I don't see a thread for this yet, so I'll start it.
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I pick both 
Hold a gun to my head and I pick the Rangers but the Giants have proven something to me.
This Cliff Lee versus Tim Lincecum matchup could be one of the great ones of all time. I think back to Jack Morris and John Smoltz and game 7 and Morris throwing a 10 inning shutout. Would be really cool if we could see something like that.
Hold a gun to my head and I pick the Rangers but the Giants have proven something to me.
This Cliff Lee versus Tim Lincecum matchup could be one of the great ones of all time. I think back to Jack Morris and John Smoltz and game 7 and Morris throwing a 10 inning shutout. Would be really cool if we could see something like that.
The Giants pitching staff shut down the hottest offense in the MLB this season.
The Giants are also a good hitting team who gain a further advantage from the DH spot.
Giants in five.
The Giants are also a good hitting team who gain a further advantage from the DH spot.
Giants in five.
Giants in 7, hopefully...I want to see seven games before the long, cold winter begins.
Giants team is only hitting .231 with 3 runs a game and just 20 extra base hits in the playoffs with an era of 2.47.
Rangers are hitting .281 and almost 6 runs a game with 40 extra base hits (Rangers have almost as many HRs as Giants have extra base hits), with an era of 2.76.
First time you see a hitter, big advantage to the pitcher...except, I'll bet you Molina's been debriefing the Ranger hitters on Giant's pitchers non-stop since Saturday.
Rangers are hitting .281 and almost 6 runs a game with 40 extra base hits (Rangers have almost as many HRs as Giants have extra base hits), with an era of 2.76.
First time you see a hitter, big advantage to the pitcher...except, I'll bet you Molina's been debriefing the Ranger hitters on Giant's pitchers non-stop since Saturday.
RANGERS in GM6.
And, Ron Washington, is the difference maker. His boys will absolutely walk thru fire for him. Does he have the best roster? Maybe not, but day in-day out, he absolutely gets the best they've got. No doubter - AL Manager of the Year!
It's TIME
quote:Giants team is only hitting .231 with 3 runs a game and just 20 extra base hits in the playoffs with an era of 2.47.
Those stats tell as much about the Giants entire season as they do the quality of the pitching they have faced: Halladay(2 games), Oswalt(3 games), Hammels, Hudson and Derek Lowe(who had an ERA of nearly 1.00 since July.)
The Giants don't play for 5 runs per game. They play for 3. With an ERA of 2.47, and a bullpen that is superior to most any in baseball this year, they compete.
The other aspect to remember is the Giants play nearly every game as a one run game so their mindset is to grind, grind, grind just like they did on Saturday night when they were down 2-0 after one inning to Oswalt.
Those Rangers offensive numbers are also including the DH for the Rangers. They don't have that in the NL and Vlad has to play in a very big outfield at AT&T and put their pitcher in the 9 slot and make double switches and the like.
Bochy has proven to be as good as any managing in the NL this year with hit ability and flexibility throughout the line up.
quote:Originally posted by GunEmDown10:
And, Ron Washington, is the difference maker. His boys will absolutely walk thru fire for him. Does he have the best roster? Maybe not, but day in-day out, he absolutely gets the best they've got. No doubter - AL Manager of the Year!
One could argue, Texas does have the best roster right now. Nolan Ryan gets lots of credit for hiring/not firing Washington. Either way, Washington has coached an exciting brand of baseball and obviously deserves lots of credit.
I kind of like how the Texas players are giving the credit to the team rather than taking it for themselves. I noticed Josh Hamilton and Michael Young doing this and it was refreshing frankly. Texas has many players who are easy to root for. I think the Giants also have players who are fun to root for and play the game the right way.
Still hard to get used to blackbeard however
Giants don't win this series unless they average more than 3 runs a game. The Rangers will take them out of their game.
quote:Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
I kind of like how the Texas players are giving the credit to the team rather than taking it for themselves. I noticed Josh Hamilton and Michael Young doing this and it was refreshing....
The amazing thing is it is truly genuine, it's not Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh shtick.
GED10DaD
Do you honestly believe the Rangers line up is offensively superior to the Phillies?
Is this an issue of the Phillies and Braves not hitting, or good pitching stopping them?
Is this an issue of the Phillies and Braves not hitting, or good pitching stopping them?
quote:Still hard to get used to blackbeard however
CD, it is much easier to take when you see the 97 mph fastball on the black and the 91 mph slider at the knees freezing Ryan Howard with a 3-2 count and the tieing and winning run in scoring position.
