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Fat Stu
20-09-2007, 06:47 PM
Any other baseball fans on here. If so now that the post season is almost upon us what are your thoughts. The AL is all sewn with only the yankees and the red sox left to battle it out for division champs and the runner up looks likly to take the wild card.

As for the NL nothing looks settled whatsoever with 2 games between all the divisions and the wildcard.

As a yankee fan, they seem to have the momentum behind them, however I don't think the pitching is good enough for the post season.

Personally I fancy the angels will win it, beating the mets in the world series. although a mets yankees world series would be awesome.

Ringothedog
20-09-2007, 06:51 PM
Any other baseball fans on here. If so now that the post season is almost upon us what are your thoughts. The AL is all sewn with only the yankees and the red sox left to battle it out for division champs and the runner up looks likly to take the wild card.

As for the NL nothing looks settled whatsoever with 2 games between all the divisions and the wildcard.

As a yankee fan, they seem to have the momentum behind them, however I don't think the pitching is good enough for the post season.

Personally I fancy the angels will win it, beating the mets in the world series. although a mets yankees world series would be awesome.

I hope not, being a mets fan!! The way it is going just now with the mets, they are doing a Hibs.......loads of potential and then fail to deliver.

ps the reason i support the mets is that i saw them a few years ago at the shea, what an evening out:thumbsup:

DaveF
20-09-2007, 06:53 PM
I desperately need a refresher on Baseball, as I'm getting seriously addicted to it on NASN.

Tell me (if you can) why is there an AL and NL league, and what kind of rota do they use to work who plays who and where?

I'd love the Cubs to win it, if only because I stood outside Wrigley Field and thought, yep, this is my kind of club - perennial losers :greengrin

If that goat curse is lifted soon, they might just do it!

Fat Stu
20-09-2007, 06:59 PM
I desperately need a refresher on Baseball, as I'm getting seriously addicted to it on NASN.

Tell me (if you can) why is there an AL and NL league, and what kind of rota do they use to work who plays who and where?

I'd love the Cubs to win it, if only because I stood outside Wrigley Field and thought, yep, this is my kind of club - perennial losers :greengrin

If that goat curse is lifted soon, they might just do it!

The lamest curse ever, the curse of the billy goat:tee hee:. the poorest team to be top of their divison aswell, going on recent seasns then their certs to win, if they qualify:wink:.

Will never forget the fan trying to catch the foul ball in the playoffs against the marlins IIRC, the boy got absolutly lynched afterwards. A marlins fan who was a hotel owner even offered him a weeks stay in his hotel so he could get out of chicago.:greengrin

Not sure of why there are 2 leagues, the only difference being the DH in the AL.

Albanian Hibs
20-09-2007, 07:21 PM
Yankees.. Mets.. Cubs.. what a bunch of glory hunters :greengrin

Blue Jays it is for me. Now they are like watching the Hibs. Lots of potential but can't put a decent run together. Spent the summer over in Toronto and went to a lot of games. $11 for a ticket (top tier - 500 level but still a cracking view) . One of the best stadiums around. One of the best games was when they thrashed the Yankees 15-4. The abuse was towards the Yankees and their fans was top quality (easily amused eh!)

Let's go Blue Jays

PS Vernon Wells and Alex Rios are hot :greengrin

DaveF
20-09-2007, 07:26 PM
Going to the dome in Toronto is the only time I've ever actually been to a baseball game and it was brilliant.

Mind you, this was back in 1994 or 95 when they won the thing (was it 2 in a row, I can't remember!)

Pretty sure they had guys like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez playing for the jay's back then?

DaveF
20-09-2007, 07:27 PM
Not sure of why there are 2 leagues, the only difference being the DH in the AL.

What's a DH?

I only just found out what ERA stood for last week. Still don't know what it means though :greengrin

Stattastic :thumbsup:

Fat Stu
20-09-2007, 07:35 PM
What's a DH?

I only just found out what ERA stood for last week. Still don't know what it means though :greengrin

Stattastic :thumbsup:

designated hitter. meaning your pitcher doesn't have to bat and somelse can bat instead, although they don't play outfield.

willie_dunn
20-09-2007, 07:36 PM
mon the red sox!!!!
thats's all i have to say :)

Pheona
20-09-2007, 10:48 PM
I desperately need a refresher on Baseball, as I'm getting seriously addicted to it on NASN.

Tell me (if you can) why is there an AL and NL league, and what kind of rota do they use to work who plays who and where?

I'd love the Cubs to win it, if only because I stood outside Wrigley Field and thought, yep, this is my kind of club - perennial losers :greengrin

If that goat curse is lifted soon, they might just do it!

Me to. My husband is a Yankees fan, has been for years, now we have NASN (I got it for the NHL) I have found myself becoming rather addicted to it to.

Albanian Hibs
21-09-2007, 11:19 AM
Going to the dome in Toronto is the only time I've ever actually been to a baseball game and it was brilliant.

Mind you, this was back in 1994 or 95 when they won the thing (was it 2 in a row, I can't remember!)

Pretty sure they had guys like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez playing for the jay's back then?

The Jays won back to back World Series in 92 & 93. No Jetter or A Rod though.

Sylar
21-09-2007, 11:34 AM
Detroit Tigers fan for my sins - last year was by far a reward for years of watching with utter despair & it was even better as i made my first trip to Commerica, when we swept away the LA Angels!!! This year has been great, but we threw away our chance of making the post-season by losing to runaway division leaders, the Cleveland Indians. Bloody swept aside! Plus, with the Yankees winning against the O's, it means they stride away in the wildcard position as well :boo hoo:

I fancy Cleveland to win the American League - they have a very strong offence, and when their bullpen is on form, they're formidable, particularly with Sabbathia at the mound! The Red Sox will definately be there challenging though, as will the Angels who have all had brilliant season but i can't see either of them stopping the Indians.

National League is a bit harder to call! The Diamondbacks have had a great season, as have the Mets and yet again, the Cubs are there challenging as usual. I've been very disappointed with the Braves this season (I also have a soft spot for them). I reckon, solely on the strength of their offence, the Mets will take the National. I for one, would quite like to see a NYM vs Cleveland World Series this year!

hibsboy90
21-09-2007, 03:16 PM
Huge Red Sox fan myself.

I'm really worried about our slender AL East lead, the yankees have caught up after our huge lead earlier in the season. We can't seem to get many saves.

This new pitcher Gagne who is meant to be great at closing, he keeps on blowing games.

9 games left, 1.5 ahead :bitchy: :worried::worried:

Dropkick Murphy
21-09-2007, 03:57 PM
I support the Washington Nationals, I used to live in Montreal and went to some Expos games so I followed the franchise. Nobody can accuse me of being a glory hunter:greengrin. The infield is strong but thats about it. Looking forward to going to the new stadium when it opens.

I try to go to some games whenever i'm in America, so far I have been to home games of the nationals, Expos, Angels, Devil Rays and Padres:thumbsup:
Also seen Fort Myers Miracle.

This year i reckon Yankees or angels will win.

Fat Stu
21-09-2007, 04:44 PM
Huge Red Sox fan myself.

I'm really worried about our slender AL East lead, the yankees have caught up after our huge lead earlier in the season. We can't seem to get many saves.

This new pitcher Gagne who is meant to be great at closing, he keeps on blowing games.

9 games left, 1.5 ahead :bitchy: :worried::worried:

Gange was a save machine when with the dodgers a couple of seasons ago, he had a crazy save streak of 84 consecutive non blown saves. however reading moneyball we all know how over-rated closers are anyway.

just had a check on the standings, the NL is scary close and looks like it's going to the wire.

hibsboy90
23-09-2007, 10:37 AM
Boston have now secured at least a wildcard place!! :thumbsup:

Falkirk Hibby
23-09-2007, 05:15 PM
Don't get too excited, we (I mean Red Sox) always seem to blow leads in the AL East. Of course that doesn't stop us winning the whole thing! :greengrin

Fat Stu
23-09-2007, 07:11 PM
Don't get too excited, we (I mean Red Sox) always seem to blow leads in the AL East. Of course that doesn't stop us winning the whole thing! :greengrin


you forgot to add once in a blue moon.:wink::greengrin

Freddy Krueger
23-09-2007, 07:38 PM
LOVE baseball.

It's my second favourite sport.

Mon the Minnesota Twins. :thumbsup:

mouvran
23-09-2007, 07:49 PM
I am an angels fan and have been to quite a few games when i was over there.
Think it is between the angels and the red sox to win it so whoever wins the Al i think will win the world series.

