jazzeum
Four Star General
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Now wait, I though it was just established there is no such animal?
We put Gary on the endangered species list and I think we've saved the species
Baseball 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter sammy719
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We put Gary on the endangered species list and I think we've saved the species
LOL. Past history would seem to indicate that this scenario is certainly possible. Hope Super Stras stays in DC, though. -- Al
Well, going into the stretch run, the last 22 games. Nothing decided in the AL East as the NYY are only 2 1/2 games up on the Rays. Gotta say I don't like the condition of the NYY starting pitching. Right now it is Sabathia, period. Hughes has been getting less and less effective since the All-star break, ERA going through the roof. Pettitte still rehabing. Burnett too inconsistent to trust. Vasquez, well I don't think the NYY are counting on him at all. Someone needs to step up to help CC or it could be a short post-season for NYY, despite their excellent offense. Heck, the Orioles just came within 2 outs of sweeping NYY, in New York! Orioles are hot, 21-14 under Showalter and getting some excellent pitching. Their 4 main starters have won 14 of those 35 games, after winning only 12 of the first 105 games. Got me confused. Anyway, I think the NYY have got big problems. We shall see. -- Al
Where are the baseball fans on this forum? Two terrific races, AL East and NL West and no one is commenting. I'd like to see SF win in the NL West. I like their pitching and always have had a soft spot for the SF Giants. Like to see NYY win the AL East but that is real iffy as their starting pitching is CC and done. Not sure winning the East flag is all that important, though. -- Al
gk5717
2nd Lieutenant
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You know I comment from time to time about baseball, but truth be told it is my 3rd favorite sport behind hockey and football, but still heads and shoulders over basketball. In fact professional wrestling is ahead of basketball.
It was #1 for a long time until the big money hit and the strikes.
In the 50,s, 60,s and for the most part the 70,s I could just about name every player on every team, especially in the National League. Now I can,t even name all the players on my home team the Cardinals.
It,s to the point that I did not want the Cardinals to get into the post season as one of their home games might fall on the same night as a Blues home game and that would mean it would be harder to find a parking space for me attending the hockey game.
Gary
It was #1 for a long time until the big money hit and the strikes.
In the 50,s, 60,s and for the most part the 70,s I could just about name every player on every team, especially in the National League. Now I can,t even name all the players on my home team the Cardinals.
It,s to the point that I did not want the Cardinals to get into the post season as one of their home games might fall on the same night as a Blues home game and that would mean it would be harder to find a parking space for me attending the hockey game.
Gary
Warrior
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Baseball used to be but no longer is the national pastime, Football is the #1 sport in the US of A, end of story.
The race in the AL East really is not a race as both teams are getting in no matter what, so what does it really matter in the end. As far as the NL West, pretty sure that is the same scenario, both teams will make the playoffs.
The whole wild card format has taken the steam out of the whole pennant race aspect of baseball.
Just my .02, can't wait for 1:00PM tomorrow to roll around, Dolfins at Vikings, then Patriots at Jets, then the Manning bowl Giants at Colts for the Sunday night game, a nice, long full day of football.................
National past time? I think it is football, also. Except during the spring, summer and the World Series. I am a sports fan that is perfectly happy with our baseball and football life cycle. College B-ball ok for a fill in between the Big 2. If I had to pick my biggest sports loves I would have to pick the Baltimore Colts as 1. Followed by NYY, Redskins, Orioles, and UMd B-ball. So I guess you could say the NFL (circa 1960's) is my favorite. Take the Unitas factor out and my favorite is baseball. All in all, football is tops, except when baseball is tops, except when UMd. plays Duke or NC in B-ball. -- Al
-- AlDown to the last 12 games. Must brag about the O's just a bit. I know they were horrible for over 60% of the season and that I was very disappointed in their effort and results. Through 105 games the O's were the worst team in baseball and showed no inclination to change that standing. Since Showalter took over, the O's have gone 28-17, and are one of the hottest teams in baseball during that stretch. The O's have passed Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Arizona in the race to avoid the worst record and have a good shot at catching Kansas City, Cleveland, and Washington. What once seemed like a guaranteed 110 to 115 loss season has now been redirected to maybe "only" a 95ish loses. Doesn't seem like much, but it is a great improvement and accomplishment. This team has done the proverbial 180 and now might be a player next year. Who knows, maybe .500 for 2011 is not impossible. Go O's. -- Al
Through 105 games the O's were the worst team in baseball and showed no inclination to change that standing. Since Showalter took over, the O's have gone 28-17, and are one of the hottest teams in baseball during that stretch. The O's have passed Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Arizona in the race to avoid the worst record and have a good shot at catching Kansas City, Cleveland, and Washington. What once seemed like a guaranteed 110 to 115 loss season has now been redirected to maybe "only" a 95ish loses. Doesn't seem like much, but it is a great improvement and accomplishment. This team has done the proverbial 180 and now might be a player next year. Who knows, maybe .500 for 2011 is not impossible. Go O's. -- Al
sammy719
Major
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Down to the last 12 games. Must brag about the O's just a bit. I know they were horrible for over 60% of the season and that I was very disappointed in their effort and results.
100% with your statment Al, I'm so excited about the Orioles for next year, usually by now I just want the season to be over with but there is hope in 2011, let's hope it starts and finishes with ....dare I say it, possibly the Orioles back in the hunt in October?? let's hope...Sammy
Darn right we can hope. The current O's starting pitchers don't look like much off their win-loss numbers but thay have got 5 real strong starters for next season. If all stays ok, I would take the starting staff against all comers next year. Guthrie is a strong #1 pitcher. Matusz, Bergesen, and Arrieta (shut down on innings count) are all young and ready to dominate. Millwood is a vet who can pitch very effectively and anchor the rotation. The bullpen also has several solid pitchers. I like next years chances. -- Al
maddadicus
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Word of caution..Buck's act has a limited shelf life and there are reasons for his extended time down between jobs..Michael
sammy719
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Well maybe he needed a good challenge, and since my boys haven't been in contention since....I don't know when he'll do just fine, if you guys think I'm Raven crazy just wait until the O's start winning, you haven't heard nothin yet
...SammyI don't doubt it Michael. The O's obviously need a dose of Showalter to bring them out of the cult of losing. If he does that (and so far he has) for a couple of years and then moves on, so be it. Right now Showalter is what the O's need. The O's have a good pitching staff in place and with the addition of a hitter or two, they once again can be a factor in the AL East, (I hope, anyway), instead of being the doormat. Hope springs eternal.
-- Al
Louis Badolato
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The O's should have a look at the Twins. That team makes the playoffs almost every year - of course it plays in the weakest division in the AL, making that easier - but still, manages to be competitive all the time with a relatively modest payroll.
NYY picked the wrong time to go into a slump. Now even Rivera has joined in, blowing his 2nd save in the last week or so. The pitching is a shambles heading into the playoffs. The hitting is there but everyone knows pitching can stop hitting in a short series. A-rod is quietly having another good year with 29 Hrs and 119 RBIs. His support has been outstanding with Tex at 32 & 103, Cano 28 & 105, Swisher 28 & 88, Granderson 23 & 63, Posada 18 & 57, and Jeter 10 & 65. A formidable line up of hitting, but that pitching... -- Al
Well, it went down to the last day but the playoffs are set. I think we get a replay of last years WS. I like the Phillies to take the NL. I hope the NYY take the AL but am really unsure of this. Their hitting is not a question. It is their pitching that will be the focus. Sabathia and Hughes and then what? Pettitte hasn't regained form yet and Vasquez and Burnett have been close to disasters for months now. I think the NYY have a problem. Wouldn't surprise me to see NYY knocked out but I hope they win. -- Al
Orioles finished at 66-96, a big disappointment, at first glance. There is cause for hope. Showalter led the O's to a 34-23 finish. The 4 starting pitchers, (stayed healthy all year, and averaged 31 starts) went 21-13 under Showalter after going 12-41 under the first two managers. The starters lowered their ERA by 2.4+ runs in the same period. With a decent bullpen, the pitching is in good shape for 2011. The O's need to find an answer to their scoring problems. On the year, when scoring 3 or fewer runs, they went 12-70! Just over half the season. As bad as this number is, it showed improvement under Showalter when the pitchers improved their ERAs. The O's were 3-54 under the old regimes and improved to 9-16 under Buck. When scoring 4 or more runs, they went 54-26, pretty good. They were good in 1 run games, 28-21. They led baseball in extra-inning games at 13-4. So the obvious answer is to find enough hitters to score that extra run and they should be back in the thick of the race. In the last 57 games, under Buck, the O's showed they can compete with baseball's best and were one of the two hottest teams in the AL. Had the O's been able to play at this level all year they could have made the playoffs. Hope for 2011 is high with this O's fan. I just hope that the upper management keeps their hands off the starting pitchers! -- Al
So true! On another baseball point, I noticed that Alex Rodriquez, who finished with 30 Hr and 125 RBI's, has stretched his run of 30+ Hr and 100+ RBI years to 13 consecutive years. Anyone know if this is a record? He is like the Enegizer Bunny. Just keeps throwing up big numbers. -- Al