2008 MLB Playoffs thread (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

Yeah. After I had walked away from the computer I realized it was Drew.

He swung, huh? Oh well. Not much I coulda done about it anyway...

 

[Philip Hamm]

I suppose now I have to take my foot out of my mouth from earlier in this thread when I suggested that TBS seemed to be doing a better job with the playoffs this year.... :/

Phils - Rays. It's not the Dodgers / Red Sox series that the people at Fox Sport surely wanted, but I'll be watching. Go Phils! I may be the only one in the country who likes the Trop, it will be nice to see it in HD (I only have HD over the air).

So do we start a new World Series thread?

 

[nolesrule]

Maddon put the game in the hands of the least experienced guy on the team. Good decision!

Garza was the right choice for MVP. He won the only two games deemed unwinnable by the pundits. Talk about poise, balls, guts, je ne sais quois. Had the ALCS only gone 5 (or even 6), I think it would have gone to Upton.

I think I made the right choice going to the Bucs game rather than stay home last night. I would have worn a trench in my living room watching that game live.

 

[Walter C]

I thought it was a check swing by Drew.

I remember joking it was Bizarro World when the Rays were in first place back in April. No joke now!

I may go to the stadium for Game 3, at least hang out there and watch it on the jumbo screen.

Here's hoping a Philly team will finally end the jinx against a Tampa team.

 

[Jason Seaver]

You think a mere National League team can beat the survivor of that sort of ALCS? I find that extremely unlikely. Rays in 5.

The AL Beast is going to be a tough division next year, especially if things start breaking the Blue Jays' way on occasion - they've got some great pitching. Boston would probably be in the World Series right now with a healthy Mike Lowell, New York will reload, and as a Sox fan, I don't like the idea of Tampa adding Price to their rotation at all.

Great series, though - I look forward to another like it next year, hopefully with the roles and outcome reversed.

My only real complaint is one I feel churlish about voicing, since it probably wouldn't have been the difference-maker, but why were the Red Sox carrying three catchers on the postseason roster if they were going to let Jason Varitek hit in the seventh and ninth innings of a Game Seven? He's gotten to the point where his at-bats make me think that this is what following an NL team must be like - there's men on base, a chance for a rally... Oh, Tek/the pitcher is up, and the upside is a strikeout where he looks completely overmatched versus a double play. Theo Epstein's priority this season has to be prying some of Texas's catching surplus away.

 

[MarkHastings]

Jason, I would like to say that the reason for keeping Tek in was due to respect for the guy, but it definitely is curious as to why they have 3 catchers on the roster.

And yes, as much as I would have loved to see the Sox go the the World Series again, they are pretty beaten up. I'd rather them get healthy for next year because they're going to need to be extra healthy considering the way the AL East is looking these days.

And while I'll be rooting for the Phills, I don't think they have much of a chance. The AL is just too powerful. I loved Crisp's comment about how the Sox vs. Rays should really have been the World Series.

 

[nolesrule]

You wish.

As for Drew, it was an attempted check swing by Drew, but the umpire called it a swinging strike. I can't remember if they showed an angle to verify it on TV, but apparently the plate ump felt it was enough of a swing that there was no need to verify with the umpire down the line.

As a Seminole, it's hard on me when Drew comes up to bat. We both attended Florida State at the same time, and I watched him play in Dick Howser Stadium numerous times.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Respect is nice during the regular season, but in an elimination game when he's 1-for-19, been swinging a lead bat all season, and the GM has accepted the reality of his offensive collapse to the point where he's structured the roster so that they won't be screwed if Varitek is pinch-hit for and then Cash is injured? As much as I like Francona, that sort of willfully choosing to ignore the tools he's been given is the sort of thing that got his predecessor fired.

I'm also kind of curious what the deal with Sean Casey has been - a 101 OPS+ is far from impressive for a first baseman, but it beats what Mark Kotsay has brought to the table this year. I know he was hurt at some point, but if he's not going to be used, why is he on the roster?

It's really a kind of curious postseason that way - one of the things Theo Epstein is really good at is creating a deep bench with a lot of useful redundancy, but that was really not the case this October at all. The Lowell injury proved so crippling that I found myself wondering whether he could have hit - playing Youk 3B/Ortiz 1B/Lowell DH would have been unconventional, but I wonder if it might have been the difference.

