Baseball 2003

Maybe next year?

Oh well.

At least the Cubs and Red Sox are in the playoffs.

(This is the Ludwig, Please Bugger Off thread)

I will be rooting for the Cubs; my Sox quit early.

John Litwin

(Joining in the Ludwig, Please Bugger Off thread)

I'll be cheering for the Twins, then Boston, then Florida. Basically anyone but the Yankees.

Choosing between Atlanta and the Yankees is like chosing between Hitler and Stalin.

Matthew

PS Over in the NFL My Man Patrick Ramsey is going to be a megastar.

I'll go Cubs, then Red Sox, then Twins, then A's, then Marlins, and then a tie among the axis of evil- Yankees/ Giants/ Braves.

(PS- I know little to nothing about the NFL, other than there's way too much analysis on TV all week, and that the analysts and commentators are WAY TOO LOUD.)

Go Twins!

Great catch in left field in the bottom of the 9th.

Matthew

Patrick Ramsey is a quarterback, plays in Washington and isn't crap. This is the first time since LT broke on Joe Theisman's leg on Monday Night Football that all three of these facts have been simultaneously true (Single great seasons from Doug Williams, Gus Ferrote and Mark Rypien notwithstanding).

Go Cubs!

What an incredible performance by Kerry Wood. He struck out 11 batters, gave up only 2 hits, and went 2-4 at the plate, drove in 2 runs, and made the most spectacular catch of the game.

If the entire series is like last night, I'm going to lose about 10 lbs in sweat!

Go Marlins!

Although my English support the underdog mentality wants the Marlins to do well I do have a soft spot for Giants because of Bonds both in general and becuase of the year he's had with the death of his father.

Surely he is just about the most fascinating person in sports -- there is a real sense of occasion and theatre and edge of the seat-ness about a Bonds at bat even when they don't pitch to him. Not just his greatness as a player, the comedy villain act, the awesome numbers he is putting up over the last few years, and so on, but the sheer physical presence and aura of the man as he stands at the plate. Its enough to intimidate me on my sofa 5000 miles away so I can't imagine what it must be like to pitch to him in a big playoff game.

The A's / Red Sox game sounds like a ripper too. My favourite thing about baseball is that, like cricket, its such a deep game and so many different things can happen that the story is usualy the game and not some media circus nonsenee (assuming Piazza is not playing). Like winning the game with a bases loaded bunt single in the bottom of the twelth.

Matthew

PS Go Dusty Baker!

Go Marlins, indeed!

As you may remember, I strongly dislike Bonds, as it's prerequisite #1 for being a Dodgers fan. Of course, I respect his achievements.

I don't get ESPN, but I imagine if I saw the Braves beat the Cubs in the 8th and 9th I would've been yelling at the TV and sweating each pitch. Ah well. The Cubs have an incrediible rotation of pitchers, and it's my belief that in the end pitching wins series' (prerequisite #2 for being a Dodgers fan). Run support would certainly help, though.

PS- Go Torii Hunter!

"and it's my belief that in the end pitching wins series"

But you do need at least *some* hitting as well. Or is denial of this fact prerequisite #3 for being a Dodgers fan?

No word from John C I notice. He's probably still sulking about that whole Cubs taking 4 games off the Cardinals thing

Matthew

No denial. Dodgers fans know better than any other team's fans that 10 strikeouts from your pitcher are worthless if you can't put men on base. LA has had some of the fiercest pitching combined with the most anemic offense for a long, long time.

But history tells me that teams with outstanding offense and mediocre pitching are losers. Teams with outstanding pitching (Cubs) and average offense (Cubs?) are winners.

Despite last night's loss, it's nice to see Sammy have a good game (on base each at-bat). Hopefully he can keep the momentum going into the next game...

In football (as in the non-Soccer variety) the saying goes "offence wins games, defence wins championships" -- which is much the same thing I guess.

Naturally like everybody else (other than bitter Cards fans) Sammy is one of my favourite players adn someone I love to see do well. One of the few sports stars who seems genuinely to realise quite how lucky he is to get paid millions to do somethign most would do for free.

Matthew

GO CUBS!!!!!!!

She asked for a Grand piano.
All I could give her was an upright organ...

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Red Sox can pull it off today, keeping the possibility of my dream World Series (Cubs - Red Sox) alive.

As a diehard fan of the game, I loved seeing the Cubs win their first post-season series since 1908 last night.

Ludwig--

I'm with you on hoping for a Cubs/Sox Series. And I'm a lifelong devoted Yankee fan--I just think it would be terrific for baseball to see the Cubs and Sox in the Series. Of course, I'd be rooting for the Cubs...

I do have to say I think the Marlins the most fundamentally sound team still playing--and betting against the Yankees is probably not smart based on how well their starting pitching performed.

Bob

Go Cubbies!

Hopefully Pedro can do the business tonight. Unfortuantely an emotional come from behind series victory is probably not the best thing to be taking to New York to face a rested Yankees.

Matthew
Mark Prior is on FIRE

Reviewing the Braves-Cubs:
--------------------------
Braves...
Season AVG .284, OBP .349 --> Playoff AVG .215, OBP .306

Cubs...
Season AVG .259, OBP .323 --> Playoff AVG .257, OBP .335

The Cubs' superior pitching silenced the Braves' best-in-baseball offense, while the Cubs' very average offense just kept grinding away against the Braves' average pitching.
=============================================

Looking at Red Sox - A's so far:
--------------------------------
Red Sox...
Season AVG .289, OBP .360 --> Playoff AVG .216, OBP .297

A's...
Season AVG .254, OBP .327 --> Playoff AVG .211, OBP .305

Does anyone deserve to win? Well I forgot that Pedro vs the A's is 6-2, ERA of 2.16, and 9.4 K's per game. On the road this year? 6-2, ERA of 1.57, and 7.4 K's per game. If he can forget about Game 1 this might look like last night.

[This message was edited by Ludwig on MONDAY 06 October 2003 at 19:19.]

Bosox Win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Watching Pedro pitch is such a beautiful thing. And Nomar is such a good guy. Great to see them win!

I hope Damon is okay, following that awful collision in center field. I wish Ortiz had the opportunity to pummel that white frat boy in the stands.

I'm so stoked after seeing two underdogs win!!! Go Cubs! Go Bosox!



PS- Donovan McNabb is the man! F Rush Limbaugh, ESPN, and all the overrated white quarterbacks.

Matthew, me hennned mucker- you missed a helluva Monday Night Football game. Colts down by 21 w/ 4 minutes remaining and Peyton leads them to victory in overtime (albeit dependent on a lame unsportsmanlike conduct call). Marvin Harrison had a huge night.

Its Tuesday!! GO CUBS!!!!!
I am saying 4 to 2 Cubs...

Marc

She asked for a Grand piano.
All I could give her was an upright organ...

Ludwig,

I taped the Sox/A's game and have been watching it in the background this evening as I finish off some tedious work stuff. One gets a sense of the shifting of tectonic plates of Baseball history this year. Fingers crossed.

I had the Colts as the third part of my weekend £10 treble (along with Green Bay and Miami) which netted me a rather healthy profit. There is a re-run of the game tonight whichh I'll tape and watch at some point later in the week.

I understand some US newspapers are reporting Limbaugh has been having some problems with large amounts of dubiously acquired prescription drugs. My heart bleeds.

Although, FWIW, the media does overrate balck QBs as its impossible to express fully in words quite how much Jeff Blake sucks

Matthew

It seems to me the people consistently setting lofty expectations for every black QB entering the league are the same ones so eagerly skewering them when they're merely good, not great. It's racial ignorance- each black QB is unfairly expected to be the next Warren Moon or Randal Cunningham simply because they have the same color of skin and perhaps share a few fundamental skills. Thus, "overrated".

Go Cubs and Sox!

Bugger off, Ludwig.

Anyway, last night's game was very entertaining. I was reminded why Pudge was my favorite player throughout the '90's. Also nice to see Sammy slam one out for the fans.

Apparently a friend of mine was at the Patriots game Sunday, and they were showing Red Sox-A's Game 4 on the jumbotron and the place was absolutely nuts.

[This message was edited by Ludwig on WEDNESDAY 08 October 2003 at 21:11.]

Lets try this again..

GO CUBS!!!!!!

She asked for a Grand piano.
All I could give her was an upright organ...

8 to nothing Cubs, Mark Prior pitching, top of the 5th. Series tied 1-1.

Long-time Cub fan.