MLB Playoffs 2007 - here we go

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Interesting you mention the Dodgers who are still imploding from the effects of a Beane disciple Paul DePodesta. The Dodgers are a perfect example of gutting a team who was 2004 division champion and then making questionable trades and signings, throwing together different statistical pieces of the puzzle and ignoring team chemistry. After a 91 loss season and clubhouse implosion in 2005 they stopped the 'experiment'.

Scrappy Latin players....look at the Angels Maicer Izturis.

Take them backwards. I totally agree there are scrappy Latin players; that was precisely my point in mentioning Stan Javier. And black players too, such as McLemore.

But the media - and the clubs - love the scrappy white guys. Put two scrappy guys on the same roster - one white and one non-white - and the white guy will get the disproportionate attention. The non-white guy will be "solid", "versatile", a "contributor". But the white guy will be "scrappy", "plays the game the right way", "always makes things happen", "brings intangibles", "is the hardest worker on the team", "has fought for everything", "has made the most of his talent".

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DePodesta is an interesting situation (and I certainly hope Plaschke is not your source of accurate information). I have some friends who are extremely well-connected inside baseball circles. The info I get is that DePodesta's biggest failing was that he has almost zero people skills, and people skills is a critical requirement of being a GM.

When DePo came in he caused a huge drain in talent, because he was such an abrasive person. Then when he didn't get along with the press, they crucified him as well. And when he P.O'd Jamie McCourt he was done.

DePo will probably never be a GM again. He will always find employment as an analyst, which is his best calling.

Oh - and Kim Ng actually cut her teeth with the Yankees.

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But I still believe the trend is firmly in place - the teams that have embraced numeric analysis most openly are disproportionately represented in the playoffs.

You cite the Dodgers as an example of an implosion. I'll put against that one implosion the successes of the Red Sox, Yankees, Oakland, Indians, and Diamondbacks.

[biskits Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close biskits]

What A Game!!!!!

Baseball doesnt get better than the NY-Cleveland game tonight!!!!
Even with the Sox-Angels game starting on TNT, I couldnt turn the channel until Cleveland scored that winning run:
Love those Indians!!!!

Go Indians!!!

GO RED SOX!!!

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

MANNY !! MANNY !

My next timeshare will be in Manny-Land !!!

Sweet !!

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

MANNY !! MANNY !

My next timeshare will be in Manny-Land !!!

Sweet !!

I called it just before he hit it.

[grest Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close grest]

MANNY !! MANNY !

My next timeshare will be in Manny-Land !!!

Sweet !!

Can I come visit??? MannyLand indeed!
Connie

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

I called it just before he hit it.

Cool ! I was afraid to hope, but when the kid from Jackson Heights gets that certain look in his eye, watch out ! I, too, raised my arms up when he did as did many at Fenway.

Did not go to the game.

B

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

Hey Red O...Whats with Lackey???With 19 wins, he's obviously a force to be reckoned with in the AL...but boy, do the Sox have his number at Fenway!!!!

Anyone think Cleveland has a chance against the Evil Empire?????

Go Indians!!!!GO SOX!!!!

Biskits,
Agreed. He has poor stats at our beloved Cathedral of Baseball aka Fenway Park.

I have $5 on the Indians and $10 on those bugs ! We, RSN, are sending the plague of locusts next. (Anything to win) .

Just what I love the most, "good Sox !"

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

Congratulations to the D'Backs and Rockies.

I am glad to see that the NL will be represented by one of the teams from the Western Division.

[mshatty Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close mshatty]

The Bartman must have showed up in Chicago last night! Congrats Diamondbacks.

[biskits Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close biskits]

Where's 4Red-O????

Hi John
Sorry about your Angels and you not getting to use your tickets tonight....
Waiting for a post with your new tagline per your bet with Beags....
Maybe after a couple more games you'll actually start to believe it!!!!


GO SOX !!!!!

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

Ah, the "Joy of Sox" !!

I don't know if I'd rather face the Indians (very strong !) or the Yankees (high anxiety with them - always !).

Hey Red, here's a "pass" if you wish. If you'd rather donate $20 to The Jimmy Fund, which is the designated charity of the Boston Red Sox, we'll call it even. www.jimmyfund.org

B

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Yankee Go Home.

[grest Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close grest]

Oh my goodness, she said happily of the Indians' victory..the evil empire has left the room!
The only negative in this as far as I can see is the potential loss of Torre, a really good man.
Connie

[biskits Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close biskits]

Sox Vs Indians

This should be a great series in that both teams have good starting rotations and solid bullpens.
Looking at regular season, Boston won 5 and lost 2 vs Indians
Sox BA against Cle was .282 vs Clevelands .223 vs Sox
Against each other, Sox's OPS is .799 vs Cleveland's .651
In almost all categories, Sox's stats make them the favorite to win
My prediction: Sox win series in 6 games
I'll be there for game 1!!!!!


GO SOX

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

From Wikipedia:

In recent years, the American professional baseball team, the New York Yankees, has been nicknamed the "evil empire" because of their huge team salaries and success in obtaining any player of their choice with lucrative contracts.

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I fail to see how Red Sox fans still referring to the Yankees in this manner is anything other than the pot calling out the kettle. Perhaps it's just a difference of perception between the front-running "Red Sox Nation" and the rest of us, but there's a lot more non-Sox fans than there are Sox fans.

WRT to the playoffs, in all honesty, they don't interest me nearly as much as the pennant races themselves. Advancing in the playoffs in baseball isn't particularly representative of team quality due to the over emphasis on starting pitching in a short series. As long as the first round of the playoffs is 5 games, they're kind of a joke, IMO. I'm in favor of reducing the regular season back to 154 games and expanding the Division Series to 7 games. Then, all of the series (DS, CS, WS) should be compressed into about 8-9 days (2-3-2 format) to reduce the likelihood of seeing one pitcher start 3 times. It'll never happen, but it should.

Steve, Elan & Red, (sorry to just quote you Elan, I couldn't get the multiquote thingie going).
I've given this a lot of thought and your opinions are yours as are mine.
I didn't respond right away as it had the potential to become contentious and I've never gone that route here on the sports desk. Let's keep it sportsman/womanlike.
Your assumptions have missed the mark. A lot of the Evil Empire "movement" was spawned because of Steinbrenner's lack of class and basic steamrolling $$$$ over teams to get "the best team that money can buy" for years past. Yes, I know, I know, the Sox have starting spending that kind of cash now for pitching, but that is a recent (since the '04 World Series) anomaly.

I have said on this and other sites for years that Joe Torre and Derek Jeter are some of the classiest players in the galaxy. Steinbrenner's words against Torre are indefensible. Torre is one of the winningest coaches around and is the heart & soul of the Yankees. His threats against Torre are truly classless and evokes images of him as the head of an evil empire a la "Darth Vader".....
If Torre gets sacked, I hope other players who are eligilble, look elsewhere.

So, Connie/Grest, Biskits, SusieQ - any thoughts ?
B.

Go Sox !