I seem to remember many more cheap shots in hockey when the NHL was trying to crack down on fighting.

I don't and I have no interest in it either. Each to his own...

18 teams in the NLCS have gone up 2-0.
16 teams have moved on to the World Series.

History is on the Phillies side.

1984(5 game series) SD wins 3 in a row after being down 2-0 to the Cubs.
1985 (7 game series) St.Louis wins 4 in a row after LA goes up 2-0.

1984:1984 National League Championship Series

1985:1985 National League Championship Series

Good to see a Dodger finally throw a statement pitch

I get what Buc is saying here. Sadly, he is fighting against a large group, and others might be lead to believe that the group is right. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't.

I, personally, don't think fighting is more necessary in hockey than it is any other sport. I definitely appreciate the fighting in hockey, much as I appreciate fighting in any other sport.

As much as I like defending the minority in most topics...I gotta disagree with Buc...the more fighting, the better!

Everyone is too sensitive about this shit. If you talk shit, and rub it in someones face, you should be ready to get challenged. Every sport besides hockey is much too weak when it comes to this. Nobody is going to kill someone else. We've all seen playground fights. Whoever wins knows when to stop. If you've got that person on the ground, and you're throwing uncontested blows, you know you've won.

It goes with the whole celebration crackdown in the football. This is supposed to be the toughest, most masculine sport of all, but somebody celebrating a touchdown is showing the other team up? Somebody trying to score a TD in the latter moments of a game is bullshit? You just have to shove it down their throats next time. Don't let them get away with it, but don't try to punish them by crying to authorities or media. You gotta fuck em up? FUCK THEM UP ON YOUR OWN TERMS!

BE A GODDAMNED WINNER!

[quote=Karlifornia;1859079]I get what Buc is saying here. Sadly, he is fighting against a large group, and others might be lead to believe that the group is right. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't.


I don't know if I would like fighting in other sports. I do want the other sports to allow teams to make "statements". If those statements lead to a fight, so be it.


Agree



Ummm okay

Boston fans are heading toward the exits as Jon Lester is getting bombed. Home runs by Longoria and Upton have put the Rays up 5-0 and Paul Byrd is warming up for some garbage innings. If the Rays hold this lead they will take back control of the series.

Loved how everyone was building up Lester as some kind of unhittable super pitcher before this game. Go Rays.

About to head over to Chavez Ravine for Game 4. Still hoping for a Dodgers-Rays WS.

Awesome job for Rocco to go deep. That's too cool for the native New Englander, probably would only be better if he were on the other side, but I doubt he minds this result either.

I am still nervous if I am a Rays fan. I, for one, trust no lead in Fenway.

I hate agreeing with Chip Carey but Paul Byrd did a really good job keeping the bullpen fresh tonight. Hopefully it does not pay off later on as I would like to see the Rays win.

Alright!!! Rays win 9-1 to take a 2-1 series lead! Not over by a long shot yet, these being the Red Sox and all, but very nice by Tampa! :)

???

Why exactly does Victorino get a fine for yesterday? For getting a ball thrown at his head by the pussy Dodgers?

The ball wasn't thrown at his head.

*sigh*

It could have been much worse

What a complete crock of shit. Victorino's normally valid point means absolutely nothing when his teammates first threw over Manny and then again over Martin. Want beanballs to be safe? Make sure your own teammates know first.

yeah, big double play there

Man, that was probably the "worst" great hit that could have happened there

New shirt better pitcher

Paul Byrd should have been pitching in Game 2, preferably in relief of Beckett or at least in the 11th instead of Mike Timlin. Instead Tito brings in Lopez to face one batter in the 5th inning, only has Masterson pitch .2 and Papelbon throw less than 20 pitches when we had an off day the next day. I know it's weird to keep harping on the deficiencies of a manager who has won 2 WS in 4 years, but Francona can't manage a bullpen, has too much faith in "his guys" (aka veterans - specifically the Timlin/Cora/Varitek crew) and tries to push a starter through 5 innings so he "get his win" even when its obvious they don't have it.

Nice to see the Manny strategy in full effect down in LA. I'm surprised/impressed they still pitched to him down 3 balls 0 strikes in the 3rd.

How does any of that get Victorino fined?

The Martin thing was a crock of shit. Moyer hits him with a change up that was an obvious mistake and the other pitch was on the inside corner and only high. If Martin wants to stand right on top of the plate he shouldn't be a pussy when a ball comes close.

lol


Are you for real?

Crap

And that's it for the Dodgers

Yeah!!!! Stairs hit that thing a mile.

Now that's when you want Manny batting, 2 outs and no one on.

I want Matt Stairs to impregnate me. k, thanx.

The freaking ghouls are out tonight at Chavez Ravine. No matter what happens, this is a pretty damn near classic LCS game.

...exhale.

Three more outs to go, but Lidge used up a lot of pitches.

For the Mets fans in the audience....I think I found a team I despise more than the Mets.

From Manny's appearence, to Derek Lowe's tantrum, to Russell Martin's constant jabbering to the home umpire, to Larry Bowa leaning in from the 3rd-base line to try and steal signs from Ruiz, to obvious empty seats in Dodgers Stadium, to consistent booing of Shane Victorino (for what? asking to get beaned in the back rather than in the head?).

That's only off the top-of-my-head. I almost don't want the Dodgers to win as much as I want the Phillies to win.

Don't worry. Joe Buck is on our side.

He's still a blood-relative to Jesus, right?

Shit. Game 5 of the NLCS, up by two runs in the 9th inning, and Brad Lidge is pitching.

Albert Pujols doesn't play for the Dodgers, does he?

Hell of a game. Dodgers are a heck of a good team. I'm hoping we can close em' out on Wednesday.

I'm guessing the rotation for 5, 6, 7 is going to be Myers, Blanton, Hamels. Who knows though. Charlie is stubborn enough to put Moyer out there again at Game 6.

Isn't Moyer in line to pitch in game 7? Not that it will happen, but still.

Doubt the Dodgers can come back now

Who knows what Charlie will do? That'd be ass-backwards in terms of logic, but Manuel just might do that. Hamels "should" have pitched tonight, and went Blanton in 5 and Myers in 6. But, Manuel ain't the best when it comes to that stuff.

However, I think with a 3-1 lead, it just makes too much sense to save your ace until Game 7. Hamels might pitch Game 6 (a la Beckett in World Series), but I think that Blanton would make more sense with a 3-2 series lead (assuming Myers can't close it out on Wednesday).


Maybe it's from being on the opposite side of the fence, but this series has been a lot closer than the 3-1 series lead would indicate. The Phils are probably only three different pitches away from being down 3-1 instead of up 3-1.

I'm not taking anything for granted until Philadelphia wins that Game 4.

Talk about a conflict of interest. I have tickets for game 6.

I really don't want to hear any shit about Philly fans,

From the ESPN MLB Playoffs blog:

Quote:

Dodgers fans still don't like Victorino (8:35 p.m. ET)

I was in the upper deck at the NLCS game. I heard people loudly calling Manny an asshole and an idiot (favorite sign: "FOX: Make sure to follow Manny in between innings when he doesn't get lost."), but it didn't cross that line.

Philly does have asshole fans. But there are asshole fans ALL OVER MLB.

The difference is a Philly fan would punch the guy wearing a Manny jersey in front of his kids.

Wait, so one incidence of asshole fans from someone else magically wipes away years of douchebaggery?

Michael Irvin says Hi

classic example of classy philly fans

[IMG][/IMG]

Because that Devils' fan was probably a saint...

You missed the point pretty badly

regardless of what he may have said that isn't any excuse for headlocking a guy 20 years older then you while everyone around you laughs and others struggle to get in on the action.

It's deplorable.

I'd throw Hamels out there on Wednesday. I can't believe they would consider pitching anyone else. Win this shit on Wed. and rest for a week.

Ortiz 4-27 7 BB's, only 1 XBH (a double) in the postseason. Not only is he probably injured, but he clearly misses Manny (who is now 11/22 with 10 walks.)

Ellsbury, Ortiz, Varitek, Lowrie/Cora (our 1-3-8-9 hitters) are 1-47 in the ALCS. Time to flip Crisp back in for Ellsbury, or at least move Pedroia-Youkilis up to 1-2, with Jason Bay getting moved out of the 6 hole up to cleanup. We have 3 catchers on the roster, Varitek is 3-21 in the postseason, yet he and Cora are batting instead of someone like Sean Casey pinch-hitting for them late?

Yeah, it never ceases to amaze me when managers refuse to pinch hit for obvious poor hitters. Especially when they have replacements available on the bench. It's gotta be +EV to pinch hit for Veritek after the 5th inning with runners in scoring position. ESPECIALLY when you have 2 more catchers available.

Signed-
The guy who listened to Jack Wilson bat with RISP far too often in close games.

No offense Lathum but wasn't it Jets fans in NEW YORK that had that shit go on at Gate D? Yankee fans are no saints either. So give it a rest...I've seen the same stuff happen in Pittsburgh when the Browns or the Ravens come to town. A grown man at a PREASEASON game taunted a 8 year old kid to tears right in front of me at a Steeler game to where I almost got in a fight with the guy. There is no excuse for it but it happens other places than Philly. Wasn't it a NEW YORK fan that hit a coach on the field with a snow ball? So everytime one of you guys bring up the fact that philly fans threw snowballs at Santa, I am going to post about how the coach was hit in the head with a snow ball that could've killed him.

There are bad apples everywhere and Philly gets more publicity for their past so it gets vaulted to the front page.

Further, visiting fans LOVE to taunt Philly fans at their own place based on their reputation.

I saw multiple people at NLCS Game 1 wearing Manny jerseys. They were largely left alone, even in the cheap 4th-Section seats. The only guy who got shit was someone in a Dodgers jersey who stood up, turned around, and raised his arms as if he was pumping up the crowd after Manny's 1st-inning double.

Similar to a dude in a Ravens jersey who taunted Philly fans in the cheap seats during an Eagles pre-season game.

HEY NOW, NEW YORK FANS ARE SAINTS!!!!

Oh, wait...:


I'm not saying Philly fans are all saints. There are definitely douchebag Philly fans. However, I suspect that the proportion of asshole fans to passionate but reasonable fans is closer to the same percentage for most other major sports cities.

Creepy, for sure. However, I wouldn't be surprised if his postseason share was being paid in beer ;)

He was a fan favorite when he was in KC

SI

Bro, he's totally into it.

So....you're telling me there's a chance!

Regarding the Phillies comeback win last night: While the two 2-run homers certainly deserve much of the attention and press they are receiving - for my money's worth... Utley's unassisted double-play stands out in my mind as the real key to the win.

LOL! Sox fans are heading toward the exits already and the bullpen is stirring. Wakefield is getting hit worse than Lester last night.

Ugh. Why did he start Wake instead of byrd? :/

5-0 now.

You can here a pin drop at Fenway.

dola- I want the Rays to win but I am kind of hoping for a longer series.

I hope Tampa gets a new stadium because this is a really good, young team.

Oh well. Unless we pull off a Mini-2004, it was a good season.

At least we made it to the post season, and the Yanks didn't :)

double dola- How great must Carl Crawford feel having languished his whole career on a crappy Rays team.

Not that anyone who didn't want them all season already knows, but these Rays are damn good. And next year, they're going to add David Price to the rotation, plus the arms they have (Neimann, Wade Davis, etc etc)?

At least he's getting a reward now. Ask that question to Dale Murphy or Barry Sanders.

Absolutely. If the series ended last night, Utley (not Victorino, Hamels, Lidge, or Burrell) would and should be the NLCS MVP.

Between the game-tying home-run in Game-1, consistent hitting performances in Game 2+3, and his performance in the field and at bat yesterday, Utley has been our best player this series.

If the Phils make it to the World Series against the Rays, I just hope Philly can win a game.

Aah yes. My plan is still intact. Go Rays. ;)

Mercy rule?

Alright Rays!!!

Now don't let up... Boston has come back from 3-1 before (ie, last year).

Because if Wakefield shits the bed early, you can bring Byrd in to bridge the gap and keep it respectable until the 6th/7th when you can go to the bullpen. Francona just blew up that strategy by using Byrd last night and ensuring we needed Wakefield (who hadn't pitched in close to a month) to go 5+. I also don't understand why he didn't stick with Masterson for another inning. Even if they pitched well, Delcarmen, Okajima, Papelbon are usually only good for 3. Pulling Masterson there was all but ensuring Lopez or Timlin would have to be involved if we started coming back.

I'm not sure how to put this, because I'm definitely not confident or even think we're likely to win, but all 3 Red Sox WS appearances in my lifetime came after 3-1 deficits in the ALCS. If Dice-K can get another good game in tomorrow, heading back to Tampa with Beckett and Lester isn't the worst place to be (assuming Beckett doesn't have a serious injury - and his lower velocity last game indicates there could definitely be something there.)

Finally, the most impressive Tampa player - as much as I'd get arguments for Longoria (rough double error there - MLB needs to set a minimum handle width before next year, all these bats break right there) Crawford and even Pena, I have to go with BJ Upton. Coco Crisp and Jacoby Ellsbury are both Gold Glove-level CF'ers, but Upton covers more ground than either while appearing to jog nonchalantly. There were 3 well-hit balls over his head that he just glided to and put out any threat before it could start.

One game? Four games!!!

I just got 3 tickets to Game 4 of the World Series in Phillies. Come on Phillies win 1 more!

Nice!!! I was going to but couldn't justify the price at this point. I do have tickets to Friday's game if it is needed. As much as I want to have a chance to see them win the NLCS live I would rather they just wrap it up tonight instead of opening any window of opportunity for the Dodgers.


So what will be the story line of tonight's game? For the last game it was Lowe needing his balls rubbed and Stairs liking getting his ass pounded by the guys in the dugout.

They've only played in this one for 10 years. The age of the stadium is thanks to folks building this one without a team. I'm not sure how Tampa / St. Pete builds a new one now. Of course they managed to ram through Raymond James Stadium after I left the area, something I thought would never happen, so who knows?

Mine are Standing room only but for $50, it was worth it to me.

MORE than worth it. I don't know what the standing room situation is in Philly, but in Fenway the standing area has better views than the majority of the seats.

Perhaps because you are one of the very few bases that cheered when an opposing player was being stretchered off. That's just a whole new level of low.

See the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Civic Arena when Darius Kasparitis knocked out Lindros. Crowd cheered...play was stopped. He was carried off the ice by John Leclair...Lindros fell 3 times from the ice to the tunnell to the locker room. Cheers got louder each time.

People were high fiving in the stands yelling stuff like "I hope he dies"

What part of "very few" was difficult to understand?

If you like, I could gladly give you more you self righteous ass.

Obviously reading comprehension isn't your strong suit. Then again, you are from Pennsylvania, so maybe it isn't your fault.

Thanks! I knew something was lacking in my life, and now thanks to you I will work on my reading comprehension.

By the way...do a quick google search on this subject and taking out the the Philly references, you'll find a bit more than very few. But if from where you come from or whatever school you went to...very few is greater than or equal to 100. Then please disregard my comments. It's all perception. I seem to recall you are a Rutgers fan but I won't make any negative comments about that school because it is painful enough being a fan of them without anyone else piling on.

They will win a few more division titles over the next decade and they will move.

New stadium ain't gonna happen. But it's a great story.

If the Red Sox fans want something else to cheer them up, just remember we could have traded Lester, Crisp, Masterson and Lowrie for Santana (and paid $15m/y more than all 4 combined).

Looking back at the offseason/Santana trade threads, with people arguing that trade would be a ripoff is kind of funny. I would tweak Logan, Chief and others for their assessments of Boston's offer, but even I underestimated the comeback and improvement from Lester ("I'll add that I'm not as enamored of Lester as baseball people seem to be. He's a lefty who was throwing mid-90's before the cancer, and got back there by the WS with a great curveball, but he's shown a tendency to nibble, leading to walks and high pitch counts/short outings.") and I'd rather not talk about Buchholz right now (while still fervently believing he'll be an ace in a year or two.) Besides, it's more fun to make fun of HA for being his dickish self while extolling the virtues of Dontrelle Willis. :)

As a Patriots fan who takes a beating in this forum for the behavior of other members of the fan base, this is an interesting discussion to follow. I've got your back Dr. Sak!

Nice, I couldn't find SRO for under $500. Definitely would have jumped at $50. Enjoy!!!

Now for the other discussion taking place. Why is there never mention of the standing ovation given to Lemeiux on his first game back after the cancer treatments. It was the loudest and longest standing ovation for any single player I have ever witnessed. Odd, Philly fans are such barbarians, the Spectrum must have been filled with other fans that day I guess...

People love to feel superior to other people and on FOFC, one of the most popular ways to do that is by telling us all how morally superior one is to a large (millions) group of of fans by pointing out examples of bad behavior.

I've gotten to the point where I root for Philly, NY, Detroit, and dislike Tampa, Arizona, Colorado, etc.

Congrats on the tix, Dr. Sak.

My plan for the Series (assuming the Phils make it), is to go to Citizen's Bank Park and tailgate until the 2nd or 3rd inning. Then, I'll try to make nice with a scalper who is trying to dump his stock, hopefully at a reasonable value.

If I fail, I'll probably just try to get into McFadden's. Actually, I might even just get to McFadden's early and not even try to get in.

As a diehard Red Sox fan I say we got the Rays right where we want them:) Hey, at least we aren't down 3-0.

It was a raffle on Phillies.com. I won the rights to the password for the tickets. So I went in at 9am when they told me it opened and bought the max I could. Just dumb luck really.

I wouldn't be so quick in this case. They weren't that far away from financing a new stadium earlier this year, and excitement/the fan base down there seemingly expanded between each time the Red Sox visited this year. Unlike the Marlins across the state, they have a young core and everyone will be back next year. Let's see how the attendance improves the next one-two years before writing them off.

Depending on your definition of few (I'm guessing 3-4?), I'd say it's more likely they get a new stadium than they win that many division titles the next 10 years. Boston is primed to be right there, you know the Yankees will reload with the obscene amount of revenue they'll be pulling in (I've seen estimates they'll double or even triple the revenue the Red Sox bring in), Toronto was actually one of the best teams in baseball the past year by run differential and even Baltimore has the resources and some good young building blocks (Jones, Markakis and Matt Wieters) to be contending again by the 2nd half of the decade. The 4th best team in baseball by run differential finished in 4th place, 9 games behind the wild-card winner from their division, in the AL East this year. I'd put the over/under at 2 division titles in the next decade.

Nice, I was in that raffle as well but not the same luck.

The only slight difference is that there is a part of every Philly person/fan I know that takes pride in being known as the "toughest" fan base in America. Maybe they don't all want to go as far as booing injured players like Irvin (Santa Claus deserved it), but quickly turning and booing their own players? There's no fan base better. Shucks, they were even doing it in Game 2 when they were winning because someone failed to get a bunt down. In contrast, the Patriots (and Red Sox) problems are usually because of bandwagon fans who jumped on when they started winning. Philly teams don't have that problem yet :p

I am probably wrong, but didnt the Rays move into an already existing stadium?

dola- The standing room only seats at Citiczens bank are excellent.

Tropicana Field - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There's a LONG history there, where the city built the stadium to lure a baseball team, then Wayne Huizenga got the Marlins and tried to block the area from getting one. It's a true attempt at the "build it and they will come" approach.

Thanks for the info!

NP

they extend all the way around the outfiels ( except a little in RF) and you can find a good spot right behind the scoreboard in left center.

There is also a gret bar McFaddens connected to the stadium and you ar right by all the concessions.