 

[Mike Frezon]

This must be fodder for discussion amongst the talking heads in Boston, Jason.

I was screaming at my TV set for Francona to PH for Tek in the 9th last night. That was a horrible decision...and one that, as captain, Varitek would have understood was for the good of the team--win or lose. But they certainly would have had a better chance of winning, I think, with Sean Casey (even though a lefty batter) or practically anyone else at bat in that spot.

IIRC, Tek was only pinch-hit for once during the entire post-season. As you asked...then WHY carry three catchers?

 

[MarkHastings]

Could it possibly be that he was worried about getting the lead and then having Cash catch for Paps?

Other than that, I'm not sure why.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Nah. That situation would definitely fall under the category of: you gotta do whatever you can to get the lead or else Pap ain't never gonna pitch! Which turned out to be true in this case. :frowning:

And, anyway, I'm sure Cash would catch Papelbon just fine and probably even got the opportunity in a number of games this year.

It's just like if the problem for Boston had been pitching in Game #7--everybody but Beckett could have thrown in the game if it meant getting into the WS. You do whatever you need to do. And massaging the Captain's ego (not that I'm saying Francona did that) is not what would have been called for there.

I haven't heard/read any Francona comments about that decision, but I would guess he would just reference the Saturday HR as reason to leave him in the batting order. Not enough for me.

For the record, I also screamed at my TV when Grady Little was walking back to the dugout after having left Pedro on the mound in Game #7 of the 2003 ALCS!

 

[Mike Frezon]

This is from an article today at boston.com:


You know, I bet if Tek hadn't hit Saturday's HR, Francona might've hit Cash in that situation in the 9th.

 

[MarkHastings]

...you and just about every single Red Sox fan!!!

 

[Jerry Almeida]

I passed up the opportunity to go to a Rays home game in each of the last two series for financial reasons and because there was hope I could get a hold of a World Series ticket. Well I'll be at Game 1 on Wednesday! And it only cost me $100.

Here's hoping the Rays finish this worst to amazing worst to first story.

 

[Mike Frezon]

FWIW, I started a Hot Stove thread so as not to take away from the upcoming World Series discussion with thoughts about Jason Varitek and other pending decisions by MLB teams.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Wow, Jerry! $100?!? Where's your seat, Jacksonville?



Good for you! I'm glad (for YOUR sake) that it worked out for you! Really, though, where is your seat?

 

[Jerry Almeida]

I'll be in the upperdeck. I usually sit in the outfield, but I've sat up there once before. Surprisingly good view. We'll be just to the right of home plate, not very high up.

I'm glad it worked out too. I really hated giving up those tickets. It's just with the cost of parking, beer, etc; a night at the ball game can get expensive.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Did you get one of the seats under the tarps they just uncovered? Hopefully it has a back. Enjoy! I'm jealous! I had the pleasure to attend one game each of the last two Phillies World Series visits, at the Vet in 1993 and Memorial Stadium in 1983. It is a memorable experience.

My prediction: Phils in 6. The Rays are a great story, and my hat is off to them, but the Phils have the best bullpen in baseball, and the Rays bullpen has shown serious weakness in the ALCS.

 

[ZacharyTait]

Since neither of the teams I picked to get to the World Series got there, here's my predictions from Page 1 of this thread:


Division Series:
Red Sox over Angels in 5. Right team, 1 too many games.
Rays over Sox in 4. Right all around.
Cubs over Dodgers in 4. Totally wrong on this one. :frowning:
Phillies over Brewers in 5. Right team, 1 too few games.

League Championship Series
Cubs over Phillies in 6. Wrong all the way.
Red Sox over Rays in 7. Wrong all the way.

World Series
Cubs over Red Sox in 7. Wrong all the way. I got off to a good start, but blew it in the LCS and World Series.

New prediction: Rays over Phillies in 6.

 

[nolesrule]

When you're that high up, you don't need a seat back, since you'd never be touching it anyway.

Rays in 6.

The Rays bullpen did show some weakness in the ALCS, but that doesn't mean it will stay that way. It's been better than what we saw in games 5 and 7 most of the year.