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  1. #41
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    There are probably worse things in sports than playoff baseball, but they are rare.

  2. #42
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO
    Quote Originally Posted by Duvall View Post
    There are probably worse things in sports than playoff baseball, but they are rare.
    You have my permission, Duvall, to skip this thread. IMHO (where the H is silent) the postseason hardball games have mostly been exciting, especially the Cards' comeback on Friday and the gritty determination of the Giants and Royals, the latter pulling a Houdini in the wild-card playoff game against Jim3K's A's.

    FWIW, I think Nats manager Matt Williams should be hauled off and shot for removing Jordan Zimmermann with two outs in the ninth and a 1-0 lead. Sure enough, closer Drew Storen gave up a single and a double, and the Nats ended up losing in 18, 2-1. Washington was supposed to have dominant pitching for the playoffs ... and they have, giving up only five runs (four earned) in 27 innings. The Giants have been better, getting beautiful games out of Peavy and Hudson, the latter having "stunk-up-the-joint" in previous outings. October is apparently the Giants' time of year, which is pleasing my grandsons in San Francisco.

    Now, Duvall, if you think Ole Miss-Bama and Stanford-Notre Dame were some of the most exciting games of any season, I would tend to agree with you.
    Sage Grouse

    ---------------------------------------
    'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013

  3. #43
    Quote Originally Posted by sagegrouse View Post
    ... I think Nats manager Matt Williams should be hauled off and [edit: BEATEN WITH A FISH UPSIDE HIS HEAD] for removing Jordan Zimmermann with two outs in the ninth and a 1-0 lead.
    Ditto Ausmus. A really big, smelly fish.
    Nothing incites bodily violence quicker than a Duke fan turning in your direction and saying 'scoreboard.'

  4. #44
    I thought one of the great things to emerge from Saturday's Nats-Giant was that it was the second 18-inning postseason game in baseball history.

    And Tim Hudson was a starting pitcher in both of them - for the Braves against the Astros in 2005 and for the Giants Saturday.

    Trivia: One other player played in both games. Can you name him?

    Also, John Smoltz was in the booth calling the Nats-Giants marathon ... in 2005, he was scheduled to start Game 5 of the Braves-Astros series (which wasn't played because the Astros won the series in the 18-inning game).

    I'm with you, weezie -- this year's playoff has been great!

    10 games so far -- four have gone extra innings (18/12/11 innings twice) ... four have been decided by one run in nine innings.

    There was Baltimore's 12-3 win over the Tigers, but even that one was a 4-3 game going into the bottom of the eighth.

    The only postseason clunker so far has been San Francisco's 8-0 wild card win at Pittsbirgh.

    On the other hand, you have Kansas City winning three straight extra inning games -- 9-8 in 12 over the A's in the wild card game; 3-2 in 11 innings vs. the Angels; 4-1 in 11 innings vs. the Angels -- the last to on the road.

    Given the choice today between the NFL and MLB, I'll be watching baseball.

    PS -- The answer to that Trivia is Adam LaRoche ...

  5. #45
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by sagegrouse View Post
    You have my permission, Duvall, to skip this thread. IMHO (where the H is silent) the postseason hardball games have mostly been exciting, especially the Cards' comeback on Friday and the gritty determination of the Giants and Royals, the latter pulling a Houdini in the wild-card playoff game against Jim3K's A's.
    Not what I meant. It's just a postseason format designed to break your heart - six months of following twists and turns, and then BAM - your team is down 0-2 30 hours after its first postseason pitch. It's ruthless and cruel.

  6. #46
    Quote Originally Posted by [I
    [/I]Duvall;748244]Not what I meant. It's just a postseason format designed to break your heart - six months of following twists and turns, and then BAM - your team is down 0-2 30 hours after its first postseason pitch. It's ruthless and cruel.
    Baseball is a harsh mistress. More so with the way the new wild card setup.

  7. #47
    Impressed, and surprised, with the O's. I'd like to see LAA advance because I like watching Trout, but the Royals certainly deserve credit for what they've done so far, and it's a team and fanbase that hasn't had success in awhile (to say the least), so it'd be nice to see them too, and KC / Bal would be a fitting matchup.
    Demented and sad, but social, right?