Lebron James
23-09-2007, 08:11 PM
yeah i love my baseball on weds and and sunday night on c5 but at times i watch a few games on here http://www.*********/MLB.htm :wink:
also does anyone have any computer games?
i downloaded mvp baseball 2004 for the pc and it's cracking.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Dr_Regal
23-09-2007, 09:00 PM
Red Sox for me.
Watch it every night and managed to get to 1 game this year.

Im very worried that were gonna get pasted in the playoffs. we only have two reliable pitchers.
I reckon the Angels will win the world series.

Cant wait for the celtics season to start.

Shrekko
23-09-2007, 09:50 PM
you forgot to add once in a blue moon.:wink::greengrin

As often as Halley's comet :agree:

It's the Yankees for me. Went to Yankee Stadium for my first game in 2003
and it's virtually impossible not to be hooked on them after you've done that. It'll be a relief when October's over as all these nights up to 3am and beyond really catch up on you! I watch on NASN and mlb.tv.

As for the World Series- forget the National League this year. Yankees, Red Sox, Angels or the Indians have IMO a fairly equal chance of winning it. It might all depend who plays who in 1st round. Yankees have owned the Indians and the Red Sox recently but struggle against the Angels, whereas the Red Sox always beat the Angels.

Form wise I'd say the Red Sox are the poorest of the 4, and the Yankees the hottest. The post -season however is all about pitching and this is where LAA and the Indians are strong. My gut feeling is the Angels but I hope I'm wrong.

ColinP
23-09-2007, 10:28 PM
Massive Bluejays fan mysel

i have never sat up in the 500's for a baseball game ( only for smeltic/Roma)
it was brilliant to watch football from that height... but im guessing you could barely see anything if it was baseball!

only been to a few games this year, as they have been struggling as usual, not going to reach enough points to continue unfortunately, but bright spot is with the young pitchers comming through at the moment.... i guess there is always next yr....


ColinP

mouvran
24-09-2007, 04:24 PM
yeah i love my baseball on weds and and sunday night on c5 but at times i watch a few games on here http://www.*********/MLB.htm :wink:
also does anyone have any computer games?
i downloaded mvp baseball 2004 for the pc and it's cracking.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

downloaded the demo of out of the park baseball(sports interactive) but then realised no real players were used, so it is pretty awful.

Sylar
25-09-2007, 02:38 PM
Can't wait for them to release a decent baseball game for the Wii.

Postseason is beginning to shape up nicely. Still gutted that my beloved Tigers won't be there, but we had a good run last year.

I'm glad to see there are a lot of folk on here who don't support the "Big teams" like MOST of the folks in the UK!

I paid £40 at the start of the year and use MLB.tv where i can watch absolutely every game, from Spring training to the post season! Plus it saves all the games and lets me watch the highlights when i want :thumbsup:

Shrekko
25-09-2007, 08:08 PM
I paid £40 at the start of the year and use MLB.tv where i can watch absolutely every game, from Spring training to the post season! Plus it saves all the games and lets me watch the highlights when i want :thumbsup:

It's a fantastic deal isnt it?
I reckon I've probably watched at least 100 games this year, so you can hardly knock that for value.

The only problem about watching the saved games is that it's impossible to watch them without knowing the score.

HibsMax
26-09-2007, 02:01 PM
I never even noticed this forum before today. :)

I want the Red Sox to win and that was looking like a distinct possibility until the most recent melt down. At least it looks like the Division is coming to Fenway (barring another melt down). I'm not concerned about the gap over the Yankees, I'm concerned about how we've been playing to allow the Yankees back in it. Our bullpen isn't what it was earlier in the season. We shall see though. Now that (American) football season is well under way, I tend to spend more time following the Pats.

Sylar
26-09-2007, 04:44 PM
I never even noticed this forum before today. :)

I want the Red Sox to win and that was looking like a distinct possibility until the most recent melt down. At least it looks like the Division is coming to Fenway (barring another melt down). I'm not concerned about the gap over the Yankees, I'm concerned about how we've been playing to allow the Yankees back in it. Our bullpen isn't what it was earlier in the season. We shall see though. Now that (American) football season is well under way, I tend to spend more time following the Pats.

A very wise man you are too :wink: (save for the fact we just got shafted for cheating :brickwall)

Dr_Regal
27-09-2007, 09:39 PM
A very wise man you are too :wink: (save for the fact we just got shafted for cheating :brickwall)

We got a talking too thats all! A 125,000quid fine to Belicheck and 250,000 quid fine for the club. Nothing, dont worry about that. The Pats are unstoppable right now, only the Colts could possibly stop us. But then they dont have Moss!!!!

Sylar
27-09-2007, 10:07 PM
The franchise reputation has dropped as well as a result though. We might be unstoppable this year (by the looks of the current roster anyway and opening performances) but this might affect us more adversely in coming years.

I'd love to be wrong for the record!

Just as a slight aside, i was in New Orleans for the Superbowl a few years back which we took quite comfortably. By far one of the best sporting events i have the pleasure of being at!

Fat Stu
30-09-2007, 06:21 PM
Back on subject can someone tell me what happens if the phillies and mets win and the padres lose. meaning that the phillies and mets are joint division leaders and all three will be wild card leaders.

I presume the phillies and mets will have a play-off, but will the losers have another play-off with the padres.:confused:

Sylar
01-10-2007, 01:51 PM
Im sure head to head results come first, and then, if they still can't be separated, there is a play off to decide who progresses to the playoffs.

Luna Landing
01-10-2007, 03:31 PM
You dont need to worry about play-offs . The Mets have blown it big time :thumbsup:. The Phillies have equalled the biggest ever come back in NL history.

Jumbo
02-10-2007, 05:25 PM
You dont need to worry about play-offs . The Mets have blown it big time :thumbsup:. The Phillies have equalled the biggest ever come back in NL history.

Better watch, the Rockies are coming 14 wins in last 15 games :dizzy:

Arch Stanton
04-10-2007, 05:21 PM
I Usually only watch the world series but I too have watched more since I got NASN. What website is best to find out what is happening - an overview I mean - I don't even know who all is in the playoffs or how they are going.

It's the same with college football - I haven't a clue what all the groupings are - the big 10 or what have you - it would be good to see the highlights of what is happening.

Dropkick Murphy
04-10-2007, 05:29 PM
I Usually only watch the world series but I too have watched more since I got NASN. What website is best to find out what is happening - an overview I mean - I don't even know who all is in the playoffs or how they are going.

It's the same with college football - I haven't a clue what all the groupings are - the big 10 or what have you - it would be good to see the highlights of what is happening.

www.mlb.com (http://www.mlb.com)
www.espn.com (http://www.espn.com)
www.si.com (http://www.si.com)

Sylar
04-10-2007, 05:33 PM
I Usually only watch the world series but I too have watched more since I got NASN. What website is best to find out what is happening - an overview I mean - I don't even know who all is in the playoffs or how they are going.

It's the same with college football - I haven't a clue what all the groupings are - the big 10 or what have you - it would be good to see the highlights of what is happening.

MLB.com is class! I've paid a subscription to it, so i'm fortunate enough to see all games (from Spring training match-ups, through to the World Series) and their highlights. Their news is second to none and you occassionally get to see highlights (or the top plays) from each game on demand.

Arch Stanton
04-10-2007, 06:26 PM
Thanks - I'll check those out.

duncs
05-10-2007, 11:43 AM
Red Sox won the opener against the Angels, get in! And K-Dice to pitch on Saturday.

Saw the Red Sox beat the Angels 8-4 back in August at Fenway, a brilliant game.

Dr_Regal
05-10-2007, 09:15 PM
Red Sox won the opener against the Angels, get in! And K-Dice to pitch on Saturday.

Saw the Red Sox beat the Angels 8-4 back in August at Fenway, a brilliant game.

Dice-K to pitch tonight my friend, 8.30. Hopefully he does as well as Beckett done on wed, what a game. The Yankees got cuffed last night things going smoothly so far.

hibsboy90
06-10-2007, 09:08 PM
Red Sox 2 up.

Yankees 2 down.

Just the way we like it!!! :thumbsup::greengrin

Shrekko
06-10-2007, 09:26 PM
Red Sox 2 up.

Yankees 2 down.

Just the way we like it!!! :thumbsup::greengrin

Aye- nice to see the British Red Sox bandwagon still going. Enjoy it while it lasts though, cos normal servie will be resumed in the next year or 2 :wink:

hibsboy90
06-10-2007, 11:08 PM
Aye- nice to see the British Red Sox bandwagon still going. Enjoy it while it lasts though, cos normal servie will be resumed in the next year or 2 :wink:

Bandwagon!!:bitchy: Not half as bad as the yankees.

I've been to 7 baseball games on my travels, 4 of them Boston. I feel that i am allowed to support them as my 'team' for this sport.