Consistantly, uh.. yeah. The real difference is the do-or-die winning attitude and enthusiasm that equals production on the field.
I saw the ball fly in the RANGERS games, against great pitching...
GED10DaD
I saw the ball fly in the RANGERS games, against great pitching...
GED10DaD
quote:I saw the ball fly in the RANGERS games, against great pitching...
Naw, GED. CC's no good. Neither is Pettitte. I don't think the Rays have anyone that can pitch either.
Either way, it is going to be a great series. I think we'd all agree there is alot of talent in both dugouts!
GED10DaD
GED10DaD
I guess that is why they play the games.
The Giants will send out all those has-beens and cast offs like Huff, Uribe, Renteria, Sanchez, Ross, Burrell, Torres, fill in with a wide eyed rookie behind the plate in the 4 hole, stick a 21 year old out there as their starter in game 4 and probably get steam rolled.
Guess their team chemistry and grind, grind, grind mentality takes a back seat, but I don't know how that gets measured except by what we see on Fox?
No doubt the Rangers and Ron Washington have captured the public attention. When they ousted the Yankees, there were a lot of posts on this site.
When the Giants won on Saturday... nothing.
What a series this would have been with the Phillies and Rangers...except the cast offs and has-beens combined with great pitching to spoil that one.
The Giants will send out all those has-beens and cast offs like Huff, Uribe, Renteria, Sanchez, Ross, Burrell, Torres, fill in with a wide eyed rookie behind the plate in the 4 hole, stick a 21 year old out there as their starter in game 4 and probably get steam rolled.
Guess their team chemistry and grind, grind, grind mentality takes a back seat, but I don't know how that gets measured except by what we see on Fox?
No doubt the Rangers and Ron Washington have captured the public attention. When they ousted the Yankees, there were a lot of posts on this site.
When the Giants won on Saturday... nothing.
What a series this would have been with the Phillies and Rangers...except the cast offs and has-beens combined with great pitching to spoil that one.
INFDaD - I love the Giants! As a matter of fact, as long as I coached baseball, I never had a Rangers team. But, I had 6-7 Giants teams! I'd be rooting for the Giants in any other circumstance.
GED10DaD
GED10DaD
quote:Originally posted by infielddad:
I guess that is why they play the games.
The Giants will send out all those has-beens and cast offs like Huff, Uribe, Renteria, Sanchez, Ross, Burrell, Torres, fill in with a wide eyed rookie behind the plate in the 4 hole, stick a 21 year old out there as their starter in game 4 and probably get steam rolled.
Guess their team chemistry and grind, grind, grind mentality takes a back seat, but I don't know how that gets measured except by what we see on Fox?
No doubt the Rangers and Ron Washington have captured the public attention. When they ousted the Yankees, there were a lot of posts on this site.
When the Giants won on Saturday... nothing.
What a series this would have been with the Phillies and Rangers...except the cast offs and has-beens combined with great pitching to spoil that one.
With the Giants pitching alone, they take a back seat to no one imho.
I simply cannot wait for the game one matchup and the all the games that follow frankly. Very excited that these two teams are in it.
Even though the Rangers have an offensive reputation, they are still pretty good themselves at grinding and playing small ball if necessary.
Because of the pitching in this series on both sides, this might be one of the most exciting series that any of us have seen in a long time.
quote:Originally posted by Baseballdad1228:
Giants in 7, hopefully...I want to see seven games before the long, cold winter begins.
With extra innings in the 7th game!!
The SF paper had a great article about Ron Washington this morning. I am a little surprised there isn't as much intrigue about Billy Beane passing him over for Geren a few years back.
At the time, the players comments, more than anything, spoke considerably about Washington and said much more than the actions/value judgments of the A's management in letting him go.
Those 2 guys in the dugouts, Washington and Bochy are tough minded guys, they are leaders, and they have created a very competitive environment that is very similar in terms of chemistry. They each get the very best of out their entire 25 man roster.
I will be the first to agree that I like the 8 position players Washington puts in the line up over the 8 Bochy does.
I was saying that all year. I am thrilled to be saying it in late October.
CD, if this series gets decided on small ball, I don't like the chances in SF. If there is a weakness in their execution, when we take out the ability of Freddy Sanchez in the 2 hole and Posey in the 4 hole, it is their ability to play small ball, advance runners, bunt, hit/run and the like. They can be a double play nightmare from a fan's perspective.
Duane Kuiper, one of their terrific announcers coined this earlier this year: Giant's baseball...Torture. At first, the Giant's PR people seemed to hate it. Now they and the fan base embrace it.
There is something about this series and the match ups that reminds me of the Dodger/Twins series from 1965, other than Koufax won't be pitching on 2 days rest.
At the time, the players comments, more than anything, spoke considerably about Washington and said much more than the actions/value judgments of the A's management in letting him go.
Those 2 guys in the dugouts, Washington and Bochy are tough minded guys, they are leaders, and they have created a very competitive environment that is very similar in terms of chemistry. They each get the very best of out their entire 25 man roster.
I will be the first to agree that I like the 8 position players Washington puts in the line up over the 8 Bochy does.
I was saying that all year. I am thrilled to be saying it in late October.
CD, if this series gets decided on small ball, I don't like the chances in SF. If there is a weakness in their execution, when we take out the ability of Freddy Sanchez in the 2 hole and Posey in the 4 hole, it is their ability to play small ball, advance runners, bunt, hit/run and the like. They can be a double play nightmare from a fan's perspective.
Duane Kuiper, one of their terrific announcers coined this earlier this year: Giant's baseball...Torture. At first, the Giant's PR people seemed to hate it. Now they and the fan base embrace it.
There is something about this series and the match ups that reminds me of the Dodger/Twins series from 1965, other than Koufax won't be pitching on 2 days rest.
In another thread the poster talked about a 'baseball moment"..
Back when Brian Wilson was a HS junior he played with our travel team---in between stops in the East
Coast Summer Schedule we took a couple of days off and the team stayed at my home=
My wife now has a revitalized interest in baseball now that Brian has reached the heights that he has and it no longer a problem for me to have the Giants game on TV in the main room so she can watch and root..
You want to talk about "baseball moments" !!! It will in all probability cause her to record The Apprentice.
By the way I like the Giants in 7---should be a fun series
Back when Brian Wilson was a HS junior he played with our travel team---in between stops in the East
Coast Summer Schedule we took a couple of days off and the team stayed at my home=
My wife now has a revitalized interest in baseball now that Brian has reached the heights that he has and it no longer a problem for me to have the Giants game on TV in the main room so she can watch and root..
You want to talk about "baseball moments" !!! It will in all probability cause her to record The Apprentice.
By the way I like the Giants in 7---should be a fun series
Giants.
I don't care who wins as long as both teams play up to their potential. If that happens it will be a classic series and I hope it gets good TV numbers.
I will say that I'm pretty happy that 3 years after Bonds then Giants are in the World Series. Makes rooting for them a lot easier without him on the roster but if I had to choose I would go with the Rangers.
I will say that I'm pretty happy that 3 years after Bonds then Giants are in the World Series. Makes rooting for them a lot easier without him on the roster but if I had to choose I would go with the Rangers.
I'm really looking forward to this Series because of the make-up of both teams and, because I don't have a favorite, I can sit back, relax and really enjoy the games.
I believe in Baseball KARMA and I believe Texas has it and will win the Series. Hamilton and Lee will be every bit as good as advertised in this one!
I believe in Baseball KARMA and I believe Texas has it and will win the Series. Hamilton and Lee will be every bit as good as advertised in this one!
Benji Molina, Whether texas or the GIANTS win he gets a ring
Rangers in Six...but I wouldn't be surprised if it went either way? The Rangers offense, when running on All Cylinders, is incredible with a combination of speed and power. BUT, great pitching usually beats great hitting, and the Giants have the arms. This should be a very good series.
Giants in 7. I have to admit it will be hard to
root against Texas. Hopefully it will be a
series to remember.
root against Texas. Hopefully it will be a
series to remember.
The Josh Hamilton story continues, Rangers in seven. 7Ups all around. The made for tv movie will be released before next season.
I have to take the Rangers in six or seven games. I feel there is no one on the Giants to match the singular talent of Hamilton. Torres and Sanchez have to continue to hit as they did in the last games against the Phils for the Giants to have a chance as they must have someone on for their two solid hitters--Huff and Posey. Otherwise the Giants will really struggle for runs. The top pitcher on either team right now is Lee to me, but the Giant's relief corp has an edge in my book. Starters are very close with several guys capable of throwing a shutout. More power, speed, and athleticism on Texas.
Los Gigantes en seises!!!
Rangers in 6. However, I'm the "angel of death" when it come to these predictions. My track record for the ALDS, ALCS, NLDS, NLCS speaks for itself...I'm keeping the day job.
What is Lincecum smoking?
That has been pretty well documented, CD 
quote:Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
What is Lincecum smoking?
probably the same stuff he was caught with last year!
I'm rooting for a 7th game.