2008 MLB Playoffs thread (1 Viewer)

Anyone excited about the MLB playoffs this year?

Will the Cubs finally win the big one, or will the Angels deliver another killing blow to Cubs nation.

Can other teams sneak into the World Series?

Let's go Phillies! clap, clap, clap-clap-clap!

Yeah. I'm ready despite the fact that I'll have to watch the TBS games on fuzzy-vision since I only have HD over-the-air.

I'm a Cubs fan and can't wait for things to get started. It's going to be an exciting time in Chicago with the Cubs in for sure, The White Sox may be in later today...and the Cubs arch-rival Brewers already in and only 60 miles up the road.

The TV situation once again sucks the big one though. Tomorrow's game starts shortly after quitting time which barely gives me enough time to either get home or get to a sports bar and watch the introductions. Thursday's game doesn't start until 8:00 which is the latest game start ever at Wrigley (I'm not sure how they got clearance to start that late) and will require me to stay up well past my usual bedtime....and I won't even start on Saturday's start time. I'm hoping the Cubs can win it all and then I can just give up on MLB's greed and focus on my other interests.

So, when's the ten-minute window that would be okay?

Making things work out across the country is an unenviable task; I've already resigned myself to being useless at work Thursday after a 10pm ET start Wednesday and getting a late start Saturday (9:30pm Friday! Yay!).

The Angels/Sox series has me a little worried. Last year, Red Sox fans justifiably mocked the Angels after their manager said they have to score runs by making outs, as the Red Sox strategy of scoring runs by stringing together a bunch of multiple-base hits proved more sound. This year, I don't think the Angels are as good as their record even if they are hitting better (Rodriguez broke the saves record because his team seldom blows another team out, and that's playing in a pretty crappy division), but the Sox are playing down a couple guys, especially if Beckett really isn't ready for game 3.

Not really.

However, I'd like to see a Tampa-LA series. Maybe they can get Hank Steinbrenner to throw out the first ball?

I'm excited to see this year's playoffs. I don't know what it is exactly, but I think the baseball playoffs bring the most excitement of all the sports. And this year will be so much better, because the Yankees are not in it.

This can be the season for the Phillies, to at least make it to the World Series. Now whether they can win it all, is another story. I like their chances against the Brewers.

I think the Rays will be pooping on everyone's party this postseason.

I realize what you're saying is partly in jest, but my main point is that MLB did not use to have an allergy to showing two games at once. How many people really watch every game? I distinctly remember flipping channels to keep up with multiple games which was only a minor inconvenience. Now I have to re-adjust my work and sleep schedules to catch either game which is a major inconvenience. Only one of the first two games starts during what I consider primetime for either team and that's game two and it's prime-time for the away team - (5:30 & 3:30 for game 1) and (6:30 & 8:30 for game 2)....and neither starts at time similar to when the Cubs normally play. I'd rather have the day games so that I can listen at work instead of staying up until midnight.

I know that it sounds like a minor gripe, but it's really a pain in the ass and it's something that they only started doing in recent years.

Spreading the games out is not something that just started in recent years, though - in prior years there were more afternoon games, because both LCSes would be carried by the same network. The first time two playoff games were scheduled for the same time was about five years ago, when Fox had one and FX had the other, and many people loudly complained about that. It's just exacerbated by the third round of playoffs and the networks' desire to not punt their entire prime time schedule on the west coast.

What is exactly considered primetime by the networks? I think my biggest problem is that my definition of primetime is nowhere near what the networks think. My exposure to network TV is pretty much the baseball playoffs each year and that's it. I have no use for 99.9% of their programming.

Technically, 7:30pm - 11:00pm ET/PT. Start a 3-hour game at 8pm ET - which a great many east-coasters complain about being too late - and you're showing King of the Hill re-runs or something on the west coast. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any solution that doesn't annoy baseball fans somewhere.

(I take it a sign of baseball's inherent superiority and importance that nobody seems to complain about crappy hours for football or basketball, even though their start times are often worse)

I take it the exact opposite: Many people hated the old Monday Night Football schedule that would have games ending well past midnight. But because the quality of the product was so high, the people still watched.