Shrekko
07-10-2007, 10:48 AM
Bandwagon!!:bitchy: Not half as bad as the yankees.

I've been to 7 baseball games on my travels, 4 of them Boston. I feel that i am allowed to support them as my 'team' for this sport.

of course you are mate :wink: but they are definitely the 'bandwagon' team, particularly in the UK- if you watch channel 5 and their related baseball web-sites you'll see that.

The Red Sox popularity particularly before they won the World Series was based on common myth about their previous lack of success being down to bad luck (curse of the bambino) and of course 'the Evil Empire' the Yankees holding them down- all nonsense if you bother to actually look in to the history of the game.

The Sox still try to make out they are everything the Yankees are not despite having by far the second highest payroll in the league. The difference with the Yankees is that a lot their admittedly higher payroll is given to home produced talent like Jeter, Posada, Rivera and Pettite- who have been rewarded for loyal and excellent service.

Boston have a 143 million dollar payroll (about to get much bigger too) and also paid over 50 million dollars this season to sign Dice-K, yet their fans are still prattling on about the Yanks being a cheque book team and having some kind of advantage. They are like Celtic fans-self professed greatest in sport. I disagree! :wink:

Unfortunately though I reckon the WS is all but in the bag for the RS now.

rossevenil
07-10-2007, 01:32 PM
And the Yankees are what exactly other than the CHAV`s choice of team?

Yes the Sox are spending more money now than they ever have but that was on the back of winning the WS,whereas the Yankees have been spending well more than anyone else for years under the evil empire,shame they didnt know you cant buy everything in life.

GO SOX!

HibsMax
07-10-2007, 04:11 PM
of course you are mate :wink: but they are definitely the 'bandwagon' team, particularly in the UK- if you watch channel 5 and their related baseball web-sites you'll see that.

The Red Sox popularity particularly before they won the World Series was based on common myth about their previous lack of success being down to bad luck (curse of the bambino) and of course 'the Evil Empire' the Yankees holding them down- all nonsense if you bother to actually look in to the history of the game.

The Sox still try to make out they are everything the Yankees are not despite having by far the second highest payroll in the league. The difference with the Yankees is that a lot their admittedly higher payroll is given to home produced talent like Jeter, Posada, Rivera and Pettite- who have been rewarded for loyal and excellent service.

Boston have a 147 million dollar payroll (about to get much bigger too) and also paid over 50 million dollars this season to sign Dice-K, yet their fans are still prattling on about the Yanks being a cheque book team and having some kind of advantage. They are like Celtic fans-self professed greatest in sport. I disagree! :wink:

Unfortunately though I reckon the WS is all but in the bag for the RS now.
I may be interpreting what you are saying incorrectly so take that into consideration before I jump down your throat. :)

Red Sox nation is not a bandwagon anything. They've always had a good support for as long as I can remember. According to the numbers I am looking at the sox have a payroll of $143mm and the Yankees have $52mm over and above that. I know the Sox aren't hurting for cash but the Yankees are still a checkbook team. When the going gets tough, they go out and buy talent. I don't really see that as an advantage because we could do the same. Compare and contrast that to the Sox farm system. I know we buy players as well but Youkilis, Pedroia and Papelbon are all regular starters that came through the ranks. Here's the top 10 top players in the MLB for 2007 (ref: wikipedia):


1. Alex Rodriguez New York Yankees $ 27,708,525
2. Jason Giambi New York Yankees $ 23,428,571
3. Derek Jeter New York Yankees $ 21,600,000
4. Manny Ramirez Boston Red Sox $ 17,016,381
5. Todd Helton Colorado Rockies $ 16,600,000
6. Andy Pettitte New York Yankees $ 16,000,000
7. Bartolo Colon Los Angeles Angels $ 16,000,000
8. Jason Schmidt Los Angeles Dodgers $ 15,703,946
9. Jim Thome Chicago White Sox $ 15,666,667
10. Bobby Abreu New York Yankees $ 15,600,0

Five Yankees and just one Sox player. If we extend that to the top 20 then there is one more Sox player (Drew) and no more Yankees. Top 30 has an additional Sox player and two more Yankees. There's not a doubt in my mind that the Yankees splash the case when they're hurting but it doesn't seem to have done them much good. They have bags of talent but not a great team.

It sucks because I think the Yankees and Sox are in the same position as Celtic / Rangers. I follow the Sox not because of fame, fortune or anything like that, I follow them because of where I live.

Shrekko
07-10-2007, 10:41 PM
rossevenil-that type of post is so stereo-typical and not really worthy of a reponse.

Hibsmax- I'm well aware that the Red Sox have always been well supported. I'm referring in particular to UK fans. Josh Chetwynd who is a Bostonian and is the expert analyst on British telly has often talked about the 'band-wagon' and how he actually dislikes it.

I think you have misunderstood my post. Everyone knows the Yankee payroll is the biggest. I do however think that Boston have shown they are equally capable of flashing the cash on free agents. In my time supporting the Yankees there have been several times that the RS and NYY have wanted the same player but Boston have been able to offer more. Dice-K is a prime example

If you take Dice-K's posting fee there isnt a huge difference in what the teams have spent on players this season. Boston's payroll is about 40 percent bigger than the 3rd biggest (the Mets I think?) yet they still go on and on and on and on about the Yankees and their wages.

The Yankees are now relying on young pitching talent and have a number of their big earners about to disappear. Boston have a wage bill that will increase because a lot of their stars contracts are 'back loaded'. In a year or 2 there will be no difference, but will Boston ever be accused of trying to buy success or will they still try to give the impression they have a wage bill like Kansas City??

In some ways the Yanks deserve criticism, but a lot of it is just myth to disguise other teams shortcomings. What people forget is that the Yankees were heavily in favour of revenue sharing and contribute tens of millions that go to other clubs every year to maintain a decent level of competition. Can you imagine the Old Firm doing that for the rest of the SPL?

Big Ed
07-10-2007, 11:19 PM
I may be interpreting what you are saying incorrectly so take that into consideration before I jump down your throat. :)

Red Sox nation is not a bandwagon anything. They've always had a good support for as long as I can remember. According to the numbers I am looking at the sox have a payroll of $143mm and the Yankees have $52mm over and above that. I know the Sox aren't hurting for cash but the Yankees are still a checkbook team. When the going gets tough, they go out and buy talent. I don't really see that as an advantage because we could do the same. Compare and contrast that to the Sox farm system. I know we buy players as well but Youkilis, Pedroia and Papelbon are all regular starters that came through the ranks. Here's the top 10 top players in the MLB for 2007 (ref: wikipedia):


1. Alex Rodriguez New York Yankees $ 27,708,525
2. Jason Giambi New York Yankees $ 23,428,571
3. Derek Jeter New York Yankees $ 21,600,000
4. Manny Ramirez Boston Red Sox $ 17,016,381
5. Todd Helton Colorado Rockies $ 16,600,000
6. Andy Pettitte New York Yankees $ 16,000,000
7. Bartolo Colon Los Angeles Angels $ 16,000,000
8. Jason Schmidt Los Angeles Dodgers $ 15,703,946
9. Jim Thome Chicago White Sox $ 15,666,667
10. Bobby Abreu New York Yankees $ 15,600,0

Five Yankees and just one Sox player. If we extend that to the top 20 then there is one more Sox player (Drew) and no more Yankees. Top 30 has an additional Sox player and two more Yankees. There's not a doubt in my mind that the Yankees splash the case when they're hurting but it doesn't seem to have done them much good. They have bags of talent but not a great team.

It sucks because I think the Yankees and Sox are in the same position as Celtic / Rangers. I follow the Sox not because of fame, fortune or anything like that, I follow them because of where I live.

Max

I can't believe that Ortiz isn't in the top 20 in terms of payroll. Varitek also signed a big deal after the 2004 WS win. Is Drew on more than Papi and Tek - say it aint so.

hibsboy90
08-10-2007, 11:48 AM
Whilst i don't doubt that Boston have a huge budget, people accept that, i know that i'm supporting one of the equivalent OF in baseball. But i'm just pleased that i'm not supporting them because i don't want to be stereotypical.

Players like Johnny Damon left the Sox straight after the World Series win for the yankees. Yes Dice-K was wanted by both teams, but it was obvious that the sox wanted / needed him more so were willing to pay enough toget him. If the yankees had needed him desperately and he was the next best thing since sliced bread, then i have no doubts that the yankees would have snaffled him.

Boston don't always pay out the big bucks though, just look at what happened to Pedro. The sox wouldn't bow to his demands so had no qualms about letting him go to the Mets.

Out of interest, how much bigger is the NYY payroll in comparison to the Sox?

