the "baseball only" thread

[ticklingfeet4fu]

Well the Padres dropped a tough game last night. The Rockies beat the Padres in a close one 20-1. In conjunction with the Giants beating the Nationals 4-3 the Padres lead in the NL WEST drops to 5 games.
The White Sox needed extra innings in Chicago but was worth their while as Joe Crede hit his 2nd homer of the game including the game-winning walk-off homerun to beat the red-hot Indians 7-6 in 10 innings. With the win the White Sox increase their division lead back up to 3 1/2 games.
The Red Sox beat-up the Devil Rays 15-2 while the Yankees beat the Orioles 12-8. The Red Sox continue to lead the Yankees by 1/2 game.
The Indians lead the wildcard by a 1/2 game over the Yankees.
The Angels beat the Rangers 2-1 and the A's clobbered the Twins as the Angels maintain a 1 1/2 game lead.
The Astros beat the Pirates 7-4. A big game for the Astros because they gained a game on the 3 teams chasing them. The Phillies were beaten by the Braves 4-1. The Giants beat the Nationals 4-3 ( as mentioned earlier ) and the Mets needed 12 innings but beat the Marlins 3-2.

 

[milagros317]

Even in Colorado, 20-1 is absurd. 😱

 

[Mitchell]

With the Braves win over the Phillies in Atlanta last night, the magic number needed for the Braves to clinch their 14th straight division title is down to 6. For those who dont know what a "magic number" is. It is the combination of both Braves wins and Phillies losses needed to total six to give Atlanta the title. Each Braves win, and each Phillies loss counts as 1, and each time Atlanta beats the Phillies in head to head play, it counts as 2 toward the magic number. If Atlanta wins one more game in this series, the magic number will be 4. If they win the remaining 2 games, the magic number would be 2, which would mean then that any Braves win combined with a Phillies loss on the same day, gives the Braves the NL East. Each time Atlanta loses, and the Phillies win on the same day, the magic number stays the same. Realistically, the Braves should probably clinch the division by this weekend or sometime early next week.

Mitch

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

With the Braves win over the Phillies in Atlanta last night, the magic number needed for the Braves to clinch their 14th straight division title is down to 6. For those who dont know what a "magic number" is. It is the combination of both Braves wins and Phillies losses needed to total six to give Atlanta the title. Each Braves win, and each Phillies loss counts as 1, and each time Atlanta beats the Phillies in head to head play, it counts as 2 toward the magic number. If Atlanta wins one more game in this series, the magic number will be 4. If they win the remaining 2 games, the magic number would be 2, which would mean then that any Braves win combined with a Phillies loss on the same day, gives the Braves the NL East. Each time Atlanta loses, and the Phillies win on the same day, the magic number stays the same. Realistically, the Braves should probably clinch the division by this weekend or sometime early next week.

Mitch

Well Mitch is right about everything he has said. Nicely done Mitch. I must say though after losing 2 straight to the Phillies in tough fashion clinching will not be easy. The Phillies down the stretch have Cincinnati ( who has been playing so much better in the second half of the season ), the New York Mets ( who are desparately trying to finish .500 or better ) and the Washington Nationals ( who are trying to do the same ). The Atlanta Braves meanwhile have the face that great pitching staff in Florida this weekend then have to play Colorado ( whom has taken to playing spoiler very well ) and then finish against Florida. So this will could be their toughest clinch since 1993 when they played in the NL West.
In the meantime, did anyone notice the the Florida Marlins Dontrell Willis pitched and won his 22nd game of the season last night? What was even more impressive is that when Jack McKeon worked his starting line-up last night he batted Dontrell 7th in the starting lineup. The first time that a pitcher has been batted that high in a lineup since 1972. So to those who believe that pitchers are automatic outs and that the DH is good well look at the Marlins lineup and think again. All pitchers have to do is work at hitting and maybe the American League can stop being ARENA BASEBALL.
Also last night ( speaking of ARENA BASEBALL ) the American League Central race tightened up a bit more as the Chicago White Sox lost in 11 innings to the Minnesota Twins in Chicago and the Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 11-6. So now the lead that once was 15 games is now down to a game and a half. Also the Yankees extended their lead over idle Boston to one full game in the AL East as they beat the Orioles 7-6. Tonight, Toronto comes to Yankee Stadium while the Red Sox go and visit Baltimore. This is Boston's last road trip of the season as they finish their last 7 at home and the Yankees finish their last 7 on the road which includes a season finale at Fenway Park. The races down the stretch. This will be fun. As the commercial says " I live for this." Enjoy the games everyone.

