fall classic

[vintagebrett]

The problem with Wrigley, Fenway, etc. is that they are the "cool" places to be - the place to be seen. A lot of people go to hang out and have a good time, rather than watch the ball game. It is frustrating and some times infuriating, depending on the group near you. Although, some of the things the non-fans say, really crack me up!

[MVALZ]

Hey Burker, I was sitting right behind O'Neill for that game 5 in 2001 against The D'Backs. It was truly an amazing moment that gives me goose bumps to this day. I was pullin hard for the D'Backs, but you're right those were a bunch of good guys on that Yank team. [i]GO SOX![/i]

[Mike**Mize]

A-Rod, A-Rod, A-Rod.....What I saw out of the Yankees this season, especially in post-game interviews, was an overriding concern for the team. Alex made a point of always steering interviewers back to the point that the Yanks had notched another victory. He always talked about the energy the team was getting from the younger guys. Countless times interviews were framed in the, "Bask with us for a minute and tell us how you feel about what you've accomplished and how great you are.". Each time he came back with, "The main thing is we've turned it around as a team and we're not dead. We're moving forward.". We all know his reputation as being selfish. That's not what what he was doing this year.
If this is the end of his time with the Yankees, so be it. It is afterall a business. I'm certain he showed a new level of maturity this season and he'll undoubtedly carry it with him where ever he goes.

I just hope we have enough pitching to get past the Indians.

[toad]

I work for the Padres play by play radio station. Needless to say it's a little grim around the office. But we all know Monday's game was one hell of a game.
This loss still can not keep me away from listening or watching as much as I can of any of the games. Don't care who wins I just don't want the season to end.

[burker72]

WOW!!! If anything, A-Rod certainly evokes emotions and opinions of all fans, which ultimately is a good thing.

His defense definitely stunk last year, but better this year. I can't really criticize him for gold gloves though. He won two after Vizquel had won about 30 in a row, so not too bad. I doubt he'll win one at 3rd base though.

Trying to knock the ball out of Arroyo's glove...seems bush I know, but is it any different than bowling over a catcher or sliding into a 2nd baseman's glove to try and knock the ball out? Honestly, if he had gotten away with it, I think it would have been looked upon favorably - "he does the little things to win". I don't think his call in Toronto is different than a fielder looking as if he's going to catch a liner that is destined to sink in for a single to deceive a base runner. Baseball is FULL of deception and cheating, it is only cheating if you get caught. It does make the game interesting. If Craig Counsell did any of these things Tim McCarver would regard it as heady or old school.

One interesting thing about ARod is his October woes. Last year he clearly slumped and the culmination of his bad fielding and lack of clutch hitting clearly got to him. It is remarkable that arguably the best player in the game could suffer a confidence issue, but he clearly did. I guess the psyche of even rich athletes can be a delicate matter. I would call this a make or break post-season for him. I guess a good question for Arod haters out there (and I was one) is, will you be glad or disappointed when Arod breaks Barry's HR record?

How much is too much? Tough to say. All I know is that the high salaries are alienating. We are talking about generations of wealth that are being transferred for playing a game. I'm not sure I can lay the blame on players though. Tom Hicks, Scott Boras, and the Royals (yes, the Royals for paying Gil Meche $11 million a year) have distorted the salaries of players, both great and mediocre. If the bank that I worked at ever offered to pay me 10x what I made last year you can be sure I'd take it.

Good call on Chase Utley, I've only been able to see him a few times, but I know he is incredibly valuable to the Phils. Let's call it even.

[burker72]

Toad, sorry about your Padres. I stayed up for the game (quite an accomplishment with two youngsters running me wragged otherwise). It was a great game and I was pulling for the Padres. I think the shame of it is that a HOFer like Hoffman gets his chance in the national spotlight and he lays a very, very rare egg. He certainly deserved better, but it looked like he just didn't have his stuff. I assume the guy that they rolled out ahead of him (Bell? #21?) is the heir apparent? However, I suspect Hoffman could pitch for ages given he features a change up and only throws 50-60 innings a year.

Perhaps if the Padres donned the gold and brown uniforms of Nate Colbert's days they would have fared a bit better? The ones they have now are way too classy.

[robin_buckeye]

Does he choke in the playoffs? First line is his career regular season stats, the second are his career playoff stats.
BA/OBP/SLG
.306/.389/.578
.280/.362/.485

Yeah, his playoff stats are lower, but in the playoffs you see almost all frontline pitchers. Offensive stats are all most always lower in the playoffs than in the regular season.

[burker72]

Speaking of which, how much better is playoff baseball than the regular season? Don't get me wrong, I'll watch the Royals play the Devil Rays in August if I have to, but the fundamentals really tend to come out in the playoffs. It is just downright beautiful to watch. Of course I could go without the managers way over managing the bullpen, which I think comes with the territory.

If I had my druthers I'd like to see...
Red Sox - Yankees / Phils - Cubs
Yankees - Cubs
Cubs

(And I'm a Yankees fan, I just know it would mean much more to Chicago to win)

[ebbets55]

Brett, regarding Cubs fans, I had a great impression of them. Granted I only saw them for two games, nowhere near what you have seen. They were a knowledgeable bunch, always paying attention to the scores from around the league (Braves vs. Brewers last week) and doing the tomahawk chop routing for the Braves. They always knew when it was a players first or last at bat, etc. I think they really knew their team. Maybe since it was the week before the end of the season, I didn't see a bunch of latecomers or people who left early. That's Anaheim. We show up in the third inning and leave in the 8th because of traffic. Sure most people come to eat Sushi, be seen and leave soonafter. It's never sold out until the postseason.

One last note. I sat with a Sox fan. The southsiders never hesitate to get a dig in on the northsiders. The Sox fans call Cubs fans the wine and brie crowd and are more rowdy by nature. The lovables never seem to have anything bad to say about the Sox fans though. This was evident over two games. They are two totally different types of fans. On the other side of me were two 80 something baseball Annies who attended the 45 World Series. They would go to as many games as they were able to. They told me of how they would get all dolled up and meet the players at bars after the games when they were younger. I had such a great time talking to those die hard Cub fans.

JD

[toad]

Toad, sorry about your Padres. I stayed up for the game (quite an accomplishment with two youngsters running me wragged otherwise). It was a great game and I was pulling for the Padres. I think the shame of it is that a HOFer like Hoffman gets his chance in the national spotlight and he lays a very, very rare egg. He certainly deserved better, but it looked like he just didn't have his stuff. I assume the guy that they rolled out ahead of him (Bell? #21?) is the heir apparent? However, I suspect Hoffman could pitch for ages given he features a change up and only throws 50-60 innings a year.

Perhaps if the Padres donned the gold and brown uniforms of Nate Colbert's days they would have fared a bit better? The ones they have now are way too classy.


Thanks, We had Heath Bell in studio today,very compelling radio. It's really a shame after all Trevor has done for the team and city for the season to end that way for him. He is a first class act all the way.

[mittmutt]

All this chat about Arod, I can't blame him for taking what the Yankees offered. What is really sick is what they gave Clemens this year and what they got for a return on their investment. That is one of the few things that bother me about baseball is the inequity in the money that different teams can spend. It is a beautiful thing when a Minnesota or Florida takes it the big boys.

[Mike**Mize]

Back on the 4th I ended my submission with something like, "I just hope we (The Yankees) have enough pitching to get past the Indians."
Well what do you know? Apparently we didn't. This was a strange little series. I'm certain we should have won game two 1 to nothing. Delete those flyng ants, Canadian Soldiers, mini black flies; what ever they were; and they were at their peak during Joba's second inning of work, and the Yankees win that one one to nothing. That doesn't mean that they automatically win the series, but it would have put us on a far better footing. Cleveland's very good. Somehow I can't quite see them getting past Boston. It will be fun to see how that plays out. I'm starting to get a little too used to having to decide about teams other than the Yankees , as NY gets knocked off in the 1st round for the third straight year. For shear drama, I'd love to see the Colorado Rockies rise up and keep pitching and hitting the way they've been going. I've got a soft spot for those guys. I spent several months living in western Colorado back in the early 70's just after I got out of school. Such a nice part of the world.

