pennant races
[COLOR="Navy"][SIZE="3"]---american league---[/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]-----east-----[/COLOR]
yankees will run away with this one.
toronto should outlast boston for 2nd place
baltimore will not be too far behind
tampa bay with many injuries early on will not be able to catch up
[COLOR="Sienna"]----central----[/COLOR]
white sox too good for this group, although clevland may turn this into a race should chicago go into a slump.
detroit's great start will not last, but third place is theirs.
minnesota is not looking too good at the moment, i expected more from them, but it's just not happening.
kansas city is a digrace to baseball, without a doubt the worst team in the game.
[COLOR="Red"]-----west-----[/COLOR]
here we go, a race for four teams, i could argue for all 4 of them, but seriously i have to single out the angels, with texas looking really really good.... i'm an angels fan, and i think we might prove less than blalock, mench and the gang....oakland is currently in first but i don't think that they will manage a .500 record...they may even take fourth if sexson and seattle pick up the slack.
[COLOR="Navy"][SIZE="3"]---national league---[/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]-----east-----[/COLOR]
mets all the way here, although philadelphia is putting in a run to make it look a lil' more interesting.
mediocre atlanta will take third i think.
washington is less than, despite a few flashes of a team.
florida's line-up is a joke, and if it wasn't for kc, they would take the label of the worst team in baseball.
[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]----central----[/COLOR]
talk about a pennant race. there are superpowers in here.
st.louis is obviously the favorite, and with just cause, but after watching some serious baseball this year,
i must say that i think houston will win the world series
i stated my amazment of cinicinnati early on, and they've proven me right being in first place at the moment, but now, i must say that they are less than both st.louis and houston, and cannot finish higher than third place in this division. the cubs will surpass milwakee for fourth despite lee's injury.
poor pitchburg won't be able to avoid last here, although they are actually a better team than they seem.
[COLOR="Red"]-----west-----[/COLOR]
here's a good slow race developing, colorado off to the early lead, but it won't last...they will not win this pennant race. although i cannot say for sure here, who will replace them, dodgers and arizona seem stronger. colorado and san fransisco will be close all the way to the end of the year.
san diego will fall far back into last and fade away...a disgracefull line-up
AL East: Yanks, Blo Sox and Jays all look good. I don't think the Yanks have the pitching. It will come down to Boston edging out Toronto unless injuries take a toll.
AL Central: Probably Chicago but Cleveland may take it.
AL West: Oakland. They may be hovering around .500 but so is the rest of the division right now. As long as that stays the A's will go on their traditional second half tear barring injury woes. Angels 2nd, Texas 3rd, M's 4th.
NL East: Mets looks good but haven't been really tested yet. Atlanta will pick things up and Philly is developing. I say Atlanta but much closer than in previous years.
NL Central: I just don't know. I'd have to say Cards because they are way outscoring their opponents but they have problems. Houston does too. I can't see Cincy lasting.
NL West: Up for grabs and who cares? All the teams are miserable.
how things change, clemens returns to houston, putting them immediatly back into the pennant race, especially after chris carpenter is out injured for st.louis, as well as superman albert pujols who will miss at least 6 weeks after his injury today ...cincinatti's odds just loked alot better as well, but seeing we're only 1/3 through the season, i'd put my money on berkman and clemens
nl-west ...all teams aren't looking that miserable at the moment, dodgers and arizona are both winning game after game...webb looks like the best pitcher in baseball at the moment, and gagne returns to the dodgers after being out for some time.
oaklands lineup is competing with the royals for worst .avg
and just when tampa bay's problems looked to be over, there goes there greatest player crawford, out on the dl....shall we call it a season.
and how about those mets, i tell ya, if it wasn't for pedro martinez, i would cross them out of the top 10 franchises ....i mean look at their greatest batter in the line-up...since may 25th delgado's had only 2 hits in his last 33 at bat. and with atlanta's lineup picking up with chipper and francouer on fire, who knows, we might have a race after all.
let me correct myself, angels will surpass texas and may pull away way b4 the end of the season, this change is because the angels pitching staff all of a sudden looks pretty good....colon on his way back, and how about this young jer.weaver...very impressive.
and a huge uh oh for super white sox, things looking gloomy if thome gets suspended, i won't go further into that one for the time being, but hey, if it happens, it'll be almost as bad as pujols abscence from st.louis, except this one will be for the whole season.
and how about them yankees ...everyones in the hospital, and yet they're rocking like crazy...jeter doing more than he should, a.rodriguez is waking up...randy johnson all of a sudden pitches 2 amazing games, rivera won't be out for too long, posada's back 100 percent....bye bye red sox and blue jays.
let me add one more thing..at the moment the greatest record in baseball is held by detroit...imho they are but a bubble waiting to be popped.
sure verlander is great, but give him 3-4 years
Houstan looks way better with Clemens on the team. That coupled with Pujols being out should move them closer to first. Rockies are now a christian team... funny how they are in last place and Helton isn't lighting things up. Oakland has been doing pretty poor. Part of this is due to injuries (most teams would be decimated with that many guys out) and their typical slow starts. Now that June is here that should change. Bradley is back soon and Crosby is heating up. Pitchers are coming back too. Don't count the A's out. I also would not count out the Jays and Red Sox. They are not that many games out of first. All it takes in a close race is a bad streak (like the A's had) and it's a different story. Not sure on the AL West. It's safe to count the Twins and Royals out but Chicago and Detroit are playing well. Cleveland is lagging... they got pitching and hitting though.
