quote:Originally posted by A&F_FootDude_05: I really think the Rangers are doin it
WHAT!?
You mean these Rangers are going to make the World Series? This year?
They are 2.5 games out of first in the AL West, in great position to win that division. But making it to the Promise Land is hurdle they cannot handle.
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quote:Originally posted by Salvy_Mic: What's this, there's only one team in baseball so far with 60 wins? And they have the best run differential in the majors? You mean, it's the Dodgers?
Of course it is. Go Blue.
Let's not forget about New York. No, I'm not talking about the second-class citizen Mets. I'm talking about what really represents New York -- First class citizen Yankees. 44-22 since Alex Rodriguez returned to the lineup (May 8), making it the best record in baseball since that time. Three wins behind the Dodgers for the best record in baseball. Incredible since the Yanks play in the toughest division in baseball where you have to win 94 games just to be in FOURTH place. The NL West is too weak.
I was watching ESPN when they agreed with me when they said that the Dodgers will be the weakest prepared team to get anything done should the playoffs start right around now. Look at their starting pitching. Their starters do not go deep into the games. They have been running guys in and out of their bullpen at a record pace.
Dodgers Reliever Usage 2009 Through July 20
Name -- Games -- Innings Pitched
Ramon Troncoso -- 43 -- 58 1/3 Ronald Belisario -- 43 -- 48 1/3 (On Disabled List) Guillermo Mota -- 40 -- 44 Johnathon Braxton -- 40 -- 42 2/3
These guys are putting more effort than they are bargained for. If they want to finish the season as winners of the NL West, Torre is gonna have to figure out how to get the starters to go deeper into the games so that the bullpen gets the rest they deserve so that when September and October comes, they will be well rested. Otherwise, it's goodbye Tinseltown.
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I'd rather forget about New York, personally. Besides, they haven't done that well against any of the elite teams in the AL at all, something a friend of mine, an avid Yankee fan, is angsting about. The only team that's given us a real hard time is Houston.
It's really the bullpen I'm worried about. The starters are getting better about going a bit deeper, and that'll help in the long run. Despite any pitching shortcomings, we still have the best pitching in the league regardless. Another arm in the pen, maybe two, and I'm good. We're doing the damn thing at the plate.
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The Dictators of Baseball are back in full swing.
Entering today's competition both NY and LA are tied for most wins in the Majors with 67 wins. But The Yankees chances of making the playoffs are 92.97881 percent, second only to the Dodgers who have a 98.73191 percent chance of making the postseason. That's because no team in the NL West is a threat of getting ahead of LA in the standings and it seems quite obvious that they will win that division (unless the Giants or Rockies go wild, which I seriously doubt. Besides, no team with a player who goes by the nickname of Kung-Fu Panda, regardless of how well he's doing, is going to win any division, right Giant fans?). The Yanks are always faced with challenges that begins with Boston and Tampa. Of those three teams, NY has the toughest schedule from here on end, while Tampa has the easiest. The Yanks should see things with greater clarity, especially now that we're on the verge of sweeping Boston in the four-game series. Boston, for not being able to get Texiera, will realize that this is something that will haunt them for a long time to come.
But New York is up for all challenges. They are en route of giving people more reasons to hate them. This is a real threat and The Yanks will are going to win every series that remains in the season and every series in the playoffs.
Time goes slow for people who decide to mess with the wrong group. That group being ....
Now the Pinstripes are going to rub their arrogance in people's faces until they're sick of it. And there are only two things that everyone else in baseball can do about it: Nothing and like it.
[ August 09, 2009, 03:21 AM: Message edited by: National ]
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Every other team in baseball is now put on life support after the Yankees have shown great perseverance, karma, teamwork and all that good stuff against The Red Sox Nation. The Evil Empire of baseball (Yankees) now seek world domination. Boston have now become our little bitches and New York has got the baseball game sewn like a quilt. The Boston Tea Party is officially over and their best chance is now the wild card. The division is ours! The Yankees should win three out of every four games or five out of every seven games from now on. What can the other teams do about it? They should open the doors to our limos, for starters.