Through to the AL Championship series now, roll opn friday :thumbsup:

The_Sauz
08-10-2007, 02:41 PM
Haven't followed the Baseball for years, but when I did... the Marlins were my fav team. When ever I go over to Florida for my hols, I would try to go down to Miami to catch a game or two:greengrin.
I'm quiet surprised to fellow UK based Hibbys intrested in Baseball!!.....it's even better fun once you have played it, and I don't mean on a computer or games machine :wink:

Shrekko
08-10-2007, 06:43 PM
Whilst i don't doubt that Boston have a huge budget, people accept that, i know that i'm supporting one of the equivalent OF in baseball. But i'm just pleased that i'm not supporting them because i don't want to be stereotypical.

Players like Johnny Damon left the Sox straight after the World Series win for the yankees. Yes Dice-K was wanted by both teams, but it was obvious that the sox wanted / needed him more so were willing to pay enough toget him. If the yankees had needed him desperately and he was the next best thing since sliced bread, then i have no doubts that the yankees would have snaffled him.

Boston don't always pay out the big bucks though, just look at what happened to Pedro. The sox wouldn't bow to his demands so had no qualms about letting him go to the Mets.

Out of interest, how much bigger is the NYY payroll in comparison to the Sox?

Through to the AL Championship series now, roll opn friday :thumbsup:

At the start of the year the RS payroll was 143 million and the Yanks 189 million (of which 9 million is paid by Texas Rangers). Both have added to that, most notably NYY signing Roger Clemens. The gap should be a lot smaller next season unless something unexpected happens.

Anyone interested in what the individual players get should try the following link;

http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/default.aspx

...and yes JD Drew earns more than Ortiz :wink:

hibsboy90
08-10-2007, 07:07 PM
At the start of the year the RS payroll was 143 million and the Yanks 189 million (of which 9 million is paid by Texas Rangers). Both have added to that, most notably NYY signing Roger Clemens. The gap should be a lot smaller next season unless something unexpected happens.

Anyone interested in what the individual players get should try the following link;

http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/default.aspx

...and yes JD Drew earns more than Ortiz :wink:

Some interesting stats there.

In 2003 the NYY spent $52M more than the BRS ($152M) (who were 6th highest wages)
In 2004 the NYY spent $57M more than BRS ($184M)
In 2005 the NYY spent $85M more than BRS ($208M)
In 2006 the NYY spent $74M more than BRS ($194M)
In 2007 the NYY spent $45M more than BRS ($189M)

The Marlins had a third of NYY budget ($150M) and still won the World Series.
The season following the BRS winning of the world series, NYY spending rose by $24M, the BRS spending fell by $4M

Shrekko
08-10-2007, 07:59 PM
Some interesting stats there.

In 2003 the NYY spent $52M more than the BRS ($152M) (who were 6th highest wages)
In 2004 the NYY spent $57M more than BRS ($184M)
In 2005 the NYY spent $85M more than BRS ($208M)
In 2006 the NYY spent $74M more than BRS ($194M)
In 2007 the NYY spent $45M more than BRS ($189M)

The Marlins had a third of NYY budget ($150M) and still won the World Series.
The season following the BRS winning of the world series, NYY spending rose by $24M, the BRS spending fell by $4M

It is interesting and the gap is certainly getting smaller. I'd be prepared to lay a large wager that the gap will get much smaller in the coming (2-3) years.

I think NYY and BRS will always be the big payers, but in reality it is still very feasible to put together a great (World Series winning) team for half of what they spend. I think the extra money the top 2 pay reflects the pressure of representing 2 huge institutions and the fact that are competing so intensely against each other. Theres absolutely no way for instance that Dice-K was worth a 50 million posting fee, but BRS were obviously making sure as much as anything that the Yankees didnt get him... and despite what you say in a previous post the Yankees desperately needed and wanted him- a bid of over 30 million is a very serious offer when they thought he would go for 20!!

Part/Time Supporter
08-10-2007, 09:10 PM
The Tribe are screwing this up in Hibs-esque fashion. For some unfathomable reason they are going to use Paul Byrd (he of the 4.5+ era and .300 opposing batting average) instead of Sabathia (this year's Cy Young) on short rest.

I'm having nightmares of losing tonight's game 9-6 and Wednesday's 2-1. It's bloody ridiculous. And don't get me started on them leaving Nixon in right field last night after Clemens was taken out of the game.

:brickwall:brickwall:brickwall:brickwall:brickwall :brickwall:brickwall:brickwall

(quietly hopes this acts as reverse psychology)

As for arguing over teams that spend the GDP of small African countries,

:hilarious

Shrekko
08-10-2007, 09:27 PM
The Tribe are screwing this up in Hibs-esque fashion. For some unfathomable reason they are going to use Paul Byrd (he of the 4.5+ era and .300 opposing batting average) instead of Sabathia (this year's Cy Young) on short rest.

I'm having nightmares of losing tonight's game 9-6 and Wednesday's 2-1. It's bloody ridiculous. And don't get me started on them leaving Nixon in right field last night after Clemens was taken out of the game.

:brickwall:brickwall:brickwall:brickwall:brickwall :brickwall:brickwall:brickwall

(quietly hopes this acts as reverse psychology)

As for arguing over teams that spend the GDP of small African countries,

:hilarious

I agree with you here mate- I'm delighted the Tribe are going with Bryd tonight.

If the Yankees win, we get our best pitcher in game 5 and it's pretty much 50/50. Indians have the chance to use Sabathia AND Carmona to win 1 game out of 2 and they're not using it!-they should be playing it like there's no tomorrow.

In saying that how often can you predict the outcome of a game solely on the starting pitching line-up??

The other side of the coin is that if Bryd wins you start off with Sabathia and Carmona against the Red Sox. Big gamble though.

Fat Stu
08-10-2007, 09:29 PM
The Tribe are screwing this up in Hibs-esque fashion. For some unfathomable reason they are going to use Paul Byrd (he of the 4.5+ era and .300 opposing batting average) instead of Sabathia (this year's Cy Young) on short rest.

I'm having nightmares of losing tonight's game 9-6 and Wednesday's 2-1. It's bloody ridiculous. And don't get me started on them leaving Nixon in right field last night after Clemens was taken out of the game.

:brickwall:brickwall:brickwall:brickwall:brickwall :brickwall:brickwall:brickwall

(quietly hopes this acts as reverse psychology)

As for arguing over teams that spend the GDP of small African countries,

:hilarious

So IF the yankees win it's Sabathia v Pettitte in game 5. What a pitching dual that will be.

Bear in mind though Chien-Ming Wang gave up 8 runs in game 2, but i'd always fancy the yankees in a slug fest. Just noticed aswell yankees have the Moose ready if required, looking good for the yankees.

rossevenil
09-10-2007, 04:38 AM
Well done Cleveland!!

Yankees......:bye:

Should be an interesting ALCS Series coming up.

Part/Time Supporter
09-10-2007, 04:50 AM
That's why I'm not a baseball manager then.

:greengrin

Yankees suck. And someone better remind Torre to collect his pink slip.

:wink:

Beckett v Sabathia in game 1 of the ALCS. Now there's a real pitching duel. I might even stay up for that one.

Prediction? Umm, the Red Sox are a better team than the Yankees, but Indians in 6. If we'd had this pitching in the 90s, the Yankees wouldn't have won a World Series since Reggie Jackson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggie_Jackson) and Ron Guidry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Guidry).

rossevenil
09-10-2007, 05:16 PM
As much as I hate to say it,think Indians will take this one,unless the Sox bats stay hot!

Indians pitching looked pretty damn good against the Yankees aswell as consistently having base runners.

Just feel their starters at the moment look more on form than the Sox other than Beckett,and not sure how many more big games Schilling can throw.

SanFranHibs
09-10-2007, 05:42 PM
I think a lot depends on Dice-K. He is certainly not pitching at his best but is number two in the rotation. Need him to compete with Carmona in game 2.

Boston - Cleveland should be a great series.

SanFranHibs
09-10-2007, 05:46 PM
As much as I hate to say it,think Indians will take this one,unless the Sox bats stay hot!

Indians pitching looked pretty damn good against the Yankees aswell as consistently having base runners.

Just feel their starters at the moment look more on form than the Sox other than Beckett,and not sure how many more big games Schilling can throw.

Pitching very smartly and his post season numbers are tremendous. I actually think the Red Sox offense is too strong and Cleveland lived dangerously against New York with most of their hits with RISP coming with two outs. Now I commend them heartily for that but Beckett/Schilling are too good to consistently give up 2 out hits. Or I HOPE so !!!!

