MLB 2013

[oVo]

ALCS & NLCS are all about pitching... so far.

Top of the 7th and Napoli just took Verlander deep
to give the Sox a 1-0 lead in Detroit...
and a game 3 win.

The Cards have three chances to punch their ticket
to the World Series.

[Night Strike]

WORLD SERIES!!!!

Cardinals beat Kershaw 4 times this season!

[Serbia]

Congrats A0G. Tigers just couldn't get it done. And twice in this series, Scherzer gets pulled out, and the bullpen allows a slam. Not cool.

Bollocks.

[thegreekdog]

He never managed my team, but I loved him.

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-trian ... arry-bonds

[Army of GOD]

I'm very interested to see how we start off in the series. Oddly, in the two World Series championships we've won in the last decade, BOTH were sweeps. But I think that's hugely dependent on the previous series' momentum (comeback from down 3-0 in 04 and comeback from 3-1 in 07). I'm unsure how much momentum we have going into the series because if it wasn't for the two grand slams it'd probably be Detroit playing.

I'll take the Red Sox (durr) in 7.

[Serbia]

He never managed my team, but I loved him.

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-trian ... arry-bonds

I enjoyed that, thanks. He was a great manager, I feel. Hope they find an adequate replacement.

Bollocks.

[thegreekdog]

I'm officially rooting for the Red Sox, only because they have Shane Victorino (who was beloved as a Phillie and, when he left town, purchased a billboard and space in the newspaper thanking fans).

He has this memorable Phillies homerun and I was lucky enough to be at the game (start at 1:40).

[Army of GOD]

God damn, there we go.

[Army of GOD]

Great way to start the series off. Glad we got to Wainwright early and Lester pitched very well to get out of jams.

[oVo]

A few errorful innings and the series is tied
up at a game a piece.

Good pitching and lethargic bats are a bore.

[Army of GOD]

That throw by Breslow was just the worst. Beltran still would've singled and the Cards still would've won, but it was just disgusting.

[Army of GOD]

So I just realized Peavy is lined up to pitch game 7, assuming it goes that long.

Ugh. Of everyone in our rotation, he's the one I don't want pitching. Honestly I hope they give Peavy game 6 and then Lackey 7.

[Army of GOD]

All I have to say is Jim Joyce has now blown a perfect game and a World Series game.

[Night Strike]

All I have to say is Jim Joyce has now blown a perfect game and a World Series game.

It was the right call to make at 3rd base. It's always obstruction when the fielder impedes the runner. Heck, the Cardinals lost a game in the regular season due to an obstruction call as a runner. It sucked, but it was the right call.

[oVo]

I thought the obstruction call was BS --just like the lead runner force out at second in an earlier game where the 2nd baseman is 2 feet from the bag-- since the Boston player wasn't in the base path between 3rd and home plate.

[Army of GOD]

All I have to say is Jim Joyce has now blown a perfect game and a World Series game.

It was the right call to make at 3rd base. It's always obstruction when the fielder impedes the runner. Heck, the Cardinals lost a game in the regular season due to an obstruction call as a runner. It sucked, but it was the right call.

I don't know the letter of the law, and of course I'm extremely biased, but this is how I look at it: Firstly, Middlebrooks has as much right to get up and get to the ball as Craig had to run. I know intent doesn't matter but Middlebrooks has to be allowed to get up. Secondly, it's not like Craig was forced to go home which to me REALLY puts in question the obstruction. He could've stopped, even after he got tripped, but he kept going and got thrown out.

And even if it is the correct call, it's such an extremely nitpicky call considering the weight of the game.

To be completely honest, I had my eyes closed in real time because I thought he would score easily. That was such a horrible play by Salty to throw that ball to third, regardless of what would happen next. Ugh...

[Army of GOD]

Not to mention you have to let the players play in that situation. Don't decide the game with a call. That's as bad as calling a ticky-tack foul on the last shot in the NBA.