  8. #48
    Quote Originally Posted by Olympic Fan View Post
    Given the choice today between the NFL and MLB, I'll be watching baseball.
    I fear we may be a vanishing breed Oly.
    Today was one tough, long, painful Tiger game to sit through. I guess it's all my fault for having had the nerve to attend Opening Day last May. It was pretty much downhill after that ( )

    But, in the meantime, good luck to your royals, DinK. Make the AL proud!
    Nothing incites bodily violence quicker than a Duke fan turning in your direction and saying 'scoreboard.'

  9. #49
    Weird play in the Detroit game today --

    Bottom of the third in a 0-0 game. Kelly opens the inning with a single, then after Kinsler flies out, he steals second.

    Tori Hunter, the next guy up, grounds to short. Kelly comes a bit too far off base, so Hardy throws to second. His throw is there in plenty of time to get the retreating Kelly. But second baseman Schoop dives across the bag and lands on top of Kelly, physically blocking him from the bag. If he catches the throw from Hardy, no problem ... but he drops the throw and lays atop Kelly -- preventing him from getting to the base -- while he feels around for the ball and eventually finds it and tags Kelly out.

    How was that not interference?? It reminds me of the play in the World Series where Kent Hrbek physically leaned on Ron Gant and pushes him off the bag -- and gets the out call.

    Not saying it chances the outcome of the game or anything, although on the next play, Hardy throws the ball away and runners end up on second and third ... if they call the interference and Hardy makes the same bad throw, a run scores and the Tigers have runners and second and third with one out. That certainly could have turned the game around.

    Oh well, anyway -- go Royals! They're the last team left alive that I don't pull against ...

    PS The Tigers-Orioles game three was the 11th game of the playoffs and the ninth decided either in extra innings or by one run after nine.

  10. #50
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh
    Quote Originally Posted by Olympic Fan View Post
    Weird play in the Detroit game today --

    Bottom of the third in a 0-0 game. Kelly opens the inning with a single, then after Kinsler flies out, he steals second.

    Tori Hunter, the next guy up, grounds to short. Kelly comes a bit too far off base, so Hardy throws to second. His throw is there in plenty of time to get the retreating Kelly. But second baseman Schoop dives across the bag and lands on top of Kelly, physically blocking him from the bag. If he catches the throw from Hardy, no problem ... but he drops the throw and lays atop Kelly -- preventing him from getting to the base -- while he feels around for the ball and eventually finds it and tags Kelly out.

    How was that not interference?? It reminds me of the play in the World Series where Kent Hrbek physically leaned on Ron Gant and pushes him off the bag -- and gets the out call.

    Not saying it chances the outcome of the game or anything, although on the next play, Hardy throws the ball away and runners end up on second and third ... if they call the interference and Hardy makes the same bad throw, a run scores and the Tigers have runners and second and third with one out. That certainly could have turned the game around.

    Oh well, anyway -- go Royals! They're the last team left alive that I don't pull against ...

    PS The Tigers-Orioles game three was the 11th game of the playoffs and the ninth decided either in extra innings or by one run after nine.
    My memory is distant and poor but I swear I still have mental images of Hrbek physically lifting Gant's leg off the bag and getting the out call. Grrrr...
    [redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.

  11. #51
    Quote Originally Posted by Olympic Fan View Post
    Weird play in the Detroit game today --

    Bottom of the third in a 0-0 game. Kelly opens the inning with a single, then after Kinsler flies out, he steals second.

    Tori Hunter, the next guy up, grounds to short. Kelly comes a bit too far off base, so Hardy throws to second. His throw is there in plenty of time to get the retreating Kelly. But second baseman Schoop dives across the bag and lands on top of Kelly, physically blocking him from the bag. If he catches the throw from Hardy, no problem ... but he drops the throw and lays atop Kelly -- preventing him from getting to the base -- while he feels around for the ball and eventually finds it and tags Kelly out.

    How was that not interference?? It reminds me of the play in the World Series where Kent Hrbek physically leaned on Ron Gant and pushes him off the bag -- and gets the out call.

    Not saying it chances the outcome of the game or anything, although on the next play, Hardy throws the ball away and runners end up on second and third ... if they call the interference and Hardy makes the same bad throw, a run scores and the Tigers have runners and second and third with one out. That certainly could have turned the game around.
    It was uncalled interference. Apparently Ausmus had a challenge that he already used up, so he couldn't challenge this one. Freak play ... Kelly was going to be out by quite a bit had the 2B caught it clean. It was only the drop that made the interference even possible.

    While it might be comforting to think, "But for that one bad call, we'd have won the game ... and turned things around and won the series" - the fact is that the Orioles outplayed the Tigers in this series, and not by a little bit. They deserved to win. I wish the Tigers had a better bullpen ... and that their Cy Young guys would really bring it in the postseason. I guess Price pitched well enough to win today ... but the bats failed them today, and the leadoff spot was just atrocious for Detroit through the series.

  12. #52
    Quote Originally Posted by weezie View Post
    I fear we may be a vanishing breed Oly.
    Today was one tough, long, painful Tiger game to sit through. I guess it's all my fault for having had the nerve to attend Opening Day last May. It was pretty much downhill after that ( )

    But, in the meantime, good luck to your royals, DinK. Make the AL proud!
    Thanks, Weezie. It is a fun time in KC. My sister just rrminded me that 29 years ago, the ceiling fell down in her bedroom during he Series. I'm willing to let it happen again if it means the Royals win it all.

  13. #53
    Quote Originally Posted by DukieInKansas View Post
    My sister just rrminded me that 29 years ago, the ceiling fell down in her bedroom during he Series. I'm willing to let it happen again if it means the Royals win it all.
    Well sure, but is she?
    Demented and sad, but social, right?

  14. #54
    Quote Originally Posted by Blue in the Face View Post
    Well sure, but is she?
    I should probably warn the new owners of that house.

  15. #55
    Well, some great games so far, but not a great series yet.

    Both AL division series end in a 3-0 sweep. The Giants are up 2-0 on the Nats going back to San Francisco this afternoon with ace Madison Bumgarner on the mound.

    The other NL division series does have potential -- 1-1 with the next two games in St. Louis. I think the matchups tonight favors the Cards -- Lackey vs. a somewhat questionable Ryu.

    If the Dodgers lose tonight and face elimination Tuesday, do you come back with Kershaw on three days rest or save him for a potential game 5?

  16. #56
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New York City
    This is another reason why Mattingly should have pulled Kershaw in the 7th inning as he approached 100 pitches on a 92 degree day. I think it would be crazy to try to pitch him on 3 days rest as much as the temptation might be to go Kershaw/Greinke in games 4-5. It is a long postseason and the Dodgers need Kershaw to be fresh if they want to win the World Series. Yeah - I know it doesn't matter if you don't win a possible elimination game 4, but I think it's too risky. Also, it's unlikely he'd be able to pitch deep into the game - might as well use him when he might be able to pitch a CG.

  17. #57
    Quote Originally Posted by DukieInKansas View Post
    I should probably warn the new owners of that house.
    At least make sure they are royals fans before you do.
    Nothing incites bodily violence quicker than a Duke fan turning in your direction and saying 'scoreboard.'

  18. #58
    Quote Originally Posted by weezie View Post
    At least make sure they are royals fans before you do.
    Probably a good idea. Most likely are Royals fans since they didn't move from out of town.

  19. #59
    Thankfully, the Nats won today's game. Only 2 more wins to go.

  20. #60
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    About 150 feet in front of the Duke Chapel doors.
    Quote Originally Posted by YmoBeThere View Post
    Thankfully, the Nats won today's game. Only 2 more wins to go.
    Frankly, I'm a bit surprised. I was expecting another collapse, and when Storen gave up two leadoff hits to start the 9th, I figured that was the start of it. But he rallied to get the save and extend the Nats' season another game.

    Maybe the Nationals' bats have woken up, but I remain a skeptic.
    JBDuke

    Andre Dawkins: “People ask me if I can still shoot, and I ask them if they can still breathe. That’s kind of the same thing.”

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