Halx

Dodgers in a nosedive... I hold my head in my hands.

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kutulu

The DBacks and Dodgers are trying so hard to let the other team take control but neither will step up.

mannin52

Looks like the Dbacks are ready to take this. And a heads up, they'll be playing the Cubbies, and I smell an upset. In a short series against the Dbacks, you'll have to face Webb, Haren, and Johnson. Scary.

Ilow

Man, I am very impressed that the Rays have really been able to hang in there with all their injuries. The Red Sox have won 5 of 6 and 8 of 11 and didn't make up any ground.

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jorgelito

Yeah the freakin Rays are hot! But hey, they may melt in the playoffs like the Mariners did. At least the Sox got some experience. I'm more worried about the pitching situation though.

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Glory's Sun

My how a few days changes the race completely

Freakin' Pedroia.. who woulda thunk it??! Holy shit that kid is tearin it up in the cleanup spot. ROTY and now a possible MVP. I'd say this is just more proof that Boston has a killer farm system.

djtestudo

Pedroia as MVP over Quentin and Rodriguez would be terrible, almost as bad as Rollins winning over Holliday and Fielder in the NL last year.

I'd put him in the running, because he has been ridiculous since mid-June on a team that is making a run, but I wouldn't put him higher than third. Hell, depending on how much one takes team performance into account, I'd put Aubrey Huff in the mix (though not very high since he hasn't played much defense). He has the same number of doubles AND triples as Pedroia (the speedy middle-infielder ) in fewer at-bats.

My order right now would be:

Quentin
Rodriguez
Hamilton
Sizemore
Pedroia
Dye
Pena
Huff
Granderson
Longoria

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"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

jorgelito

That's baseball for you! Still, I have concerns about the pitching. Maybe I'm a worry wart but that's kind of part of the fun. Can the pitching hold throughout the playoffs? Will the bats hold against Tampa Bay and Los Angeles? This past season agains the two teams hasn't been exactly a good run. Our main advantage is experience at the moment. The bats will have their hands full with the Rays and Angels pitching but have a good chance I think to do well in a series. Our pitcher?...I dunno. That's what makes me uneasy.

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"The race is not always to the swift, nor battle to the strong, but
to the one that endures to the end."

"Demand more from yourself, more than anyone else could ever ask!"

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Glory's Sun

Well the good thing for the red sox is they are starting to get people back. Drew and Lowell will be a welcome sight for Francona I'm sure. Pitching is a question, but if Beckett can work out the issues, then we should be good for a series type run. Beckett, Lester and Matsuzaka.

Bats should be fine, I think there's a rhythm starting to happen in the lineup. Once Youk gets over the back issues, it's lights out.

kutulu

Rumors persist that MLB allowed the Dodgers, Sox, and Pirates to have at least an extra half hour to complete their trade.

MLB helping out the big markets? Unpossible!

djtestudo

The Orioles picked up manager Dave Trembley's option for the 2009 season today, and added an option for 2010.

This isn't normally that newsworthy, except that when the team picked up the option for 2008 last September, the team promptly lost the game that evening 30-3.

So needless to say, I'm not watching the game tonight

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"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

Ilow

I wouldn't worry about them losing this game as much as I would worry about them losing most of their future games. What the hell made them think that now would be a good time to resign him? I mean apart from the fact that they have one of the three or four worst records in the AL and have lost nine of their last ten, why wouldn't they wait until the end of the year? Maybe they just wanted to end the (probably justifiable) speculation that he would be sacked. I have to say that from a relative outsider's perspective, the O's front office doesn't really seem to have a good plan for how to significantly improve this team. They have good fans amd plenty of resources, they really have no business battling the Royals and Mariners for the AL cellar.

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--Sam Harris

Halx

Dodgers have a golden opportunity to take control of the NL West this weekend. Lets see how well they do against Arizona.

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Mister Coaster

OK numbers guys, I need your help... I know I said I was staying out of this topic, but I have a question.

Relief pitcher Justin Spier for my Halos has a 'stellar' 1-7 record this season. It seems as if whenever he has a chance to lose a game, Scioscia makes the call for him, and he gives up the game losing home run (or lead off triple or whatever) His ERA is over 5, and he has been essentially effective only when the opposing team already has a big lead. Why would a guy with apparently shitty numbers like this still have a job in the bigs? Especially considering they have some real talent in the minors...

BTW, go Angels!

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jorgelito

Hehe, still doesn't help my nerves any. But I am glad we are inching closer. 2.5 games back. It;s still mathematically possible to take the division. *faint*

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to the one that endures to the end."

"Demand more from yourself, more than anyone else could ever ask!"

- My recruiter

djtestudo

Justin Speier Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com

The three consecutive years of sub-three ERAs, probably. Plus, he's signed for two more years at $10 million.

Relievers tend to fluctuate year-to-year anyway. My guess is he'll be much better next year.

Doesn't help much if he's coming in to face Quentin and Dye, or Longoria and Pena, or Ortiz and Bay in the playoffs THIS year, though

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"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

Mister Coaster

Well, next year is next year. As for this year, he just went to 1-8 by giving up a game losing home run in extra innings. Grumble.

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Halx

Dodgers win 9 of their last 10 to vault into first place in the woeful West. With 17 more games to go, all against teams under .500, if they falter, it will be nobody's fault but their own. Andre Ethier is lighting it up hitting in front of Manny. Things are looking good.

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Glory's Sun

it's only a matter of time before the Red Sox take over the AL East

QuasiMondo

Things that make you say, 'Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........"

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Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

djtestudo

So...your saying that Delgado is on his current tear because he told Jobu to go fuck himself?

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"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

guy44

ZAMBRANOOOOOOOOO!

Oh man oh man oh man oh man.

No-hitter.

I'm speechless.

Naturally, the Cubs had to play an away game against the Houston Astros in Milwaukee for this to take place, but hot damn that was awesome.

Today, the Brewers got swept in a double-header and are now tied for the wildcard. The team they've been chasing all season played a game in their ballpark, which was filled entirely with Cubs fans. The Cubs starter pitched a no-hitter. Today, it must really suck to be a Brewers fan.

But great for us Chicago guys!

P.S. Plus the White Sox are about to sweep a double-header and the Twins lost. I can't believe I moved away from Chicago last month!

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djtestudo

And in today's evidence that baseball people often don't understand baseball...the Brewers fired manager Ned Yost today.

Sure, they've lost 11 of 13. But before that they won 18 of 23 dating back to Aug. 5.

They are losing because they are no longer hitting: a 150-point drop in OPS between August and September.

They are losing because they are no longer pitching: a 2.53 ERA in August becoming a 4.68 ERA in September. The starters' ERA has doubled (2.49 to 5.03).

They are NOT losing because of some flaw in Ned Yost's ability to manage.

Why don't lifelong baseball insiders understand the concept of the streak beyond Joe DiMaggio or Orel Hershiser?

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"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

Glory's Sun

I agree completely dj. I simply can't wrap my head around the Yost firing. Why would an Owner want to create this kind of atmosphere when there are only 12 games left and a wild card spot in the mix??

In other news, the Red Sox blasted Kazmir last night to pull into a tie for the AL East.

Ilow

Yup, DJ, I also concur. This was ridiculous. Did they really think that the upheaval that this caused would be outweighed by a possible bump due to the shakeup? The guy doesn't exactly have a New York Mets payroll, and although they have made some great acquisitions, I thought he was doing a pretty good job with what he had. Bottom line is, do you really think that Dale "wave 'em in" Sveum is an improvement!!??

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jorgelito

Damn Red Sox!! Too much drama, can we please pull away in the division? Like now?

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to the one that endures to the end."

"Demand more from yourself, more than anyone else could ever ask!"

- My recruiter

The_Jazz

Its been a nice 3 days for the Cubs. 1 hit over 18 innings over the Stro's then beat CC for the first time in the NL. Magic number stands at 4 and I've got permission to get tickets.

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Glory's Sun

The cubs are pissin me off.. I would have bet all my Lehman stock they would have imploded by now. Oh well at least there's the playoff's

If Boston can ever win a series against those goddamn rays maybe just maybe we could have a Boston/Cubs Series

QuasiMondo

Eight relievers. The Mets had to use eight relievers to scratch out a win against the Washington Nationals, the bad news bears of the NL East. This does not bode well for them should they make it into the postseason.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

jorgelito

*sigh* Here we go again, the run up to the post season fraught with anxiety and drama. Talk about your heart attacks. We can't even eke out a series win at the end run here to gain some momentum going into the playoffs. I was worried about the Angels before. Now I'm worried about the Rays too.

__________________
"The race is not always to the swift, nor battle to the strong, but
to the one that endures to the end."

"Demand more from yourself, more than anyone else could ever ask!"

- My recruiter

The_Jazz

Boy, do the Mets just want to go home for the winter? That is one uninspired ballclub.

__________________
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
"There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush
"We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

QuasiMondo

I won't go that far to say they're uninspired like they were last year. Jerry's done a great job keeping them in the hunt, I'll give him credit him for that. They've shown guts with late inning offense (which they never did) and some impressive fielding (which they never had). But he can only do so much with that cruel imitation of a bullpen. They sure know how to suck the life out of a rally.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

QuasiMondo

There will be no baseball in New York in October.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

Halx

I was rooting for the Mets, only because of the possibility of the Dodgers coming to New York for a few games. Oh well. Guess I watch on TV.

The magic number is 1!

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djtestudo

Just remember, all of you guys watching your teams "collapse" or otherwise fall to the wayside in the playoff race: since winning on Aug. 17 to come within two games of .500, the Orioles have gone 6-28 while completely giving up.

So, it could be worse.

__________________
"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

Glory's Sun

and here I was hoping the O's could try a little bit in order to stop the rays..

QuasiMondo

I really don't know what's worse. Your team throwing in the towel before they have a chance, or your team toying with your emotions by getting tantalizingly close before throwing it away.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

pan6467

I think giving up to early. Since trading CC and Blake the Indians had one of the best records in baseball. You figure CC may have given a few more wins, a couple close losses may have gone differently and being in the AL Central.... who knows?

On the other hand, did the trades inspire the rest of the team to do well? Did you get rid of cancers, that may have been unhappy they were in Cleveland or just not "team" oriented and their trades allowed the clubhouse to become a more relaxed environment?

Easy to say Shapiro may have given up too soon and that the past few years have shown it's not until after the All Star break that the team puts on the gas and blows everyone else away. But the truth is maybe the trades sparked the play.

It's a tough call. I tend to believe the latter.

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I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"

Bear Cub

I can't take this shit again.

Everyone in the entire Mets organization needs to partake in a mass suicide if they lose the Wild Card slot.

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QuasiMondo

Not everyone, just the failpen. They cost Willie Randolph his job, they cost Johan Santana a Cy Young, and now they're going to cost the team a playoff berth. They should be afraid to walk down a Queens street.
-----Added 27/9/2008 at 04 : 38 : 56-----
Santana is the man. A complete three-hit shutout on three-days rest. If only the mets had five Santanas in the rotation and five more in the bullpen, they'd be unstoppable.

__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer.

-From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator