MLB Playoffs 09.

TheGamer2 · Post by **TheGamer2** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 7:20 pm

I'm just adding this post to hopefully move this thread to the next page so I won't have to see Steve Phillip's winch every time I open this conversation.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 7:42 pm

TheGamer2 wrote:I'm just adding this post to hopefully move this thread to the next page so I won't have to see Steve Phillip's winch every time I open this conversation.

Thank you kind sir. I was starting to get confused as to which one of the guys in the pic was Steve.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 10:05 am

Gotta love Philly. City transit workers are threatening to start a strike this week. The labor dispute has been going on for 6 months, but they voted a few days ago to strike this week if no deal is reached.

This weekend there are world series games on saturday, sunday, monday, flyers games on saturday and monday, and eagles v giants on sunday.

I want to punch the union head in the face when he says it's a 'coincidence' that the workers are no longer willing to work this week, which just happens to be the busiest weekend of the year for the subway and when the national spotlight is on philly.

"We're going to do everything we can not to have a strike." Yeah right.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:35 am

Naples39 wrote:This weekend there are world series games on saturday, sunday, monday, flyers games on saturday and monday, and eagles v giants on sunday.

I want to punch the union head in the face when he says it's a 'coincidence' that the workers are no longer willing to work this week, which just happens to be the busiest weekend of the year for the subway and when the national spotlight is on philly.

"We're going to do everything we can not to have a strike." Yeah right.

Brilliant strategy if you asked me. Without taking sides, whether it's the government or municipality, that maybe one way of getting some attention.

Back to the WS. The matchup is a dandy one. CC vs C. Lee in game one, Teixera vs Howard in 1st base, Cano vs Utley, Victorino vs Cabrera, Damon vs Francisco, you get the idea. Some great match ups by position, I hope it goes to seven games and I am going to give the yankees a slight age to win it all.

The good news for Selig is that McClelland is not scheduled to work the World Series. For those that missed it, that's the third base umpire that was sleeping during the Angels-Yankees series.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:37 am

Cards fans, guess who's back as your hitting coach?

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:43 am

I think the Yankees have to be the favorites, but you can never count these Phillies out.

Anxiously looking forward to what promises to be tremendous heckling of A-Rod in Philadelphia.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 11:27 am

Artie Lange on Jimmy Fallon's show last night:

"A-Rod finally started doing steroids in October."

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 12:44 pm

lexbur wrote:Artie Lange on Jimmy Fallon's show last night:

"A-Rod finally started doing steroids in October."

And having K. Hudson to be the feeder definitely helps.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 7:58 am

I really didn't think it would bother me that much but Tim McCarver is killing me. Literally every other thing he says is just nonsense. The last straw last night was when he criticized Manuel for not starting the runners when the Utley double play occurred. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that he actually played the game. What is sad is he started out as a Phillies broadcaster. Its obvious he doesn't do enough homework for these games. He just states whatever pops into his mind...sometimes he's right and insightful, sometimes he's just embarrassing. There are so many elements there that factor into NOT starting the runners there that it is just silly for him to say that. Plus Joe Buck sucks his d*ck all game. McCarver knows that there are many average Joes watching the World Series...who only watch a few baseball games a year...so he can spew his nonsense and know they take it as "expert analysis." Its frustrating as a baseball guy to listen to him. God I wish I could turn on the radio and listen to the true announcers.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:57 am

Diablo25 wrote:...Tim McCarver is killing me. Literally every other thing he says is just nonsense.

"And so the next pitch will be a high and inside fastball..."

Curve, low outside.

jLp vAkEr0 · Post by **jLp vAkEr0** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 11:18 am

I'm getting Rick Sutcliffe on the MLB International feed.

This guy is freaking insane. Dave O'Brien constantly goes quite for a couple of seconds after his ridiculous comments.

"If Chase Utley hits a 3-run hr right now, and the Phillies hold on to win the game, don't even bother to fly to Philly, this series is over..."

Followed by 10 seconds of silence.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 2:29 am

Score is tied at 4, you know Damon is running and no one is covering third base? I hope Philly can stretch this, despite being down 1-3, I think they got a chance tomorrow, I don't think AJ can pitch two consecutive gems in a row.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 9:07 am

10spro wrote:Score is tied at 4, you know Damon is running and no one is covering third base? I hope Philly can stretch this, despite being down 1-3, I think they got a chance tomorrow, I don't think AJ can pitch two consecutive gems in a row.

Agreed. As most Phillies fans know, Lidge has ZERO move to first and is pretty much afraid to throw over...fearing he is going to throw the ball away. Any decent baserunner would steal on him. Gotta right the ship tonight...Obviously!

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 2:44 am

I get this feeling that Pedro will have the last laugh next game with the Yankees fans. If all goes well for him, my prediction of NY in 7 will be reality.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 9:00 am

10spro wrote:I get this feeling that Pedro will have the last laugh next game with the Yankees fans. If all goes well for him, my prediction of NY in 7 will be reality.

Hope you are right. All I know is the tying run just HAD to make it to the dish last night...twice! Friggin' gut-wrenching!

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 11:45 am

Diablo25 wrote:
10spro wrote:I get this feeling that Pedro will have the last laugh next game with the Yankees fans. If all goes well for him, my prediction of NY in 7 will be reality.
Hope you are right. All I know is the tying run just HAD to make it to the dish last night...twice! Friggin' gut-wrenching!

Well, at least I knew that AJ couldn't pitch two good games in a row.

Pedro handled the chants rather well last time in NY and he had his stuff going. If he duplicates that performance and stays until the 6-7th inning, Phillies have a chance.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 3:24 am

So C. Hamels better find another job if he finds the WS 'mentally draining' and wants the season to end. Woot?

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 12:56 am

Congrats to the Phillies for going back to the WS. But in the end you got out pitched, out hit and out coached. Funny thing I usually hate the Yankees with a passion, but not this year. Well deserved, pitching had been clutch for them all year long.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 9:04 am

10spro wrote:...and out coached.

What series did you watch?

Anyways..

Congrats to the Yanks. I was kinda disappointed with the Series for obvious reasons but I am getting a little tired of some media types talking about how great a series it was. I thought it was fairly weak. The list of players that did little to nothing on both sides is long. Jeter and Matsui had a solid series but the rest of the cast was pretty weak. Utley and Ruiz had a great series but the rest of the cast was pretty weak. Victorino, Rollins, Howard, Canoe, Cabrera, Posada (who I can't stand) and many more did NOTTA.

My one winy complaint....screw the DH. I just wish we could play real baseball all the time. Yes the Phillies got to use a DH when in NY but it was, essentially, Ben friggin' Fransisco. The AL has a specific stud they have signed to be that guy. The NL puts their best bench player in the game - Joke. Matsui is the MVP of the series and he wouldn't have seen the field, other than being a PH, if there was no DH. End of rant.

Again, congrats to the Yanks.

<I now begin the long countdown until spring training.>

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 11:56 am

Diablo, you don't have to go very far in the series. Just look at the way Pedro was pitching last night. You could tell he didn't have his stuff, his speed was in the low, low 80's and before C. Manuel found out that he was throwing softballs, he was being rocked by Godzilla and CO.

He even didn't have someone at least warming up in the bullpen and kept on trusting Martinez, but of course before he finally yanked him out, it's pretty hard to play catch up with the pitching that NY has, and as threatening as Philly hitters maybe. If you know that the series could be over, I definitely would have been more proactive, wouldn't you?

You're right about Utley, he had an awesome series, but in the end, You could never feel that Philly had control of the series even when they were ahead like game five.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 12:26 pm

I don't think the Phillies played very good baseball. There was a lack of timely hitting and over-reliance on solo homers, and it seemed at least once a game there was some boneheaded fielding.

