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Baseball Season 2006
- Thread starter MacNut
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MacNut said:
Methinks you are correct. I'm an NL guy, but I don't give the Cards much of a chance against the Tigers.
I can't believe Beltran left the bat on his shoulders 
!! I was really hoping for another dramatic comeback like in the ALCS.
ack, forgot to mention, GO TIGERS!!
!! I was really hoping for another dramatic comeback like in the ALCS. ack, forgot to mention, GO TIGERS!!
We'll remember how they didn't deserve to be in the playoffs.yg17 said:
Score could easily have been 5-1 tonight, but for Chavez' incredible catch. Should have pulled Suppan after 7, and Wainwright scared the stuffings out of all Card's fans.
There's no excuse for any player, especially the caliber of Beltran, watching a called third strike for the final out of the season. The Mets didn't deserve to win, tonight.
Oh, and I think Edmonds is a fluff, this year. He doesn't play hurt, he just gets hurt. He clearly got called off the fly ball and ran through the light. He gets behind the count too much, and he hasn't delivered. I'll change my tune if he shows up in the Series, but right now, I ain't too high on him, pretty swing and all.
So much for taking the fam to the ballpark. Think I'll watch it on TV, even if it has to be FOX.
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xsedrinam said:
lol, how did you plan to pull that off anyways, don't you live in South America? Or am I thinking of someone else
And yeah, Wainright had me nearly crapping myself after loading the bases and beltran up to bat, but we pulled through
Looks like the Tigers will replicate the 11-1 run the White Sox had last year. Again, it will be a mismatch like last years.
Man, more and more, the Tigers look like last years Sox.
Man, more and more, the Tigers look like last years Sox.
He's been injury prone afaiw since his CA/Anaheim days, and he will make the occasional golden glove type catch or throw. But his numbers have been down for two seasons in STL since coming there in 2000. With the Cards he's turned in 20+HR except for this year (19). Last two seasons his BA has fallen (.263 and .257) to his lowest since his rookie year, and what STL has needed from him has been consistency with slugging in the clutch. At .471 this year, his numbers just aren't there.aloofman said:
I still think he has one of the prettiest swings (Ted Williamsish) in the game, but pretty won't deliver runs. It's always a treat when a lower batting order player (Molina) steps up, but if STL has any chance at all against the Tigers, they're going to have to get some better numbers going from their 1-5 hitters, not to mention pitching.
Ya, I do, but I travel a lot. Just flew back in last night, so I gotta pull for the Redbirds. Once a Cards fan.....yg17 said:lol, how did you plan to pull that off anyways, don't you live in South America? Or am I thinking of someone else
NY left a lot of men on base, last night, and Rolen's wild throw didn't help the cause, but the bullpen came through.yg17 said:
Another disturbing stat (I don't remember how many times) but STL is getting doubled up a lot it seems. There have been like 3+ double plays to end the inning and Edmonds' fundamental base running error could have cost us again, last night.
xsedrinam said:
I think the double plays are a function of how slow the Cards are. Except maybe for Eckstein, they're a pretty slow team. Yeah, Edmonds should have held up until he was sure it was a homer, but everyone in the stadium except for Endy Chavez was certain that one was out. You see more fundamental mistakes in a game than that one.
xsedrinam said:
I'm sure I'm sounding like an Edmonds fanboy here, but I think you have to put him in perspective. How many other centerfielders have power? I mean, any power? He's still one of the most productive hitters at his position. I saw a sabermetric article a few years ago that even made a semi-convincing argument that Edmonds is a future HOFer. Statistically, Bernie Williams is the only CF of the last 10 years to even approach him hitting-wise, and probably only Torii Hunter and Andruw Jones are up there defensively over that time.
And I don't have to tell you that the whole Cards' lineup is a shadow of their recent teams. Between injuries and Pujols being the only other power threat in the lineup, it's not surprising that he hasn't hit as well.
Again, not to make excuses for him, but if you look at the big picture, he's been one of the top centerfielders in the game. And even though his productivity is down, how many are better? Please don't make me recount for you how many balls Kenny Lofton misplayed this year in CF this year. It was a horror show. Driving Edmonds out of Anaheim was a dumb move by the Angels.
I'm a Cardinals fan, and would like to think they have a shot against Detroit, but I'm inclined to believe this will be a 4-1 or maybe 4-2 series. But they've surprised me a lot in this postseason, so we'll see.
No one even thought they'd make it past San Diego, so it could be "their" year. I guess we'll soon find out.
No one even thought they'd make it past San Diego, so it could be "their" year. I guess we'll soon find out.
All the way from the Gas House Gang to '82, the last year STL won it all, they've had at least two running threats on the bases. Brock and Coleman were fun to watch in mid 80's.aloofman said:
Their '82 team had the OZ, Lonnie Smith had a huge year, and "aw shucks" Willie McGee, but Porter the catcher had a refrigerator on his back, and Hernandez was slower then Herr.
I guess I grew up seeing and associating speed with a STL club. You're right about present day, though, Eckstein is about it.
Point well taken. My grievances rise out of a higher expectation of him since I probably have believed he is/was that good. It's just a pet peeve with the frustrated coach in me to see a hitter consistently get behind 0-2, especially when they chase balls high and outside.aloofman said:
Maybe there's a consolation to it all, that just about all the heavy hitting regulars for STL come in to the Series way overdue to break out.
So, as I hope I've made clear over the last few pages, I like the Tigers. A lot.
But I'm not sure they're going to roll over the Cards, and I'm somewhat confused that, all of a sudden, they're the "favorites." They win the ALCS and they're nothing, a week happens and they're favorites?
Tigers in 6 or 7, and a much more competitive series than most think ...
But I'm not sure they're going to roll over the Cards, and I'm somewhat confused that, all of a sudden, they're the "favorites." They win the ALCS and they're nothing, a week happens and they're favorites?
Tigers in 6 or 7, and a much more competitive series than most think ...
thedude110 said:
I think it's because they so handily disposed of their AL opposition, including teams who won 97 and 93 games this season, compared to the Cards' 83 season victories. Adding to that, they've had several days rest, and they get to open at home. So I think they deserve to be regarded as the favorites.
emw said:
Presumably they'll play the "no one gives us a chance" card to explain their perseverance during the next 6-10 days, just like every team tries to. It's true that -- on paper -- the Tigers will grind them into a fine paste. But a few upset examples off the top of my head that I'm very familiar with:
The 1988 A's were expected to demolish the Dodgers, with Bob Costas proclaiming LA the worst World Series team of all time. The Dodgers used up so much good postseason karma that they're still paying off that debt 18 years later.
The 1988-89 Lakers were heavy favorites to beat the Pistons, especially after having gone 12-0 in the playoffs going into the finals. Magic and Byron Scott went down with injuries during the week off, then Isaiah and the Pistons swept them.
The 2003-04 Lakers (of four future Hall-of-Famers fame) were also expected to beat the upstart Pistons after using miracle magic to beat the defending champ Spurs and beating Kevin Garnett's "this seemed like it would finally be his year" T'Wolves. The Pistons had varying levels of difficulty with the much weaker East teams. But in the finals the Pistons played their best basketball of the year, as finely meshed as any team you'll ever see. Karl Malone finally broke down completely, Gary Payton reached the nadir of his career, and none of the Lakers' role players showed up. That adds up to upset.
No matter how good the players seem to be, they actually have to play that well to win, and it doesn't always happen. That, and I want to watch a dramatic series instead of a whitewash.
Honestly, that's all I'm hoping to see is two teams showing up with their best efforts to play well in a World Series. Forget the 4-0 sweeps and all that stuff. It's history.aloofman said:
Both teams are hungry. Detroit and Domino's Pizza magic in '84 and STL and a cold Bud deprived since '82. Pizza and beer. Hmmmm, bring it on.
IJ Reilly said:
I mean, I think you're right. In the large scheme of things, the Tigers are the better team, and they're the team that's more likely to win.
I guess I'm just baffled that one week the baseball world seems to doubt the Tigers, and the next week the baseball world seems ready to ordain them. They're the same streaky, pitching heavy team that swept Oakland (and got swept by KC the last weekend of the regular season).
Such that, and I think you'd agree, in a short series the Cardinals have a good chance to not just hang around, but to win.
I love all the paper analysis and stats that go on prior to a series like this one. The odds makers surely allude to it, but in the end, it means little on game day. MLB (Jim Molony) has the Tigers advantaged over STL 8-4 with one draw in the following analysis. But S.I. didn't give them a chance against SD.thedude110 said:
Catcher – Edge Tigers
First Base – Edge STL
Second Base – Edge Tigers
Third Base – Edge STL
Shortstop – Edge Tigers
Left Field – Edge Tigers
Center Field – Edge STL
Right Field – Edge Tigers
Designated Hitter – Edge Tigers
Bullpen – Edge Tigers
Bench – Edge STL
Managers – Even
Intangibles - Edge Tigers