Dice-K's performance is critical.

rossevenil
09-10-2007, 07:15 PM
Agree about Dice-K,as commentators have said batters have learned how to hit him and he needs to cut down the number of pitches he thinks he can throw to a few he can really throw if you know what I mean?

As for Schilling,I know where you are coming from and hope you are correct as we all know he is a big time pitcher,lets hope he can do it a couple of times more,aswell as Manny and Papi getting hot for the Post Season.

heretoday
09-10-2007, 09:07 PM
Love the Indians. I started watching baseball on Channel 4 ten years ago when I was ill and couldn't sleep. The Tribe should have won the WS then and had a great team for some years afterwards with Thome, Vizquel, Colon, Ramirez etc. It was always pitching that let them down but now they seem to have a strong bullpen which they never had before and I reckon that is one of the secrets to baseball success - that and "clutch hitting" which they also do well these days. Good to see Lofton back too.
I have a tenner on them this year!

Part/Time Supporter
09-10-2007, 09:20 PM
I think a lot depends on Dice-K. He is certainly not pitching at his best but is number two in the rotation. Need him to compete with Carmona in game 2.

Boston - Cleveland should be a great series.

Boston has moved Schilling up to game 2 to counter Carmona. They're running scared already.

:wink:

Shrekko
09-10-2007, 09:29 PM
Pitching very smartly and his post season numbers are tremendous. I actually think the Red Sox offense is too strong and Cleveland lived dangerously against New York with most of their hits with RISP coming with two outs. Now I commend them heartily for that but Beckett/Schilling are too good to consistently give up 2 out hits. Or I HOPE so !!!!

Dice-K's performance is critical.

Dice-K is just downright average. All the hype was just that. This season should have been a good one for him as he had the advantage over the hitters but his ERA was 4.4 and rose as the season went on. Seeing as he's more or less the finished article he'll never be what they said he might.

I think this is a cracking match up. Pitching wise, you've got 2 aces each- Beckett/Schilling and Sabathia/Carmona. Then you've got 2 each that are average Dice-K/Wakefield and Westbrook/Bryd. So you might get a mixture of slug-fests and pitching duels. Two very good but not great hitting line-ups- so should be good. The Ortiz factor will more than likely be what swings it but you never know.

I also think it's more or less a World Series as the winner will go on to win in it all (much as I'd love to see the Rockies do that now).

Part/Time Supporter
10-10-2007, 06:16 PM
A quick thought - the Indians, Rockies and Diamondbacks have a lower combined payroll than the Yankees. Here's what you could get for a combined team:

SP1 LHP CC Sabathia
SP2 RHP Brandon Webb
SP3 LHP Jeff Francis
SP4 RHP Fausto Carmona
SP5 LHP Randy Johnson

CL RHP Jose Valverde
RP RHP Rafael Betancourt
RP LHP Rafael Perez
RP RHP Brandon Lyon
RP RHP Manny Corpas
RP RHP Jensen Lewis

C SH Victor Martinez
C RH Chris Snyder

1B LH Todd Helton
1B LH Travis Hafner
2B SH Orlando Hudson
2B SH Asdrubal Cabrera
3B RH Garret Atkins
SS RH Troy Tulowitzki

LF RH Matt Holliday
LF LH Kenny Lofton
CF LH Grady Sizemore
CF RH Chris Young
RF LH Brad Hawpe
RF RH Franklin Gutierrez

That is sick.

heretoday
10-10-2007, 09:04 PM
Luck is a big player in most sports but never more so than in baseball. By rights the batter shouldn't have a chance against a hard ball thrown at over 90 mph from a short distance away.
The fascinating thing about baseball is the way that certain batters can achieve consistent success against the odds.
By the same token certain pitchers can come top of their class on a regular basis despite the constant fear that a slightly wayward throw can result in disaster.
That is the fascination of baseball.

Shrekko
10-10-2007, 10:35 PM
Luck is a big player in most sports but never more so than in baseball. By rights the batter shouldn't have a chance against a hard ball thrown at over 90 mph from a short distance away.
The fascinating thing about baseball is the way that certain batters can achieve consistent success against the odds.
By the same token certain pitchers can come top of their class on a regular basis despite the constant fear that a slightly wayward throw can result in disaster.
That is the fascination of baseball.

:agree:

What other sport in the world can you get superstar status by FAILING 70 PERCENT of the time??

Obviously the more talented you are the more chance you have of being lucky more often but yeah- a lot of it's down to pure luck. Very little difference between a double play ball and an RBI grounder up the middle.

It's a great sport and the drama you get in these later stages is phenomenal- every pitch has you on the edge of your seat, sometimes for 7 whole games.

HibsMax
12-10-2007, 04:20 PM
Hibsmax- I'm well aware that the Red Sox have always been well supported. I'm referring in particular to UK fans.
that's kinda what I thought you meant, hence my preamble. :)

HibsMax
12-10-2007, 04:24 PM
Max

I can't believe that Ortiz isn't in the top 20 in terms of payroll. Varitek also signed a big deal after the 2004 WS win. Is Drew on more than Papi and Tek - say it aint so.

I wish I had kept the link. I'll find it again I just can't find it right now. What I can tell you is that Ortiz has always been on a tiny amount compared to Ramirez. Drew was signed for 5 years, 14mm per year!!!! :-O That's why he has been under the microscopes this season.

HibsMax
12-10-2007, 04:25 PM
Out of interest, how much bigger is the NYY payroll in comparison to the Sox?
for 2007, about 52 million dollars.

hibsboy90
13-10-2007, 01:11 AM
I flew to the states today and i'm currently watching the ALCS on FOX.

Sabbathia has been pulled out in the 5th inning, after an ERA of 8!!!!!

Red Sox batting has been very impressive, but the number of walks given has been extraordinary. The Indians LF went to catch a bouncing ball near the track, and ended up knocking it out for a ground rules double. That triggered a free scoring inning.

I'm going to the NHL tomorrow night, Tampa Bay Lightening at Florida Panthers, both of whom i've seen before.

Fat Stu
13-10-2007, 01:17 AM
I flew to the states today and i'm currently watching the ALCS on FOX.

Sabbathia has been pulled out in the 5th inning, after an ERA of 8!!!!!

Red Sox batting has been very impressive, but the number of walks given has been extraordinary. The Indians LF went to catch a bouncing ball near the track, and ended up knocking it out for a ground rules double. That triggered a free scoring inning.

I'm going to the NHL tomorrow night, Tampa Bay Lightening at Florida Panthers, both of whom i've seen before.


his era for that game will be about 15 as he has given up 8 runs in 5 innings:brickwall

hibsboy90
13-10-2007, 08:38 AM
his era for that game will be about 15 as he has given up 8 runs in 5 innings:brickwall

Yes, i'd forgotten completely about that. I hope people don't think that he's rubbisha as he most definately isn't.

As for the NLCS, Colorado 2-0 up and now heading home to Denver. Last night's game 2-2 until the 11th. With a man on base, 3 men were walked. 3-2 Rockies.

Part/Time Supporter
14-10-2007, 07:56 AM
Well, I'm not quite sure how, but the Indians survived another wild performance by a starter and eventually erupted in the 11th inning to win game 2 by 13-6. The game lasted so long that it was still going when I woke up this morning (about 6.20). The guys showed their confidence in Borowski by not settling for anything less than a 7 run lead.

:greengrin

I know this sounds a bit perverse, but I'm quite confident about the next two games being started by Westbrook and Byrd. Hopefully they will pitch to contact and not try to finesse too much (I know Byrd won't, at least). It's a strange series already. It could develop into an endurance battle between the two bullpens, although the extra day off between games #4 and #5 eases that a bit.

hibsboy90
19-10-2007, 02:26 PM
Quick update:

Rockies won the NLCS 4-0 to go through to the World Series.

In that time, Boston's bats stopped working (apart from manny and ortiz basically) at the same time, Cleveland were scoring for fun. Last night Beckett was immense and helped the sox make it 3-2 and take it back home to fenway, with schilling on the mound tonight.

I still think that back at fenway we can still reach the world series!!! :thumbsup:

HibsMax
19-10-2007, 05:12 PM
Quick update:

Rockies won the NLCS 4-0 to go through to the World Series.

In that time, Boston's bats stopped working (apart from manny and ortiz basically) at the same time, Cleveland were scoring for fun. Last night Beckett was immense and helped the sox make it 3-2 and take it back home to fenway, with schilling on the mound tonight.

I still think that back at fenway we can still reach the world series!!! :thumbsup:

tomorrow night. :wink:

I sure hope you're right. It was good to see some hitting last night after the recent drought. I worry about our pitching though. We need a really strong performance from Schilling this time.

hibsboy90
20-10-2007, 12:01 AM
tomorrow night. :wink:

I sure hope you're right. It was good to see some hitting last night after the recent drought. I worry about our pitching though. We need a really strong performance from Schilling this time.