Just off the top of my head:
-Rollins throwing ball away in 9th of game 1
-Damon's double steal in game 4
-Howard staring blankly as yanks get a cheap run in game 5, which helped make a close finish out of what should've been a blowout
-Victorino misjudging a fly ball letting the leadoff runner on with the top of the order coming up, creating a 3 run inning that broke the phillies back in game 6

The Yankees had a far more expensive lineup that played smart and essentially mistake free baseball. They didn't give the phillies any openings, and the phillies didn't play well enough to overcome the yankee's steady if unspectacular performances.

As for Manuel, I disagreed with his handling of Pedro in every postseason start, but it's hard to blame him for much. Good bullpens tend to make managers look like geniuses no matter what they do, and bad bullpens make them look like idiots. Last night specifically I either would've taken out Pedro with Matsui up with bases loaded in 3rd, or I would have let him start the 5th after cruising through 4th. All along it's either leave in a shaky starter or go to a shaky pen--neither option is desirable.

The only thing I would say unequivocally was that we should've seen more of Chan Ho, who was the Phil's best reliever throughout the playoffs. He was always yanked after only facing a few batters and his replacement was almost always ineffective.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 11:09 pm

10spro wrote:Diablo, you don't have to go very far in the series. Just look at the way Pedro was pitching last night. You could tell he didn't have his stuff, his speed was in the low, low 80's and before C. Manuel found out that he was throwing softballs, he was being rocked by Godzilla and CO.

He even didn't have someone at least warming up in the bullpen and kept on trusting Martinez, but of course before he finally yanked him out, it's pretty hard to play catch up with the pitching that NY has, and as threatening as Philly hitters maybe. If you know that the series could be over, I definitely would have been more proactive, wouldn't you?

You're right about Utley, he had an awesome series, but in the end, You could never feel that Philly had control of the series even when they were ahead like game five.

You are entitled to your opinion but you won't convince me that Girardi out-managed Charlie. Pedro nearly always comes out with his velocity and approach that way. He wasn't super sharp but his stuff wasn't that bad. He was touching 90 as the game went on...but they had to get him out of there - it was an elimination game. He was like that in all his starts. He tries to get through the lineup the first time with basic stuff. 2nd and 3rd time through the lineup he starts getting the velocity up and using all his pitches.

Just because they won the series doesn't mean Girardi managed better. Girardi got lucky with his rotational setup. It almost burned him. Their middle relief was less than stellar. I like Girardi but, IMO, Manuel did a better job managing than Girardi. Now if you want to say the Yanks simply outplayed the Phillies I can agree with that.

RallyMonkey · Post by **RallyMonkey** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 11:30 pm

No one outmanaged anyone in the series because Girardi doesn't have a job that requires managing. His toughest decisions were when do i throw Brett Gardner in the field for Cabrera and at what point do i stop using Phil Coke--the lefty specialist who can't get lefties out. Girardi ran out his horses...which were better than the Phil's horses. Period, end of story. I hate the Yankees with a passion, but this team was put together to do what they just did, win a title, and no one else stood a chance.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Fri Nov 06, 2009 6:46 pm

It must have been very tough for Girardi to fill out his lineup card for Game 6. I mean, if you bat one of your $20M hitters ahead of your $33M hitter then what would be the ramifications in the clubhouse?

Derek Jeter, ss -- $21.6 million
Johnny Damon, lf -- $13.0 million
Mark Teixeira, 1b -- $20.6 million
Alex Rodriquez, 3b -- $33.0 million
Hideki Matsui, dh -- $13.0 million
Jorge Posada, c -- $13.1 million
Robinson Cano, 2b -- $ 6.0 million
Nick Swisher, rf -- $ 5.4 million
Brett Gardner, cf -- $ 414,000

I don't usually agree with statements like this but just about *anyone* with any baseball coaching experience could have managed this All-Star team to a title given the chance. Name one manager in baseball that couldn't have.