2007 MLB Playoffs Thread

[Wolfpack]

I think the Rockies are pretty much toast now. The bats have gone completely dead (which has been a continuing trend through the postseason). The pitching was much improved (which, given the baseline set last night, was not very hard to achieve), but the Red Sox proved they can survive a pitcher's duel.

Right now the Rockies can only win the series one of two ways: beat Beckett in Game Four or Five in Denver and win one at Fenway, or win two in Boston. I don't see either happening based on the first two games.

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

I wonder what Dan O'Dowd did to make G-d angry between the NLCS and now.

For context:

'You look at some of the moves we made and didn't make,' general manager Dan O'Dowd said in the only interview he has given on the subject, long before the Rockies' remarkable ascension over the past few weeks. 'You look at some of the games we're winning. Those aren't just a coincidence. God has definitely had a hand in this.'

That's almost enough for me to switch from wanting a good seven game series to wanting the Rockies to get swept.

[Young Drachma]

Here's the original story that came out last year that established the Rockies as a "faith based franchise" in USA Today and has that quote from O'Dowd in it: (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseb...es-cover_x.htm)

A story from this year that talks more about the team's search for good 'moral' players: (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseba...rockies24.html)

Where are the Rockies fans?: (http://www.boston.com/news/local/art...y_in_the_fens/)

I just think all of this is a cover for the owners to be cheap.

[Atocep]

Doesn't have to do with this series but its too good to pass up.

Dusty courting Cubs pitchers?

Posted: Friday October 26, 2007 07:13AM ET

Whether it's simply to catch up on the past or plot for the future, new Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker has been chatting with his former Cubs co-aces, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. Both pitchers could become free agents this offseason, and the Reds are starved for pitching.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

I wonder what Dan O'Dowd did to make G-d angry between the NLCS and now.

For context:

'You look at some of the moves we made and didn't make,' general manager Dan O'Dowd said in the only interview he has given on the subject, long before the Rockies' remarkable ascension over the past few weeks. 'You look at some of the games we're winning. Those aren't just a coincidence. God has definitely had a hand in this.'

I wonder if they will try to sign Jon Kitna during the off-season.

If the best God can do sports team wise are the Colorado Rockies and Detroit Lions, I think that could explain a lot about the condition of the world we live in...

[Young Drachma]

The Rockies are sitting Willy Tavares tonight and returning to their lineup they ran with before he came off the DL. We'll see how that goes and how well Dice-K can response to pitching at Coors.

[Young Drachma]

Those damn towels are in full force, as are some empty seats near the right field line. I sat right by there in Club during the NLDS. And they're legitimately empty. And I don't think it's because those folks are getting a beer.

The ticket debacle comes back to haunt them, but I wonder if anyone will notice.

[Young Drachma]

Well...if that home crowd doesn't energize them, nothing will.

[DaddyTorgo]

beautiful, heady play by dice-k there to hang up matsui in the rundown and wipe the lead runner out

[14ers]

I give up. I have my DVR working overtime, but I can't figure out who threw out the first pitch, other than Fogg.

Was this done before or after the National Anthem? Master Card keys to success.


Thanks for any help you can give me.

[SirFozzie]

And that is why David Ortiz is in the lineup despite being a DH all year long.

[DaddyTorgo]

now it's 3-0...can Papi take the rest of the night off?

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

And that is why David Ortiz is in the lineup despite being a DH all year long.

That's why?

[SirFozzie]

Wow, what a Horrible Call.

[Logan]

McCarver fucked up. The umpire was looking to see if the catcher still had the ball, not if he tagged him again.

[Young Drachma]

It touched him. He's out.

[Crapshoot]

Wow, Matsuzaka rocks!

[SirFozzie]

Dola: And Dice-K picks up the slack

[Crapshoot]

Dola,
a good time to get your first hit in the major leagues, eh!

[Galaril]

Wow! The pitcher gets a two run two out single when you are done 3-0? Game and series over!

[Young Drachma]

That said, Fogg better get a bigger sword.

[sterlingice]

I think that's the fastest I've ever seen Manny do... anything.

