MLB

[Norah]

I know my Sox in 5 pick is ridiculous, but I'm riding my hunch!

[numbers]

For me, the entire series comes down to what the Sox get out of Buchholz and Peavy.

[@SkitchP]

Jim Leyland is retiring, Fantastic Manager, Liked him since he was with the Pirates.

Good luck in the next chapter.

He did a fantastic job with Detroit.

Actually . . .

Look at where that organization was when he arrived and where it is as he's leaving it.

Im not anti leyland by any stretch, but really I think most of the credit goes to Dombrowski. He probably is the best trading GM in the league..

He aquired via trade
Scherzer
Fister
Sanchez

Infante
Iglesias
Peralta
Cabrera
Jackson

And who'd he give up that have been quality major leaguers in his time
Jurrgens- 2 good years
Matt Joyce
Curtis Granderson
Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin.
and maybe Avisail Garcia- who according to rumors, HAD to be shipped out since he was banging Prince's wife.

Um. That's about it. And outside of 2 years of Jurrgens and Granderson, the others are role players at best.

And it's not like previous managers had Justin Verlander either.

[numbers]

Jim Leyland is retiring, Fantastic Manager, Liked him since he was with the Pirates.

Good luck in the next chapter.

He did a fantastic job with Detroit.

Actually . . .

Look at where that organization was when he arrived and where it is as he's leaving it.

Im not anti leyland by any stretch, but really I think most of the credit goes to Dombrowski. He probably is the best trading GM in the league..

He aquired via trade
Scherzer
Fister
Sanchez

Infante
Iglesias
Peralta
Cabrera
Jackson

And who'd he give up that have been quality major leaguers in his time
Jurrgens- 2 good years
Matt Joyce
Curtis Granderson
Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin.
and maybe Avisail Garcia- who according to rumors, HAD to be shipped out since he was banging Prince's wife.

Um. That's about it. And outside of 2 years of Jurrgens and Granderson, the others are role players at best.

And it's not like previous managers had Justin Verlander either.

He also made a great move bringing Leyland in at the perfect time.

[@SkitchP]

Jim Leyland is retiring, Fantastic Manager, Liked him since he was with the Pirates.

Good luck in the next chapter.

He did a fantastic job with Detroit.

Actually . . .

Look at where that organization was when he arrived and where it is as he's leaving it.

Im not anti leyland by any stretch, but really I think most of the credit goes to Dombrowski. He probably is the best trading GM in the league..

He aquired via trade
Scherzer
Fister
Sanchez

Infante
Iglesias
Peralta
Cabrera
Jackson

And who'd he give up that have been quality major leaguers in his time
Jurrgens- 2 good years
Matt Joyce
Curtis Granderson
Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin.
and maybe Avisail Garcia- who according to rumors, HAD to be shipped out since he was banging Prince's wife.

Um. That's about it. And outside of 2 years of Jurrgens and Granderson, the others are role players at best.

And it's not like previous managers had Justin Verlander either.

He also made a great move bringing Leyland in at the perfect time.

I agree. Despite some questionable in game moves, and weird loyalty to certain guys (inge, raburn, kelly, santiago, etc) Leyland was absolutely masterful in managing a roster of legitimate superstars without even a grumble of clubhouse discontent. And that's why I almost hope the Tigers avoid going for a big name hire and just let Lamont manage the team for the next 2 years when their window pretty much closes.

[numbers]

Jim Leyland is retiring, Fantastic Manager, Liked him since he was with the Pirates.

Good luck in the next chapter.

He did a fantastic job with Detroit.

Actually . . .

Look at where that organization was when he arrived and where it is as he's leaving it.

Im not anti leyland by any stretch, but really I think most of the credit goes to Dombrowski. He probably is the best trading GM in the league..

He aquired via trade
Scherzer
Fister
Sanchez

Infante
Iglesias
Peralta
Cabrera
Jackson

And who'd he give up that have been quality major leaguers in his time
Jurrgens- 2 good years
Matt Joyce
Curtis Granderson
Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin.
and maybe Avisail Garcia- who according to rumors, HAD to be shipped out since he was banging Prince's wife.

Um. That's about it. And outside of 2 years of Jurrgens and Granderson, the others are role players at best.