[worldwin]

Devil's Advocate here...

Since when does winning the World Series make you a great player? I wouldn't be surprised if half the players in the Hall never were on a World Series championship. You can throw that argument out...

Also, if you haven't noticed, baseball is all about offense, and has been for quite some time.

Oh sure, there are some guys who can still play defense...but how many of the those players are true offensive threats? Not a whole lot!

Baseball is all about offense...bottom line! If you can't hit, you aren't going to play.

Major League Baseball is so lacking in fundamentals that it isn't even funny.

Next time you watch a game, watch how the outfielders catch fly balls. How many of them catch the ball so it is on the side of their throwing hand, or come in on the ball when they catch it? Believe me, not many!

Many outfielders have no clue how to properly catch a ball while a runner is tagging up, nor do they no how to field a ground ball on a do-or-die play. Look at Manny Ramirez...the guy is pathetic on defense. But you know what, Manny is going into the Hall. And you know why? Of course you do...because he can hit...end of story!

As for being the highest paid player, that doesn't necessarily equate to being the best. All that means is that you can produce runs, and put people in the stands, which of course is what MLB and other professional sports are all about! Sad but true!

... without a home team, for whom should I 'root, root, root?' The Strangers and Disastros will be watching from the comfort of their own living rooms AGAIN this year ...

I respect the historic, traditional Yankees of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle, but being a Texan by birth and God's grace and favor, I am genetically predisposed to hate the contemporary Yankees.

I can't root for any team with Manny Ramirez on it, so there go the BoSox. Manny is probably a nice guy, but I can't stand looking at his hair flopping around and his pajama-style pants flopping around when he runs!

So I will yell for the Angels, John Lackey being an Abilene boy and a financial supporter of Abilene youth baseball. He did take a whuppin' yesterday, though ...

In the NL ... Rockies are my underdog longshot pick. My ex is from Denver. When we visited in the summer we got to see a few games at Mile High and then at Coors Field. I have an old football buddy that is a VP of Promotions or Marketing or something like that for the Rox, and he got us freebie seats several times.

Part of me would like to see the Cubs win, although I believe that such an ocurrence would set off a cosmic chain reaction that could implode the universe.

Now then, about A-Rod ... have you noticed that he is almost universally regarded as the "best in baseball," yet no team for which he plays has ever won the World Series? His October performance is sorely lacking. Only two Gold Gloves with Texas, when they didn't matter much. No Gold Gloves at third base, where he now plays. I am sorry ... you say he is a natural shortstop? Well, his coaches and managers say he is the third baseman for the New York frikkin' Yankees, so he needs to play like they pay him. Sure he hits lots of home runs, and rakes in a bunch of rib-eyes, but might that be only one facet of the game of baseball? Might the most highly-paid athlete in pro sports be expected to play the best defense on the field, too? I think TEAMS are better than PLAYERS. A-Rod is a player. Your team would probably be better off without him.

[nygiants]

I have to agree with WorldWin on this one.
I love to watch the World Series but lets face it Major League baseball is not what it use to be. Major League baseball would have dried up along time ago if not for backyards, sandlots, little league, high school and college. I get a big kick out of watching teams like the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Marlins make these high dollar teams take long hard looks at their payrolls.

Like I said, I love to watch the World Series but I enjoy the College World Series and the Little League World Series even more. There its still a game and the grass is still green. Fundamentals still count.

Speaking of fundamentals, I agree with WorldWin that fielding has taken a backseat to homerun hitting in the majors. I love to watch a good glove man at work, and station to station baseball. If i want to watch homeruns, I'll watch Homerun Derby.

I could go on for hours but suffice to say, I prefer the "vintage " baseball...

[spedrunr]

is that how the japanese and non-american teams won the world baseball classic? i didn't get to see many games, but i was told that it was fundamental baseball that ousted the US "all stars" so early in the tournament