Things should look interesting in the A. L. East when the Red Sox hit Yankee Stadium for four games next week.
I'm a huge Red Sox fan (Boston born and bred), but if we can't get a #4 & #5 pitcher in the rotation, we're gonna be in some trouble.
Given all the Yankee injuries, the Sox should be out front a few games at this point, but, alas, they just surrendered 1st place to the Yankees after last night's loss to Detroit.
I'll be watching the Sox v. the Tigers this afternoon but with Clement on the mound, my confidence is waivering . . .
Baseball rules!:blush:
cherandbuster, you'll enjoy the afternoon as the red sox should win it easily.
clement isn't all that bad, he's just had some tough opponents.
manny and david should do enough for the win.
and yes, baseball does rule
Hey WHIP, thanks for your vote of confidence!
BTW, we just left two runners stranded in the top of the first:mad:
Why didn't we bring any offense to Detroit?!
**maybe it's being saved up for the Yankee series**;)
well, when i read what you wrote, i looked into the game, and then went and bet all my money on boston today, i'm telling you detroit is but a bubble and won't finished higher than 3rd.
on the other hadn, i'm not gonna be betting against the yankees when you face them, i do believe that they will get the better of it.
Hey WHIP, I think this upcoming NY/Bos series is a tough one to call. I wouldn't bet my $$ on my Sox either. After all, we will be in Yankee Stadium.
Right now, we lead the Yanks in games this year 4-3.
I'm so glad you put some cash on Boston today! Would you like me to keep you posted on the score? Right now it is:
BOS 2
DET 0
Let's hope WHIP gets a major cash windfall!:)
yeah, the yankees series will be a tough one, hope rivera isn't back by then cause he's their insurance on any lead of theirs.
should the red sox win today, i'm gonna put all the winnings o the angels tonight in clevland, bookies got the odds wrong in this one.
thanks for the update offer, but it's ok, i'm now following it live on the net.
blessed be cherandbuster
May the Angels kick some ASS tonight!!:)
thx a million
back to back homeruns by youkoulis and ortiz makes it 4-1 ;- ]
You got it WHIP!!
Since I only bet on baseball while in Vegas, I have decided to become your baseball cheerleader here in The Cellar.
Go WHIP go
make some cash
choose good games
kick some ass!
RAH RAH!!:3eye:
Hot damn!! The Cubbies are only next to last!! Whoo hoo!!
The Yanks and Red Sox are now 42-42 over the last five years. Rivally? You betcha! Andy and Melky are making things happen. I am nervous about Rivera...
Boy did my Red Sox get their tails kicked last night. Can't even watch the game wrap-up this morning because it'll depress me.
And tonight we've got that newbie from AA that gave up 6 runs last week.
How do you think he feels going up against the Big Bad Yankees? I hope his head is in the right place when he walks out to that mound tonight.
The Yanks are notoriously bad against guys they have not seen... but AA is a long way from the bigs. I've been driving home from a night class 1hr 45min with a Sox fan, she was not pleased last night.
Oh Griff, it was embarrassing to watch. The game was lost by the 2nd inning.
That's two bad outings in a row for Beckett.
And tonight I'll have to pray to the mighty Baseball Gods for some extra help.
Are you a nice Yankee fan or a mean Yankee fan??!
I'm the nice sort. The others make me uncomfortable.
Then . . .
it's a pleasure meeting you Griff!
Until tonight . . . :)
watching the red sox-phillies game...after 6 its 3-3. it's a real good one in boston, schilling was pulled in the bottom of the 6th with the bases loaded and no outs.....in any other division, the red sox would be heavy favorites, but i'm afraid that the yankees are too good for them, not to mention the blue jays which are one step behind waiting to pounce
It is June and the A's have risen from the ashes. Last week's sweep of the Yankees was priceless. Ra!
but i'm afraid that the yankees are too good for them,
ARod has been taking a lot of heat for his lack of clutch hitting but the bottom line is Yankee pitching isn't getting it done. The starters are putting too much pressure on what should be a decent pen. Papi won another one today even though he's in a bit of a rough patch. The Red Sox are very good.
well....randy's woken up ...and rivera's back/good and healthy, and what can anyone say about that lineup, a-rod is not even needed in this,from top to bottom its red hot....i don't think any pitcher in mlb fear any lineup more than the yankees, not even super texas's.
regarding oakland,yes, they made a run, but the lineup is still sub-par, no pitching staff can make up for a lineup like that...it's an angels-texas race...and hey, i knew seattle would wake up when sexson snapped out of it, look at them, i still think they can steal 3rd from oakland[no attack on you in any way intended] its just the way i see it
Yankees have a good lineup no doubt (they better for just a bit under $200 million) but the pitching is going to be their problem. Maybe they will be able to buy somebody from a non-contender but I wouldn't count on it since pitching is pretty thin.
The Oakland lineup isn't going to equal that of the Rangers, Red Sox or Yankees. They simply don't have the $ for it. What they do have is a decent lineup with lots of injuries. Yet they are still on fire. Fancy that. Rå!
By the by, during one of the SF / Oakland games the announcers mentioned the A's and their trip to Colorado. The pitchers said the balls seemed cold and Macha remarked they felt soft. Anybody else hear anything about Colorado after their team played there? It's very weird that the Rockies are scoring more runs on the road than at home. It's probably just
the power of Jesus or something ;)
Ok W.HI.P, I've run through the AL West in my head again and I just don't see how you're pegging Oakland for last place. Let's look at the teams:
Texas - Great bats, decent pitching. I don't see it lasting though. Padilla and Millwood are solid but rest of the starting pitching doesn't instill confidence. The relief has been shaky too. The heat and ballpark will take a toll on the whole team as the year goes on. In fact all those hitters aren't such an advantage when most teams can rack up runs so easily. Frankly I just don't see them keeping it together at their current level for a whole year yet alone improving.
Seattle - Good starting staff. If Felix picks up they will be a force. But the bullpen is dicey. Guardado is out of his prime and Putz may not be a long-term solution at closer. Hitting is good. The team has improved no doubt.
Anaheim - They got legitimate talent. If they can start playing like a real team and avoid injury they will be the A's main competition.
Oakland - Traditional slow starters and been plagued with injuries (more DL trips this year than all of last year). Currently burning up as is June tradition. Even with Harden out they got a good starting rotation. Now that Duchscherer is back the middle relief is looking good again. Street closing, can't argue that even if he does blow a few. Batting is the weak spot but if this is a beat up A's team imagine when the 6 players on DL come back.
jebediah..i have no idea about much in colorado, they're just a bad team.
[COLOR="Red"]al west[/COLOR]
.......................................................................................................
[COLOR="Red"]angels[/COLOR]
we agree here, they're obviously gonna be in contention at least, and the reality is that the angels are in a perfect position to totally run away with this...i say this because so far, the main reason was pitching problems, but honestly everyone has woken up, everyone's saying why did young jer.weaver get sent down to triple a when he seemed to be one of the greatest prospects in the game, but what they fail to recognize is that there is no one else thats worthy..colon's back, he's the best thing the angels got, but wait a second before you juge him, start watching in 2 weeks when he's back to 100 percent, then we can pick up on who this pitcher really is. lackey is as consistent as they get, he won't ever die out there. escobar just signed a nice juicy contract, santana is dynamite and everyone knows it, it'll take him a few years to reach his best game, but he's not going anywhere..now the only true argument one could pose on who should have gone down was the older j.weaver, but the fact is, he's a number 1 draft pick, he has seniority, ok so he's given up a few bad innings, but not lately, and until he does, or someone gets injured, super jered weaver willl be in triple a...so you see, the angels pitching staff is 'a' ok.
now lets get to the lineup...figgins=steals a base evertime he gets on 1st, now that would make them walk orlando cabrera, with vladimir guerero coming up, now even if figgins dosen't get on, orlando's batting around .320, and he also can steal a base, now vladimir is arguably the most valubale batter in the league, especially since pujols ability till the end of the season is questionable. those 3 are enough., but you see thats not all she wrote,i'm not saying yet, but watch who's coming to anaheim's lineup...it'll cost anaheim an sp, but they have one to spare obviously.
and to add to all that, shields is 1 of the 3 best in the majors for the setup role, and f.rodriguez is in the elite closers. if you ask me, their title contenders. more of a dark horse but the pennant looks silly when......
[COLOR="Sienna"]texas[/COLOR]
excuse me a second here....decent pitching, i don't think so, the pitching sucks, but wait a minute ....this team have been batting the way they've been batting and winning games for worthless pitchers while they're 2 best at bat have been in a slump since day 1 ....young just woke up last month, and hello........texeira has risen from the dead, if texas was above .500 with these 2 a burden, what kinda record will texas have now that they've waken up.....lemme tell you, as impressive as the angels are in current reality, texas is more than a threat, and certainly not a comparrison to...
............[COLOR="Green"]oakland[/COLOR]
now lets see, harden came back for one game and is straight back on the dl, even if he does return this season, do you really think he'll be 100 percent, it didn't look like it the first time, i cross him off the a's pitching staff and don't consider him at all.....now i'v watched haren pitch and i am not impressed, the only reason he has almost ok numbers is because he's pitched specific games against weaker opponents and pitchers.
ok so there is some other great prospects in the pitching staff, but hello, great pitching prospects mean that their gonna be great pitchers, not that they totally are yet. streets just fine, even though he had a terrible inning today, if he remains healthy, he'e more than worthy to be the closer till the end.
all is fine until here....what are we even talking about now, the lineup...it ain't ok, it ain't ok at all, and if you're talking about something not lasting, thats the little run we've seen over the past couple weeks by this team.
key-guy in the lineup is swisher, there's a lot of talk about what his numbers will actually look like at the end of the year, don't get me wrong, i think that in 2-3 years, he's gonna be amongst the leaders, but just like the pitching,
it's 2006, not 2008 or 2010...to think this full of prospect team will compete against this texan lineup which has just woken up, and these angels, who we all know what they're capapble of is just not real, its not gonna happen, to big of difference, a joke is what it is.
now ok, oaklnad can get third,sure ...........but
[COLOR="Green"]seattle[/COLOR]
i must have looked pretty silly talking about seattle doing something good when i did, they looked terrible at the time, but sure enough, sexson got a few grand slams and a bunch of homeruns., the rest of the lineup are having up and downs, but they've been winning some games.
now the pitching here is sub-par, but since oakland is so not gonna be a .500 team, seattle ain't gonna be too far behind, and why not, why not compete with oakand for third, a littel run of wins here and there, and there they've got it, now yes guardado is finished, forget aboout it, but putz has been looking more than just impressive, he's done way more than expected of him, and what really proved it to me, was today, the way he got out of that trouble showed that he's not just a perfect inning guy, but can also wake up and remain calm at the same time under-pressure...he is seattle's closer, and i don't think thats gonna change
you have no reason to say the a's run isn't going to last. It lasted quite a while last year, well into August they gave the Angels a run for it. and now the guys have another year under their belt.
Anaheim - I more or less agree. They got a fine staff and good closers. Middle relief is more a question. You mention Figgins stealing and Cabrera stealing but they have to get on base. Figgins has a .320 OBP so far which isn't all that fantastic. Cabrera has 10 steals. Even if they come around steals aren't going to flat out win them games. The whole lineup needs to step up and preform at the level they were last year and then they will be a force to reckon with.
Texas - Sorry, but decent I meant Padilla and Millwood. My error. In past years Texas has had similar pitching and the result has been finishing in 3rd. The hitters can be streaky and you're making the assumption they are going to stay woken up... that's not happened in recent years. If anything they decline either from heat or high-scoring games or both.
Seattle - Sexson can be streaky but he's doing well right now. They've been playing opponents well with one exception: the A's. Oakland has beaten them 8 of the 9 times they've played so far this year. And that was when Oakland was in their traditional bad start.
Oakland - I just don't see how you can say Oakland is going to finish below .500. The last time they ended a season below .500 was 1998. Yes, 1998. I agree with Rock Steady. The run will go for quite some time and all those rookies last year (Crosby, Swisher, Street, Blanton, Johnson) all have a year behind them which will be a benefit.
Of course we disagree but in my view you're working on a few assumptions:
1. Texas will remain strong (one year over .500 the past five years).
2. Seattle will be able to handle Oakland in future matchups.
3. Oakland will somehow fall apart and finish below .500.
4. Anaheim will get their act together.
I have the easiest time believing 4 while 3 is far-fetched. 1 and 2 are possible but not likely from where I'm sitting.
The Angels really should have gone for Sorianno. They need more punch.
The Yankees really look smart getting Abreau and Lidle. Their lineup is brutal now. The Red Sox may be in trouble without their captain.
The A's look really smart by keeping all their guys, especially Zito.
I'm a huge Red Sox fan (Boston born and bred),
I'm from Boston too, c&b, but I'm now a "Yankee" in Atlanta. I got to see the Bo-Sox during the interleague games against the Bravos. I have to admit that ever since the amazing events of 2004, the Sox have gotten way too popular. How many Sox games can ESPN broadcast? I mean, yeah, it's great for me, but it makes others hate us (blo sox?). We now have the second-highest salary in MLB. People be hatin' on the Sox and Pats because of their success. I kinda miss the curse.:neutral:
Yankees Suck!:mad:
Things happen kinda fast this time of year. Boston just picked up Javy Lopez from the O's. That's a great aquisition. Lopez was great here in the ATL. He's not the best defensive catcher, but when he's on his game he can hit wicked good. Miribelli got injured last night, so Javy is now our starting catcher. I hope for a spark. Clement is out for Wells tonight. I hate Wells. I will always see him as a f*&^%$# Yankee.
Oh, and Keith Foulke may join the team next week. Yeah, he's sucked of late, but maybe he will rise like the Phoenix.
Who the hell designed that Tampa stadium? That is the stupidest ball park in the land!!! A white roof? Pop ups hitting rafters? Jesus H. Christ in a chicken basket!
Mirabellis down too!? Javey hasn't been hitting, even a little bit. Let's go Yankees! One bummer Bubba got designated for assignment yesterday. *sigh*
Red Sox have lost 7 of 10 to the D-Rays. I don't get it.
KC is next for 3 games, then it's home to Fenway for a long stretch ending with 5 games with the Yankees. That could be a make or break series.
Red Sox have lost 7 of 10 to the D-Rays. I don't get it.
KC is next for 3 games, then it's home to Fenway for a long stretch ending with 5 games with the Yankees. That could be a make or break series.
well that didn't end to well, kansas city swept boston, i'd say pitching is a major problem now in boston. and forget about chasing the yankees they're too good.
KC sweep is not a good sign even if a person keeps in mind that KC has bats this year. Still, NYY isn't running away with it. Their pitching is pretty bad. I still think it's going to be close but NYY has the edge now.
and forget about chasing the yankees
No way. How can I forget about it? We've been chasing Yankees for decades! OK, I was waiting for Schilling and Boomer (tonight, eek) to break down, and they have. But stranger things have happened. Tell ya what; let's see how that upcoming 5-game series with the Yankkes plays out. If we don't win at least 3 of those games, I'll concede.:3_eyes:
The race is far from over particularly if A-Rod doesn't remember how to throw a baseball.
keep in mind that the young pitchers which have been in since the start of the season will not be able to last to the end.
expect detroit and oakland to show a serious pitching downfall because of this. that was one of my considerations when predicting.
you can't say the same about the angels, saunders just came in and jer.weaver since mid-season so they should be just fine.
now things are shaping up pretty nicely.
houston closing the gap on st.louis now, within striking distance and the astros are looking pretty good this past week.
detroit lasted longer than i thought, but they will collapse. chicago will just surpass them, minnesota is finished as liriano is out and jo.santana is below par. what i can't understand is clevland...like wtf is happenening, how could it be, they've got such an amazing team all around, how could they be soooooo out of it, it dosen't make sense.
dodgers looking better than arizona, i can't understand why some people thought san diego would do better than those two.
the angels woke up and there will be no catching up to them, forget about it.
there was a reason at the start of the year that the yankees were the favorite to win the world series, even with the injuries.
and lemme tell you, if abreu never came to ny, and all of a sudden jeter was out for the season, i'd still bet on the yankees winning the division against the red sox, so....forget about it.
.........and the most impressive thing i've seen in all of baseball....the mets
unbelievable i say...beltraine, wright, reyes, delgado = toooooo good
and pedro
my original baseball thread here at the cellar spoke of a ny vs ny world series.
i hope the angels will be there, but nyy-nym looks like the most possible scenario.
I don't see how you're thinking the young pitchers won't hang in. Some pitch more in the minors and of the A's none of them are rookies. In addition they've had some rookies making spot starts which help rest the regulars.
Detroit has shown this is more than just a good half. They will be in the post season. Chicago is fading a bit and MN isn't looking as hot but they still got bats to make it close with Chicago. Can't count any of those three teams out IMO. I agree with you on Cleveland. What players and what a terrible record.
San Diego has terrible starting pitching aside from Peavy. No further explanation needed.
The Angels and Yankees really don't impress me. When they got payrolls that big and aren't completely running away with things it makes me think they are vulnerable.
The race is far from over particularly if A-Rod doesn't remember how to throw a baseball.
And what does Ass-Rod do the very night Griff says that? He throws a double-play ball into right field! Damn, Griff, you know how to call them.
And the Yankees lost, and the Bo-Sox won, so now I feel better.:)
Any more predictions, Griff? :rolleyes:
I'm gonna save up my powers for the 5 game set at Fenway.:) ARods head is not in a good place for baseball right now.
ARods head is not in a good place for baseball right now.
Well...uhhhh...if not now, when?
That 5-gamer could be the key to the Bo-Sox being in first place.
Well...uhhhh...if not now, when?
After the trade.
Cashman said "no way" about an A-Rod trade, but why should we trust him? If NY tanks in Beantown, I bet they start thinking about it.:neutral:
Who picks up a 25M salary for a 3B/SS with now, bad D?
http://sportsline.com/mlb/salariesI think the consensus is that right now he can't throw under a microscope but would loosen up in a more mellow atmosphere or hopefully after a few big moments in NY. I believe Texas is paying a chunk of that absurd salary. Last night, Figgins shoetopped what would've been a big hit for him. He can't buy a break.
Don't discout the Giants ability to make a bad pick up. If Bonds goes bye-bye (for whatever reason) there you go.
Boston finally made some ground on the Yanks. We're only one game back. But now we play Detroit. Boston won't be able to hit their way into the playoffs unless our pitching gets better. It was 11-9 yesterday.
Gotta admire Mike Lowell; he gets absolutely clocked in the head with a pitch but goes on to hit and field as if nothing happened. And talk about playing third. He doesn't "look" like a gold glove kinda guy but he's proven that he is with amazing plays all year.
i guess the yankees-redsox race is over now after the 4th in a row thats about to finish. it's too bad for boston actually as their line-up is more than impressive.
dodgers and arizona still going at it, it should be decided near the end despite the dodgers looking much better at the moment.
oakland can feel the angels breathing down their necks and its innevitable that the angels will surpass, seattle proved less than, texas may just catch the falling a's for 2nd place.
detroits hanging on but i guess it dosen't matter that much to the white sox as they can and will get in on the wold card and vice versa.
the mets suddenly look hopeless without glavine for the rest of the season, pedro's questionable..... their setup man is out for the season, their closer has not been himself this year, who's left....o. hernandez,trachsel, oh my are the mets in trouble or what...they only thing they have left is their lineup which just so happens to be a little more than impressive, but is that enough, i don't think so, not without pedro at least...poor glavine
i dunno whats up...st.louis is terrible unless carpenter's pitching. cincinatti is still living off their early form but they are less than a team at the moment.
houston's pitching looking really good right now and the line-up is looking like their picking it up, but is too late?
well thats about it.
oakland can feel the angels breathing down their necks and its innevitable that the angels will surpass, seattle proved less than, texas may just catch the falling a's for 2nd place.
Oakland is hardly failing. 8-2 in the last 10 games. First place is far from a lock but I see no evidence to support Oakland ending up in 3rd place.
detroits hanging on but i guess it dosen't matter that much to the white sox as they can and will get in on the wold card and vice versa.
The Detroit lead isn't so big now. Either the Twins or ChiSox could take it by the end.
the mets suddenly look hopeless without glavine for the rest of the season, pedro's questionable..... their setup man is out for the season, their closer has not been himself this year, who's left....o. hernandez,trachsel, oh my are the mets in trouble or what...they only thing they have left is their lineup which just so happens to be a little more than impressive, but is that enough, i don't think so, not without pedro at least...poor glavine
Mets still have a 14 game jump. The rest of the division isn't exactly intimidating. I say they hang on, although there is a lot of ball left to play.
Mets still have a 14 game jump. The rest of the division isn't exactly intimidating. I say they hang on, although there is a lot of ball left to play.
dude, i;m not talking about the pennant race, thats over and done with, im talking about after that. thats what matters.
without a starting pitcher set up man and a questionable closer, what do you have left, sorry but the mets will not win the world series, thats where i was getting at, lol not the pennant.
NYY:) :) :) :) :)
BOS:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
I hate it when the Bo-Sox have to chase the Wildcard; that's so lame.
dude, i;m not talking about the pennant race, thats over and done with, im talking about after that. thats what matters.
without a starting pitcher set up man and a questionable closer, what do you have left, sorry but the mets will not win the world series, thats where i was getting at, lol not the pennant.
Oh, I got you now. I think them taking the series was a very longshot in the first place. Taking the division is still a good step considering how many years Atlanta has taken it while the Mets have been mediocre at best.
well, they we're 2nd favorites after the yankees, and obviously favorites from the national side. but not anymore...all of a sudden the dodgers look like a good bet with the amazing odds they have, who else...the cardinals suck .....seeing clemens against r.johnson in the final game of the world series would have been interesting though, but unlikely now.
well i don't really care that much who makes it there from the national side, i just hope the angels can take out the yankees when the time comes, cause thats what it will come down to...of course i fear the white sox a bit, but thats all.
Aside from the Mets no team in the NL looks very dominant. And now the Mets may slide a bit. When comparing the leagues the AL simply crushes for the most part. There were only two NL teams (Giants and Rockies) who DIDN'T have a losing interleague record. The Dodgers have made great strides but are they a great team? Hard to say at this point.
I'm thinking Yankees, Detroit and Oakland with Chicago as the wild card. Doesn't exactly give me high hopes for the A's going very far (of course they need to take the division first). The common thread with Detroit, NYY and Oakland is that they all have the least runs scored upon them in their division; in simpler terms good pitching and defense.
are you still on about the a's ....its not gonna happen..i can't understand why you keep going on about oakland, when its clear that they are less than.
anyhow....no, the dodgers are not a great team at all, but given the fact that there is no great team left in the national league, i say they have a shot...b.penny is more than worthwhile to represent them in a key match.
on the other side, i can't see detroit being a factor in any way.
the yankees and angels are the best teams in baseball at the moment.
although i wouldn't rule out the white sox yet, as the do have the units to suprise and go all the way
Of course I am. They've shown the most mettle of any team in that division and I see nothing changing that. Could the A's finish second? Sure. I just don't foresee it. All season the A's have been plagued with injury yet have still managed a better record than Anaheim. Not to mention the Angels got a tough schedule before the division games. BOS, NYY, SEA, DET, BAL, TOR, CWS. Youch. Granted the A's have a tough schedule too but have teams like the D-Rays and Indians in the mix.
Penny is a great marquee pitcher. So is Santana of the Twins. It takes more than one guy to win however. Then again that may be all it takes in the NL this year.
Detroit not a factor? While they've cooled they still own the best record in baseball. Pretty impressive batting lineup and some quality starters in Bonderman, Rogers, Verlander.
Yankees I can believe; you have to convince me on the Angels. What evidence do you have in support of them?
are you still on about the a's ....its not gonna happen..i can't understand why you keep going on about oakland, when its clear that they are less than.
anyhow....no, the dodgers are not a great team at all, but given the fact that there is no great team left in the national league, i say they have a shot...b.penny is more than worthwhile to represent them in a key match.
on the other side, i can't see detroit being a factor in any way.
the yankees and angels are the best teams in baseball at the moment.
although i wouldn't rule out the white sox yet, as the do have the units to suprise and go all the way
Hey, wake up, it's not April anymore. A's 8.5 games over LA of Anaheim. Sweep BoSox. Best record in MLB since the All Star Game. 6-3 vs Yanks.
What more do you want to see?
Go A's. Ha. Ha. Ha.
Soon it will be the "San Jose A's of Fremont".
1st Inning: 9 Runs, 5 Singles, 2 Homers, a double, and a triple.
1st E Chavez reached on infield single to shortstop, J Kendall scored, M Ellis to third, J Payton to second. 1 1
1st D Johnson homered to right center, M Ellis, J Payton and E Chavez scored. 1 5
1st M Scutaro tripled to deep left center, N Swisher scored. 1 6
1st J Kendall singled to right center, M Scutaro scored. 1 7
1st M Ellis homered to left, J Kendall scored. 1 9
Loaiza allowed one run and eight hits to improve to 5-0 with a 1.19 ERA in his last six starts.
A's: gotta believe!
The A's record of success speaks for itself. Loaiza is doing what he shoulda been doing the whole year. The hitters are getting healthy... and we're heading for the postseason :)
lol, are you still going on about the a's.
you don't know when to stop.
you look pretty desperate, as does your team.
still a month to go, and the a's reamin the a's.
just watch anaheim play, they've already won the pennant.
you just haven't realized it yet.
look at it like this.....
you're about to run in a race with a little kid.
you obviously can't lose the race, so you let him get the head start.
just to make it a little interesting.
and just when the little kid feels like he might actually win it,
you start running.
you see, this race was finished before it started.
you're that little kid ahead just before the man behind you starts running.
you actually have hope, but soon reality will set in.
The ghost of Babe Ruth? ;)
LOL! I'm sure this is all part of of Scocia's master plan. Your optimism is admirable but lacks solid backing. Please provide me with evidence that the Angels are going to win the division. Just "watch them play" is poor evidence.
@ Bruce: what creature will Ruth inhabit next year to ruin the Red Sox season? 3-1 it's an insect. Or maybe they'll get better pitching.
time is my evidence, it always has been.
Next year ruth will be a Gatorade jug. :D
Heh, I thought he'd inhabit the stadium itself!
Naw, he'll make road trips, too. :cool:
time is my evidence, it always has been.
As in "wait 'til next year". Where are those rally monkeys now?
Oakland magic number is 7 with 26 chances left. Seven games between the teams, but should be decided when Anaheim visits Oakland next weekend.
714: Go Ducks and take the Angels with you, No Doubt.
Time is a cruel decider it seems. Or good if you're an Oakland fan :)
the a's still suck, and wouldn't stand a chance even if they we're in the national league...my original prediction stands ...ny vs ny
my original predictions in the cellar which were
Major league baseball predictions
NY Yankees Slugger 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez is the key to the Yankees scoring this year. They may not have started the season so well, but i predict that they're the heavy favorites for winning the world series this season.
Mariano Rivera without a doubt is the greatest replacement pitchers in the game, here he's shaking hands with Catcher Posada which has had a few home-runs already this season.
The New York Mets would have to be my 2nd pick for this year.
Another NY-NY world series? The Mets are a great all round team.
Pitching more than anything, That's Delgado up there in the pic.
The A's still suck? As I thought, just pointed favoritism masquerading as insight. I'll be the first to admit the A's will probably get nowhere in postseason but they far from suck.
As for Rodriguez he does lead NYY in RBI... but is it him or his place in the lineup? Probably some of each.
PS... I don't see any pics.
my opinion about a-rod has changed obviously, this was a post from the begining of the season.
...and i know, i had posted all these great baseball pics in that thread and some excellent hockey pics in the hockey thread, but one day undertoad switched something that made the pics not show.
anyhow, i would have made a lot more posts with pics as i have quite a collection.
okay, and since you agree that the a's are going nowhere, then we are in accord.
Love the way WHIP drops the Angels so quickly. Lame. Lame Ass. Here's a phrase we made up in Portland:
Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.Beat LA.
Who in their right mind wants the big market teams to win????? I'm from NY, and I am tired of the bullshit. 15 years living in Pittsburgh beat my Yankees spirit. I saw leave Bonds, Bonnilla, and Drebek after almost going to the World Series. then 17 years in a row with a losing record.
Why don't they just divide into Big Markets League and Small Market Leagues and have a World Series between rich and poor? What drama?
BIG-MARKET LEAGUE
NY Yankees
Boston
Atlanta
Baltimore
Detroit
Chicago Sox
Philadelphia
Houston
LA Angels
NY Mets
Texas
Chicago Cubs
LA Dodgers
San Francisco
SMALL-MARKET LEAGUE
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Minnesota
Washington
Cleveland
Kansas City
Pittsburgh
Cincinnati
Florida
St. Louis
Milwaukee
San Diego
Arizona
Colorado
Oakland
Seattle
This would be interesting.
Ja, I'm just saying that anybody batting in that place it the Yankees lineup would put up good stats. Even A-Rod in a bad year.
If the A's are going nowhere where are the Angels going? I agree with Rock Steady. The lack of a salary cap has created a lot of imbalance. That teams like Oakland or Minnesota can even compete is just a testament to their organazations; they are still playing against a house with a stacked deck. The Yankees were faced with injury. They just went out and bought replacements. The A's didn't have that luxory.
This e-mail lays out the A's success with Beane pretty well.
Mets have taken the NL East ... they will be in good shape if they don't get complacent.
I've not been around alot lately, but just need to chime in here about my TWINS! they are not settling for the wild card, they want the division.
Its a great team, (Nick Punto, Torii Hunter, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and all the lunch bucket, role guys that are solid, consistent and step up when its needed most)
We've got the big series here with CWS coming up to close the regular season. Yee Haa!
Here in KC, we're waiting for the Royals to make their move for the Western Division pennant. They've lulled the rest of the league into complacency, and now they're poised to strike. :rolleyes:
Here in KC, we're waiting for the Royals to make their move for the Western Division pennant. They've lulled the rest of the league into complacency, and now they're poised to strike. :rolleyes:
thats cute and funny
Love the way WHIP drops the Angels so quickly.
what are you on about...i've never dropped the angels, i'm a fan, just a realistic fan, and i've never said that the angels would make the world series.
i had ny-ny in the world series from the get go.
all i've said is that the a's suck, and that is a fact.
florida on the other hand, is looking pretty good.
and you guys are talking about rich clubs and poor clubs, well, that would put florida in a division of their own now wouldn't it.....now compare the contracts of the a's to the contracts of the marlins marlins.....now the a's look really bad don't they
Still waiting for proof the A's suck :rolleyes:
I'd like to see KC really compete but so far there are only two teams who've shown they've can without a huge payroll: Oakland and Minnesota. Minnesota has been particularly impressive. Their offense is really clicking and as long as they keep getting good pitching I don't see how they won't take the division, especially with Detroit and Chicago faltering.
W.HI.P your claim about the Marlins is beyond absurd. Payroll isn't a direct correlation to wins. If that metric were true the Yankees suck because they haven't won 973 (or at least 152) games by this point. Have the Marlins done good given their resources? Hell yes. Do they have a shot at the playoffs? Of course not, they are 17.5 games back of a team that spent 8X what they did. Nobody can tell me they wouldn't have done better if they had a Carlos Delgado or Billy Wagner on their team.
Still waiting for proof the A's suck :rolleyes:
proof, all you need to do is watch them,lol.
W.HI.P your claim about the Marlins is beyond absurd. Do they have a shot at the playoffs? Of course not, they are 17.5 games back of a team that spent 8X what they did. Nobody can tell me they wouldn't have done better if they had a Carlos Delgado or Billy Wagner on their team.
umm, hello, excuse me...florida is only 4 games back, and are on fire, imo they have a great shot at making the playoffs, what planet are you on, they're .666 in their past 30 games, their remaining games are with their rivals phillies and reds...its pretty close
Still waiting for proof the A's suck :rolleyes:
Ok, 4 games of the wild card. Honestly I wasn't watching the NL wild card at all since the teams are hardly a threat. The fact remains the Marlins are 17.5 games back of the Mets in the division.
Magic # is now 4. Guess they really suck...
you're being silly mr.not to be trusted.
you're wearing a visor.
Magic # is now 4. Guess they really suck...
The main reason the A's suck:
The A's have gone a major league-best 44-20 since the All-Star break.
Still waiting for proof the A's suck :rolleyes:
Based on the posts I'm beginning to think W.HI.P doesn't have any, persish the thought.
AL Central is quite exciting... that's going to be a good division for the next few years I think.
Twins clinch wild card. Boof!
You gotta love the strong farm system.
Kansas City is glad to have helped out.
All things considered KC improved this year. They got enough bats to give the team a chance in games. