2008 MLB Thread

DeWitt prefers grounding into double plays instead of actually getting hits

In his defense
1) he had an outstanding defensive series
2) he had the game breaking hit in game three
3) he makes contact. both of those double play balls, especially the second, were hit hard, they just happened to be hit right at Utley.

Phillies are definitely a good team, but the dodgers basically gave them games one and four.
 
A)
Most people watch baseball because they want to see big time, flashy plays being made and gigantic homeruns being hit.

all you are doing is validating why this will be a great World Series.

Ryan Howard of the Phillies has led the NL in homers over the past two years. Carlos Pena has the second most in the AL over the past 2 years. You have Upton and Longoria who can go yard. The Rays have just set an ALCS record for most home runs (in only 5 games!).

You want flashy plays....watch the Rays defense. Philadelphia has some nice glovework as well.

Even if I was not a Rays fan, I would think that this should be one of the better World Series (assuming the Rays win tonight). I remember watching the Twins-Braves series in 1991 and that was one of the more memorable series. Neither team had huge payrolls. It's not always about major markets and inflated payrolls that make a series worth watching.
 
May I be the first to say:

:moon: BOSTON SUCKS! :moon:

Sorry guys...im a new yorker...all my glory for baseball is gone for a few years now....the only feeling of victory I have is when boston loses...
 

ChefChiTown

The secret ingredient? MY BALLS
all you are doing is validating why this will be a great World Series.

Ryan Howard of the Phillies has led the NL in homers over the past two years. Carlos Pena has the second most in the AL over the past 2 years. You have Upton and Longoria who can go yard. The Rays have just set an ALCS record for most home runs (in only 5 games!).

In regards to the Rays...
Hitting 13 HRs in 5 games doesn't make you a powerhouse. During the whole entire season, the Rays (as a team) hit 180 HRs, which isn't all that good. They only had a mere 3 players reach the 20 HR mark during the entire season. As a team, they only had 7 players who had more than 10 HRs. :1orglaugh So, once again, hitting 13 HRs in 5 games doesn't make you a powerhouse who can hit the long ball. It makes you a team who is on a streak.

In regards to the Phillies...
They have a solid three hitters who can hit the long ball. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Pat Burrell. The problem is, they have shitty BAs and that is going to **** them in the World Series. Also, if it wasn't for Ryan Howard, the Phillies would be struggling to hit HRs. Howard hit almost 25% of the Phillies HRs this year. That uh, that's not a good thing.

Once again though, I'm not a fan of "HR hitting" baseball. I'm more of a small ball, fundamental, high BA kind of guy.

You want flashy plays....watch the Rays defense. Philadelphia has some nice glovework as well.

I agree that they do both have decent defensives. As far as flashy plays though, I don't know. They have great FPCTs (Fielding %) so I know that they'll be making the plays when they need to. But, IMO, both of the teams aren't built with flashy guys running the field. They're built with fundamentally sound players, which is one of their strong points (for both teams).

Personally, I think the highlight of the World Series will be Tampa Bay's pitching success. If they can shut down Philadelphia's Big 3 (Howard, Utley and Burrell), then I think they could take the series. That is, of course, assuming they hold on and win the ALCS against Boston.
 

ChefChiTown

The secret ingredient? MY BALLS
This just in...

Evan Longoria, the AL's possible ROTY, just costs the Tampa Bay Rays a victory by completely blowing an easy-to-make defensive play.
 
Unbelievable Boston coming back after a huge deficit. What the hell happened, Tampa better not fold and not give MLB ratings hell for the World Series.
 

ChefChiTown

The secret ingredient? MY BALLS
Extremely lucky stop, terrible throw. He must feel pretty bad right now.

^^^^^
There, I fixed it.

He should've fielded that ball properly and gotten his body in front of it, instead of being a flashy pansy. That way, he wouldn't have had to backhand it, which ****** him to make a completely off-balance throw. And, we all saw where that went.

He needed to move his body over to get in front of the ball as he "charged" it, fielded the ball easily, planted his feet and thrown the runner out. Instead, he...well, you saw what he did.

God, and I just gave the Rays credit for being fundamentally sound when they play defense. :rolleyes: Thanks Evan!!!
 
Tough loss for a Rays fan...but at the same time, you have to look at the bog picture. They took 2 out of 3 in Fenway which was their goal. Yes, they should have won tonight but I put more of the blame on Maddon than on Evan Longoria. The guy makes a bad throw and you pin the loss on him? He hit a homer and Boston still scored 7 other runs.

Someone obviously does not like Evan Longoria and looks for any way to bash him.
 

ChefChiTown

The secret ingredient? MY BALLS
Tough loss for a Rays fan...but at the same time, you have to look at the bog picture. They took 2 out of 3 in Fenway which was their goal. Yes, they should have won tonight but I put more of the blame on Maddon than on Evan Longoria. The guy makes a bad throw and you pin the loss on him? He hit a homer and Boston still scored 7 other runs.

Someone obviously does not like Evan Longoria and looks for any way to bash him.

Yes, the whole team is responsible for losing. It is never "just" one person's fault that a whole team loses. They could've done more in the previous 8 innings and not have gotten themselves into that 9th inning situation tonight.

BUT, Evan Longoria, when the pressure was on, blew a completely easy play to make. His mistake (made with 2 outs, mind you), allowed the runner to advance to second base, into scoring position. The next batter gets walked to get into a "***** out" situation. The next batter gets a hit and wins the game. None of that would be possible if Longoria would've fielded that ball properly and made a good throw.

Longoria is good and I have never said that he isn't. He just made a critical error tonight, which, IMO (as a baseball enthusiast), shouldn't have been made at all. :dunno:
 
Longoria's been making brilliant defensive plays all season long. He was a little off after coming back from a wrist injury, which is understandable. Obviously the error he made in last night's game was critical and factored into the Rays losing, but it's not going to make me forget how much he's meant to the Rays this season. The Rays wouldn't be where they are now without him. Buck Martinez and Ron Darling have mentioned a few times now how when Longoria drove in a run this season the Rays are 42-12, whereas they are below .500 when he doesn't. He's also been hitting very well in the postseason thus far. All that considered, I think he deserves a break for making that error.

Even so, screw the Rays, I don't want to see a team with undevoted and undeserving fans in the World Series. It happens in hockey in the Stanley Cup Final all the time and I can't stand it. Go Red Sox, hopefully they can complete another comeback and then hopefully they lose in seven games to the Phillies on a Matt Stairs top-of-the-ninth go-ahead home run with Lidge coming in and striking out Pedroia, Ortiz, and Youkilis in order. That'd be ideal.
 

ChefChiTown

The secret ingredient? MY BALLS
Longoria's been making brilliant defensive plays all season long. He was a little off after coming back from a wrist injury, which is understandable. Obviously the error he made in last night's game was critical and factored into the Rays losing, but it's not going to make me forget how much he's meant to the Rays this season. The Rays wouldn't be where they are now without him. Buck Martinez and Ron Darling have mentioned a few times now how when Longoria drove in a run this season the Rays are 42-12, whereas they are below .500 when he doesn't. He's also been hitting very well in the postseason thus far. All that considered, I think he deserves a break for making that error.

Even so, screw the Rays...

:1orglaugh I don't know why, but that made me laugh. All that praise and then..."screw the Rays".
 
I still haven't forgiven the Rays for using one of their brethren to put a hit out on Steve Irwin. Fuck the Rays!!! lol jk

Though I am rooting for Boston cuz I **** the Yanks.
 
^^^ Why do you think they took the Devil out of their names? They got caught with their dirty shenanigans. Where the hell is the ghost of Babe Ruth and his friggin curse? How about the Cubs drop off their goat in the dead of the night in Boston and sneak away. Yeah so Im on the Rays bandwagon but who isnt?
 
yaheem said:
Yeah so Im on the Rays bandwagon but who isnt?

Nothing wrong with rooting for the Rays and their "worst to first" season. It's a great story. I think most people just have a problem with people all the sudden making the Rays their favorite team or all of the sudden becoming a vocal Rays supporter when they had never said anything like that before.

But I think most baseball fans, once their team is out of it, root for a particular one of the teams that are still alive to win it all. Nothing wrong with that. Like I'm pulling for Boston, but in reality they are at best my third favorite team. But the Brewers and Mets are out of it, so I've got no choice.
 
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