 

[natural tickler]

Well it seems to me that every team in the East this weekend will be Cubs fans, no doubt 😉

 

[CaptainQuantum]

Well it seems to me that every team in the East this weekend will be Cubs fans, no doubt 😉

You mean they're gonna suffer like all the rest of the cub fans? 😀

 

[natural tickler]

That's OK, make your jokes. When we are fully healthy nest season, watch out. We have unfinished business

 

[CaptainQuantum]

That's OK, make your jokes. When we are fully healthy nest season, watch out. We have unfinished business

Hey my dad is a lifelong diehard Cub fan, so I've seen what Cub fans go through. The ones who take it as seriously as he does anyway. I heard that late last season when the Cubs just missed making it in the playoffs, my dad was almost in tears and yelling "those assholes are gonna let me down again! I've been a fan for over 60 years! I deserve better than this!" Now that's taking it seriously!

Which brings up (I think) an interesting question. Have you or anyone you know ever gotten this upset over your team (any sport) losing a big game or having a bad season? I would think that, with internet and so many other things to do today that there aren't as many people who take it that seriously as there used to be.

 

[Catwoman]

I am so very proud of one of my fave teams: The Atlanta Braves. They have come from a long way. With they way they played this week and last week, I hope to see more of great playing from them. 🙂

 

[CaptainQuantum]

What is it? 14 straight Division Championships? I think the NL East is officially the Atlanta Braves' bitch. During the regular season anyway. 😀

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

Well it seems to me that every team in the East this weekend will be Cubs fans, no doubt 😉

Not really NT. My team trails by 8 1/2 games with 9 to play. Don't really care what your Cubs do this weekend or next weekend. BTW, are you still going to give us the old when we are healthy bit watch out. Didn't we suffer through that enough this season. Every team has their injuries. Why don't you say that about the Braves or the Mets or the Phillies or the Cardinals. None of these teams are completely healthy yet we just play ball ( not well mind you ). So stop with the "when we get healthy watch out" crap. You guys have every excuse in the book why you have sucked now for 97 years. Not that I am counting or anything.

 

[unclebill]

I think it would be cool if the Cubs win the World Series in 2008, that would make it an even 100 years since their last championship.

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

I think it would be cool if the Cubs win the World Series in 2008, that would make it an even 100 years since their last championship.

Nah. Make them wait 200 years. 😛

 

[milagros317]

On behalf of all Dodger fans I can only say, "Wait til next year." 🙁

 

[CaptainQuantum]

Me & my dad were talking wednesday about Barry Bonds and I said that Bonds is still obviously juiced to be able to still hit home runs like he is. Because look at what happened to Sammy Sosa. No matter what he says, he was juiced up till last year cause look at all the weight he's lost and his HRs are way down. And both Bonds and Sosa started out as nothing special in terms of HR hitting, then really bulked up.

But my dad said he can't be on steroids now because there is random drug testing and he would be one of the first (if not the first) guy they'd check.

What do you all think?

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

Me & my dad were talking wednesday about Barry Bonds and I said that Bonds is still obviously juiced to be able to still hit home runs like he is. Because look at what happened to Sammy Sosa. No matter what he says, he was juiced up till last year cause look at all the weight he's lost and his HRs are way down. And both Bonds and Sosa started out as nothing special in terms of HR hitting, then really bulked up.

But my dad said he can't be on steroids now because there is random drug testing and he would be one of the first (if not the first) guy they'd check.

What do you all think?

I am not a Barry Bonds fan. Let me start there. I happen to agree with your father. Bonds did not need to get on steriods. You look at his numbers prior to the 2001 season and he is a Hall of Famer. But I have to admit that it is not Bonds I have a problem with. It is Rafael Palmerio. Palmerio came into this league a singles type hitter. Got on the juice, lied and compiled his numbers then can't seem to keep from putting his foot in his mouth. Palmerio has disgraced himself and the Orioles. But to be honest MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is really to blame. He has denied ever knowing that steriods was ever in this sport until it was too late. Which is a crock. The reason steriods entered MLB was because of the strike of 1994. They needed a gimmick to get the fans back into the stadiums. So blame MLB for all this crap. Everybody turned their heads the other way when asked what happened with steriods. Bud Selig thanks for putting this great game in the crapper.

 

[milagros317]

I am now rooting for the SD Pondscum to win their games over the hated jints, since the Dodgers are mathematically eliminated from the pennant race.