Now the first Brewers playoff game in 26 years is being played at 2 in the afternoon on a Wednesday. There are a lot of fans out there, but many of them will still be at work. It doesn't make sense to me. Put the games on a time people can watch them! Who gives a crap if the NL and AL games are on at the same time?

Since the White Sox won, here's the playoff matchups:

American League

Chicago vs. Tampa Bay

L.A.A.O.A. vs. Boston

National League

L.A.D. vs. Chicago

Milwaukee vs. Philadelphia

My predictions:

Division Series:
Red Sox over Angels in 5.
Rays over Sox in 4.
Cubs over Dodgers in 4.
Phillies over Brewers in 5.

League Championship Series
Cubs over Phillies in 6.
Red Sox over Rays in 7.

World Series
Cubs over Red Sox in 7.

This pretty wel summarizes my thoughts. I couldn't care less about the AL until the World Series and it really stinks that I'll probably miss at least part of some of my team's games so that they don't overlap any of them.

Oh well, it is what it is for now.

I like your picks Zachary!! I wish that I had as much confidence in the Cubs as you do. A lifetime of failure (Cubs-wise) doesn't do much for the self esteem.

I pretty much agree with all of your picks, but I tend to think that Tampa is going to some how make it to the World Series. The Red Sox experience should trump them, but the Rays seem to be a team of destiny in a similar way that the Cubs are.

I'll take Red Sox over the Angels.
Rays over the White Sox.

Phillies over Brewers.
Cubs over Dodgers.

Red Sox over Rays (this is the toughest pick for me...but I'll let my heart over-rule my head and figure that the Sox' experience should finally overtake the Rays' upstartedness...but the Rays sure played the Sox tough in September...)

Cubs over Phillies. (Another tough choice)

Red Sox over Cubs in the WS.

I'm one of those people that usually enjoy watching the games, even though my team is not in it.

My prediction...

NL
Phillies over Brewers in 4
Cubs over Dodgers in 5

Phillies over Cubs in 7

AL
Rays over White Sox in 4
Red Sox over Angels in 5

Rays over Red Sox in 6

World Series
Phillies over Rays in 7

(I know the people at FOX want either Dodgers-Red Sox or Cubs-Red Sox in the WS, but they won't get it.)

So who stayed up late to watch the Red Sox/Angels game?

Vlad's base running error, is a sign that the Halos will be eliminated in the 1st round once again.

Also, Brad Lidge is starting to make me feel nervous, putting tying runs on base in his last few appearances. He can't keep dodging bullets as the playoffs go on.

Ugh.

I know it's only the first game, but that definitely wasn't the kind of start I wanted to see from the Cubs. Demptser waits until now to have pretty much his worse outing of the year. Soriano leaves his bat at home. I'm hoping this will be the kick in the butt they need to get them through the playoffs.

Congrats to the Rays, winning their first-ever playoff game. And Longoria hits a HR in each of his first 2 ABs. He's gonna be a stud in his prime (he's almost there now).

Not a good start for the Cubs. Dempster was great all season at home, then gets bombed in game 1. And now Zambrano's going in game 2 and I'm convinced Piniella ruined him for the season letting him throw that no-hitter after not pitching in nearly 2 weeks due to tendinitis. I think yesterday's loss did the Cubs in. I think they're looking at another sweep this year.

Speaking of the Cubs, they may have a new curse to add to the already-lengthy list: the Curse of Dick Stockton. After yesterday's loss, the Cubs have now lost 7 straight games called by Dick Stockton, starting with last year's LDS sweep. Just 1 more person for Cubs fans to blame since the playoff losses have nothing to do with lack of offense (like Soriano and Fukudome's combined 0-9 at the top of order on Wednesday).

I was there, Walter. Game pretty much ended at 1:30am for me.

Vlad's boner was a head-scratcher. He was lucky Youk didn't catch the ball and then double him off first. He was extremely lucky to have been standing at second base. Why he then decided to try for third will be a mystery. I wonder if he had anything to say about it after the game?

It looks like Jason Bay likes playing in the post-season. Interviewed after the game (and asked about if he prepared any differently for the post-season) he said, "Well, ya know, it's not like I've got anyplace better to be." Or something to that effect.

Dodgers Postseason Wins
1989-2007: 1 win
October 1st and 2nd, 2008: 2 wins

With these two playoff games, Manny is back to hitting .400 in 55 games.