Monday, May 20, 2013
The Changing Gigantics of SF | Bill James Online
(www.billjamesonline.com)
Is this really true?
Read More...Baseball teams change at a glacial pace. I’m not talking about how a team does in a given season…that can change quite dramatically…I’m talking about what a team is: the broad scope of a team’s talents, their strengths and weaknesses. A team that’s good at converting a double play generally stays good at turning the double-play, just as a team with a terrible bullpen can’t make that bullpen a strength, at least not quickly. A team that gets lots of production ...
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1 2 >Congrats to the Giants and their fans, though. Great pitching and a superstar catcher is certainly a recipe for happiness.
I actually think this was a pretty fun series for a sweep. The last 3 games were close and even the game 1 blowout was entertaining cuz of Panda's performance. For the deciding game to go into extra innings with arguably the best hitter in baseball at the plate...well, that's some great drama.
Congrats to the Giants and their fans.
Just think: The Giants really got all of this rolling when Scott Rolen (no almost pun intended) made that error that allowed the go-ahead run to score in what could have been the clinching game for the Reds.
The '05 Series was Citizen Kane.
So...Giant Dynasty?
Not until they win consecutive World Series, although 3 in a row should probably be the minimum.
Come on, you don't even have to go that far back to find a worse one. This one wasn't a classic, but it gave us a 3-HR game, a 2-hitter, and an extra-inning game with a pair of regulation lead changes.
Well, I think you're right as far as the starting pitching goes. While the results were certainly there, I don't think any of the Giants' starters were particularly impressive stuff-wise.
That being said, the Giants' bullpen was good in the regular season and became particularly beastly with the addition of Lincecum in the postseason. There's also the matter of the weather, which wasn't conducive to hitting in either park, and neither team hit particularly well.
(40 years from now)
"Rose-Panda"
It was only a matter of time.
This was somewhat defensible, as the game was going to Extra Innings. You'd probably rather that Coke face righties than that Valverde comes in by the 11th.
Benoit had gone two the previous game (I think). He was probably only available for one inning.
You're down 3 games to none, and he's been your big swinging dick for how long? Give him a final shot at redemption
Someone says that pretty much every year, don't they?
Sabean has been slammed a lot over the years here at BBTF because he hasn't demonstrated a lot of sabermetric savvy. Well, I think he can now lay claim to the title of the best non-sabermetric GM currently in the game.
Yes.
That's because it was. Worst. World. Series. Ever. Pathetic.
What exactly are you complaining about?
A four game sweep in which the winning team lead almost every inning. Back-to-back shutouts, for the first time since 1966. Utterly inept hitting. A pervasive sense of gloom. Need more?
It's a cliche to say the losing team in a series just didn't try hard enough, but what other conclusion can you draw? The Tigers didn't show up at all. They didn't care. So why should I?
I agree with this, certainly, but the problem, in my mind, with these two Series was that the teams being swept appeared overmatched offensively. Both the Astros in '05 and the Tigers, in this edition, assumed a pitiful posture, seemingly overwhelmed by both the moment and the opposing pitching staffs. Last night's game was quite entertaining, but overall, I do not relish ineptitude partially defining a World Series. The '05 White Sox had an awesome rotation and bullpen, ditto for these Giants, but when Pennant winning teams like the Tigers and '05 Astros just look helpless at the plate, the games become less entertaining, in my opinion. I actually prefer sweeps where the losing team is throughly demolished, like the '07 Rockies, especially when the best team has risen to the top, and 'owned' the moment, so to speak. The closeness of games two and three only made Detroit's plight more depressing. I'm a Yankees fan, but I always root for a great Series. Scutaro's hit felt merciful. Apologies to the Tigers fans, but that's the feeling I got when that ball landed in front of Jackson.
Who was the best team in baseball this year? Probably the Nationals, I guess. Maybe the Yankees, despite how they played in their last four games. And how long has it been since the best team won the World Series? The Yankees in 2009 might have been the best team. The Red Sox in 2004 probably were, though the Cardinals were close.