Yeh i meant tomorrow!!:wink::greengrin

I don't think curt is quite as good as he was when we won it last time. Although i have a good feeling about game 6.:thumbsup:

IF we win tomorrow, then i really think that game 7 would come as well, because the tribe would be demoralised.:thumbsup: Although Manny's comments the other night about being knocked out "No big deal" won't have gone down too well in Boston.

And no Joe Torre next year, RichH :devil::wink:

Dropkick Murphy
20-10-2007, 12:03 PM
Josh Beckett was brilliant in game 5. He should definately win the Cy Young:agree:

hibsboy90
22-10-2007, 02:17 AM
Watching game 5 at the moment, 3-2 red sox :thumbsup:

BUT, it seems like Dice-K wants to throw the game away, i'm very nervous about this boy. Lets get Beckett in for 2 innings, or even Timlin or Okajina.

HibsMax
22-10-2007, 06:17 AM
This looks like it's gonna be a helluva good World Series!

NYHibby
22-10-2007, 12:32 PM
I hope Colorado wins. I can't stand Red Soxs fans. They were so obnoxious when they won the last time.

duncs
22-10-2007, 01:32 PM
I hope Colorado wins. I can't stand Red Soxs fans. They were so obnoxious when they won the last time.

How so? Surely they are entitled to celebrate winning the holy grail, the one thing that had been deprived of them for over 80 years?

ancienthibby
22-10-2007, 06:00 PM
How so? Surely they are entitled to celebrate winning the holy grail, the one thing that had been deprived of them for over 80 years?

BoSox all the way!!

Falkirk Hibby
22-10-2007, 09:01 PM
I hope Colorado wins. I can't stand Red Soxs fans. They were so obnoxious when they won the last time.
Those grapes smell real sour! :boo hoo::greengrin

heretoday
22-10-2007, 09:04 PM
All Tribe fans must be disconsolate after being so close. If they keep that team together, add another bat and a starter they'll be back next year.
I hope they give Kenny Lofton another year. He's still lightning fast.
Fair play to the Sox. They are a dynamic outfit and should win the WS pretty quick.

HibsMax
23-10-2007, 12:27 AM
I hope Colorado wins. I can't stand Red Soxs fans. They were so obnoxious when they won the last time.
Hmmmm, it only took 86 f'ing years to win it so I think they / we have some entitlement to be a little obnoxious. That said, I didn't meet any obnoxious fans, maybe you just attract obnoxious people? :wink:

hibsboy90
23-10-2007, 02:44 AM
There were a fair few Red Sox hats, t-shirts etc on show today in Florida, one problem, i'm going up to New York tomorrow for a few days, nervous about the world series up there, if this (http://www.wnbc.com/news/14272751/detail.html) is anything to go by :bitchy:

And the obnoxious thing, it did take 86 years, can you imagine how us hibees would act if we won our holy grail??? We would be letting everyone know about it.

As for the game last night, had Lofton gone home instead of stopping at third, we could have been here chatting about how the Tribe deserve to be there.

It's snowing in Denver though, should be a great WS.

PS - I know the beating has been revealed to be otherwise motivated

HibsMax
23-10-2007, 03:48 PM
There were a fair few Red Sox hats, t-shirts etc on show today in Florida, one problem, i'm going up to New York tomorrow for a few days, nervous about the world series up there, if this (http://www.wnbc.com/news/14272751/detail.html) is anything to go by :bitchy:

And the obnoxious thing, it did take 86 years, can you imagine how us hibees would act if we won our holy grail??? We would be letting everyone know about it.

As for the game last night, had Lofton gone home instead of stopping at third, we could have been here chatting about how the Tribe deserve to be there.

It's snowing in Denver though, should be a great WS.

PS - I know the beating has been revealed to be otherwise motivated
You can never tell how you will be treated. I've never seen any trouble with rival fans but I also stay out of certain areas e.g. Times Square when it's really late. I'm guessing since this incident took place outside a bar that alcohol was involved and who knows what was said. Still scary though. Just exercise caution and you should be OK. Most of the fans are fine.

hibsboy90
23-10-2007, 03:59 PM
You can never tell how you will be treated. I've never seen any trouble with rival fans but I also stay out of certain areas e.g. Times Square when it's really late. I'm guessing since this incident took place outside a bar that alcohol was involved and who knows what was said. Still scary though. Just exercise caution and you should be OK. Most of the fans are fine.

Yes, i'm not going to go all 'Old Firm' style whilst there and flaunt the fact we're in the WS. I am staying in Times Square though...... :devil:

Should be an intersting matchup now though. If you asked for an opinion on the winner a week ago, i'd have said Rockies all the way. BUT, they will have cooled now with an 8 day layoff, and the sox seem to be hitting form. Lowell is getting the RBIs, Youkilis is batting .500 ish. And taking Coco the clown out and replacing him with Ellsbury seemed a good move. Though i was pleased for crisp to get that catch to win the series.

Now the Mile high Coors field, been to a game there, very nice facilities:thumbsup:, will hopefully produce many HRs with the less air density (something like that)

LETS GO RED SOX!!!:thumbsup:

duncs
25-10-2007, 10:10 AM
First game 13-1 Red Sox, Beckett was on FIRE!

Managed to stay up until the top of the 5th before falling asleep on the sofa, must try harder to Game 2 tonight.

Great game though!

Dashing Bob S
26-10-2007, 11:20 PM
In Boston at the moment. Great atmosphere at 'Southie' in the bars. Boston pitched a great defensive game to win 2-1. Can't wait for Saturday.Rockies strong at home cause of the altitude issue but can't see Sox losing the WS now.


'Let's all laugh at Yankees...'

Shrekko
27-10-2007, 08:13 PM
There were a fair few Red Sox hats, t-shirts etc on show today in Florida, one problem, i'm going up to New York tomorrow for a few days, nervous about the world series up there, if this (http://www.wnbc.com/news/14272751/detail.html) is anything to go by :bitchy:



C'mon mate -you're not seriously worried about being attacked in New York simply because Boston are playing a World Series are you?

Unless you're going out your way to let everyone know your a Red Sox fan or chanting 'Yankees Suck' in a pub (and I'm sure you're more sensible than that) to wind folk up then I cant quite see the danger.

New York is not baseball obsessed in the way Boston is-and theres not the same obsession with the Red Sox as there is with the Yankees in Boston. I was there 2 weeks ago and saw quite a few Boston caps on the streets. People in NY dont care. It would take a much braver man to walk around Boston with a Yankees cap on I'd say! In fact it took a brave man to leave a car with a NY number plate out on the streets of Boston the last time the Red Sox won the WS :wink:

hibsboy90
27-10-2007, 09:43 PM
C'mon mate -you're not seriously worried about being attacked in New York simply because Boston are playing a World Series are you?

Unless you're going out your way to let everyone know your a Red Sox fan or chanting 'Yankees Suck' in a pub (and I'm sure you're more sensible than that) to wind folk up then I cant quite see the danger.

New York is not baseball obsessed in the way Boston is-and theres not the same obsession with the Red Sox as there is with the Yankees in Boston. I was there 2 weeks ago and saw quite a few Boston caps on the streets. People in NY dont care. It would take a much braver man to walk around Boston with a Yankees cap on I'd say! In fact it took a brave man to leave a car with a NY number plate out on the streets of Boston the last time the Red Sox won the WS :wink:

It was a joking tongue in cheek comment don't worry. Just flew back from NY today, (in time to get to ER). As you mentioned, plenty of people were wearing BRS hats.

HibsMax
28-10-2007, 03:14 PM
tick, tock, tick, tock. :)

duncs
29-10-2007, 02:35 PM
How Sweep It Is!

4-0, I'll take that - Lowell MVP, very much deserved in my opinion!

hibsboy90
29-10-2007, 02:56 PM
It was between Lowell and Ellisbury for MVP i feel.

I was trying to avoid the score desperately and get home from school and watch it on tape. BUT, my mate said "You'll be happy about Boston winning" so i've checked the match report online.

Now i'm looking forward to getting home and watching Lowell pop one away.:thumbsup:

Part of me wanted them to win it at Fenway, but it would have meant at best 3-2 up, too riky so i'll accept a sweep.

Now can we hold on to Lowell, will A-Rod come to the sox having exercised his free-agent option?

No longer are we the unlucky team, people can now jump on someone else's bandwagon :wink:


Let's go RE.......ROYALS!!!!