[Army of GOD]

Oh and the fucking balls/strikes calls were ridiculous all game too in the Cards favor.

Ugh, whatever. Bucholz needs to come up big.

[chapcrap]

If those posts weren't homer posts, I don't know what are.

You don't

have to let the players play

It's not a judgment call, like a foul in basketball. This is exactly what the rule is. And what are you talking about Middlebrooks fielding the ball after it went by him? There was no way he was going to be the one to go field it.

The real truth is Farrell sucked that game up for the Red Sox in so many ways. Welcome to the National League where you have to use your brain to make the right decisions. You won't find anyone who is not a Red Sox fan or some stupid personality like Skip Bayless that disagrees with the call. See this for more on Farrell's ineptitude in that game: http://espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/2013/st ... -3-regrets

Oh and the fucking balls/strikes calls were ridiculous all game too in the Cards favor.

I really disagree there. I thought the game was called pretty evenly. The strike zone was a little inconsistent at times and there were times when Joe Kelly, David Freese, Carlos Martinez, and Pete Kozma all disagreed with the ump that I can think of right off the top of my head.

[Night Strike]

Oh and the fucking balls/strikes calls were ridiculous all game too in the Cards favor.

Besides the at bat where Freese should have struck out about 3 times, which was particularly egregious, the strike zone was pretty bad throughout the game.

I don't know the letter of the law, and of course I'm extremely biased, but this is how I look at it: Firstly, Middlebrooks has as much right to get up and get to the ball as Craig had to run. I know intent doesn't matter but Middlebrooks has to be allowed to get up. Secondly, it's not like Craig was forced to go home which to me REALLY puts in question the obstruction. He could've stopped, even after he got tripped, but he kept going and got thrown out.

And even if it is the correct call, it's such an extremely nitpicky call considering the weight of the game.

To be completely honest, I had my eyes closed in real time because I thought he would score easily. That was such a horrible play by Salty to throw that ball to third, regardless of what would happen next. Ugh...

The letter of the law actually has almost that exact situation in verbatim as an example of when obstruction happens. Once the fielder misses the ball to him, he's no longer in a legal defensive position and can't be in the way of the runner. Middlebrooks was clearly in the way of the runner, even though there was nothing he could do to get out of the way.

And no, he wasn't forced to go home, but everyone runs home on a throw that gets past the 3rd baseman. And if he's not tripped up, he makes it home safely. Salty should have just eaten that ball after the great play by Pedroia (and absolutely horrible slide by Molina) and played for the next batter.

Not to mention you have to let the players play in that situation. Don't decide the game with a call. That's as bad as calling a ticky-tack foul on the last shot in the NBA.

Swallowing the whistle on obvious fouls at the end of the game is ridiculous in every sport. It's not leaving it up to the players when those players are breaking the rules to finish the game. The players DID play in this situation: Pedroia made a great stop, Salty make a solid tag then a horrible throw, Middlebrooks failed to stop the ball then was in the way of the runner advancing, which is a violation of the rules. But if the umps can't make a call like that at the end of the game, I guess they should make sure to let the runners be hit by a batted ball since that's the players playing the game out. I guess the runners should be able to run into the arms of a fielder trying to get a ground ball since that's just the players playing it out.

By the way, the Cardinals lost a regular season game this year on a correct obstruction call.

[Army of GOD]

haha wow. What an idiot.

[Sackett58]

haha wow. What an idiot.

Makes you wonder if the Red Sox had planned to pick off Wong knowing a rookie might get anxious off the bag. McCarver made the comment earlier how Napoli shouldn't of even been holding Wong and instead covering the field.

[oVo]

The umpires eliminated the Game 3 drama
and last night balanced it out with karma.

Two All... Play Ball!

[Night Strike]

Cardinals offense is HORRIBLE, especially the bottom of the order. They need to wake up.

[oVo]

They need to wake up.

I'd like to see at least one or two games with lively bats
from both teams, and less dominant pitching.