MLB Playoffs

[casty33]

Not that I really miss him or anything, but what did Fox do with Luis Gonzalez, or did they realize he added nothing to the broadcast?

 

[broadway joe]

Don't forget Willie's decision to leave his closer on the bench in the ninth inning to let Heilman, who had never pitched a postseason game before this year, pitch to St. Louis.

I realize having Rivera is different than Wagner, but there's no way Torre uses anyone other than his closer in the top of the ninth in a tie Game 7 at home.

He said it as well as I could:

ACTUALLY, YEAH, I HAVE SEEN THAT MOVIE
In today's Newsday, Wallace Matthews rages that Willie Randolph punted the series by not going back to Billy Wagner in the ninth inning rather than Aaron Heilman. He doesn't mention Buck Showalter/John Wetteland, as I did yesterday, but he's making the same kind of point. In making his argument, he asks:

"Can anyone imagine Joe Torre staying with Kyle Farnsworth in the same situation and 'saving' Mariano Rivera for later? Now, at least the Mets have saved Wagner for Opening Day 2007."

Sure, I can imagine that. So can every other Yankees fan who was breathing in 2003. It's called Game 4 of that World Series, and it was worse than Kyle Farnsworth over Mariano Rivera. It was glove-chewin' Jeff Weaver over Mariano Rivera, and it remains one of the dumbest things that a Hall of Fame-bound manager ever did.

Choosing Heilman isn't quite the same level of sinfulness. Weaver was an ineffective wreck who hadn't pitched in a fortnight or longer. Heilman did a good job setting up for the Mets this year, and in a thousand years of facing Yadier Molina he might not give up another home run. We all like to second-guess, but sometimes these things happen. Just because the outcome was bad doesn't necessarily mean the decision was wrong.

http://www.yesnetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061016&content_id=1411503&oid=36019&vkey=6

There are major flaws in Steven Goldman's argument (and by extension yours) there, Guy. Game 4 was AT Pro Player, making it a much different situation. At that point, you DO save your big gun because you after you get a lead, you still need to shut down the home team in the bottom of the inning.

Also, Rivera had pitched two innings the night before, meaning he wasn't available to pitch two innings in Game 4. They were going to get one inning out of him tops.

Apples and oranges.

When the Yanks did play Game 7 at home in the ALCS, what did Torre do? He brought in Rivera in the ninth. Then he kept sending him back out there until Aaron Boone ended the ****er.

So when someone says they can't imagine Joe doing that, they'd be correct.

From Jon Heyman at SI.com today on the Wagner/Heilman decision:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/jon_heyman/10/23/scoop.monday/1.html

It's also almost universally acknowledged around baseball that Randolph had no choice but to employ someone other than Billy Wagner in the key ninth inning, and that Aaron Heilman was one of the best two candidates (though Randolph had shown more faith in Guillermo Mota previously) to deal with the righty-swinging bottom of the Cardinals order. Wagner just wasn't the same guy in that series.

 

[spnited]

Just another opinion.

I still think Heilman was the better choice in that situation given Wagner's history in tie games and his mediocrity in this postseason.
I also thought the idea of Floyd looing for a 3-run homer or somebdy else to bunt was a 50-50 choice.
Niether choice worked. That's baseball. No big deal.

 

[Oz]

Just watching this game on DVR, given how hot-headed Kenny Rogers always seems to be, why wouldn't he make it a point to ask the ump to inspect Rogers' hand there? If nothing else, maybe that gets in Rogers' head, which wouldn't be the worst thing in the world given how dominant he's been this postseason.

 

[spnited]

Because, Oz, the new Kenny Rogers is so high on the Amphetamine Cocktail that he doesn't get hot-headed any more ... he just gets happy from all those greenies he's taking.

 

[beefncheddar]

LaRussa lost that game for the Cardinals. And if the Tigers win the WS, LaRussa lost the entire thing for the Cardinals last night.

Guess the genius is too good of friends with Leyland to do what any other right-thinking person would have done.

You MUST have Rogers checked WHILE ON THE MOUND if you have any idea he might be doctoring the ball. Even if they don't catch him (which seems highly unlikely), you get into his head something fierce. Hell, you couldn't have made him any better.

 

[Gold]

You MUST have Rogers checked WHILE ON THE MOUND if you have any idea he might be doctoring the ball. Even if they don't catch him (which seems highly unlikely), you get into his head something fierce. Hell, you couldn't have made him any better.

Here's the problem I see with doing that... You go on the field, you raise a fuss, the umpires say they can't find anything, and you end up messing with your own team's head more than you mess with Kenny Rogers head... You create an impression that the pitcher is impossible to hit.

