October Baseball Thread

[Sabo]

The missing SPs has to be a killer knowing Francona dominated Maddon in this one.

That hurt, but so did Napoli's bat taking a nap all playoffs, Naquin regressing to an AA-caliber player, and Davis being a poor hitter through most of the playoffs. Hell, even that little rain delay at the end hurt.

Anyway, it was a great game, and it appears to have captured everyone's attention. Early ratings show it's probably the most watched baseball game in 15 years.

[mister d]

Probably an understatement. I like the chances of a World Series rematch next year (even with vagaries of playoff baseball figured in).

Not intending to be a dick, but I don't see it. Despite the ALDS results, Boston would be my AL favorite tomorrow and by a bit of a margin.

[tennbengal]

Probably an understatement. I like the chances of a World Series rematch next year (even with vagaries of playoff baseball figured in).

Not intending to be a dick, but I don't see it. Despite the ALDS results, Boston would be my AL favorite tomorrow and by a bit of a margin.

I will take the team whose staff is fronted by Kluber over the team whose staff is fronted by Price at this point in their careers for the long and short haul.

[mister d]

Sure, but I'd weight it like 75/25 offense/pitching for this sort of thing where pitching is almost a pass/fail. Just too volatile.

[Steve of phpBB]

Thanks, Guys. It's something.

Sometimes, you just gotta tip your cap. Congrats, Cubs fans, and steve in particular.

Although the Tribe lost, they had a great season. They made it to game seven of the World Series despite losing two starting pitchers for long stretches of the season, losing their starting catcher for much of the season due to two major injuries, AND playing the entire season when their best player got 11 at bats. More importantly, almost all of their good players will be back for the next two or three seasons. There’s a reason to be optimistic about the baseball team here.

I agree with everything you said about the Tribe. This was a completely even series (cumulative score 27-27). Cleveland's luck just ran out after the clock struck midnight.

Believe me, I feel for you.

[brian]

[mister d]

[bapo!]

Bryant, that cocky MFer was smiling before he even picked up the ball. I love him.

I thought that that was just some exertion/grimace/sports face thing. Then I thought, 'Wait, he's not actually smiling, is he?' That's the epitome of cool. Couldn't ask for a better ending to a championship game.

Pretty sure that if I were fielding that grounder, my face would look like I knew that I was about to throw the ball into right-field. I would be a meme today.

[degenerasian]

Steve: I get the Yankees popularity over the Mets based on their past success and longer history but never fully understood the Cubs popularity over the White Sox especially after the Sox won in 2005.

[A_B]

Steve: I get the Yankees popularity over the Mets based on their past success and longer history but never fully understood the Cubs popularity over the White Sox especially after the Sox won in 2005.

Things white people love: the Chicago Cubs.

[govmentchedda]

Steve: I get the Yankees popularity over the Mets based on their past success and longer history but never fully understood the Cubs popularity over the White Sox especially after the Sox won in 2005.

I'm convinced degen is actually Balki Bartokomous.

[Ryan]

Ok me too

[rass]

And now the thought of Perfect Strangers slash fiction becomes all too real...

[Moreta]

And now the thought of Perfect Strangers slash fiction becomes all too real...

As if that wasn't already a thing.

[bapo!]

And now the thought of Perfect Strangers slash fiction becomes all too real...

As if that wasn't already a thing.

I really wish that I had saved everything before my hard drive crashed. I had no idea that anybody would want to read that stuff.

[Rush2112]

And now the thought of Perfect Strangers slash fiction becomes all too real...

As if that wasn't already a thing.

Feel free to post your favourite.

[Moreta]

Feel free to post your favourite.

All rated G or PG? Clearly they misunderstand their audience.

[rass]

Balki tenderly touched Larry's cheek.

"Now we are so happy, we do the dance...of joy."

[brian]

Doesn't get much better than Wright Thompson.

[mister d]

Yeah, that was a really good one.

[Ryan]

And now the thought of Perfect Strangers slash fiction becomes all too real...

As if that wasn't already a thing.

I really wish that I had saved everything before my hard drive crashed. I had no idea that anybody would want to read that stuff.

Well of course we would don't be ridiculous

[A_B]

Doesn't get much better than Wright Thompson.

Jesus. I knew I shouldnt have downloaded the Dust(Tm) app right before reading hat.

[cerrano]

congrats, steve!

my father is a cubs fan. growing up in south jersey, the first time he saw the phillies play live, the cubs were in town and ernie banks was in his prime. that was it for him. talking to him today, i teared up a few times listening to him talk about last night and how happy this made him. i really wish i could have been down there with him. that might have been why i teared up.

[Steve of phpBB]

Steve: I get the Yankees popularity over the Mets based on their past success and longer history but never fully understood the Cubs popularity over the White Sox especially after the Sox won in 2005.

Television is probably the biggest factor - the Cubs were on TV all the time, playing day games, and on a VHF channel with a nice clear picture. They broadcast every home game and almost every road game. The Sox broadcast fewer games, and they were on a UHF channel that sucked. (Ask your grandparents about UHF and VHF.)

Then the Sox moved to an over-the-air pay channel. Back then, no one paid for television. So basically no one watched them on TV.

And then the Cubs hired Harry Caray and won the division in 1984, and Wrigley Field became the Place to Be. It was beautiful and green and in a nice location a mile from the Lake, surrounded by bars, where white people feel safe taking public transportation. Even though I grew up 25 miles from Wrigley, we were able to go to games without parents when we were 13. Sox games were at night and Comiskey was on the south side where all the scary black people lived.

And even the white folks on the South Side aren't nearly as rich as the white folks on the north side. Since the media is made up of rich white people, the Cubs got more attention.

It is really too bad that the Sox pooched it when they built New Comiskey. That was the first stadium built after all the multipurpose hellholes, but it was the last one built before Camden Yards ushered in an era of retro ballparks that were actually nice.

[Steve of phpBB]

my father is a cubs fan. growing up in south jersey, the first time he saw the phillies play live, the cubs were in town and ernie banks was in his prime. that was it for him. talking to him today, i teared up a few times listening to him talk about last night and how happy this made him. i really wish i could have been down there with him. that might have been why i teared up.

That's awesome. My mom watched the game over at our house. That was something.

[bapo!]

It is really too bad that the Sox pooched it when they built New Comiskey. That was the first stadium built after all the multipurpose hellholes, but it was the last one built before Camden Yards ushered in an era of retro ballparks that were actually nice.

The New Comiskey is just tragic. It's like the designers never considered the possibility of building a great baseball stadium. And then 20 better stadiums opened, and the Sox were stuck in a brand-new dump. I remember Philip Bess being very outspoken about this.

Of course, the Rangers and Braves are already moving on from even newer stadiums, so maybe it's the Sox' turn. Maybe they can sucker Naperville into giving them a good parking/concessions deal.

[Steve of phpBB]

It is really too bad that the Sox pooched it when they built New Comiskey. That was the first stadium built after all the multipurpose hellholes, but it was the last one built before Camden Yards ushered in an era of retro ballparks that were actually nice.

The New Comiskey is just tragic. It's like the designers never considered the possibility of building a great baseball stadium. And then 20 better stadiums opened, and the Sox were stuck in a brand-new dump. I remember Philip Bess being very outspoken about this.

Of course, the Rangers and Braves are already moving on from even newer stadiums, so maybe it's the Sox' turn. Maybe they can sucker Naperville into giving them a good parking/concessions deal.

I've never been to the Guaranteed Rate Field, but I remember hearing that one problem was that to avoid having posts blocking views from the lower deck, the upper deck had to be set way back and steep.

Is that even right? Do the newer parks have posts? How do they avoid it - different materials or construction methods?

I haven't been to many games at the new generation of stadia, and never thought to look at the post issue when I was there.

[A_B]

Chicago has no room to put a new sox stadium without gling out of town like the braves did. But out of town there means even more out of town than In the atl. Just no room to build a stadium and keep the identidity.

[A_B]

I mean. I could be wrong. And in fact the south side probably has many acres of derelict buildings to raze to do something new. But I don't know that a new stadium fixes much. Pretty sure the reigning World Series champs have a stadium that is 100 years old.

[Steve of phpBB]

I mean. I could be wrong. And in fact the south side probably has many acres of derelict buildings to raze to do something new. But I don't know that a new stadium fixes much. Pretty sure the reigning World Series champs have a stadium that is 100 years old.

They built the new stadium across the street from the old one, then tore the old one down. So they could put a new new stadium where the old one sits, and then tear down the old new stadium.

But even in cities, you can always find a location to build. I think putting a baseball stadium near Soldier Field would be great. Or tear Soldier Field down and move the Bears to the suburbs.

[rass]

I was at (new) Comiskey once. I can't remember if there were posts, but the upper deck was very steep. Walking around inside of it reminded me of Shea, which considering it was built 25+ years later probably wasn't a good thing.

[brian]

F*ck those f*ckin' fans who come out here and say they're Cub fans that are supposed to be behind you, rippin' every f*ckin' thing you do. I'll tell you one f*ckin' thing, I hope we get f*ckin' hotter than sh*t, just to stuff it up them 3,000 f*ckin' people that show up every f*ckin' day, because if they're the real Chicago f*ckin' fans, they can kiss my f*ckin' ass right downtown and PRINT IT.

They're really, really behind you around here...my f*ckin' ass. What the f*ck am I supposed to do, go out there and let my f*ckin' players get destroyed every day and be quiet about it? For the f*ckin' nickel-dime people who turn up? The motherf*ckers don't even work. That's why they're out at the f*ckin' game. They oughta go out and get a f*ckin' job and find out what it's like to go out and earn a f*ckin' living. Eighty-five percent of the f*ckin' world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here. A f*ckin' playground for the cocks*ckers. Rip them motherf*ckers. Rip them f*ckin' cocks*ckers like the f*ckin' players. We got guys bustin' their f*ckin' ass, and them f*ckin' people boo. And that's the Cubs? My f*ckin' ass. They talk about the great f*ckin' support the players get around here. I haven't see it this f*ckin' year. Everybody associated with this organization have been winners their whole f*ckin' life. Everybody. And the credit is not given in that respect.

Alright, they don't show because we're 5 and 14...and unfortunately, that's the criteria of them dumb fifteen motherf*ckin' percent that come out to day baseball. The other eighty-five percent are earning a living. I tell you, it'll take more than a 5 and 12 or 5 and 14 to destroy the makeup of this club. I guarantee you that. There's some f*ckin' pros out there that wanna win. But you're stuck in a f*ckin' stigma of the f*ckin' Dodgers and the Phillies and the Cardinals an all that cheap sh*t. It's unbelievable. It really is. It's a disheartening f*ckin' situation that we're in right now. Anybody who was associated with the Cub organization four or five years ago that came back and sees the multitude of progress that's been made will understand that if they're baseball people, that 5 and 14 doesn't negate all that work. We got 143 f*ckin' games left.

What I'm tryin' to say is don't rip them f*ckin' guys out there. Rip me. If you wanna rip somebody, rip my f*ckin' ass. But don't rip them f*ckin' guys 'cause they're givin' everything they can give. And right now they're tryin' to do more than God gave 'em, and that's why we make the simple mistakes. That's exactly why.

[sancarlos]

The great Lee Elia.