Baseball Musings: The Birds and the Beasts

October 19, 2006

The Birds and the Beasts

It will be the Cardinals and the Tigers in the World Series. This turned out to be a game with mostly unexpected heroes. Jeff Suppan pitches his second great game seven, having out-pitched Clemens two years ago. Endy Chavez made one of the great catches in playoff history, one we'll be seeing along with Mays and Swoboda. Oliver Perez gives the Mets a great start, but Yadier Molina makes it all for naught with a ninth inning, two-run homer. Even in the bottom of the ninth, but two worst hitters on the Mets came through, but the big bats didn't.

It was a very even series, in doubt until the last pitch. Congratulation to the Cardinals on a great win, and on to the World Series!

Posted by David Pinto at 11:45 PM | League Championship Series | TrackBack (0)

Comments

So the Cardinals, between 2000-2006 have 5 division titles (tho once they tied but didn't get the tie breaker), 4 NLCS appearances, & 2 World Series trips (possibly 1 win). Only missed the post season 1 time (2003 they were 3 GB). They're turning out to be the strongest & most consistent NL team of this decade.

Posted by: Devon at October 20, 2006 12:51 AM

...whom the tigers will sweep in four games.

The NL is weak.

Posted by: Jabes at October 20, 2006 01:06 AM

Yeah, MLB stacked the cards against the NL. Letting that jerk from houston manage the all star game, thus giving the AL the home field advantage, and then letting the AL start their division series a day early (garuanteeing an extra day of rest for the AL even if we both had swept), makes a huge difference.

The tigers are probably the better team, but it's unfortunate that things are so unbalanced.

Posted by: sleepyca at October 20, 2006 01:13 AM

You know, I don't think I've watched the All-Star game since '03, the first year it was "winner gets home field". I just hate that. I think home field, should simply go to whoever has the best record.

Posted by: Devon at October 20, 2006 01:17 AM

...which would be the Tigers anyway this year. So no harm, no foul. It's still a stupid marketing gimmick.

Posted by: Benjamin Kabak at October 20, 2006 01:21 AM

I agree with Devon. Actually, what about deciding it based on interleague record? Either the league with the better record in interleague play gets home-field, or of the 2 WS teams, the one with the better interleague record gets it? I dunno if that'd be any better...but it's a thought.

Posted by: the other josh at October 20, 2006 01:23 AM

Well, the commisioner's always claims that they need to be able to prepare WS accomodations more than 2 days in advance. I call BS on this, but that's always their argument.

Posted by: Ten Ale Tilt at October 20, 2006 02:00 AM

I don't think it matters who has home field. I think the NL is simply weaker than the AL.

How many pitchers suddenly become better when the switch from the AL to the NL? Arryo comes to mind this year. Clemens was certainly regressing before he switched to the NL. Soriano suddenly became one of the best players in baseball when he went to the NL.

Posted by: Jabes at October 20, 2006 03:24 AM

Jeff Weaver gets released by the Angels -- not even traded for a bucket of balls -- and now he'll be starting a World Series game for the Cardinals.

Posted by: rbj at October 20, 2006 07:58 AM

No matter what anyone says about Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa and his pitching coach Dave Duncan -- and believe me, I've said plenty this season -- they've managed to pull the right strings this post-season. Wainwright has turned into a strong closer (bye bye, Jason Isringhausen), and the Jeff Weaver rehab is one of the greatest turnarounds this year. But the heart of the lineup hasn't done much in the post-season, nor during much of the year. Let's hope Edmonds, Encarnacion and Rolen can add some punch to this lineup. The pitching has been superb, but they're in over their heads.

Posted by: Andrew at October 20, 2006 08:06 AM

The Tigers are much better, but home field advantage still does matter. This is baseball! The Mets were/are a better team than the Cardinals, too. A smallish advantage like the extra home game could tip the balance -- probably not, but it's worth something.
Interleague record to determine home field advantage sounds good, but of course the problem is that the American League team would then have a better shot. Overall record would have the opposite bias. But I guess at some point you have to allow that pennant from the better league can get the bonus home game, so I'd go with interleague record.

In any case, determining the home field adv. by the All Star game has got to go.

Posted by: Jamie at October 20, 2006 08:24 AM

i am hoping sleepyca's asinine comments are sarcastic, though if not i would love for you to elaborate on how MLB's "decision" to let "that jerk from houston" manage the allstar game had more to do with the NL's loss than trevor hoffman's 2 out meltdown in the 9th.

which manager would you have prefered could you "decide" (as opposed to the actual system of earning the role by virtue of managing your team to the pennant), and do you honestly think your choice would have put anyone other than hoffman in to close out that game?

garner make's his share of questionable moves, but to put the onus of the all-star game collapse on his shoulders is thoroughly untenable. that being said, allowing the game to determine homefield advantage in the WS is just plain wrong, especially when the players who determine the outcome of said game are voted in by popularity, instead of according to actual performance and/or ability.

Posted by: stros fan at October 20, 2006 01:45 PM

Garner had the defensively-challenged Miguel Cabrera at 3rd base to start the 9th, with the vastly superior Scott Rolen still unused.

One of the huge hits in that 9th was a grounder that most observers with an opinion say would have been a routine play for Rolen.

That's poor managing.

Posted by: salvomania at October 20, 2006 04:21 PM

Mention is made of Mays and Swoboda WS catches, but not Gionfriddo's. One reason is that the video you see of Gionfriddo's catch was actually a re-creation the next day and is very badly filmed. It is so phoney that an ump made a few bucks to come into view and raise his right hand for the out call. The LF line ump was nowhere near the actual catch. The film shows Gionfriddo circling around to the bullpen fence. I was sitting in the bleachers right at the bullpen for the actual catch and Gionfriddo raced straight back and DiMag's liner came right over his right shoulder into his lefty openfaced glove and he carried it one stride into the fence. It would have been a triple, not a HR, if not grabbed by Gionfriddo.

Posted by: Bob S at October 20, 2006 11:12 PM

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