Sweeps since the playoffs expanded in 1969: 2012, 2007, 2005,2004, 1999,1998, 1990,1989, 1976. Pre-1989 it was rare, since it has been fairly common, especially in the past decade (4 sweeps in past 9 years). Wonder if anything can be done to prevent sweeps? Could it be that the longer the playoffs the more likely the final is a sweep?
This is easy to say now, but the Tigers lost as least four games or scored eight runs over at least four games three times this season.
Apr 22-27 TEX (2-3) SEA (4-7, 1-9, 4-5) NYY (6-7)
Jun 20-24 STL (1-3, 2-1) PIT (1-4, 1-4, 3-2)
Sep 7-10 LAoA (2-3, 1-6, 2-3)) CHW (1-6)
So this has happened before. They just picked a really bad time to play bad again.
Given the poor track records of teams who sweep in the LCS, would MLB allow them to hold a full-up exhibition game against their minor leaguers? So I'm talking about charging at least half-price, all the bells and whistles in the stadium, broadcasting, etc. to keep the team's emotional level running high. Maybe even outfit the minor leaguers in the uniforms of the potential opponents and use the other league's DH rules.
I was. I'm biased but the Giants played good baseball and that's always entertaining. What's better than baseball played at the highest level? It was also fun to watch the slowly unfolding exposure of RMc as a massive crybaby.
Anyway, it was a great baseball season. Seriously, I hope the Royals and Pirates can do next year what the A's and O's did this year. The people who have stuck with those teams deserve a miracle run. It's ridiculous how much fun pennant race baseball can be because of the daily drama.
Oh, hush. As if you wouldn't feel the same if it had been your team falling apart like this. Yes, I get upset when my team -- a team that's made the final round exactly three times in the last 40 years -- gets creamed in front of the whole country. So kill me.
Given the poor track records of teams who sweep in the LCS, would MLB allow them to hold a full-up exhibition game against their minor leaguers?
The player's union would never allow it, and if they did, somebody would get hurt, and that would be the end of that. The Tigers didn't lose because they were "rusty"; it was a combination of their best pitcher getting clobbered and bad luck, after which the whole team gave up. Sad.
Might as well make this prediction now: the Tigers will not return to the World Series in the next ten years.
Is this site now owned by FOX or ESPN? Sheesh, talk about east coast bias.
The Tigers played badly. To say they didn't try is ridiculous. They just got beat by a team that pitched well, fielded well, and put together some good at bats when they needed them.
As a Tigers fan, I'm very grateful for a wonderful season full of incredible individual performances, memorable games and moments, and an American League pennant. And Delmon Young and Phil Coke. The team has some holes but with some legit superstars and Victor Martinez coming back, we could be even better next season.
I can now sleep at night knowing that 2006 is no longer the most pathetic World Series ever.
The World Series was a snooze. The Tigers couldn't hit at all, and therefore even though the games were close they weren't interesting.
Shooty: No, I didn't find it entertaining at all, other than perhaps late innings Game 4, by which time it was clear anyway that It was Over.
Sandoval hit 3 home runs? Who cares. I care about what the team is doing, not what a player is doing. Other players have hit 3 home runs in a game. Who cares that it came in the WS?
(*) And thus, Ray has a decent point with his railings against it as "exhibitions." I wouldn't go quite that far, but as a signaling mechanism for quality, the postseason is all but worthless.
The first game was -- rating a little over 7, share around 14. Didn't see the ratings for Games 2, 3, or 4.
But in none of the first three games did it ever feel like the Tigers were in it. Sure, the scores were relatively close for two of those but the way the Tigers were hitting, it seemed a bigger lead. Game 4 was a very good game. But a really good game in the last game of a sweep just can't be all that exciting. If Game 4 happens in Game 3 instead, it's a much better series.
The entirety of the season and the playoffs were great though. Nothing really to complain about.
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