And it's not like previous managers had Justin Verlander either.

He also made a great move bringing Leyland in at the perfect time.

I agree. Despite some questionable in game moves, and weird loyalty to certain guys (inge, raburn, kelly, santiago, etc) Leyland was absolutely masterful in managing a roster of legitimate superstars without even a grumble of clubhouse discontent. And that's why I almost hope the Tigers avoid going for a big name hire and just let Lamont manage the team for the next 2 years when their window pretty much closes.

It seems to me like a team that could have easily gotten toxic, personality wise. Leyland seemed to have kept that from ever happening.

[@SkitchP]

It seems to me like a team that could have easily gotten toxic, personality wise. Leyland seemed to have kept that from ever happening.

Exactly. So losing him could be a big loss. My hope is that if they bring in a new guy, he can keep them in line for a couple of years, since that window doesn't have much longer.

[MadTIGERmaN]

I know my Sox in 5 pick is ridiculous, but I'm riding my hunch!

not really though... when you look at how Verlander/Scherzer/Fister pitched (their ERA was like 2.13 combined) with nothing to show for it... or on the flip side, the Cards were 3-1 against Greinke and Kershaw...
you could easily have a sweep series. I think its all gonna come down to the Cards pitching and their insane hitting with runners in scoring position this season... if BOTH hold up... I could see the Cards in 5... if BOTH fail? Sox in 5 isnt so ridiculous... and considering how the Sox shut down the Tigers... its possible that insane batting average with runners in scoring position the Cards have been riding alllllllllllllllllllllll season... could falter.

[matt reeder]

Red Sox in 5

Have you watched the Cardinals play this year? No way this Series goes less than 6.

They said the same thing in 04.

Neither of these teams are as good as their 04 counterparts. In particular, this Red Sox team isn't even on the same planet as the 04 team. They've played extremely well all year and the pitching has been good, but Schilling-Pedro it is not. Not even close. There's also nobody in the Red Sox lineup as scary as Manny, and Papi is still great, but not as great. That 04 team was ridiculous. The 04 Cardinals had a great lineup and a great bullpen, and the lineup went ice cold at the worst time in the Series. They had nothing left after expending every last ounce of energy to get past an amazing Houston Astros team.

This is a much stronger Cardinals team IMO.

This Cardinals team has less offense but more pitching. A lot more pitching. Wainwright-Wacha is a fantastic 1-2 punch, and their 3-4-5 guys (Shelby Miller, Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly) are pretty good too. The bullpen has come together in the postseason with Trevor Rosenthal taking over as closer and with the emergence of Kevin Siegrist and Carlos Martinez.

To me, the series will hinge on three factors:
1) Who can win on the road
2) Whether the Red Sox can get to Wainwright and Wacha
3) Whether Allen Craig can return to mashing baseballs

If the Red Sox win the first 2 in Fenway it's going to be very difficult for the Cardinals to win the series. However, if the Cardinals can win 1 or both of the first 2 games (which is not out of the realm of possibility, given that Wainwright and Wacha are going in the first 2), it's going to be very difficult for the Red Sox to recover with the next 3 in St. Louis. Allen Craig is the X-factor; he hasn't played since early September but he's the Cardinals' best clutch hitter, and his stroke is tailor-made for Fenway. If he hits he'll make the Cardinals' lineup a lot better. Conversely, the Red Sox will have to sit one of Ortiz / Napoli in St. Louis, which is problematic as they are arguably the Red Sox' 2 best hitters.

Still, homefield advantage here is huge. My gut tells me Red Sox in 7, but I think the Cardinals are a better team on paper. If the Cardinals win the Series though, it will be in 6 games with Wacha pitching the clincher.

[Norah]

I know my Sox in 5 pick is ridiculous, but I'm riding my hunch!

not really though... when you look at how Verlander/Scherzer/Fister pitched (their ERA was like 2.13 combined) with nothing to show for it... or on the flip side, the Cards were 3-1 against Greinke and Kershaw...
you could easily have a sweep series. I think its all gonna come down to the Cards pitching and their insane hitting with runners in scoring position this season... if BOTH hold up... I could see the Cards in 5... if BOTH fail? Sox in 5 isnt so ridiculous... and considering how the Sox shut down the Tigers... its possible that insane batting average with runners in scoring position the Cards have been riding alllllllllllllllllllllll season... could falter.

