Some pretty good matchups. Who have you got for the title?
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Rays
Giants over Rays.
(I hope)
#28 for the evil empire.
My son and 6 teammates are at the Yanks vs Sox.... They are way out there but in the park.
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@Gunner Mack Jr. posted:My son and 6 teammates are at the Yanks vs Sox.... They are way out there but in the park.
Awesome place too see a big league ballgame. I’ve been to many at Fenway and it never disappoints.
@2022NYC posted:#28 for the evil empire.
Sucks when the very first game busts your bracket.
Money will keep a team consistently in the hunt. Typically the rest of the well run teams come and go as they develop talent and lose it.
It was great for about twenty years as a Boston fan the question for the four teams most of the time wasn’t can they compete for their division. The only question was can they win it all.
Most fans of a 14-2 football team would be convinced their team can win it all. There was a year despite being 14-2 Patriots fans knew the team didn’t have the defense to outgun three straight quality teams.
Baseball used to be two stud starters and a stud closer can get the job done as long as those two starters don’t lose. Now, with starters only going five or six innings it takes a complete bullpen.
@JCG posted:Sucks when the very first game busts your bracket.
Well at least it wasn't the pain of a #1 seed loss like I suffered in College basketball over the years
A couple of barbs from my beantown colleagues
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Just have to say that the Dodgers-Cards game was pretty thrilling. Not just the ending, but the whole game.
Four of the last five world series champs had the best record in the regular season.
But Houston to win it.
@Dominik85 posted:Some pretty good matchups. Who have you got for the title?
My brain say Rays over Dodgers for the World Series, and the Red Sox will be swept in the ALDS.
My heart says no Rays sweep of Red Sox in ALDS. Yes, I know I have high expectations.
@fenwaysouth posted:My brain say Rays over Dodgers for the World Series, and the Red Sox will be swept in the ALDS.
My heart says no Rays sweep of Red Sox in ALDS. Yes, I know I have high expectations.
Sox starters can’t go more than five when they get that far. Their bullpen has stunk for a month. They played .500 ball after the all star break. I have no expectations. I just didn’t want to lose to the Yankees.
The only (slim) shot the Sox had was Rodriguez winning game one (didn’t expect it to happen) followed by a Sale win. Then let the chips fall where they may. That’s now out the window.
This Sox team exceeded expectations for a half season. If has a lot of weaknesses now and moving forward.
The Sox haven't really developed enough starting pitching in the last 10 years. They developed some good hitters but they needed to always sign or trade for pitching which is raiding the farm and getting expensive plus it leaves you short in case of injuries.
Over the last 10 years the Sox had mostly good hitting but only just enough pitching so to compete they needed anyone to reach their ceiling and stay healthy.
This caused a lot of inconsistencies, some years pitching was good and they win 93 and other year two pitchers get hurt and 3 under perform and then they win 78.
@Dominik85 posted:The Sox haven't really developed enough starting pitching in the last 10 years. They developed some good hitters but they needed to always sign or trade for pitching which is raiding the farm and getting expensive plus it leaves you short in case of injuries.
Over the last 10 years the Sox had mostly good hitting but only just enough pitching so to compete they needed anyone to reach their ceiling and stay healthy.
This caused a lot of inconsistencies, some years pitching was good and they win 93 and other year two pitchers get hurt and 3 under perform and then they win 78.
I fully expect a different approach with the farm system and talent development with Chaim Bloom running the show. If Dombrowski was still there he would have traded away future prospects for a bag of magic beans. I've done a full 180 degree turn on Chaim Bloom, and I have a lot of confidence in his ability to spot value and not do something that is going to hamstring the club for the future.
He got skewered in the media for not making some trades at the deadline this year. I admit I was one of those knuckle-dragger-fans demanding a big name-at-the-deadline just a couple months ago. He showed me that he is sticking to his organizational philosophy come hell or high water. I'm a believer. We've got a keeper in the front office.
@Dominik85 posted:The Sox haven't really developed enough starting pitching in the last 10 years. They developed some good hitters but they needed to always sign or trade for pitching which is raiding the farm and getting expensive plus it leaves you short in case of injuries.
Over the last 10 years the Sox had mostly good hitting but only just enough pitching so to compete they needed anyone to reach their ceiling and stay healthy.
This caused a lot of inconsistencies, some years pitching was good and they win 93 and other year two pitchers get hurt and 3 under perform and then they win 78.
Last ten years? The last drafted starter that showed anything for multiple season was Buchholz drafted in 2005. He’s remembered more for injuries and unfulfilled potential. The last consistent winner drafted was Jon Lester in 2002.
You don’t win four championships in fifteen years without pitching. But, it was all acquired by free agency and trades.
I don’t have any problem with Dombrowski trading away the ranch to win a championship. Most teams would do the same just to win once. But, the team will ultimately pay the price. Dombrowski is not the guy you want in charge of a rebuild.
Don’t listen to Tony from Meffid ** (calling Felger and Spaz) who knows it all because he coached a LL team to a championship. The Sox didn’t need a big trade at the deadline. The Sox can’t afford to give up prospects just to have a better chance to win one round in the playoffs. The surgeon general has determined listening to sports radio causes brain damage.
The Sox are in a state of flux and rebuilding. They exceeded expectations this year. Winning 92 this year doesn’t mean they won’t play .500 or under ball next year.
You couldn’t name half of next season’s pitching rotation and bullpen at the moment. You could only guess. The Sox desperately need a reliable #2 pitcher behind Sale. With the exception of Whitlock they need a bullpenectomy.
** If you want to piss someone off from Medford call them a Meffie.
If this was the Haywood Sullivan years the Sox would have brought in a washed up Marichal or Seaver and tried to convince us they were still Hall of Fame pitchers who would make a difference.
It’s so loud when either the Rays or Sox do something it’s hard to tell who is the home team. There must be a lot of Sox fans at the game.
@RJM posted:It’s so loud when either the Rays or Sox do something it’s hard to tell who is the home team. There must be a lot of Sox fans at the game.
In the past, I know many fans "in the Nation" that fly to Tampa to see a game or series. I've done it a couple times and it is cheaper overall when you include ticket cost, ticket availability, transportation and hotel. Apparently this is still a trend even with jacked up Jet Blue tickets based on the noise at the "Trop" last night. The only bad thing about the "Trop" is that it is a "Trop". While I refer to Fenway as a dump sometimes..... it is a historic dump with quirky seating arrangements....and it is our dump. The "Trop" has nothing going for it other than available seating.
@fenwaysouth posted:The only bad thing about the "Trop" is that it is a "Trop".
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I don’t mind the Trop. They’ve done a decent job with what they have to deal with. I’d like to see something in east Tampa. You’d be able to pull some west Orlando and the Lakeland area. You’d lose some St Pete fans but they don’t go as it is so who cares. You’d definitely pick up a bunch of the Tampa fans.
@fenwaysouth posted:In the past, I know many fans "in the Nation" that fly to Tampa to see a game or series. I've done it a couple times and it is cheaper overall when you include ticket cost, ticket availability, transportation and hotel. Apparently this is still a trend even with jacked up Jet Blue tickets based on the noise at the "Trop" last night. The only bad thing about the "Trop" is that it is a "Trop". While I refer to Fenway as a dump sometimes..... it is a historic dump with quirky seating arrangements....and it is our dump. The "Trop" has nothing going for it other than available seating.
I didn’t burn frequent flyer miles going to see my daughter play softball in Tampa. Jet Blue was too inexpensive to burn miles. She did notice I was very partial to coming to watch in February and March.
I try to make sure I’m in Philadelphia on business and to see my kids when the Sox are in Baltimore on the weekend. I buy $10 obstructed view seats. Then I sit ten rows behind the dugout.
Once past historic Fenway is a dump underneath. But it’s my history of fandom. I spent a lot of time there as a kid. My first MLB game was watching the Yankees at Fenway in 1961.
Imagine how you would respond today if your 14yo kid told you he took the T into Boston and went to a MLB game by himself? I did it. I knew friends were there. Miraculously I ran into them among 34,000 fans.
The Rays averaged 9,000 a game for a 100 win team. They’re favorites to go to the World Series and only sell 65% of the seats. I don’t care how bad the stadium is or where it’s located. This is pathetic.
The owner is already talking about split city residence.** When MLB says no and there isn’t a new stadium in 2028 I’m guessing the Rays pack up and leave completely with total support from MLB leadership and ownership.
** Only a desperate free agent would agree to live in and pay for two cities in the same season. A player with kids likely wouldn’t consider it all.
@RJM posted:The Rays averaged 9,000 a game for a 100 win team. They’re favorites to go to the World Series and only sell 65% of the seats. I don’t care how bad the stadium is or where it’s located. This is pathetic.
The owner is already talking about split city residence.** When MLB says no and there isn’t a new stadium in 2028 I’m guessing the Rays pack up and leave completely with total support from MLB leadership and ownership.
** Only a desperate free agent would agree to live in and pay for two cities in the same season. A player with kids likely wouldn’t consider it all.
I heard this is more a move to put pressure on the city or state because they don't want to pay for a new stadium in California with tax payer money.
