2008 Baseball Season/Off-Season Discussion

[pilferk]

i can't believe they had TB bat in the 6th. it made no sense whatsoever. and obviously i'm annoyed that they tied it up, but don't you want to try as hard as possible to make it fair and call it after a FULL inning???

and despite what the Rays players want to believe, Selig stated they were planning to finish the game whether the phils were up a run or not (i.e. the phils would not have won a shortened game. they were playing all 9 innings regardless).

what a clusterfuck. and TB has to be feeling alot better about their chances of a comeback. still have to win 3, but their hitters have some confidence and they don't have to face hamels again. it's basically bullpen vs. bullpen tomorrow night (or wednesday as the weather looks worse for tuesday).

(on a sidenote....taking my gnr/philly sports parallel even further, this would be comparable to.....uh, nevermind.  )

It was almost like they were TRYING to get TB tied up, so the suspension of the game would look more "legit".

I was pretty ticked off, too.

[faldor]

i can't believe they had TB bat in the 6th. it made no sense whatsoever. and obviously i'm annoyed that they tied it up, but don't you want to try as hard as possible to make it fair and call it after a FULL inning???

and despite what the Rays players want to believe, Selig stated they were planning to finish the game whether the phils were up a run or not (i.e. the phils would not have won a shortened game. they were playing all 9 innings regardless).

what a clusterfuck. and TB has to be feeling alot better about their chances of a comeback. still have to win 3, but their hitters have some confidence and they don't have to face hamels again. it's basically bullpen vs. bullpen tomorrow night (or wednesday as the weather looks worse for tuesday).

(on a sidenote....taking my gnr/philly sports parallel even further, this would be comparable to.....uh, nevermind.  )

It was almost like they were TRYING to get TB tied up, so the suspension of the game would look more "legit".

I was pretty ticked off, too.

They were caught in a pretty tough spot there, I don't think you can blame anyone but Mother Nature on this one.  I'm surprised they played as long as they did.  They tried their best to get the game in, but that was just not happening.  A little momentum should shift to Tampa now, whenever they resume.  I want a series, so I hope they send it back to Tampa.  I'd rather have the Phillies win there so all those "fans" with the blue mohawks and cowbells can find out what it really feels like to be a fan and suffer heartbreak in person.

[sandman]

i can't believe they had TB bat in the 6th. it made no sense whatsoever. and obviously i'm annoyed that they tied it up, but don't you want to try as hard as possible to make it fair and call it after a FULL inning???

and despite what the Rays players want to believe, Selig stated they were planning to finish the game whether the phils were up a run or not (i.e. the phils would not have won a shortened game. they were playing all 9 innings regardless).

what a clusterfuck. and TB has to be feeling alot better about their chances of a comeback. still have to win 3, but their hitters have some confidence and they don't have to face hamels again. it's basically bullpen vs. bullpen tomorrow night (or wednesday as the weather looks worse for tuesday).

(on a sidenote....taking my gnr/philly sports parallel even further, this would be comparable to.....uh, nevermind.  )

It was almost like they were TRYING to get TB tied up, so the suspension of the game would look more "legit".

I was pretty ticked off, too.

They were caught in a pretty tough spot there, I don't think you can blame anyone but Mother Nature on this one.  I'm surprised they played as long as they did.  They tried their best to get the game in, but that was just not happening.  A little momentum should shift to Tampa now, whenever they resume.  I want a series, so I hope they send it back to Tampa.  I'd rather have the Phillies win there so all those "fans" with the blue mohawks and cowbells can find out what it really feels like to be a fan and suffer heartbreak in person.

i was surprised they played that long as well. and from what i've heard, it's a huge advantage to the hitter to hit in the rain. Hamels said he was very reluctant to throw his changeup, which is his bread and butter pitcher. and didn't even think about a breaking ball.

it was clear in the 5th that they were playing in a monsoon. the popup to rollins was ridiculous! why not call it??? my gut tells me it's what Pilferk said....it sure FELT like they were hoping for a tie.

on the positive side, i'm trying to confirm online but i believe Hamels was due up next inning. which means we will have a PH leading off followed by the top of our lineup. we also have one more inning at bat. and the rays have the bottom of their order coming up.

[pilferk]

They were caught in a pretty tough spot there, I don't think you can blame anyone but Mother Nature on this one.  I'm surprised they played as long as they did.  They tried their best to get the game in, but that was just not happening.  A little momentum should shift to Tampa now, whenever they resume.  I want a series, so I hope they send it back to Tampa.  I'd rather have the Phillies win there so all those "fans" with the blue mohawks and cowbells can find out what it really feels like to be a fan and suffer heartbreak in person.

They easily could have suspended the game in the bottom of the 5th, with the Phillies up 2-1.  Selig had already said he wouldn't "call the game" for the Phillies, no matter what the weather was....allowing the rules to be "bent" with an "as long as needed" rain delay.  It would have been much more "normal", that's for sure.

But the umps seemed to want to give TB another at bat.  My wholly unfounded suspicion is they knew that the weather would help the offense to some extent.  Playing defense on that infield was impossible....and that little squib grounder that scored the 2nd run I THINK the Phillies would have had a play on in the event  the infield was in better shape.  Again, my wholly unfounded suspicion.

The Phillies fans (the real ones, not me the bandwagon one) have certainly had their share of heartbreak, in person and not.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

Have you ever played baseball, sandman?

Do you think a hitter can even see a ball coming at him when there's a huge downpour?

What if the pitcher lost control of the ball?  The hitter wouldn't even be able to see the ball coming at his head.

[pilferk]

Have you ever played baseball, sandman?