SI

[Rizon]

And another boring ass World Series. I'm about to go and buy some pumpkins it's so boring.

[Young Drachma]

Might be time to merge the leagues. I know it's too good an idea for MLB to employ.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Might be time to merge the leagues. I know it's too good an idea for MLB to employ.

For what purpose?

SI

[Crapshoot]

Someone made this point:

Matsuzaka has as many RBIs as the entire Rockies lineup in this series. That's an indicator of just how one sided this has been.

[GreenMonster]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Someone made this point:

Matsuzaka has as many RBIs as the entire Rockies lineup in this series. That's an indicator of just how one sided this has been.

Matsuzaka, now has 1 more RBI (2) than Arod has the last 3 years in the playoffs, in 44 ab's. My new favorite stat.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by GreenMonster

Matsuzaka, now has 1 more RBI (2) than Arod has the last 3 years in the playoffs, in 44 ab's. My new favorite stat.

shit...as I just said to SirFozzie: He now has more World Series RBI's in 2 AB's than ARod has in his entire career.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by GreenMonster

Matsuzaka, now has 1 more RBI (2) than Arod has the last 3 years in the playoffs, in 44 ab's. My new favorite stat.

Stolen. Thank you.

[Crapshoot]

That was a stunning play. Amazing.

[GreenMonster]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

That was a stunning play. Amazing.

No kidding. That was as high as Lugo could go for any ball. Lugo has really stepped it up tonight. Any team looking for a setup guy thats susposed to get lefties out but can't can have Lopez next year.

[Galaril]

Wow lugo saved two runs I count now tonight with two great defensive plays. Who'd the thought? And some people wanted Francona o take him out and have Lowell pla short with Youk at 3rd.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Wow lugo saved two runs I count now tonight with two great defensive plays. Who'd the thought? And some people wanted Francona o take him out and have Lowell pla short with Youk at 3rd.

oh c'mon. I don't think that was ever a serious thought by anyone that knows the game of baseball. Maybe by the "pink hats"

[Galaril]

No true,just some jackasses that don't there ass from there elbow.

[sterlingice]

Woo! We have a game!

SI

[MizzouRah]

OH my

[sterlingice]

Okajima looks like he needs a hug

SI

[sterlingice]

Absolutely brutal run to let score

SI

[sterlingice]

Ugh... and, like that, there goes the game again...

SI

[MizzouRah]

Yeah, Boston just keeps coming.

[Big Fo]

Well played Rockies, just when it was looking like we might have had a series again. Damnit.

[Young Drachma]

Home grown is great and all, but they need to go out and get some talent in the off-season to hang with the big boys.

[sterlingice]

Particularly on the pitching staff.

SI

[GreenMonster]

From Rob Neyer's chat:

2008 update for Clemens commercial: He calls Hank Steinbrenner, asks him if he can come back next year. Hank Steinbrenner pretends like the call got dropped while laughing maniacally along with his brother and pops.

That would be so funny..

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Home grown is great and all, but they need to go out and get some talent in the off-season to hang with the big boys.

They were talking about this on KC radio a little this week. Everyone is ready to talk about how the $60M Rockies and DBacks are great and will be in the running for years to come but we just can't etch these things in stone or anywhere close.

Baseball is littered with the corpses of these "up and comers" like Florida- they win a pair of World Series's, the first with an expensive team of soon-to-be-broken up mercenaries and the second with more homegrown talent but there's been nothing around it to show that this team is ready to be a perennial contender.

For Colorado, the lineup is solid but an injury here or there can decimate a team that's not tremendously deep. And is anyone really intimidated by a rotation of Francis, Cook, Jimenez, fluff, and fluff? Do those three really look like what you think of when you see the words "playoff caliber rotation"?

This team was 76-73 on September 15th and would anyone be surprised to see them around .500 again next year? This is not to take anything away from the tremendous run they've had at the end of this year, but let's not pretend this is a dynasty in the making until we've seen more than a year of it.

SI

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Home grown is great and all, but they need to go out and get some talent in the off-season to hang with the big boys.