 

[unit5610]

I may be stating the obvious, but if the White Sox and Indians both have a bad week and the Red Sox and Yankees both do well in their current series, they could conceivably both clinch a playoff spot on the same day, on the same field. I'm thinking this doesn't happen often.

 

[milagros317]

If I remember correctly, the Dodgers and SD Pondscum went out onto the field on the last weekend of the 1996 season having both clinched a spot via a loss by the Expos, and were playing only to determine who would be the NL West winner and who would get the Wild Card instead. (Mike Piazza said something like "Why bother to play today?" for which he was blasted by the reporters.)

 

[CaptainQuantum]

If I remember correctly, the Dodgers and SD Pondscum went out onto the field on the last weekend of the 1996 season having both clinched a spot via a loss by the Expos, and were playing only to determine who would be the NL West winner and who would get the Wild Card instead. (Mike Piazza said something like "Why bother to play today?" for which he was blasted by the reporters.)

Way to go Mike! They pay you a gazillion dollars a year just because they like you, not cause you're expected to play or anything. LOL

 

[CaptainQuantum]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050926/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bba_hate_mail_jeter_7

FBI Probing Racist Threat Mailed to Jeter

By PAT MILTON, Associated Press Writer Mon Sep 26, 6:56 PM ET

NEW YORK - Yankees star Derek Jeter received a threatening letter that reportedly warned he'd be "shot or set on fire" if he didn't stop dating white women. The FBI is investigating "racially threatening letters to Jeter and others across the country," special agent Scott Wilson said Monday by phone from Cleveland. He declined to comment further.

Jeter downplayed what he called the "stupid letter," saying he did not perceive it as a specific threat.

The Daily News reported that the hate mail to the Yankees' 31-year-old captain called him a "traitor to his race" for dating white women. It warned him "to stop or he'll be shot or set on fire," the paper said in Monday editions, quoting an unidentified law enforcement source.

Similar threatening letters denouncing interracial relationships have been sent to other public figures in recent months, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Jason Taylor, and the parents of tennis star James Blake. The threats have been traced to the Cleveland area.

Jeter, who was in Baltimore on Monday for a game against the Orioles, said he heard about the letter two or three months ago and did not feel threatened by it.

"It wasn't like, 'I'm going to do this to you. I'm going to do that to you'," Jeter said. "It was just a stupid letter. I've gotten stupid letters before. That's basically it. Now, for some reason, it's on the front page and it's some big, huge story."

Jeter, picked by People magazine as one of the world's most eligible bachelors, has been linked with models, singers, actresses and athletes of various racial and ethnic backgrounds in New York's gossip columns. His mother is white, his father is black.

In an interview broadcast Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes," Jeter said that he and his sister were taunted for being bi-racial while growing up in Michigan. But he said he has never heard any racial epithets from the fans at Yankee Stadium in his 11 seasons playing there.

The NYPD's hate crimes unit recently completed a four-month investigation into the Jeter letter, which police said was mailed to Yankee Stadium earlier this season. The probe's findings haven't been made public.

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I like Jeter anyway, but I agree with him on this. Investigate it if you want to, the guy who mailed these letters is obviously very disturbed, so you can't be too careful. But if I was Derek or Clarence Thomas or any of these other guys I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

 

[milagros317]

Way to go Mike! They pay you a gazillion dollars a year just because they like you, not cause you're expected to play or anything. LOL

They still shouldn't have traded him to the Marlins (who in turn traded him to the Mets).

 

[ticklingfeet4fu]

Way to go Mike! They pay you a gazillion dollars a year just because they like you, not cause you're expected to play or anything. LOL

That is pre big contract and he was 27 years old at the time. Give him a break. Mike now is in the twi-light of his career and he is receiving lots of money from the 7 year $91 million contract for the year he had. But Mike stamped that contracted paid 3 or 4 years ago. He brought the Mets respectablilty and brought them to the post-season 2 straight seasons. BTW, between Mike and Ramon Castro the Mets catchers have produced 27 homeruns and 103 RBI's. Both numbers lead the majors. Mike at the age of 37 has more homeruns than any catcher in the National League. He has 19. He understands he will be a role player from this point forward. I think if the Mets bring him back for one more year as most of the fans want Mike can contribute. This year he is hitting only .258 with 19 homeruns and 62 RBI.

 

[natural tickler]

I believe there will be a lot of movement this offseason, with teams picking up guys you wouldn't imagine playing....

 

[milagros317]

I hope the Dodgers are willing to sign some talented free agents in the off season. 😀