:idea: :arrow: re: baseball Baseball is a very personal game. The batter and pitcher have a personal duel in front of everyone. Each play involves just one player at a time. It's all very 19th Century: it's personal. re: Dodgers gone Oh well. We certainly had our chances, but we didn't cash them in. Give credit to the Mets. Greinke was 19-0 with a lead this year and they beat him.
How about that Shift that leaves 3rd base completely uncovered? Does that happen very often? So it's Cubs vs Mets, who'd have predicted that one. Go Cubs!!
Re: Baseball Baseball is the ultimate team game. It has its own code of conduct, going back to the beginning of the sport, a code that is not in writing but is understood by all. If an individual draws attention to himself in a self-centered manner, he doesn't get a technical foul or an unsportsmanlike penalty, he gets drilled. The pitcher is just the messenger. The message is.....Respect the game. By contrast, in football or basketball, at least at the pro level, a player can hot dog after a shot or a TD, and he doesn't get a message. Sure, if it's an egregious act, the team gets penalized, but the player doesn't care, because, a) his team may be winning anyway, or b) both sports on the pro level have cultures that allow egos to prevail over team. Not so in baseball.
I guess you and JO'Co are right, but I just wonder if it can last. The same kids who play baseball usually played football or basketball or both at some time in their lives and I'm surprised that these young kids don't want to celebrate like their friends who play those sports. Plus the game has more Latin players than ever before and those guys are by nature more demonstrative. Also with regards to pitchers retaliating, does that really happen that much anymore? I know Burdette, Spahn, Early Wynn, Sal the Barber, etc those guys would throw at their grandma. But do today's pitchers do that, it seems like if they do they get fined pretty heavily and ejected immediately.
Didn't realize it but the last time the BlueJays made the ALCS was 1985 also vs the Royals. Royals won and went on to the WS vs the Cardinals that year. I'll let A.J. give you the run down on how that WS went down.
I would really like to see KC put away the Blue Jays fast. I am all over hearing the talking heads fawning over "Tulo".
Dan Murphy is he Dale Murphy's son? Seems like he might be given the power he's showing. I wonder what the Vegas odds were on the Mets making the WS this year?
Mattingly done in L.A. I can't help but notice that they waited till JO'Co was out of town to "part ways".
The article I read said the Dodgers brass offered him an extension, but he felt he'd be better off under stable (my word, not his) ownership vs. having worked for 3 different regimes in the last few years. I see his point. He'll land on his feet. IMO he's the best option out there for teams looking for a change in field leadership.
Back when the Yankees had the largest payroll every year, It was popular to say that anyone could win with that kind of payroll. Now the Dodgers have a payroll that dwarfs the Yankees at their peak and winning apparently has gotten more difficult. 8)
Things have been slowly changing in baseball. For instance revenue sharing. http://www.fangraphs.com/library/business/revenue-sharing/ Then of course we have the luxury tax. http://www.fangraphs.com/library/business/luxury-tax/ While free agency might assist in building a championship team, it certainly can lead to the dismantling of successful teams.