The Baseball Post-Season
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FilmFan720
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Mister Tee
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It's certainly a shock that the Twins have lost both their Santana and Dome advantages. However, if any team has shown an ability to fritter away a 2-0 lead, it's the A's, who haven't advanced past the first round in this four-division era. Outlook for Minnesota: dubious, but not yet terminal.
The Mets seem to be being mocked by the gods, losing their projected 1-2 starters, but the offense carried the day yesterday (thanks in part to that splendid pile-up at the plate). High-scoring and bullpen have been the Mets' primary weapons all season; they'll have to hope it's all they need.
The Padres obviously need to rebound; it helps that, beyond Carpenter, the St. Louis rotation is undistinguished.
The Yankees/Tigers started out about as expected; we'll see what effect the rain postponement had on the pitchers.
The Mets seem to be being mocked by the gods, losing their projected 1-2 starters, but the offense carried the day yesterday (thanks in part to that splendid pile-up at the plate). High-scoring and bullpen have been the Mets' primary weapons all season; they'll have to hope it's all they need.
The Padres obviously need to rebound; it helps that, beyond Carpenter, the St. Louis rotation is undistinguished.
The Yankees/Tigers started out about as expected; we'll see what effect the rain postponement had on the pitchers.
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Eric
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I'm thrilled, of course, although I have to admit that I haven't had the same sort of time this year to watch the Twins' season as I have in their other years, so my excitement is not based on the validation of watching a great season unfold but rather the limited, second-hand glow from sort of hopping the bandwagon. (Though even during seasons I don't pay as much attention to as I have in the past, the Twins are still my favorite team by far. Of course it helps that baseball is the only sport I much care about outside of Olympic games, et al.)
Hmm... This is tough because Santana's last few starts have been a struggle. Plus they've won far fewer day games than the A's. My superstitious self wants to give it to the A's, but I'm going to throw caution to the wind and give Minnesota the first round, at least, in 5 games. They've certainly got the, how you say, "clutch" factor in their favor.
And, impressive though their bid is, I can't see Detroit getting over their demoralizing last-season slump. I'm almost tempted to give it to the Yanks in 3, but I'll defer to the fact that they weren't always slumping this season, so we'll make it 4.
So it looks like the Twins will end up facing the Yankees as everyone suspected up until Sunday. If and when that happens ... well, we'll get there when we get there.
I know nothing about the National League, though. I'll just go with standard intel and say Mets in 4 and San Diego in 5.
Hmm... This is tough because Santana's last few starts have been a struggle. Plus they've won far fewer day games than the A's. My superstitious self wants to give it to the A's, but I'm going to throw caution to the wind and give Minnesota the first round, at least, in 5 games. They've certainly got the, how you say, "clutch" factor in their favor.
And, impressive though their bid is, I can't see Detroit getting over their demoralizing last-season slump. I'm almost tempted to give it to the Yanks in 3, but I'll defer to the fact that they weren't always slumping this season, so we'll make it 4.
So it looks like the Twins will end up facing the Yankees as everyone suspected up until Sunday. If and when that happens ... well, we'll get there when we get there.
I know nothing about the National League, though. I'll just go with standard intel and say Mets in 4 and San Diego in 5.
Any true baseball fan is, of course, going to have a rooting interest in the playoffs, the degree of which depends on the participants. (And a great big hallelujah that the Braves and Bobby Cox are nowhere to be seen this year! and that goes double for the homophobic "Christian" Smoltz!)
I always root for the Mets except for when they are playing the Giants, so I'm with them all the way this year -- although as Tee points out, they did a lot of coasting as the season wound down, and with no Pedro everyone else is going to have to ratch it up.
The Tigers were so much fun -- and such an inspiration -- in the early part of the year, that their collapse was sad to witness, and it's hard to see how they get past the vile Yankees.
I agree with Tee that the surging Twins could go all the way, but playoffs have a way of upsetting expectations . . .
My nightmare, of course, is a World Series consisting of the Dodgers and the Yankees. As a total National League person, I always root for the NL team in the Series (even in these days when League distinctions have been largely eradicated) unless it's the Dodgers, but if it's Dodgers/Yankees then I am forced to -- yikes! -- bleed Dodger Blue a week and a half -- it has happened several times in the past, and I don't like it!
My predictions:
Mets over Dodgers 3-2
Padres over Cardinals 3-2
New York over Tigers 3-1
Twins over As 3-2
I always root for the Mets except for when they are playing the Giants, so I'm with them all the way this year -- although as Tee points out, they did a lot of coasting as the season wound down, and with no Pedro everyone else is going to have to ratch it up.
The Tigers were so much fun -- and such an inspiration -- in the early part of the year, that their collapse was sad to witness, and it's hard to see how they get past the vile Yankees.
I agree with Tee that the surging Twins could go all the way, but playoffs have a way of upsetting expectations . . .
My nightmare, of course, is a World Series consisting of the Dodgers and the Yankees. As a total National League person, I always root for the NL team in the Series (even in these days when League distinctions have been largely eradicated) unless it's the Dodgers, but if it's Dodgers/Yankees then I am forced to -- yikes! -- bleed Dodger Blue a week and a half -- it has happened several times in the past, and I don't like it!
My predictions:
Mets over Dodgers 3-2
Padres over Cardinals 3-2
New York over Tigers 3-1
Twins over As 3-2
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
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FilmFan720
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Mister Tee, I am as always impressed by your memory. I grew up in Detroit, and next to my beloved Cubbies the Tigers are my team. They have been much more exciting to follow this season, and I am rooting for them all the way into this postseason.
That said, I think they may have an uphill battle against these Yankees. They are truly an amazing offense, although I question their pitching. I agree that Eric should be the happiest, as his Twins cannot be counted out this postseason. They are a strong team, on a roll, with homefield advantage in more ways than one.
That said, here are my humble predictions:
Minnesota over Oakland 3-1
New York over Detroit 3-2 (sadly)
San Diego over St. Louis 3-1
Los Angeles over New York 3-2 (in the upset of the year)
Tripp
That said, I think they may have an uphill battle against these Yankees. They are truly an amazing offense, although I question their pitching. I agree that Eric should be the happiest, as his Twins cannot be counted out this postseason. They are a strong team, on a roll, with homefield advantage in more ways than one.
That said, here are my humble predictions:
Minnesota over Oakland 3-1
New York over Detroit 3-2 (sadly)
San Diego over St. Louis 3-1
Los Angeles over New York 3-2 (in the upset of the year)
Tripp
"Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good."
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Mister Tee
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The Sports section seems to have disappeared, so I guess this is the spot for this.
The regular season is over. Valiant runs by the Phils and Astros came up just a bit short; their fans likely wish they'd had one or two more weeks. (Same with the now ex-champion White Sox, who no doubt figure the Tigers would have dropped to third place, given time) Damien's Giants made an unlikely stab in the last weeks but faded; and the less said of FilmFan's Cubs, the better. That leaves only Eric, Sonic and I with rooting interests among the survivors. (Though I seem to recall FilmFan said he began as a Tigers' fan -- and perhaps there are crypto-Mets/A's/Dodgers loyalists out there waiting to declare)
In the AL, I have to like the Twins' chances over the A's. Both teams managed strong late-season runs (the Twins despite cruelly losing their second-best pitcher), but the Twins now have Santana potentially going twice, and the prohibitive Dome-field advantage. I think the Twins are, in fact, a serious threat to go all the way.
Standing in the way, of course, will be the Yanks, who weathered the loss of 60 homers and 200+ RBI (Matsui/Sheffield) for most of the season, first by uncharacteristically relying on cheap substitutes (Viva Melky!), and then, more typically, by going out and adding Abreu. The folks at Baseball Prospectus say that, had Abreu been there from the start, this might have been the best Yankee offense EVER -- which is to say, topping that bunch of wankers named Ruth/Gehrig/Lazzeri, who rang up some numbers in 1927.
The Yanks first have to get past a Detroit team that crawled into the playoffs (19-31 the last 50 games), and beat the Yanks only two times in seven tries this season (both times by reversing 9th inning leads on nights Rivera wasn't available -- a situation they won't likely encounter this week). I never look past any round -- I remember Mets/Reds '73, Mets/Dodgers '88 -- but it's certainly hard for a Yankee fan not to feel alot more positive than last year.
On the other side of town, the question is, are the Mets that good, or is the rest of the National League just that bad? Up till about a week ago, the Red Sox -- who are thought to have collapsed utterly -- had a better record than the NL's second-best team. Thus, the Mets were able to coast, despite being without their two Cy Young winners for lengthy stretches of time. The absence of Martinez may eventually come to bite them, but it's hard to see them having much trouble getting past anyone but San Diego to the Series. I mean, if the NL had any ability to play up to their level, wouldn't they have shown some sign of it by now?
Second round predictions are pointless till the facts are in.
So, how do others see this? (Apart from, of course, rooting against the Yankees)
The regular season is over. Valiant runs by the Phils and Astros came up just a bit short; their fans likely wish they'd had one or two more weeks. (Same with the now ex-champion White Sox, who no doubt figure the Tigers would have dropped to third place, given time) Damien's Giants made an unlikely stab in the last weeks but faded; and the less said of FilmFan's Cubs, the better. That leaves only Eric, Sonic and I with rooting interests among the survivors. (Though I seem to recall FilmFan said he began as a Tigers' fan -- and perhaps there are crypto-Mets/A's/Dodgers loyalists out there waiting to declare)
In the AL, I have to like the Twins' chances over the A's. Both teams managed strong late-season runs (the Twins despite cruelly losing their second-best pitcher), but the Twins now have Santana potentially going twice, and the prohibitive Dome-field advantage. I think the Twins are, in fact, a serious threat to go all the way.
Standing in the way, of course, will be the Yanks, who weathered the loss of 60 homers and 200+ RBI (Matsui/Sheffield) for most of the season, first by uncharacteristically relying on cheap substitutes (Viva Melky!), and then, more typically, by going out and adding Abreu. The folks at Baseball Prospectus say that, had Abreu been there from the start, this might have been the best Yankee offense EVER -- which is to say, topping that bunch of wankers named Ruth/Gehrig/Lazzeri, who rang up some numbers in 1927.
The Yanks first have to get past a Detroit team that crawled into the playoffs (19-31 the last 50 games), and beat the Yanks only two times in seven tries this season (both times by reversing 9th inning leads on nights Rivera wasn't available -- a situation they won't likely encounter this week). I never look past any round -- I remember Mets/Reds '73, Mets/Dodgers '88 -- but it's certainly hard for a Yankee fan not to feel alot more positive than last year.
On the other side of town, the question is, are the Mets that good, or is the rest of the National League just that bad? Up till about a week ago, the Red Sox -- who are thought to have collapsed utterly -- had a better record than the NL's second-best team. Thus, the Mets were able to coast, despite being without their two Cy Young winners for lengthy stretches of time. The absence of Martinez may eventually come to bite them, but it's hard to see them having much trouble getting past anyone but San Diego to the Series. I mean, if the NL had any ability to play up to their level, wouldn't they have shown some sign of it by now?
Second round predictions are pointless till the facts are in.
So, how do others see this? (Apart from, of course, rooting against the Yankees)