Some great nicknames on today's Birthday Team: Whoop-La, Buttercup, Scoops, Da Meat Hook, and El Duque.

C: Joe Ginsberg
1B: Mike Fiore
2B: Tom Carey
3B: Ty Wigginton
SS: Yale Murphy
LF: Dmitri Young
CF: Buttercup Dickerson
RF: Curt Ford

SP: Will White
SP: Orlando Hernandez
SP: Bob Chipman
SP: Bill Fischer
SP: Charlie Williams
RP: Gregg Olson

Manager: Eddie Dyer
Fun Name: Buck Washer
Cult Hero: Larry Luebbers
Not that one: Rick James
Not the guy from The Replacements: Bob Stinson

I think I would go with Stinson as the starter at catcher. He was certainly a better hitter than Ginsberg and this team is going to need all the hitting it can find.

After watching Ty Wigginton disgrace several positions this year, was he ever even a marginal fielder anywhere? Maybe 1B, although I would rather have crippled Ryan Howard in the field than this years' TW.

Baseball history item at THT notes that today is the 40th anniversary of two great postseason games. One decided a pennant in dramatic fashion. The other has some interesting parallels to a game from yesterday - including the fact that the same two teams participated in it.

Where do we all stand, as far as which rooting interest this year? This is our last chance to discuss it before one or more teams is eliminated.

Teams ranked by who I want to win the WS:

1) Reds
2) Tigers

3 (tie) Orioles
3 (tie) A's
3 (tie) Giants

6) Nationals
7) Yankees
8) Cardinals

1. Orioles

2. Nationals (I like them, but it's weird to root for another NL East team)

3. A's
4. Giants
5. Reds

6. Tigers (I've always kind of disliked them for no particular reason)
7. Yankees
8. Cardinals

1) Giants
2) Orioles
3) A's
4) Cardinals
5) Tigers
-------
999,998) Reds - the Reds fans I interact with on a regular basis in real life tend to be extremely annoying.
999,999) Yankees - they're the Yankees. Duh.
1,000,000) Nationals - still bitter about how MLB did Montreal. This perhaps makes me an irrational, terrible person, but I'm okay with that label.

Reds -- birthplace and original favorite team

As - Underdoggiest Underdog I can ever think of
Os - Underdoggier than most

Tigers - Meh. I've always been meh about the Tigers

Nationals - They would be higher except for a certain annoying poster
Giants - Seemingly inferior team beat the Phils in 2010
Cardinals - Kind of tired of them although I rather like their players

Yankees - The hatred goes back to when I was 6 and cheered when the Braves beat them in '57.

I know a lot of Tigers fans. That's the main motivation for me. Also I get happy every time I mistakenly thinkr the Tigers are owned by horrible religious fanatic Michigan pizza billionaire Tom Monaghan, and then remember that they are actually owned by the nice Michigan pizza billionaire Mike Ilitch.

Reds - Just a vastly underrated team in my opinion. I'd like to see them get their due.
A's - Fun team but I think some of the stuff (Bernie Lean, Balfour Rage) is going to get old quick if they win
Tigers
Cardinals - Both Tigers and Cardinals are teams I've always liked. Good baseball towns, solid teams.
Orioles - One of the Gold standard teams when I was a kid, happy for the fans who had to put up with a lot of crap and happy for Duquette who while not as great as some of his defenders make him out to be is pretty good.
Nationals - I'm torn, I like them a lot but I don't want them rewarded for the shut down.
Giants - I don't know, just not feeling it with them.
Yankees - Red Sox fan rooting against the Yankees, try and contain your surprise.

Where do we all stand, as far as which rooting interest this year? This is our last chance to discuss it before one or more teams is eliminated.

Teams ranked by who I want to win the WS:

Grouped and ordered within group

Rooting for:
A's

Would be fine with:
Reds
Orioles

(Shrug):
Tigers
Giants

Hope they lose:
Cardinals
Nationals

Anyone but the:
Yankees

Teams ranked by who I want to win the WS:

1) Reds
2) Tigers

3 (tie) Orioles
3 (tie) A's
3 (tie) Giants

6) Nationals
7) Yankees
8) Cardinals

This is pretty much the way I have it, except the Yankees need to drop to last. I think I'd prefer the Cardinals over the Nats, too, but that's like saying I'd rather have creamed spinach than lima beans.

Grouped and ordered within group

Rooting for:
(1) Nationals
...
(2) A's
(3) Orioles

Would be okay with:

(4)Giants
(5)Tigers (although I did wear my Ty Cobb shirt yesterday to jinx them)

Don't care for
(6) Reds (I still hate Dusty)
(7)Cardinals (not again)

Anyone but the:
(8)Yankees

Rooting interests:

1. Reds
2. Athletics
3. Giants
4. Yankees (strictly because of Ichiro)
5. Nationals
6. Orioles
7. Cardinals
8. Tigers

I got an email from someone at work yesterday who had been at a financial conference in Orlando from September 30 to October 3, and he mentioned in passing that one of the keynote speakers was Billy Beane. So at some point over the last four days of the season, with the A's trying to beat out the Rangers for the division title, their GM went to Orlando to talk to a bunch of financial advisors.

1. Orioles- they've been my favorite team since I was 8 years old. It's been great to see them in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years but I'm selfish- I'd love to see them win it all.

2. Nationals- they're a great story and I'd love to see them win their first championship. Do it for Davey!

3/4. Tigers/A's- this is a tough one for me. I've lived outside of Oakland and Detroit at different times in my life and have an attachment to both teams. I've leaned towards the A's in the past but this year I'd rather see the Tigers win it all with Justin and Miggy and Prince.

5. Reds- they've been building towards it for a couple of seasons and it would be nice to see them cap it off.

6. Giants- a cool team but they won it two years ago so I'd rather see the Reds get there.

7. Cardinals- the Cards are usually my NL team but they won a title last year as an underdog and don't really deserve to win again so soon.

8. Yankees- see #1. It's pretty much a rule that an O's fan hates the Bombers.

Nationals


Orioles
A's
Reds
Giants
Yankees
Tigers




Cardinals.

Would make me happy:
A's
Nationals
Orioles

Would be fine:
Giants
Reds

Would annoy me:
Tigers

NOT AGAIN:
Cardinals/Yankees (I refuse to choose one of them to prefer unless they actually face off)