Mlb 2012!

Sarkus · 2012-10-06T01:27:45.000Z

Spotting runs isn’t going to happen - there’s no precendent for that approach in any major sport that I’m aware of.

As for whether they should have expanded the playoffs, that’s a different argument. I’m sufficiently old school when it comes to baseball that I’m not sure I’d oppose an end to divisions and a simple “best record in the AL versus best record in the NL” World Series. But I do think it added some interest to the regular season this year having another wildcard spot up for grabs. The NL would have been particularly dull down the stretch the way the Nats, Braves, and to a lesser extent the Reds ran away from everyone else.

Alstein · 2012-10-06T03:20:34.000Z

Japanese baseball spots the higher ranked team a full game.

I’d be ok with a doubleheader at the visting team’s park where the home team has to sweep both games.

The NL would have been a little dull, any playoff format can be interesting or dull. Would the 93 NL West had been as interesting if the loser was guaranteed a WC instead of the 103 win Giants staying home. (That was why the WC happened)

tylertoo · 2012-10-06T06:25:37.000Z

I love the fact that the national media seems to have not a single peep of criticism of Atlanta fans for delaying the game 18 minutes, and endangering players, by throwing flasks and cups and other shit. You can bet that if that happened in Citizen’s Bank Park, we’d be hearing the tired old stereotypes about how Phillies fans are the worst in the nation. But Atlanta? Nah, they’re fine.

Not that I’m bitter or anything.

Sincerely,
An Old Phillies Fan

PS-- Go Nats! Go A’s! Go O’s! Good year to root for perennial underdogs.

Mark_Asher · 2012-10-06T06:45:13.000Z

nKoan:

I like the renewed importance of winning the division now, but the one game playoff seems like a mighty hard pill to swallow.

Yeah, I don’t think a quick, three games in three days playoff would hurt. Play them all in one city and if you want to go old school, have the first two games be a double-header.

strummer · 2012-10-06T07:59:24.000Z

triggercut:

Full disclosure: said sharpest mind is my older brother, who happens to have about 40 years of covering baseball in various markets for various newspapers (currently in the Bay Area) under his belt.

Thanks for the clarification as my first reaction was “I don’t recall saying that”.

triggercut · 2012-10-06T10:32:52.000Z

Harold Reynolds uses video to illustrate that the infield fly rule called yesterday wasn’t nearly the egregious bad call it’s been portrayed as:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/harold-reynolds-had-good-explanation-why-infield-fly-154426000--mlb.html

sluggo · 2012-10-06T12:03:00.000Z

Yeah, I saw that last night and thought it was a great piece of video, showing almost the same situation as last night with the infielder pretty deep into the outfield and the umpire waiting a while before making the call.

I think that, unlike Fail Mary, the umpires will get a decent amount of support on this and people will rightfully place most of the blame for the loss on the Braves’ shoddy defense.

Sarkus · 2012-10-06T12:17:59.000Z

I do find it ironic how things turned out for the two big spenders in the AL West. Maybe not ironic, more like humorous. ;-)

The money vs. performance angle is interesting to look at. Of the 10 teams with payrolls over $100m, five did make the playoffs. But the other five playoff teams came from the bottom half of the payroll rankings.

triggercut · 2012-10-06T12:20:15.000Z

sluggo:

Yeah, I saw that last night and thought it was a great piece of video, showing almost the same situation as last night with the infielder pretty deep into the outfield and the umpire waiting a while before making the call.

I think that, unlike Fail Mary, the umpires will get a decent amount of support on this and people will rightfully place most of the blame for the loss on the Braves’ shoddy defense.

FWIW, I still think it’s a bad call…but it’s a defensible bad call and not nearly as egregious as was portrayed in the immediate aftermath. I think it actually was a technically “correct” call on the exact wording of the rule, but it violates the sniff test on the actual spirit of the rule–which is to protect runners from being doubled off base. I see no way that Kozma could’ve played that pop fly into a double play.

rowe33 · 2012-10-06T12:36:52.000Z

triggercut:

FWIW, I still think it’s a bad call…but it’s a defensible bad call and not nearly as egregious as was portrayed in the immediate aftermath. I think it actually was a technically “correct” call on the exact wording of the rule, but it violates the sniff test on the actual spirit of the rule–which is to protect runners from being doubled off base. I see no way that Kozma could’ve played that pop fly into a double play.

I agree 100% - there’s no way that he would have let the ball drop on purpose, thinking they’d somehow get a double play out of it. He would have been lucky to get even ONE out if he had let it drop on purpose.

triggercut · 2012-10-06T13:08:29.000Z

…and all that said, as Don Denkinger told Whitey Herzog during a pitching change in Game 7 in 1985, “We wouldn’t be here today if your team wasn’t hitting .120.” In other words, it didn’t cost the Braves the game.

strummer · 2012-10-06T13:23:23.000Z

triggercut:

…and all that said, as Don Denkinger told Whitey Herzog during a pitching change in Game 7 in 1985, “We wouldn’t be here today if your team wasn’t hitting .120.” In other words, it didn’t cost the Braves the game.

Hitting .120 is an expected part of the game; it occurs between the lines. A team plays like crap, they lose - it happens. Players, coaches and fans don’t expect blown calls as part of a normal competition. If that blown call turns out to be the difference between winning and losing (i.e. if called correctly there would have been a different winner), then people have every right to be upset regardless of how well either team played.

triggercut · 2012-10-06T13:29:47.000Z

strummer:

Hitting .120 is an expected part of the game; it occurs between the lines. A team plays like crap, they lose - it happens. Players, coaches and fans don’t expect blown calls as part of a normal competition. If that blown call turns out to be the difference between winning and losing (i.e. if called correctly there would have been a different winner), then people have every right to be upset regardless of how well either team played.

I don’t think you got that point. Denkinger was telling Whitey: “If your team doesn’t screw up in this series, my blown call doesn’t affect the outcome.”

If Chipper turns that double play, the Cardinals don’t score any runs the inning they scored three. If Dan Uggla doesn’t chuck the ball into the dugout on Freese’s grounder–and then if Simmons doesn’t throw one to the backstop–the Cardinals don’t score two more in the sixth. The Braves had the tying run at bat in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings and couldn’t break through; they left 12 guys on base.

It’s a good analogy.

triggercut · 2012-10-06T13:31:22.000Z

Ken Rosenthal ‏@Ken_Rosenthal

Sources: Francona to manage #Indians. Announcement likely Monday.

(Good get for the Tribe if true.)

strummer · 2012-10-06T14:08:58.000Z

triggercut:

I don’t think you got that point. Denkinger was telling Whitey: “If your team doesn’t screw up in this series, my blown call doesn’t affect the outcome.”

If Chipper turns that double play, the Cardinals don’t score any runs the inning they scored three. If Dan Uggla doesn’t chuck the ball into the dugout on Freese’s grounder–and then if Simmons doesn’t throw one to the backstop–the Cardinals don’t score two more in the sixth. The Braves had the tying run at bat in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings and couldn’t break through; they left 12 guys on base.

It’s a good analogy.

No, I got the point.

EDIT: Analogy - if Galarraga had struck out Donald then he’d have a perfect game. It doesn’t absolve Joyce of having blown the call.

There are many plays and decisions throughout the course of a game that affect the outcome. A blown call shouldn’t be one of them. When it is, it stinks. As a manager or player, you obviously believe you shouldn’t have put yourself or the team in the position that a blown call is the deciding factor. But as an umpire, official or ref you can’t dismiss your bad call by saying “well your team played shitty”.

Alan_Dunkin · 2012-10-06T14:42:50.000Z

Wow:

SFGate – 6 Oct 12

A's refuse to remove tarp

OAKLAND Management won't open up tarp area - which can hold 20,878 - despite pleas from fans, city officials Fans are demanding that the team remove the tarps to let more people in - some have started a petition via a website called...

Wonderful. A’s management, just as they start the playoffs after a great run, give their fans yet another middle finger. Nice job.

— Alan

ineffablebob · 2012-10-06T15:42:30.000Z

Damn it, JV, a leadoff home run is not the way to start a post-season series. But at least the boys got it back in the bottom of the first.

Also, the As management are indeed a bunch of dicks. I can (barely) understand keeping the upper seats closed in regular season play, even during that game 162 against Texas. But in the playoffs? What the hell.

ineffablebob · 2012-10-06T18:08:11.000Z

Verlander wasn’t his usual dominating self to start, but he settled in nicely and the Tigers take game one. I just about had a heart attack when Benoit almost gave up a game-tying home run to Smith in the 8th, but it was about 6 feet too short to clear the wall. Good work, Tiggers.

sluggo · 2012-10-06T18:21:29.000Z

I thought that ball was going out as well, I can imagine it put a scare into Tigers fans.

The A’s thing is mind-boggling. An owner who doesn’t want to sell playoff tickets? WTF?

Greatatlantic · 2012-10-06T18:44:49.000Z

Indians hire Francona as next manager: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121006&content_id=39538688&vkey=news_cle&c_id=cle.

Apparently, the Indians targeted him immediately after firing Manny Acta. Sandy Alomar has been offered a position with the staff, but he has not commented. Details about salary are not available yet.