Do you think a hitter can even see a ball coming at him when there's a huge downpour?

What if the pitcher lost control of the ball?  The hitter wouldn't even be able to see the ball coming at his head.

I have. And in the rain, too.

While the hitter is at SOME disadvantage, the pitcher and defense are at a larger one, IMHO.  Especialy when the field and mound are providing little to no traction.

As a hitter, you can't see very well...that's true.    The batting helmet helps some, by keeping some of the water out of your eyes.  But you can still swing a bat, or not.  And if you're a "guess" hitter (and I think you become MORE of one in those conditions, no matter what), your mechanics aren't going to change much.

As a pitcher, there are pitches you CAN'T reliably throw.  They either won't do what they're supposed to, or you can't get the traction/body control to throw 'em.  If they're bread and butter pitches...it hurts a LOT.

As an infielder, especially, when that infield gets swampy....playing a ground ball is tough.  In addition, the wet grass is going to do weird things to the ball's trajectory (though it could slow it some, too).

Absolutely, both sides are not playing in optimal conditions, but....I think it hurts the defense more.  Just MHO.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

Have you ever played baseball, sandman?

Do you think a hitter can even see a ball coming at him when there's a huge downpour?

What if the pitcher lost control of the ball?  The hitter wouldn't even be able to see the ball coming at his head.

I have. And in the rain, too.

While the hitter is at SOME disadvantage, the pitcher and defense are at a larger one, IMHO.  Especialy when the field and mound are providing little to no traction.

As a hitter, you can't see very well...that's true.    The batting helmet helps some, by keeping some of the water out of your eyes.  But you can still swing a bat, or not.  And if you're a "guess" hitter (and I think you become MORE of one in those conditions, no matter what), your mechanics aren't going to change much.

As a pitcher, there are pitches you CAN'T reliably throw.  They either won't do what they're supposed to, or you can't get the traction/body control to throw 'em.  If they're bread and butter pitches...it hurts a LOT.

As an infielder, especially, when that infield gets swampy....playing a ground ball is tough.  In addition, the wet grass is going to do weird things to the ball's trajectory (though it could slow it some, too).

Absolutely, both sides are not playing in optimal conditions, but....I think it hurts the defense more.  Just MHO.

It also hurts if you have a man on base.  (For the offense.)

I just don't see Major Leaguers botching grounders unless they are the 2008 Chicago Cubs.

The pitcher can always dry the ball on his jersey before his delivery.

Ah fuck it, it was meant to be this way.  We've witnessed history. 

[D]

Introducing Bud Bartman Selig

Sorry Philly but this is a bad omen and don't be surprised to see TB pull the shocker.

[faldor]

Introducing Bud Bartman Selig

Sorry Philly but this is a bad omen and don't be surprised to see TB pull the shocker.

I don't know if you can blame Bud for this one, he can't control the weather.  The only thing he could've done was chosen to not play the game at all last night because of the forecast, but he would've probably gotten slammed for that too.  They had to at least TRY to get the game in, considering the forecast for the following day was even worse.

But Selig sure has had some interesting moments as the commish, that's for sure.

[pilferk]

Congrats to the Phillies.

Here's hoping that sandman manages to sleep off the unreal hangover I'm sure he's nursing!!!

[faldor]

Yeah congrats to the Phils, sandman, and whatever other Philly fans reside on this board.  They were dominant!

[GeorgeSteele]

Congratulations, the Phillies are deserving champs, they had it all, great lineup, solid starting pitching, shutdown relief corps.   

[sandman]

thanks for all the well wishes!  I really appreciate it. 

Pilferk - you nailed it, but i'm actually feeling ok today. i was out celebrating, but knew i had to make it to work today so i couldn't get too crazy. the true craziness will be at the parade tomorrow! the parade i've been waiting for most of my life.

it truly feels like xmas day. it's an awesome feeling. 

like Faldor and GS said, the phils were truly the best team during September and October. they were one of a few teams that had plenty of talent, and they found a way to have it all come together at the right time. so many players made major contributions. it was nice to see.

[Thorned Rose]

wow, phillies eh?

so hitting power does win a title

[pilferk]

wow, phillies eh?

so hitting power does win a title

To be fair, they pitched pretty well, this series, too.  Certainly better than TB pitched.

[faldor]

Yeah, the Phils did pitch real well.  Maybe scouting played a part in the outcome.  The Rays hitters were familiar with the Red Sox pitching, which you could argue is at least as good as the Phillies if not better.  The Rays beat up on Sox pitching but were completely silenced by the Phils.  Great gameplan to attack the hitters?  Something the Rays weren't prepared for?

[*Timothy*]

Introducing Bud Bartman Selig

Sorry Philly but this is a bad omen and don't be surprised to see TB pull the shocker.

thanks for the jinx d. .... fucking philly .... oh , well congrats , philly

[sandman]

i believe the phils had the second best bullpen (based on team ERA) during the regular season. and our closer didn't blow a save all year. the phils were 88-0 (including playoffs) when leading after the 8th inning. Lidge had 7 saves in the postseason and only gave up 1 earned run in 9.1 innings pitched.

add to that the fact we got several quality starts from our SPs, including each of the 4 WS wins. Hamels was MVP of the playoffs and Moyer and Blanton had incredible outings in games 3 and 4.

[freedom78]

Great season for Lidge.  I thought his confidence was shot after Pujols in the playoffs a few years back, but he seems to have bounced back exceptionally well.  Must be nice knowing you're that solid in the 9th.  Few teams have that luxury.

[D]

The sadomasochist in me wanted to see Lidge give up a moonshot! HAHAHA! dude probably would've offed himself.