Divisional playoffs

[twballgame9]

[twballgame9]

I like the way the NHL does it. Play 96 games and then just eliminate the Nordee-Ques. Any team without a forfeit makes the playoffs.

Are the Nordiques still around? I don't hear much about them anymore. Aren't they the Tobacco Road Nordy-Cues now?

you say this like you don't know that the whale has turned from suck ass hockey to red neck hockey!

The Nordee-Ques are in Denver, not North Carolina.

the nordee-ques are not the whale

I was answering campion's rhetorical question

[buconvict]

Back to baseball...

Sox over Angels in 4
Yankees over whomever in 3

Sox over Yankees in 6

Rockies over Phillies in 4
Dodgers over St. Louis in 5

Dodgers over Rockies in 7

Red Sox over Dodgers in 5


The Cardinals suck. They play in an awful division in an awful league. There is a reason Piniero, Smoltz, Lugo, Holliday, et al were waived/traded for pennies to StL and suddenly became useful.

The Dodgers have been sluggish since July, but Manny wakes up in the playoffs.

The Yankees are really good, but I have doubts about their manager making his playoff debut and about their 1, 2, and 4 starters' ability to perform in the post season.

RE: The Red Sox, if they go into a game 5 with Anaheim, they'll have Beckett on full rest, and a lineup of Ellsbury, Pedroia, Martinez, Youkilis, Bay, Ortiz, Drew, Lowell, Gonzalez. Lowell hitting friggin 8th. The depth of the team, especially the depth of the bullpen will push them over the top.

[auggiebc]

If it wasn't for the Wild Card, MLB would be a rich man's NHL.....there would be no interest in 95% of the baseball cities. The Wild Card has created new life and interest....life and interest that was on the brink of extinction in 95% of baseball towns at the time it was instituted.

And the wild card allows for elite teams to qualify for the playoffs, which is very important due to the imbalanced schedule and the difference in talent among the divisions. As ballgame mentioned, doesn't everyone you want to see the two best team play in the NL and AL LCS' each year (sox v yankees) or do you want to see the Red Sox or Yankees play a pushover each year? Case in point.....the most talented team in Red Sox history was the 1978 team. A 99 win team that never got a chance for posteason. That is a shame, considering they were the 1st or 2nd best team in baseball that year.
the wild card in baseball is a good thing.

[buconvict]

If it wasn't for the Wild Card, MLB would be a rich man's NHL.....there would be no interest in 95% of the baseball cities. The Wild Card has created new life and interest....life and interest that was on the brink of extinction in 95% of baseball towns at the time it was instituted.

And the wild card allows for elite teams to qualify for the playoffs, which is very important due to the imbalanced schedule and the difference in talent among the divisions. As ballgame mentioned, doesn't everyone you want to see the two best team play in the NL and AL LCS' each year (sox v yankees) or do you want to see the Red Sox or Yankees play a pushover each year? Case in point.....the most talented team in Red Sox history was the 1978 team. A 99 win team that never got a chance for posteason. That is a shame, considering they were the 1st or 2nd best team in baseball that year.
the wild card in baseball is a good thing.

Exactly. The 2003 Red Sox team was probably the best team they've ever put together, but they wouldn't have even made the playoffs under the old system.

[talon]

The reason why the best team might not always be the one who wins the most games isn't just because of the non-balanced schedule but because a team can be structured to destroy teams with weak pitching but not teams that have both good pitching and good hitting. Head to head, the second or even third best team in terms of record can beat the team with the overall best record. So really, who would be the best in that scenario?

If all the teams in the AL played the exact same schedule, the team that finished in first place would be the best team. The team that finished in second place team would be the second best team. The team that finished in third place would be the third place team.

It's not like baseball is a 20 game regular season. If you can't prove yourself after over 150 games, then tough shit.

So no more playoffs. Stupid. baseball is about winning the World Series - if you can't do that, fuck you. Fuck you more if you won 120 games like the Mariners. If the team with the best record was the best team, they would win the World Series. The Giants were the best team in football two years ago. The Red Sox were the best team in baseball in 2004. Enjoy your regular season championships (that you mock Patriots fans so openly for).

I'm not rooting for regular season championships. I just think that you can know a lot more about which teams have proven themselves and which teams haven't when the regular season is 162 games long vs when the regular season is 16 games long.

Personally, I'd love it if MLB went back to four divisions, everybody in each league plays a balanced schedule, take the top two teams in one league, have them play a best of 7 series to get to the WS.

If the regular season is only about determining which 8 teams are the best, then it's way too long. Look at the NHL and the NBA. The regular seasons in those two leagues are completely 100% meaningless.

[hansen]

Back to baseball...

Sox over Angels in 4
Yankees over whomever in 3

Sox over Yankees in 6

Rockies over Phillies in 4
Dodgers over St. Louis in 5

Dodgers over Rockies in 7

Red Sox over Dodgers in 5


The Cardinals suck. They play in an awful division in an awful league. There is a reason Piniero, Smoltz, Lugo, Holliday, et al were waived/traded for pennies to StL and suddenly became useful.

The Dodgers have been sluggish since July, but Manny wakes up in the playoffs.

The Yankees are really good, but I have doubts about their manager making his playoff debut and about their 1, 2, and 4 starters' ability to perform in the post season.

RE: The Red Sox, if they go into a game 5 with Anaheim, they'll have Beckett on full rest, and a lineup of Ellsbury, Pedroia, Martinez, Youkilis, Bay, Ortiz, Drew, Lowell, Gonzalez. Lowell hitting friggin 8th. The depth of the team, especially the depth of the bullpen will push them over the top.

cards vs. dodgers in the regular season: cards 5, dodgers 2

anyway, i think its funny how much disrespect the cards get for playing in the NL. irregardless, i think the yankees are the frontrunners but i wouldn't be surprised if the cards capture world series title #11.

[twballgame9]

Color me fucking shocked if either the Cards or the Yanks make the WS. Angels or Sox vs. Dodgers or Rockies.

[angryty]

I would be shocked beyond belief if a piece of shit team like the Sox were to make the WS. With that said, I expect the Sox to beat the Angels and then get prison raped by the Yankees who are a much better team in every sense of the word. If the Sox break the historical trend and spit the bit against the Angels then I expect the Angels to make the WS--because unlike the Sox, the Angels are still in this edition of the Yankees' head (although not as much as in recent years).

The Dodgers have zero chance of winning the WS. I expect them to get eliminated in the divisional series. Garlic Nose has absolutely torched another bullpen.

[BCEagle74]

I would be shocked beyond belief if a piece of shit team like the Sox were to make the WS. With that said, I expect the Sox to beat the Angels and then get prison raped by the Yankees who are a much better team in every sense of the word. If the Sox break the historical trend and spit the bit against the Angels then I expect the Angels to make the WS--because unlike the Sox, the Angels are still in this edition of the Yankees' head (although not as much as in recent years).

The Dodgers have zero chance of winning the WS. I expect them to get eliminated in the divisional series. Garlic Nose has absolutely torched another bullpen.

Garlic Nose???? Beauty!!

You never hear me ever say anything offensive...

One thing to add to this being a Yankee fan...the Baby Jesus loves the DH.

The Baby Jesus cried when the Mick could not run or field but he could hit and the Savior invented the DH.

The Baby Jesus also says FUCK THE NL!

[branchinator]

Lots of pressure on CC tomorrow night. The Yankees' rotation is shit after him. Fortunately for CC, this Twins/Tigers game will probably end at around 4am.

[branchinator]

Well, there it is. Twins vs. Yankees. Should be an easy sweep for New York.

[BCEagle74]

Yanks over Twins in 5
Angels over Sox in 4

Dodgers over Cards in 5
Phillies over Rockies in 5

Yankees over Angels in 5
Dodgers over Phillies in 4

Yankees over Dodgers in 7

FINISH OFF THE DEAL HERE!!!

[angryty]

It should. The Yankees are some ridiculous record against the Twins--did I here it correctly that they are 22-3 over the last 25?
Detroit should just burn itself to the ground and the populace should drown itself in Lake Erie or some fucking place.
In the NL, I expect the Rockies or Phillies to make the WS.

[BCEagle74]

Now I know why the Pirates alwasys got their ass kicked by the Braves in the playoffs.

The Leyland mth is no more. Marlins were a free agent one trick pony and the Indianas choked.

3 up with 4 to go and Ozzie Guillen buttfucks him like a prison bitch.

[buconvict]

Twins stink. That'll be an easy sweep for the Yankees.

I think you're underestimating the Red Sox ability to win a playoff series vs their ability to maintain a high level play over a 162 game season. The Red Sox had a woeful summer in which they trotted out Smoltz and Penny for 40% of their games. No shit they didn't play any better than .550 ball.

If you are ready to completely write off a team that will start Lester and Beckett 4 times in a 7 game series, then you are being incredibly pessimistic about their very real chances. Supposing the series goes 7 games, you will have 2 Lester starts, 2 Beckett starts, and 3 other starts likely shared by Buchholz (who, IIRC, pitched 7 pretty sick innings at the Stadium last month), Matsuzaka (who has pitched quite well since his humiliating start) and Wakefield, who has dome well against the Yankees over the years. That team stacks up nicely, especially against a team who is being led by a manager who has never managed a post-season game, two top of rotation players who have terrible post season records, and #3 and 4 hitters who have left much to be desired in the playoffs/haven't advanced to an LCS.