The Red Sox shut down the Tigers because of a huge discrepancy in relief pitching, which isn't their this series.

[@SkitchP]

I know my Sox in 5 pick is ridiculous, but I'm riding my hunch!

not really though... when you look at how Verlander/Scherzer/Fister pitched (their ERA was like 2.13 combined) with nothing to show for it... or on the flip side, the Cards were 3-1 against Greinke and Kershaw...
you could easily have a sweep series. I think its all gonna come down to the Cards pitching and their insane hitting with runners in scoring position this season... if BOTH hold up... I could see the Cards in 5... if BOTH fail? Sox in 5 isnt so ridiculous... and considering how the Sox shut down the Tigers... its possible that insane batting average with runners in scoring position the Cards have been riding alllllllllllllllllllllll season... could falter.

The Red Sox shut down the Tigers because of a huge discrepancy in relief pitching, which isn't their this series.

*and the tigers best hitter had a torn groin and the 2nd best hitter has no groin.

[numbers]

I know my Sox in 5 pick is ridiculous, but I'm riding my hunch!

not really though... when you look at how Verlander/Scherzer/Fister pitched (their ERA was like 2.13 combined) with nothing to show for it... or on the flip side, the Cards were 3-1 against Greinke and Kershaw...
you could easily have a sweep series. I think its all gonna come down to the Cards pitching and their insane hitting with runners in scoring position this season... if BOTH hold up... I could see the Cards in 5... if BOTH fail? Sox in 5 isnt so ridiculous... and considering how the Sox shut down the Tigers... its possible that insane batting average with runners in scoring position the Cards have been riding alllllllllllllllllllllll season... could falter.

The Red Sox shut down the Tigers because of a huge discrepancy in relief pitching, which isn't their this series.

*and the tigers best hitter had a torn groin and the 2nd best hitter has no groin.

Fielder was a useless slug in that series. I dont mind a guy having a bad stretch, but at least show me some effort.

[@SkitchP]

I know my Sox in 5 pick is ridiculous, but I'm riding my hunch!

not really though... when you look at how Verlander/Scherzer/Fister pitched (their ERA was like 2.13 combined) with nothing to show for it... or on the flip side, the Cards were 3-1 against Greinke and Kershaw...
you could easily have a sweep series. I think its all gonna come down to the Cards pitching and their insane hitting with runners in scoring position this season... if BOTH hold up... I could see the Cards in 5... if BOTH fail? Sox in 5 isnt so ridiculous... and considering how the Sox shut down the Tigers... its possible that insane batting average with runners in scoring position the Cards have been riding alllllllllllllllllllllll season... could falter.

The Red Sox shut down the Tigers because of a huge discrepancy in relief pitching, which isn't their this series.

*and the tigers best hitter had a torn groin and the 2nd best hitter has no groin.

Fielder was a useless slug in that series. I dont mind a guy having a bad stretch, but at least show me some effort.

Yep. Even a league average effort from him, and we're probably talking about a world series here.

[Fuck You Jobu]

I wish I liked baseball as much as I used to

this

[MadTIGERmaN]

I wish I liked baseball as much as I used to

this

MLB Network is the cure to this

[Fuck You Jobu]

I wish I liked baseball as much as I used to

this

MLB Network is the cure to this

.....

[MadTIGERmaN]

I wish I liked baseball as much as I used to

this

MLB Network is the cure to this

.....

Its just 100X better than ESPN's baseball coverage...
during the season... from 5pm-midnight every week night, its just 3-4 guys talking baseball / cutting into games live as things happen, theyll show pretty much every pitch of a no hitter from the 7th on... and milestone at bat/pitching performance, great plays, great highlights... brawls lol and they never take it tooooooooooo serious.

[---]

[---]

[Chris_H_2]

Look guys, he was a good personality manager who had everyone's respect. He was a class guy and really did a great job of keeping guys' egos in check. He never threw a guy under the bus, and his players were fiercely loyal to him. For that, I love him, and I'll miss him.

But you're kidding yourself if you think he was one of the best in-game managers in the league.