The Yanks provide great baseball entertainment, and that four-game sweep over Boston felt like it was the playoffs already.
Right, Megan?
--National
[ August 10, 2009, 02:32 AM: Message edited by: National ]
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Hey now, there's no reason to be putting down the Yankees! We offloaded Giambi, Pavano, Mussina, and Abreu to get CC, AJ and Texiera. A couple of other teams (including the New York Times...oops I mean the Red Sox) could've gotten any one of those guys and we'd be out of the race. Besides, as a Yankees fan I'm surprised no one's mentioned the one team who has always finished off the Yanks. Those would be the Angels. We've NEVER been able to beat them. They lead the AL West right now. If the Yanks meet them in the postseason, it's over. As for the Dodgers, I'm sorry to say they've got the wrong manager to win the world series. I had to watch Torre for 10+ years and frankly I don't think he'll win another championship. His postseason plan of burning out pitchers and waiting for three run homeruns got tiresome a long time ago.
My prediction (if the Yanks don't see the Angels in the postseason): Yankees beat the Phillies in the WS 4-2
If the Yankees do meet the Angels then: Phillies beat the Angels 4-3 in the WS.
That's my prediction, anyway.
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Don't worry, whizzbang. I'm from NYC, too. I'm not putting down the Yanks. Should the Yanks meet the Angels in the playoffs, the Yanks will take care of them. I have it on good authority that the Yanks will take that series. There's no reason for anyone to pick the Halos to go all the way.
The second half of the season is a brand new season for us. Since the break New York is 18-5. We're practically first in a lot of categories in the Majors, not just the American League. Since LA (Dodgers) has the best record in the NL, they must be doing a lot of things right.
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It's interesting and reassuring to hear your point of view National. I think the Dodgers's record reflects playing in a weaker division and having had such a good first half. I don't think they're playing as well now as they were. With the trades for Lee and Martinez to the Phillies organization, they'll be tough in any series. I will say that should the Yanks win it all this year, I'll choose a picture of Phil Hughes as my avatar.
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Weaker division? Dude, you realize that both the Giants and Rockies have 60+ wins this season, right? The bottom sucks, but the top end of the division competes with anyone except the AL East, and even that's close.
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quote:Originally posted by whizzbangnyc: It's interesting and reassuring to hear your point of view National.
That's great to hear. Here's something else: The Boston Red Sox has never won its division after being behind the Yankees by 5 1/2 games at *any* time during *any* season. That's not going to change this year. The only question is: Which NL team will they embarrass when the World Series gets here?
quote:Originally posted by Salvy_Mic: Weaker division? Dude, you realize that both the Giants and Rockies have 60+ wins this season, right? The bottom sucks, but the top end of the division competes with anyone except the AL East.
Well said. But you have to admit that it was a weak division for quite some time there, especially with how the Dodgers got off to that great start and how everyone else there just stayed behind. Going into June 19 the Dodgers were 9 games ahead of the Giants in the NL West, at a time when SF was not in first place of the Wild Card race. That was the largest lead any division leader has had over the second place divisional front-runners by far this season. That much I can say for a fact. What I don't remember for a fact is if the Dodgers had an even bigger lead over the team in second place? If so, then it was a pretty weak division even more.
Now the West is getting interesting with the Giants and Rockies creeping up on them. But I still have no reason to think that the either one will past the Dodgers and stay ahead of them. These Dodgers are not the Mets of 2007 and '08, where they let 50-game leads just slip by them.
So even though things are interesting out west right now, it wasn't for a quite some time when it was all Dodgers, all the time.
--National
[ August 11, 2009, 01:21 AM: Message edited by: National ]
quote:Originally posted by Salvy_Mic: Weaker division? Dude, you realize that both the Giants and Rockies have 60+ wins this season, right? The bottom sucks, but the top end of the division competes with anyone except the AL East, and even that's close.
I agree with you regarding the Giants. In a postseason series, any team would have fits facing Lincecum and Cain. In my opinion they're the best 1-2 punch in baseball. Lincecum is the best pitcher in baseball. He'd do tremendous damage to any team. I don't get the same feeling from the Rockies, but they are playing well.
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