The ownership would prefer a stadium in Tampa instead of st Pete but there is no traction for them getting a new stadium there
San Diego refused to build a football stadium for the Chargers. Rams ownership completely financed Sofi in LA. The Athletics are struggling with the Oakland city council about a new stadium. The Raiders gave up and left. Raiders ownership had to pay 60% of the financing for Allegiant. Even while Vegas was desperate to steal away the Raiders Clark County only paid 40%.
The days of cities giving free stadiums to billionaires is over. It should be. Cities have more pressing issues. Rays fans have seven years to learn how to properly say “au revoir” to their team. Using Bill Belichick vernacular, “We’re on to Montreal.”
I'm holding out hope that the Rays or Athletics move to Nashville...
The Red Sox have returned to over performing. It’s the right time for it.
Have to say I'm kind of bored of the Dodgers. But, Mookie - wow.
@RJM posted:San Diego refused to build a football stadium for the Chargers. Rams ownership completely financed Sofi in LA. The Athletics are struggling with the Oakland city council about a new stadium. The Raiders gave up and left. Raiders ownership had to pay 60% of the financing for Allegiant. Even while Vegas was desperate to steal away the Raiders Clark County only paid 40%.
The days of cities giving free stadiums to billionaires is over. It should be. Cities have more pressing issues. Rays fans have seven years to learn how to properly say “au revoir” to their team. Using Bill Belichick vernacular, “We’re on to Montreal.”
I've always thought that if a municipality fully or partially finances a stadium for a team it should acquire an ownership stake in that team.
@anotherparent posted:Have to say I'm kind of bored of the Dodgers. But, Mookie - wow.
Mookie had a nice game. Mad Max was great in relief (1st career save), but terrible call and way to end the series (phantom check swing).
@Ripken Fan posted:Mookie had a nice game. Mad Max was great in relief (1st career save), but terrible call and way to end the series (phantom check swing).
Yeah, that left a mark. So did Eddings missing two pitches in the same Kris Bryant at bat.
https://twitter.com/UmpireAudi...837832902995973?s=20
Oh, well, @That's Baseball .
The officiating has been flat-out awful, across the board. Not an excuse for the Giants loss, they should have scored more runs. Bad calls do however affect a batters approach. The phantom called third strike...
@RJM posted:The Red Sox have returned to over performing. It’s the right time for it.
Hold that thought. Chris Sale is starting ALCS game 1 tonight against the Astros. He had TJ surgery 18 months ago, and is not the Chris Sale of yesteryear just yet. I'm having a difficult time thinking positive thoughts, and wondering if Cora has lost his mind. I hope Sale proves me wrong and I'm the idiot....and that is all I have to say about that.
When the Sox played great the first half of the season I figured they were grossly over performing or MLB sucks. I had them for 74-78 wins. When the played .500 ball the second half figured that's who they are. They were playing .500 in September. Even that couldn't knock them out.
I've had no expectations. I just wanted them to beat the Yankees in one game. I didn't think there was any chance in hell they would beat the Rays. Sox pitching sucks.
I don't think the Astros are any better or worse than the Sox. I can't even put up a delusional arguement for why the Sox should win. I can't be disappointed. I can only be pleased.if they win.
I didn't even bother to read the justification for starting Sale. Let the over performing continue.
@Picked Off posted:The officiating has been flat-out awful, across the board. Not an excuse for the Giants loss, they should have scored more runs. Bad calls do however affect a batters approach. The phantom called third strike...
From The Athletic (worth every penny, highly recommend):
“But when they (the Giants) saw the umpiring crew they drew for the series, alarm bells immediately went off. Crew chief and Game 3 plate umpire Ted Barrett’s 92.6 percent accuracy score calling balls and strikes was tied for 15th worst among 90 umpires to work at least 10 regular-season games. He was tied with Angel Hernandez, who drew the plate for Game 2. And Eddings not only had the 12th-least accurate zone, but his 0.16 average leverage index, a measure of the average absolute value of the run impact of each missed call across all games, was the worst in the major leagues.
The Giants, who built so much of their offensive success on zone discipline, and who would be facing the best pitching staff in the National League, felt that they would get just one better than average plate umpire, Pat Hoberg, in the series. They knew the umpiring crew would make a critical impact on the series one way or another. There was vigorous discussion over why umpires who rated so poorly, both in terms of metrics and reputation, would be assigned not only to a postseason series, but to one involving two highly successful, highly disciplined teams that featured the two lowest chase rates in the major leagues. This was a series and a matchup that by its nature would make a bad umpire uncomfortably stick out.
“I don’t know if you noticed how often we swung at early-count fastballs,” one Giants player said. “We had to change our approach. We knew it as soon as we saw who the umpires would be. You can’t leave it up to them.”
“We drew three total wild cards.”
The grumbles were less a complaint or excuse and more of a lament. After all, the Dodgers had to play with the same uncertainty behind the plate. The general feeling in the Giants clubhouse: It was just too bad that Major League Baseball assigned a crew like thatto a series like this.
“Like, how?” said one Giants source. “How did we draw such an awful crew?”
In their final game of the season, a Giants offense that posted the second-lowest chase rate in the major leagues drew no walks and struck out 13 times.“
Fascinating. Thanks for sharing, Senna.
Thanks for sharing the article @Senna. I know I'm going to catch a lot of sh*t for this, but I'll say it anyway.....for all that is holy please bring in the robo-umpires to call balls and strikes. I'm tired of this idea that "we've got to keep the human factor alive in the game". No we don't, we really freaking don't!
I'm your typical MLB fan today...I'm 59 years old and I've loved the game since I could say "Rico Petrocelli". At 59 I've embraced technology in my life and made a career of it. It can do very positive things for our everyday lives. Other major and minor sports across the globe have gone in that direction. All major tennis tournament line calls have gone 100% to computers through Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. There are no tennis player line call arguments and play continues. It really is that simple. If a computer can handle service line calls in the 130-140mph range it most certainly can learn and handle anything else with the video technology available today. Baseball is in need of a major overhaul. The money is too big and we've got to grow the fan base as we compete with other sports that use technology. If professional baseball want to appeal to younger generations they have to move forward with the use of technology otherwise baseball is going to become the sport that only grandmas and grandpas follow.
Sorry, end of rant. I'm cranky when the Red Sox lose. I'd be significantly crankier if I was a Giants fan.
@Senna posted:From The Athletic (worth every penny, highly recommend):
“But when they (the Giants) saw the umpiring crew they drew for the series, alarm bells immediately went off. Crew chief and Game 3 plate umpire Ted Barrett’s 92.6 percent accuracy score calling balls and strikes was tied for 15th worst among 90 umpires to work at least 10 regular-season games. He was tied with Angel Hernandez, who drew the plate for Game 2. And Eddings not only had the 12th-least accurate zone, but his 0.16 average leverage index, a measure of the average absolute value of the run impact of each missed call across all games, was the worst in the major leagues.
The Giants, who built so much of their offensive success on zone discipline, and who would be facing the best pitching staff in the National League, felt that they would get just one better than average plate umpire, Pat Hoberg, in the series. They knew the umpiring crew would make a critical impact on the series one way or another. There was vigorous discussion over why umpires who rated so poorly, both in terms of metrics and reputation, would be assigned not only to a postseason series, but to one involving two highly successful, highly disciplined teams that featured the two lowest chase rates in the major leagues. This was a series and a matchup that by its nature would make a bad umpire uncomfortably stick out.
“I don’t know if you noticed how often we swung at early-count fastballs,” one Giants player said. “We had to change our approach. We knew it as soon as we saw who the umpires would be. You can’t leave it up to them.”
“We drew three total wild cards.”
The grumbles were less a complaint or excuse and more of a lament. After all, the Dodgers had to play with the same uncertainty behind the plate. The general feeling in the Giants clubhouse: It was just too bad that Major League Baseball assigned a crew like thatto a series like this.
“Like, how?” said one Giants source. “How did we draw such an awful crew?”
In their final game of the season, a Giants offense that posted the second-lowest chase rate in the major leagues drew no walks and struck out 13 times.“
Thanks for the article. I think that most baseball fans prefer having umpires behind the plate. What we really need is ones that are accurate. Why would MLB assign some of the worst to a game that was so important. Why not treat them like we treat other athletes? If a player strikes out every at bat, he will eventually not get any at bats. These umpires seem to have lifetime contracts without any consequences for poor performance. In some cases, they wear it like a badge of honor. It’s a young mans game played by highly talented, well conditioned athletes, which by the way is the exact opposite what we see when Blue takes the field.
I have met a MLB ump at a holiday party who is personal friends with our friend. Nice guy, after a few beverages he had a lot to say about what it like behind the plate. Who gets the tight zone, who has a bad attitude. It was very interesting. By the way, they get treated like royalty. First class tickets everywhere, 5 Star hotels, and from the looks of most, they have a very a big food & beverage budget.
In the end, I think everyone just wants accountability. I’m sure it’s a really hard job, but most jobs are when you are making upwards of $400K working 162 games.
If players can be sent down for not performing why not umpires?