Not saying the Yankees aren't good, they clearly are, but against Boston in a seven game series, I'm not sure they can consider themselves the favorites.

ps. The Angels stink and A. Will not beat the Red Sox and B. Would not beat the Yankees. Their ace is Jered Weaver.

[angryty]

The difference is that neither of those guys is scary this year. The Yankees have looked positively comfortable against Beckett this year. As for Lester, the guy had one good outing against the Yankees this year--and he lost. He was hit all over the place in both of his wins in April and May and was positively cack slapped in his last start. But beyond that, I think the Yankees have a far superior line up and a far superior bullpen. It is just a different dynamic than either 2003 or 2004, where the Red Sox were the superior team.

This reminds me more of 1999--the Sox have some great pieces and they probably have the best chance against the Yankees of anyone else in the field. They also could conceivably get some lights out pitching and make it interesting but it seems to me they have to pull an inside strait to get to seven games and win and they need a top to bottom implosion from a really good team that does everything fundamentally well.

And as for Girardi's managerial experience, I think you would have to agree that he is an upgrade over Garlic Nose--besides, Girardi has called enough critical WS games and some brilliant ones at that) from behind the plate that I doubt this is going to up the pressure much if at all from what he has experienced.

[branchinator]

This Red Sox team is much deeper than the 1999 version, which had a lineup of Nomar/Carl Everett and shit and a rotation of Pedro Martinez and shit. As for this year's bullpens, I don't know how anyone could say that the Yankees' bullpen is far superior than the Red Sox. Hell, I don't think they're better at all - but it's close. The key for the Sox is Daniel Bard. If he is reliable, then the bullpen become lights out. If he's not, then it's a lot weaker.

Starting pitching is the key here. Lester and Beckett have proven themselves in the postseason. CC has proven that he melts down. And no Yankees fan will trust AJ Burnett in a big spot. Pettitte always steps up his game even though his stuff is really falling. And I'm pretty sure every team would love a crack at Joba's overrated ass and mediocre fastball.

[angryty]

I don't know about them being deeper--it looks to me like there were a bunch of guys who had career years for the Sox in 1999. Looking at this year's line up, Youkilis is a scary at bat, but he has also shown a propoensity to get rattled when the Yankees come inside on him. Pedroia is a professional hitter who never takes an at bat off, but he isn't close to the same hitter he was last year and Inside Scouting says that the league discovered a hole in his swing this year which has lead to the thirty point drop in average. Victor Martinez is good, but he isn't scary. JD Drew and Jason Bay are dogshit. But the real difference between now and 2003-2007 is Big Papi. Now that the steroids have flushed through the system he has gone back to being what he was in Minnesota, an okay power hitter with a bunch of holes in his swing. The palpable sense of terror he engendered a couple of years ago is gone and the Yankee pitching beat up on him a couple of weeks ago in what was a theme for pretty much the second half of the season against the Yankees (the 20-11 loss and 14-1 win excepted).

Looking at the bullpen, Papelbon's WHIP is up considerably, Bard has good stuff but it hasn't translated into great numbers, Byrd and Delcarmen are dogshit, the Yankees own Billy Wagner and you have to rely on the mediocre Japanese guy and Ramon Ramirez--that wouldn't make me feel real good.

[twballgame9]

I would be shocked beyond belief if a piece of shit team like the Sox were to make the WS. With that said, I expect the Sox to beat the Angels and then get prison raped by the Yankees who are a much better team in every sense of the word. If the Sox break the historical trend and spit the bit against the Angels then I expect the Angels to make the WS--because unlike the Sox, the Angels are still in this edition of the Yankees' head (although not as much as in recent years).

The Dodgers have zero chance of winning the WS. I expect them to get eliminated in the divisional series. Garlic Nose has absolutely torched another bullpen.

CC Sabathia. Ask him how he feels about facing the Sox in the playoffs. Memories are short.

[twballgame9]

I don't know about them being deeper--it looks to me like there were a bunch of guys who had career years for the Sox in 1999. Looking at this year's line up, Youkilis is a scary at bat, but he has also shown a propoensity to get rattled when the Yankees come inside on him. Pedroia is a professional hitter who never takes an at bat off, but he isn't close to the same hitter he was last year and Inside Scouting says that the league discovered a hole in his swing this year which has lead to the thirty point drop in average. Victor Martinez is good, but he isn't scary. JD Drew and Jason Bay are dogshit. But the real difference between now and 2003-2007 is Big Papi. Now that the steroids have flushed through the system he has gone back to being what he was in Minnesota, an okay power hitter with a bunch of holes in his swing. The palpable sense of terror he engendered a couple of years ago is gone and the Yankee pitching beat up on him a couple of weeks ago in what was a theme for pretty much the second half of the season against the Yankees (the 20-11 loss and 14-1 win excepted).

Looking at the bullpen, Papelbon's WHIP is up considerably, Bard has good stuff but it hasn't translated into great numbers, Byrd and Delcarmen are dogshit, the Yankees own Billy Wagner and you have to rely on the mediocre Japanese guy and Ramon Ramirez--that wouldn't make me feel real good.

The commentary on Jason Bay and Davis Ortiz made me piss myself laughing.

The Red Sox are built for the postseason. The Yankees are not. Talon will be happy, the 162 game crown is his.

[Bryn Mawr Eagle]

Divisional Round:

Yankees over Twins in 4

Sox over the Angles in 5

Phils over the Rockies in 4

Cards over the Dodgers in 5


NL/AL CS:

Yankess over the Sox in 6

Phils over the Cards in 6


World Series:

Yankees over the Phils in 6

(I hope I am wrong - I am a huge Phillies fan).

[angryty]

Yes, built for the post season on mediocre hitting and mediocre pitching. As for Sabbathia, there is a lot less pressure when you are facing a team that is much, much worse than the one you faced before and the team your are pitching for will probably give you somewhere around five runs to work with. Also, If you can provide an example of how the Sox are built for the post season that would be wonderful. Otherwise, I see a Reif nomination coming down the pipe.

[twballgame9]

Yes, built for the post season on mediocre hitting and mediocre pitching. As for Sabbathia, there is a lot less pressure when you are facing a team that is much, much worse than the one you faced before and the team your are pitching for will probably give you somewhere around five runs to work with. Also, If you can provide an example of how the Sox are built for the post season that would be wonderful. Otherwise, I see a Reif nomination coming down the pipe.

I won't need to give you an example. An example is on its way over the next month. But to answer your question, the Red Sox have the deepest and best bullpen in baseball and the best 1-2 starters in the playoffs.

The Yankees lucked out with the Twins winning. If the Angels take the Sox to 5, the Yanks have an outside shot to win the AL. If the Angels beat the Sox (which they might), the Angels win this thing easily. But if the Sox beat the Angels in 4 or less, they are WS bound. Their pitching will line up perfectly.

I prefer to look at how pitchers pitch in meaningful games in October rather than how they perform in meaningless games in July. Beckett and Lester have been notoriously excellent in the playoffs, Sabathia notoriously bad.

[branchinator]

Jason Bay hit 36 home runs and drove in 119 RBI's. How exactly does that make him a "shit" player? And I'll certainly take Beckett/Lester over CC/whoever is #2 on the Yankees. The difference between the Red Sox bullpen and the Yankees' bullpen is that the Yankees' bullpen is entirely untested in the playoffs other than Rivera. Experience matters. It won't make a difference against the hapless Twins but against the Sox/Angels, it will.

As for the lineups, the Yankees do have the better lineup. Nobody will dispute that. But the Red Sox lineup isn't anything to sneeze at. No, there aren't 2 35-40 home run guys anchoring the middle of the order anymore but there are no easy outs other than Alex Gonzalez.

[Shredder]

David Ortiz has hit 27 home runs since June 1. In 232 postseason at-bats, he has 12 homeruns, a .293 average and .401 OBP.
J.D. Drew has 24 homers this season, 12 in each half, and a .316 BA and .414 OBP in the second half. Drew has also hit well in both ALCS's and the World Series he played in with Boston.

In his career, Sabbathia is 2-3 with a 7.92 ERA and 2.20 WHIO in just 25 postseason innings. He was 19-7 in 2007 with the Indians and 11-2 while in Milwaukee in 2008. For even the most optimistic Yankees fan, C.C. is still a big uncertainty.

The Twins have already been written off and while it will be tough for them to overtake the Yankees, especially after their quick travel turnaround, this could be a case where everything is stacked up against them and they somehow steal game 1. While Twins are physically beaten, their starter for tonight Brian Duensing is well-rested and is no slouch (but is a rookie). As a starter he is 5-1 (3-1 in Sep.) with a 2.73 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, all coming in a pennant race. They might be a longshot but tonight's matchup isn't as one-sided as expected, especially with the headcases in the Yankees lineup and dugout.

[branchinator]

The Twins do not have the lineup to beat the Yankees, especially with Morneau out. A Yankees blowout is easy money tonight against a rookie. And that's before I address Gardenhire.

[JConman]

I just wish the Yanks had a true ace going tonight, like Fausto Carmona, the greatest pitcher in the world according to TW.

[buconvict]

I don't expect the Twins to win any of these three games, but it's worth noting that since they lost Morneau, they are 17-4.

[twballgame9]

I just wish the Yanks had a true ace going tonight, like Fausto Carmona, the greatest pitcher in the world according to TW.

What are Sabathia's playoff stats? Just sayin'.