ESP(Web)N

[Claire]

Go Yankees?

[Claire]

*sigh* oh well. Let's go Brewers, Packers, Badgers & Huskies.

[GS]

All I'm saying is that the Phillies better pull this one out. DO YOU HEAR ME, ED?! DO NOT LOSE TO ATLANTA. (You're currently down by one and I do not appreciate it. At all.)

Oh, and if the Cards pull another stunt like they did against the Mets, blowing a 4 run lead in the 9th inning, I will scream.

I got your back

Claire,

I have no love lost for the Red Sox. But they were so hard to watch over the past couple weeks. I imagine they were even tougher to not watch.
My sympathies.

[starlooker]

Go Yankees!

Fixed that for you

[Satya]

Go Yankees!

Fixed that for you

Go away Yankees!

Fixed your fix.

[GS]

Go away Yankees!

QFT!

[Gravity Defier]

Go away Yankees!

QFT!

[Young Val]

Go away Yankees!

QFT!

YES!

[Dr. Mobius]

Right, so apparently I missed the best day of baseball in years.

[GS]

It really was crazy. It has been a long while since I watched and cared so much about baseball games not involving the Phillies.

[LilBee91]

I don't watch baseball or care about it much at all, but I have to know: what made Wednesday such an exciting day? Yes, I could ask Google, but I'd rather ask you all.

[Young Val]

The Red Sox returned to their roots and suffered one of the worst collapses in the history of ever.

ETA: I'll be sad if Francona's time is up, which most sources seem to indicate.

[GS]

There were four teams going for two available playoff spots. The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox for one and the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals for the other. The teams were tied, so if they both won or both lost then there would be a one game playoff between the two to get into the actual playoffs.

The Cardinals played the Astros and dominated them. So at worst, they were going to have to play the Braves to get into the playoffs.

The Braves played the Phillies. The Braves lead the entire game. The Phillies tied the game in the 9th and then won the game in the 13th inning. The Braves were eliminated from the playoffs after leading a must win game and after holding that spot for the majority of the season.

The Red Sox played the Orioles, who are not a good team. The Red Sox were leading by a score of 3-2 for the last half of the game. In the bottom of the ninth, the Orioles scored 2 runs and won the game on the last play of the game.

The Rays played the Yankee, who are a very good team. The Yankees were up 7-0 going into the bottom of the 8th inning. The Rays scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Down to their last out in the 9th inning, they hit a home run to force extra innings. The capped the game off in the bottom of the 12th with another home run, again, on the last play of the game. This would have been a crazy game at any point of the season, but is a thousand times crazier because it was done against one of the best teams and sealed their spot in the playoffs and eliminated the Red Sox.

Another reason that this was so crazy was because at the beginning of September, the Braves and Red Sox were basically shoe ins for the playoffs. While both teams were collapsing, the Cardinals and Rays played very well to catch them in the standings by Tuesday. This made for one of wildest days in baseball history.

[Young Val]

Wow. Nicely done, Ed.

[Syphon the Sun]

Another reason that this was so crazy was because at the beginning of September, the Braves and Red Sox were basically shoe ins for the playoffs. While both teams were collapsing, the Cardinals and Rays played very well to catch them in the standings by Tuesday.

The Cardinals were 10.5 games behind in late August. I suspect the Rays were similarly behind?

[GS]

The Rays were somewhere around 8.5/9 games back for most of August I think. I know at September 1st, the Cardinals and Rays were both 8.5 games back. Interesting point about the Rays, in most of August and even on September 1st, the Rays were trailing the Yankees because Boston was leading the division at that point.

And thanks Kelly

[LilBee91]

Wow. Nicely done, Ed.

This. I feel much more informed. Thanks.

[GS]

Wow. Nicely done, Ed.

This. I feel much more informed. Thanks.

No problem.

So, it seems like we have a couple of Cardinals and Brewers fans. I know we have at least one Yankees fan as well as a (sorta?) fan of the Diamondbacks at least. I also know we had a couple of Red Sox fans. Sorry guys. And a Mariners fan. I feel really bad for you Buckshot.

But how confident is everyone going into the playoffs?

I am quietly confident. I mean, the Phillies do have the best record and are favored to win the whole thing, but the Cardinals make me a little nervous. They are very hot right now, which statistically has mixed results going into the playoffs. And also, the Phillies didn't really play well against them during the regular season. This again doesn't seem to mean much statistically. But it does make me a little nervous. And the Cardinals have a history of sneaking in and performing well in the playoffs. That being said, the Phillies should win. But I think the Phillies have to win games 1 and 2. The pitching matchups are much closer in games 3 and 4. And the Phillies have really struggled against Garcia, who is slated to pitch in Game 4. Also, their offense really sputtered going down the stretch, but picked up a little the last four games.

[Syphon the Sun]

I mean, the Phillies do have the best record and are favored to win the whole thing, but the Cardinals make me a little nervous. They are very hot right now, which statistically has mixed results going into the playoffs. And also, the Phillies didn't really play well against them during the regular season. This again doesn't seem to mean much statistically. But it does make me a little nervous. And the Cardinals have a history of sneaking in and performing well in the playoffs. That being said, the Phillies should win.

Pretty much all of this. I think we'll make a show of it, and win at least one game, but I suspect we won't be moving past this round. We ended the season by playing some of the worst teams in baseball (Mets, Cubs, and Astros). To move directly into playing one of the best teams is obviously going to be a challenge.

I'm hopeful, but not optimistic.

[GS]

We ended the season by playing some of the worst teams in baseball (Mets, Cubs, and Astros).

That's good stuff right there. I knew they finished with the Astros, but I didn't realize that they had the Mets and Cubs before that.

To counter your hopefully, but not optimistic. I guess I am confident, but leery.

[Gravity Defier]

But how confident is everyone going into the playoffs?

It's going to be close, I have to say, but I think ultimately, AZ will pull out over Milwaukee. They tend to have a slightly better offense when compared to the D-backs but they may not have made the wisest pitching choices and our defense is definitely our stronger side, so it will be interesting to see it played out. In the D-backs favor, they had a higher winning percentage in Milwaukee and split it at home; I'm just superstitious enough to think the team can go for a repeat.

As for after Milwaukee? We'll see.

[Gravity Defier]

D-backs:

[Dr. Mobius]

*sigh* I wish I didn't have to work tonight. It's bad enough I missed game four and didn't see the Freese and Pujols highlights until today. Luckily my dad is DVRing tonight's game for me and hopefully it'll be a good game regardless of how it ends.

[Dr. Mobius]

Yay! Go Carp!

[Gravity Defier]

Ed, I would like you to cuss for me on this one and while you're at it, cuss for you, too.

Seriously, what the f***? I stop watching for one little day and we lose in the 10th?! Bah.

[mr_thebrain]

on behalf of wisconsin, i'd like to say sorry to alea.

[Gravity Defier]

I'd accept your apology but that would have to mean I'm talking to you big bunch of cheeseheads and clearly I'm not (or am I? It's early. I don't know what I'm doing).

[starlooker]

Al Davis... died?!? (Owner of the Raiders.)

So weird. Just yesterday we were having a pleasant conversation with a stranger about how everyone hates him and how awful he is for the team and how the Raiders would never, ever win the Super Bowl as long as he was in charge and bemoaning the fact that he would never, ever step down. And also alleging professional misconduct. And now... he's GONE?

Oh, this is strange.

[mr_thebrain]

Way to go. You killed him

[starlooker]

Way to go. You killed him

Pfft. If Al Davis could've been killed by people talking smack about him, it would've happened LONG ago.

[GS]

Davis was truly a pioneer for NFL owners and his passing is surely sad.

But speaking from a pure football perspective and meaning absolutely no disrespect to an NFL Hall of Famer or his family and friends, I think that this helps the Raiders franchise football wise. I think Davis did more harm than good for the Raiders in the past decade. Letting Jon Gruden go, changing coaches almost every year, too much influence on draft picks and the list could go on. I know that they have been better in the last two seasons, but I think this gives them room for more growth and flexibility. That being said, it is a sad day when you lose a legend.

I am still in shock that the Phillies lost. Really? The Cardinals? Without Matt Holiday for most of the series? No offense to the Cardinal fans here, but they didn't even really deserve to get in. It is incredibly frustrating to watch a team be the best team in baseball for the vast majority of the year, get thrown into a 5 game crap shoot against a hot team that only really got in because the Braves collapsed. That being said, they really had no business winning that series. Your season is on the line and come up with 3 hits? That's sad. From 07 until they played the Yankees in the world series in 09, this team never looked lost or not confident. Heads were never down. Never had the deer in the head lights look. Even when they lost, it always felt that they were on the verge of a comeback. Until the 09 World Series, they looked like a completely different team against the Yankees then they did any of the previous years. I don't know if it the pressure of World Series or bust that they now have. But they lost "it". What ever "it" is.

The Eagles are a joke. This is kind of amusing though. I root for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. So, I am still an Eagles fan. But Andy Reid has been frustrating for the last 5 to 7 years. Cheering for Vick is incredibly difficult. And there aren't that many players that I personally like. Not like there was 8 to 10 years ago.

Let's go Flyers!

[starlooker]

NO! Campbell out with an injury to his collarbone. NONONO! A quarterback with a fractured collarbone is very, very bad. Oh, God, I hope it's not as bad as it's sounding.

The good news is that we're winning. But, yeah, 60 minutes in a game and all that.

I'm so proud of Lechler! Look at him passing like that! (He's our punter. And, now, the backup quarterback. That was his first ever pass in the NFL.)

ETA: Fractured clavicle. Damn. Sigh.

[Syphon the Sun]

World Series bound.

[Dr. Mobius]

World Series bound.

Go crazy, folks! Go crazy!

[starlooker]

Well, the Raiders got Palmer from the Bengals in a fairly risky trade. I don't know what I think of it, really. We'll see, I suppose. At least we have SOMEONE.