Yeah agree I was looking at their pitching staff before the series and when they were playing the other series against the Phillies and the Diamondbacks and was wondering how the fuck these guys have like a 2.00 ERA? I think the National League has been outed and the president of that league should be embarassed with the obviously HUGE descrepency in talent ah.......no not talent these guys have talent but just don't seem to have the call it what you will combat experience, battle testedness, clutch skill whatever. This really is as others have noted aseries that never was in question once you strip alway the Rockies incredible streak against mediocre at best competition and the weird conditions they get out of the park in the Rcokies with the local conditions.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

This team was 76-73 on September 15th and would anyone be surprised to see them around .500 again next year? This is not to take anything away from the tremendous run they've had at the end of this year, but let's not pretend this is a dynasty in the making until we've seen more than a year of it.

SI

I told my brother when this run started that I almost hope the team lost once they got to the World Series, so it'd force ownership to invest in the ballclub. Because if these fans who've never really gotten the taste of a full-fledged pennant race start thinking this stuff came easy all of the time, then guys like O'Dowd and company could keep pulling the wool over people's eyes here about why the tream is able to succeed now, versus when they had a bevy of higher priced players on the field and were still treading above .500.

We all know that there is a precedent for the team of kids playing over their heads who get hot and these Rockies are evidence of that. I'm happy for them that they'll get to raise a banner next year, that the fans get a taste of what this is like and that the ownership now has to either build on it or hear even more cries than before this big run, that the Montfort brothers (the Rockies owners) should sell the team and give it to a deep pocketed set that will invest and get them over the hump.

What will really be interesting is what they do with this core. Unlike the Marlins, they're not going to lose anybody out of this group and it's not like anyone here will cost them more money in the next year or two.

Now that the humidor is in full force and has been advertised, one might figure that a pitcher or two might not be afraid to come here and pitch. Whether they'll make the right choice on who is anyone's guess...but I have the strong feeling that this team is a huge pretender in a division where the Padres figure to reload and the Dodgers will keep trying anything and the Diamondbacks having a lot more to offer all gunning for them. Even the Giants could spend if they felt like it...so it's not going to be easy for them to do this again, even in the woeful National League.

It was a great story and all, but this is a crossroad opportunity for the team. I mean, the Anaheim Ducks (different sport and in a major market, but still..) proved that you can build on an experience like this when they won it all last year.

But colour me skeptical as to whether this team's management will be able to figure it out. And I'd be happy to be wrong about it, if they manage to pull it off in the near future.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Yeah agree I was looking at their pitching staff before the series and when they were playing the other series against the Phillies and the Diamondbacks and was wondering how the fuck these guys have like a 2.00 ERA? I think the National League has been outed and the president of that league should be embarassed with the obviously HUGE descrepency in talent...

No more League Presidents. There are honourary league presidents for the AL and NL, but MLB closed the league offices in 2000. That's why the umpires don't wear league designators on their hats anymore and why the Commissioner's Office hands down all of the suspensions now.

It's all the more reason why baseball ought to get its realignment house in order, because for all intent and purposes, there aren't two separate leagues anymore, except in name only.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

No more League Presidents. There are honourary league presidents for the AL and NL, but MLB closed the league offices in 2000. That's why the umpires don't wear league designators on their hats anymore and why the Commissioner's Office hands down all of the suspensions now.

It's all the more reason why baseball ought to get its realignment house in order, because for all intent and purposes, there aren't two separate leagues anymore, except in name only.

All the more reason to have one set of rules and get rid of either pitchers hitting or DHs. I can't imagine there are any fans or many players that think there should be differnt rules for the two leagues. Oh and having the Allstar gamr decide the homefield is really stupid.

[Young Drachma]

Here's a baseball prospectus story about how the Rockies were built, though I think it might require a subscription, it's a nice breakdown of the team and where they got these guys from.

It's a story of a lot of overachievers, some luck and the Coors effect coming together at the same time. Still, a testament to what good scouting can yield, though I'd argue that it also exposes how bad they've been at picking good players at the top of the draft.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/ar...articleid=6851