Dashing Bob S
29-10-2007, 04:54 PM
Baseball's a pitcher's game and it was the pitching that won it for the Red Sox.


I don't hold with the Red Sox fans being obnoxious. They're one of the few baseball supports as passionate about their team as football fans are. I'd rather they won it than some soul-less new franchise like Colorado, did you see that psuedo-jambo obnoxious scarf-twirling?

The Red Sox are stuck in the same Division as the biggest sporting corporation in the world, and they've got to either beat them every time or come a good enough second in the American League to get the wild card that sees them into post season and a crack at the World Series. In other words they have to really work, every time, just to get there - there's never an easy route for them. So you can't grudge them their excitment when they make it.

HibsMax
29-10-2007, 05:47 PM
Baseball's a pitcher's game and it was the pitching that won it for the Red Sox.


I don't hold with the Red Sox fans being obnoxious. They're one of the few baseball supports as passionate about their team as football fans are. I'd rather they won it than some soul-less new franchise like Colorado, did you see that psuedo-jambo obnoxious scarf-twirling?

The Red Sox are stuck in the same Division as the biggest sporting corporation in the world, and they've got to either beat them every time or come a good enough second in the American League to get the wild card that sees them into post season and a crack at the World Series. In other words they have to really work, every time, just to get there - there's never an easy route for them. So you can't grudge them their excitment when they make it.
for sure, but are the wheels coming off? I know the Yankees have money but even with money and talent they couldn't do it. Now some of that talent is leaving. Next year will be interesting.

ancienthibby
29-10-2007, 05:51 PM
Baseball's a pitcher's game and it was the pitching that won it for the Red Sox.


I don't hold with the Red Sox fans being obnoxious. They're one of the few baseball supports as passionate about their team as football fans are. I'd rather they won it than some soul-less new franchise like Colorado, did you see that psuedo-jambo obnoxious scarf-twirling?

The Red Sox are stuck in the same Division as the biggest sporting corporation in the world, and they've got to either beat them every time or come a good enough second in the American League to get the wild card that sees them into post season and a crack at the World Series. In other words they have to really work, every time, just to get there - there's never an easy route for them. So you can't grudge them their excitment when they make it.##

Agreed, the BoSox fans are some of the greatest in the history of the game, the most arrogant are the Yankee fans!

The Boston fans waited an awful long time for that WS victory in 2004 and are well entitled to celebrate again now, especially in the light of their post-season performances.

If any of you are long in the tooth, my first memories of the BoSox go back to the great Carl Yastremski and Carlton Fisk - if you can connect to that then all celebrations for this win are justified!!

Now if only we can get the Argonauts to win the Grey Cup, my sporting year will be made!!

Fat Stu
29-10-2007, 07:43 PM
It was between Lowell and Ellisbury for MVP i feel.

I was trying to avoid the score desperately and get home from school and watch it on tape. BUT, my mate said "You'll be happy about Boston winning" so i've checked the match report online.

Now i'm looking forward to getting home and watching Lowell pop one away.:thumbsup:

Part of me wanted them to win it at Fenway, but it would have meant at best 3-2 up, too riky so i'll accept a sweep.

Now can we hold on to Lowell, will A-Rod come to the sox having exercised his free-agent option?

No longer are we the unlucky team, people can now jump on someone else's bandwagon :wink:


Let's go RE.......ROYALS!!!!

to answer simply, no ****ing chance.

Falkirk Hibby
30-10-2007, 07:54 AM
to answer simply, no ****ing chance.

Why not...Does he not want to win something?

:devil:

Fat Stu
30-10-2007, 05:45 PM
Why not...Does he not want to win something?

:devil:

Just cannae see it.

Shrekko
30-10-2007, 08:17 PM
Why not...Does he not want to win something?

:devil:

Red Sox wont win with A-Rod on their roster- nobody will. The RS had the luckiest escape ever when the deal to take A-Rod to Fenway collapsed in '04. Remember they were going to be giving up Manny Ramirez and Nomar Garciaparra to make that one happen- Red Sox fans must shudder to even think about that! They must also thank God that they were practically FORCED to take Mike Lowell from the Marlins in order to get Josh Beckett.

I take my hat of to the Sox for their play-off performance. Excellent in every facet of the game. They do not actually have great pitchers- Beckett has been great this season but has been poor before (2006), Schilling is not what he was, Dice-K is average and Wakefield is too. However they pitched to the best of their ability when it mattered most. The hitters were superb, and the fielding was good too.

Two other points- stop the myth that the Red Sox are still under-dogs. The current school of thought is that they are possibly the biggest team in baseball. The Yankees currently have the biggest pay-roll but the FACT is that the Sox can compete with them for ANY player.

Lastly Red Sox AND Yankee fans are both superb, passionate sets of fans. Arrogance comes with winning, and believe me it's the Bostonians being arrogant right now and I've no problem with that-they were hardly going to be arrrogant before 2004 were they? Yankees fans are bound to have arrogant fans having had such great success in the past, but in general they are well aware of where they are at the moment!

hibsboy90
31-10-2007, 08:56 PM
Girardi just announced as manager of Yankees with a 3 year deal.

Watching the celebrations in Boston looked fun.

Papelbon's dancing was once again on show, the crowd chanting to re-sign lowell, with Varitek holding up signs with the message.

HibsMax
08-11-2007, 06:08 PM
I take my hat of to the Sox for their play-off performance. Excellent in every facet of the game. They do not actually have great pitchers- Beckett has been great this season but has been poor before (2006), Schilling is not what he was, Dice-K is average and Wakefield is too. However they pitched to the best of their ability when it mattered most. The hitters were superb, and the fielding was good too.
I disagree about Beckett. He didn't have a great year last year but we always knew he had potential. He's now living up to that potential. To suggest that Beckett is not a great pitcher is lunacy IMO. But let's make it best out of three and see how he does next year. :)


Two other points- stop the myth that the Red Sox are still under-dogs. The current school of thought is that they are possibly the biggest team in baseball. The Yankees currently have the biggest pay-roll but the FACT is that the Sox can compete with them for ANY player.
I personally have never thought the Sox were the underdogs, they were just unlucky. We've had great players, great teams and great results....we just never managed to get the job done. Money has not been an issue for as long as I can remember.

Shrekko
10-11-2007, 12:15 AM
I disagree about Beckett. He didn't have a great year last year but we always knew he had potential. He's now living up to that potential. To suggest that Beckett is not a great pitcher is lunacy IMO. But let's make it best out of three and see how he does next year. :)


Suggesting I'm a lunatic for saying Beckett was poor in 2006 is a bit much is it not??? :wink:

I didnt actually say he wasnt a great pitcher- I said he WAS in 2007. I think overall that he has to sustain it for a few more years in the AL to confirm that he's 'great'. I suppose it all depends how you define 'great'. In my baseball watching time I've only seen 2 that I consider great- Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana. The golden oldies like Maddux, Clemens and Johnston were past their peak when I started watching although I do know they are great too!

I'll stick by my opinion though- the Red Sox were the best team in baseball this season but I would not consider a starting rotation of Beckett, Schilling, Matsuzaka, Wakefield and Lester as anything special. Only one of them had an ERA of under 3.8. They were good enough to get wins behind a good team though so fair dues.

rossevenil
14-11-2007, 12:00 AM
Yep,and Musina and co have proved what in the last few years other than they are over paid or is it the rest of the team??

And the fact that Beckett dominated post season says it all,BIG TIME PLAYER I THINK SO!!
Maybe the Yankees pitchers will get the chance to prove that one day!

I was never over confident going into postseason with Dice K and Schilling pitching but Beckett was the one pitcher I knew would get the business done,and funnilly enough everyone in every bar in Colorado while I was there during the WS seemed to agree!


Tell you what keep your over paid veteran at the Yankees thanks very much!

Shrekko
14-11-2007, 07:18 PM
Yep,and Musina and co have proved what in the last few years other than they are over paid or is it the rest of the team??

And the fact that Beckett dominated post season says it all,BIG TIME PLAYER I THINK SO!!
Maybe the Yankees pitchers will get the chance to prove that one day!

I was never over confident going into postseason with Dice K and Schilling pitching but Beckett was the one pitcher I knew would get the business done,and funnilly enough everyone in every bar in Colorado while I was there during the WS seemed to agree!


Tell you what keep your over paid veteran at the Yankees thanks very much!

Why dont you actually read the post before your latest attempt at an opinion on baseball? :clown:

You've just actually confirmed what I said by saying that you werent sure about Dice K and Schilling before the post-season started i.e. that the Red Sox starting rotation overall looked nothing special. A blind man knew that Beckett was red hot so it didnt take a genius to work out how he would perform in the post-season. If you think he's already an all time 'great' at 27 thats your opinion.

As I said before, people like you arent really worth responding to in these discussions. The fact that you somehow managed to mention the Yankees payroll and a pitcher who had nothing to do with the argument just sums it up- absolutely pathetic.

Ash Vale Hibee
24-11-2007, 02:56 PM
I'm an Angels fan and we've just traded Orlando Cabrera for Jon Garland, which leads me to believe we're going to trade one of our pitchers & Reggie Willits in a deal with Marlins for Miguel Cabrera (I hope!).

Part/Time Supporter
28-11-2007, 04:53 PM
All Tribe fans must be disconsolate after being so close. If they keep that team together, add another bat and a starter they'll be back next year.
I hope they give Kenny Lofton another year. He's still lightning fast.
Fair play to the Sox. They are a dynamic outfit and should win the WS pretty quick.

You're not kidding. At least it wasn't the usual ****-up in the bottom of the ninth with a one-run lead malarkey.

NYHibby
13-12-2007, 11:45 PM
You can download the Mitchell report:
http://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf

hibsboy90
16-12-2007, 10:29 PM
Read through quite a bit of it on Friday, no suprises with a lot of the players, frankly i would have been shocked if Giambi hadn't been named.

Ortiz was expected in the back of my mind, but i'm slightly glad that ALL the clubs have been involved, so that Baseball takes a look at itself, rather than having one team taking the moral high ground all the time. (Some would say Red Sox fans do all the time :duck::wink:)

Part/Time Supporter
17-12-2007, 04:01 PM
What a shocker that no major Red Sox players were named.

:rolleyes:

Shrekko
17-12-2007, 10:19 PM
What a shocker that no major Red Sox players were named.

:rolleyes:

:greengrin

Absolute joke to have a (paid) Red Sox director do a report like this.

They tell me they spent 60 million bucks on this report-what a waste of money.

A lot of the players who have supposedly been exposed (mainly on the basis of uncorroborated 3rd parties) were doing HGH before it was even banned by MLB- so why make a fuss of it?

The fact that the report wasnt all encompassing and done without the co-operation of the players union makes it totally pointless.

The vast majority of the well known names on the 'shame list' were already subject to previous speculation. However, other names such as Kapler, Nixon, Varitek, Damon and even Ortiz were conspicious by their absence.

hibsboy90
18-12-2007, 04:51 PM
:greengrin

Absolute joke to have a (paid) Red Sox director do a report like this.
They tell me they spent 60 million bucks on this report-what a waste of money.

A lot of the players who have supposedly been exposed (mainly on the basis of uncorroborated 3rd parties) were doing HGH before it was even banned by MLB- so why make a fuss of it?
The fact that the report wasnt all encompassing and done without the co-operation of the players union makes it totally pointless.

The vast majority of the well known names on the 'shame list' were already subject to previous speculation. However, other names such as Kapler, Nixon, Varitek, Damon and even Ortiz were conspicious by their absence.

Absolute joke to have a (paid) Red Sox director do a report like this.

I agree completely with what you are saying, it should have been a report written by an independant viewpoint, having a director do it was ludicrous. However he did name a couple of former red sox players so he wasn't claiming that they were white as white.

doing HGH before it was even banned by MLB- so why make a fuss of it?

:agree: But it has demonstrated that the players were using performance enhancing drugs, This leads to the possibility that something not yet on a 'banned' list could be getting taken regularly by curent players.

done without the co-operation of the players union makes it totally pointless.

They have just been protecting their own, possibly they were giving advice on what to take, and how to not get caught.....

Kapler, Nixon, Varitek, Damon and even Ortiz were conspicious by their absence.

I'm not terribly well read up on this subject, but is there reason to believe these guys other than yourself being a Yankees fan? And that one of your current players has been 'shamed'?? I was worried about big papi, but he's just a big boy, who obviouly does some working out... i see loads of guys with his sort of dimensions in the gym (extremely strong, but a bit round :wink:)

Don't want to start another BRS v NYY debate :duck:

I suppose that the Boston locals could maybe enlighten us with people that they suspected on the Yankees Roster....

HB

Shrekko
18-12-2007, 10:05 PM
Absolute joke to have a (paid) Red Sox director do a report like this.

I agree completely with what you are saying, it should have been a report written by an independant viewpoint, having a director do it was ludicrous. However he did name a couple of former red sox players so he wasn't claiming that they were white as white.

doing HGH before it was even banned by MLB- so why make a fuss of it?

:agree: But it has demonstrated that the players were using performance enhancing drugs, This leads to the possibility that something not yet on a 'banned' list could be getting taken regularly by curent players.

done without the co-operation of the players union makes it totally pointless.

They have just been protecting their own, possibly they were giving advice on what to take, and how to not get caught.....

Kapler, Nixon, Varitek, Damon and even Ortiz were conspicious by their absence.

I'm not terribly well read up on this subject, but is there reason to believe these guys other than yourself being a Yankees fan? And that one of your current players has been 'shamed'?? I was worried about big papi, but he's just a big boy, who obviouly does some working out... i see loads of guys with his sort of dimensions in the gym (extremely strong, but a bit round :wink:)

Don't want to start another BRS v NYY debate :duck:

I suppose that the Boston locals could maybe enlighten us with people that they suspected on the Yankees Roster....

HB

The names I mentioned have come up in despatches in the same way that Pettite and Clemens had previously. There was an article in a New York newspaper (can remember which one) on the day the report was to be released that named Nixon, Damon and Varitek as being in the report- obviously they werent but I dont see any of the 3 named getting their lawyers on the case! Kapler's name has come up constantly as being a steroid freak and big Papi has been none too convincing in the past when asked if he'd taken anything- his rapid rise from Minnesota reject to Boston king-pin unfortunately (I do like him) makes me suspicious in the current climate. Nothing to do with me being a Yankee fan at all- just the type of observation you'd make under the circumstances.

The long and short of it is that they managed to find a couple of loose tongues in New York- an ex-trainer who was threatened with prison if he didnt change his original story and then told to speak to MLB and... a New York Mets clubhouse attendant.

Another thing I found interesting re Red Sox involvement is that 2 of the ex-players Mo Vaughn and Eric Gagne are hated by the Sox fans. I was also intrigued to read the e-mails by Theo Epstein relating to the prospective signings of Gagne and Donnelly- he was advised that both were under suspicion of steroid abuse and more likely to break down... but it didnt seem to matter, as Epstein signed both players.

It's not a Red Sox/Yankees thing, really just a few points to emphasis the flaws in the reporting process.

hibsboy90
18-12-2007, 11:25 PM
The names I mentioned have come up in despatches in the same way that Pettite and Clemens had previously. There was an article in a New York newspaper (can remember which one) on the day the report was to be released that named Nixon, Damon and Varitek as being in the report- obviously they werent but I dont see any of the 3 named getting their lawyers on the case! Kapler's name has come up constantly as being a steroid freak and big Papi has been none too convincing in the past when asked if he'd taken anything- his rapid rise from Minnesota reject to Boston king-pin unfortunately (I do like him) makes me suspicious in the current climate. Nothing to do with me being a Yankee fan at all- just the type of observation you'd make under the circumstances.

The long and short of it is that they managed to find a couple of loose tongues in New York- an ex-trainer who was threatened with prison if he didnt change his original story and then told to speak to MLB and... a New York Mets clubhouse attendant.

Another thing I found interesting re Red Sox involvement is that 2 of the ex-players Mo Vaughn and Eric Gagne are hated by the Sox fans. I was also intrigued to read the e-mails by Theo Epstein relating to the prospective signings of Gagne and Donnelly- he was advised that both were under suspicion of steroid abuse and more likely to break down... but it didnt seem to matter, as Epstein signed both players.

It's not a Red Sox/Yankees thing, really just a few points to emphasis the flaws in the reporting process.

Cool. :cool2:

I hoped it wasn't a rivalry thing, i knew about the report being made, but hadn't done too much reading up around the subject.

Sylar
19-12-2007, 09:49 AM
I'm an Angels fan and we've just traded Orlando Cabrera for Jon Garland, which leads me to believe we're going to trade one of our pitchers & Reggie Willits in a deal with Marlins for Miguel Cabrera (I hope!).

Miguel Cabrera ended up signing for us (Tigers) but I cannot see where we're going to use him! He's traditionally a 3rd baseman, but we have one of the hottest 3rd baseman in the MLB just now in Brandon Inge!

We've made a few odd acquisitions in the close season and i'm beginning to wonder how seriously the franchise are taking the opportunity we have to win the World Series for a change! We were not too dissimilar to Hibs last season! Inconsistency killed us!

I don't think the players we've brought on board can help us either.