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 Post subject: NLCS
PostPosted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 12:34 pm 
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Do you mess with a team that has won almost every game it's played for the past four weeks?
Willy Tavares was added to the Rockies roster on Wednesday, and he'll hit leadoff, pushing Matsui to second and Tulowitzki to seventh.
While it's nice to have 20-homer, 90+ RBI guys three through seven, I just have a nagging worry about tinkering at this point. The Rockies caught fire with both he and Aaron Cook on the sidelines.

And I can't believe I'm getting stressed out about it, either. Rookie playoff jitters strike fans, too, I suppose.


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 Post subject: Re: NLCS
PostPosted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 1:42 pm 
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If Tavares is ready and able to play well, and Matsui and Tulowitzki aren't bothered by the change in the batting order, then it's a good move. (Some hitters have strong preferences about where they are in the order.)

These players are pros. Still, if the player forced to sit causes trouble, then it might hurt this young team. As you say, why mess with what's been working? But I'd give Hurdle credit on knowing what to do.

There probably aren't any athletes or fans more superstitious than baseball's--especially when it comes to streaks. Logic usually overcomes superstition.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 2:00 pm 
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Find out how it all unfolds in the coming days ... only on TBS!!


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 2:12 pm 
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I see Taveras' return to the leadoff spot as a qualified positive. According to baseballreference.com, Rockies' leadoff hitters as a whole posted a weak .335 on-base percentage (the league average was .341). Taveras, playing over his head this year, had a .367 OBP.

But his lifetime OBP is .338.

As a young player — just 25 — who probably is at least two years from peaking, I'd tend to believe he's capable of the higher number right now.

Matsui, batting leadoff this year, posted a .338 OBP. His career OBP is .325.

So I think Clint Hurdle's making the right call here, provided Taveras is healthy and not being rushed.

I'm really excited about this series. No stars, no annoying distractions. Just baseball players playing baseball. I honestly think it'll go seven, and it could go either way. I won't be upset if the Diamondbacks advance. But I'm pulling for the Rockies just on the basis of their underdog story.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 10:59 pm 
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Then again, judging from Game 1, it looks like the Rocks will get by just fine with a .200-OBP leadoff hitter ....


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 3:57 am 
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The Rockies seriously need to cool off just a little. I had awesome tickets for game 4 of the divisional series, but those magnificent bastards swept the Phillies in three. ... Now I have four great tickets for game 5 of the NLCS. Best hope might be for a couple of the guys to pick up a touch of Clint Hurdle's flu.


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 8:03 am 
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In a sense, I can see why it would be good for the Rockies to lose. The World Series, theoretically speaking, should be won by the best team in baseball ... not merely the hottest. And I see Boston and Cleveland as having superior rosters and organizations.

But the Rocks look like they may never lose again, cutting down better teams with a reckless ferocity not even matched by the '03 Marlins (and the '97 Marlins).


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 11:18 am 
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I grew up a Red Sox fan, but I wouldn't mind seeing Boston lose to Cleveland or especially Colorado. (It's difficult to get excited about a team, such as the Diamondbacks, that struggles to fill its stadium.)

Life isn't fair. It's not fair that the Red Sox have so much more money than most teams can spend. So, for them to lose to a team that on paper isn't as good might bring a little balance to the universe.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 12:53 pm 
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Wabberjocky wrote:
The World Series, theoretically speaking, should be won by the best team in baseball ... not merely the hottest.


It's funny. I've always been a bit of contrarian when it comes to the inspirational story of underdog teams.

I think the team that consistently plays better baseball should win a given series. Too often when underdogs win it's merely because the favored team played poorly or choked, and to me, that's not fun to watch.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 1:34 pm 
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jjmoney62 wrote:
I think the team that consistently plays better baseball should win a given series. Too often when underdogs win it's merely because the favored team played poorly or choked, and to me, that's not fun to watch.


I used to feel strongly that way. Now I sometimes prefer drama and, to be overwrought, tragedy, to the expected and routine.

What would college basketball be like if only a few teams were allowed into March Madness? (Some would say better, and could make strong points, but ... )

Series must be won on the field, game by game. If a team doesn't play well, it doesn't deserve to win. That series require three or four victories makes this fairer than, say, the Super Bowl, for what that's worth.

Still, my favorite games are those in which both teams play well and the outcome isn't decided by bad calls, fan interference, injuries or other inequities.

Addendum: The more teams that are allowed into the playoffs, the greater the chance of a lesser team winning a championship. Baseball created this situation knowingly.


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:43 pm 
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If a team loses by choking, then it's not the better team. Oh, it may have more talent on paper, "but the game is played on grass."

I'm going to have a quandary if it's a Sox-Rox World Series, having grown up a Red Sox fan and moved to Colorado. (Thank goodness the Broncos are struggling so I can just concentrate on the Pats.)


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 9:36 am 
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I didn't mean to imply that the team that's better on paper deserves to win even if they play poorly.

It's just that if the underdog wins not because they played out of their minds spectacular but because the favored team blew it, then more often than not, you're not watching very good baseball.

I don't think it's automatically exciting if an underdog wins.

I can enjoy a well-played, closely contested 4-0 sweep by the favorite as much as a sloppy seven-game series eked out by the underdog.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 9:56 am 
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The ALCS would certainly be more interesting if the Yankees had beaten the Indians and were now playing the Red Sox.
It's not just the rivalry factor either. In game 1, I couldn't help but think that if it were the Yankees down by 7 runs, it ain't over. But it was the Indians, so it felt like it was over.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 6:13 pm 
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Quote:
t's just that if the underdog wins not because they played out of their minds spectacular but because the favored team blew it, then more often than not, you're not watching very good baseball.


I would agree, but deciding whether the winning team played well or the losing team played poorly requires a lot of subjective interpretation.

Take, for instance, the Rockies' one-game-playoff win over the Padres. Did Colorado win because its lineup is loaded with lethal boppers? Or did the best closer in baseball history, Trevor Hoffman, blow it? Did the Rockies beat him or did Hoffman beat himself?


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 6:22 pm 
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As you well know, as moderator of the Baseball forum, I watch hardly any baseball -- better to maintain my objectivity -- so I didn't see that game.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 1:45 am 
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Having watched Hoffman blow a save or two in big games -- I'm thinking of the All-Star game and the World Series, it seems a common factor is that his best pitch, the change-up, was left up in the strike zone. It makes one wonder if that was a product of adrenaline altering his approach or if there is another reason. The Brewers were also able to solve him a day or two earlier, which forced the playoff.

And I take back my second-guessing on Taveras. That's why I have an editing job and Hurdle has his.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 11:56 pm 
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I'm not sure I'd bet against the Rockies pulling a World Series sweep.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:51 am 
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SeaRaven wrote:
The Rockies seriously need to cool off just a little. I had awesome tickets for game 4 of the divisional series, but those magnificent bastards swept the Phillies in three. ... Now I have four great tickets for game 5 of the NLCS.


Well, gash-darn those Rockies! They swept again, so my tickets are no good -- again. But that's OK.

By the way, in addition to their phenomenal baseball skills, these Rockies all seem to be really nice guys from what I can tell. As far as I know, there's not a single prima donna or asshole on the entire team. These guys really seem to be -- dare I say? -- gentlemen. It's impossible not to love this team.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:10 am 
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This might be a good time to buy stock in cap-making companies.

The Indians looked strong the past two games.

The Rockies' biggest challenge might be their long layoff as they wait for the Series.

Trendy "fans" are waiting to see which non-coastal team's bandwagon to ride as they defect from Red Sox Nation.

Prediction:
If the Indians win, expect to see their caps in rap videos.
If the Rockies win, expect to see their caps in country videos.
If the Red Sox win, their post-2004 "fans" will be even more annoying.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:28 am 
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Twenty-one wins in 22 games. Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.

Yes, the Rockies "have" to cool off at some point. But that "point" doesn't necessarily have to arrive until, say, May 2008.

Some good storylines:

— The redemption of Todd Helton, who, the last few years, has been one of the most overpaid, underperforming "stars" in the game.

— The resurgence of Kaz Matsui, after became yet another of those players whose career was nearly destroyed by playing in New York.

— In Seattle, the story will be "Mariners castoffs make good." Brian Fuentes was a throw-in in a disastrous 2002 deal for Jeff Cirillo; Yorvit Torrealba was dealt in the 2005 offseason for a pitcher who was released in 2006 spring training. (Cleveland's "Mariner castoff made good" is Asdrubal Cabrera, a throw-in in a 2006 deal for Eddie Perez, now out of baseball.)


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:10 am 
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I'll make a brave prediction -- A Cleveland-Colorado World Series will be the lowest-rated World Series of all-time.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 11:43 am 
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One thing that could cool off the Rockies is 8 days off.

(On the radio last night they said a team hasn't been this hot after Sept. 1 since the 1935 Cubs.)


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 3:14 pm 
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Quote:
'll make a brave prediction -- A Cleveland-Colorado World Series will be the lowest-rated World Series of all-time.


Good.

If I was a TV exec, I'd bill it as: "No stars. Just baseball players."

The TV-promoted Manny-and-Papi cult of personality that dwarfs every game in which they play is a needless distraction. And Derek Jeter's absence is in the best interests of the game.


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