loaded for bear on paper will win the World Series, and in summer touting that same team or some other with a bloated payroll and an impressive division lead as unstoppable.  

 

"The best teams aren't in the World Series!" is almost as tired a whine as "Why do they have these darned 'pitch counts' and 'closers'? Whatever happened to guys throwing 157 pitches if that's what it took to get it done, and then coming back three days later and doing it again?"  

Edited October 18, 2014 by Simon Boccanegra

[Simon Boccanegra]

I found this Atlantic piece really lovely writing. You might get a bit misty reading it, even if you're not a Giants fan like the author. It covers well-trod ground -- how baseball is handed down through generations, what it means to follow a team, the memories that can be tied up in it -- with poignant understatement.  

Edited October 18, 2014 by Simon Boccanegra

[King of Birds]

A really great story about the Ishikawa pennant-winning HR ball and the guy that caught it.

[Simon Boccanegra]

I was just about to bring the ESPN version of that story over, King of Birds. Thanks. What a mensch the guy is. So often when we learn the name of a fan and read a whole story about him, it's something bad. Best to him and the family and his ill friend, and good on the Giants organization for coming through for him with the tickets. I hope the group has a blast and gets a little camera time during Game 3.  

[AimingforYoko]

With this much time off before the Series starts, the silly stories are coming out:

SF radio stations ban Lorde's Royals.

[jellysalmon]

Ok Royals. You eliminated the A's from the post season. I can handle that. No hard feelings.

 

However, if you allow the Giants to win the World Series, there will be no forgiveness. I've had to suffer through two WS parades here and my heart can't take a third.

[rippleintime17]

A great glossary for those unfamiliar with the Giants! It starts tonight!

[mojoween]

I know it's only the top of the first...but this is not the way I imagined it to go. Not happy!

Wait what? The National League sees more fastballs because of the designated hitter and the American League sees more off-speed pitches?

Am I being too hard on Harold, or does that make sense? I cannot fathom why the designated hitter would make a lick of difference in how many fastballs a pitcher throws. But I can be swayed, since I've been watching baseball for 28 years but there is still so much I do not know.

Edited October 22, 2014 by mojoween

[King of Birds]

Am I being too hard on Harold, or does that make sense?

I haven't been watching- just tuned in.  Advice: Do. Not. Listen. to Harold Reynolds.  For your own sanity. It's like a different but similar Joe Morgan.

[Rick Kitchen]

Heh.  I heard a voice and said, "Is that Joe Morgan?"  Then realized, nope, it was Harold.

[Rick Kitchen]

I know the voting was done before the post-season, but I wonder if there's any chance of Joe Panik being National League Rookie of the Year.