 

[Oz]

You MUST have Rogers checked WHILE ON THE MOUND if you have any idea he might be doctoring the ball. Even if they don't catch him (which seems highly unlikely), you get into his head something fierce. Hell, you couldn't have made him any better.

Here's the problem I see with doing that... You go on the field, you raise a fuss, the umpires say they can't find anything, and you end up messing with your own team's head more than you mess with Kenny Rogers head... You create an impression that the pitcher is impossible to hit.

As a World Series manager, I think I would rather take my chances that Rogers missed Games 2 and 6. Well worth it.

And in looking back, in not raising a fuss, Rogers was pretty much unhittable just the same. Raising a fuss might have been more of a detriment to Rogers, getting inside his head and maybe knocking him off the roll he's been on.

 

[Columbo]

LaRussa lost that game for the Cardinals. And if the Tigers win the WS, LaRussa lost the entire thing for the Cardinals last night.

Guess the genius is too good of friends with Leyland to do what any other right-thinking person would have done.

You MUST have Rogers checked WHILE ON THE MOUND if you have any idea he might be doctoring the ball. Even if they don't catch him (which seems highly unlikely), you get into his head something fierce. Hell, you couldn't have made him any better.

He talked to the ump about it after the first inning.

What are you sayng?

 

[beefncheddar]

LaRussa lost that game for the Cardinals. And if the Tigers win the WS, LaRussa lost the entire thing for the Cardinals last night.

Guess the genius is too good of friends with Leyland to do what any other right-thinking person would have done.

You MUST have Rogers checked WHILE ON THE MOUND if you have any idea he might be doctoring the ball. Even if they don't catch him (which seems highly unlikely), you get into his head something fierce. Hell, you couldn't have made him any better.

He talked to the ump about it after the first inning.

What are you sayng?

We've got a pretty long thread on it elsewhere, but my argument is that LaRussa didn't specifically ask for Rogers to be checked while he was on the mound ... and sporting the dirt pine tar.

 

[DyePack]

Not that I really miss him or anything, but what did Fox do with Luis Gonzalez, or did they realize he added nothing to the broadcast?

After his last broadcast, they offered to help him put his coat on. Once he got one arm inside, they walked away.

He is still standing at that location with one arm inside one sleeve as the other dangles.

 

[JR]

Lowest TV ratings so far of any World Series.

The fragmentation continues.

 

[buckweaver]

Lowest TV ratings so far of any World Series.

The fragmentation continues.

TV executives can go suck it, for not understanding that ratings are going to CONTINUE going down from 10, 15, 40 years ago, as long as there are 800 more channels to choose from. It is IMPOSSIBLE to regain the ratings they once had.

Like the dinosaurs, that time is extinct. And comparing that time to this time is an exercise in futility. It doesn't mean ****.

 

[cranberry]

I'm sure the TV execs understand that, however, TV/media columnists continue to think that the ratings are a good barometer or, at the very least, think it's good material for a column. The TV execs, however, are very willing to use it in their contract negotiations with the leagues.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Lowest TV ratings so far of any World Series.

The fragmentation continues.

TV executives can go suck it, for not understanding that ratings are going to CONTINUE going down from 10, 15, 40 years ago, as long as there are 800 more channels to choose from. It is IMPOSSIBLE to regain the ratings they once had.

Like the dinosaurs, that time is extinct. And comparing that time to this time is an exercise in futility. It doesn't mean ****.

All true and with the games starting at 8:30 pm now, especially on weeknights, that a lot of casual fans (those that aren't fans of the two teams) won't sacrifice sleep to watch the Series.

 

[Columbo]

Lowest TV ratings so far of any World Series.

The fragmentation continues.

TV executives can go suck it, for not understanding that ratings are going to CONTINUE going down from 10, 15, 40 years ago, as long as there are 800 more channels to choose from. It is IMPOSSIBLE to regain the ratings they once had.

Like the dinosaurs, that time is extinct. And comparing that time to this time is an exercise in futility. It doesn't mean ****.

As basic a logic as that that says that if you have more money to spend you have a better chance to win.

 

[Oz]

As basic a logic as that that says that if you have more money to spend you have a better chance to win.

And yet, Peter Angelos continues to debunk that theory with each passing season.

 

[Mudbone]

I love that background music for the intros.

 

[Mudbone]

Playing second base, P.T. Barnum?

 

[Songbird]

All of this pregame shtuff reaks of effort. Too much. But Mudbone, you're right about the background music.

Early prediction: Carpenter throws a 2-hitter.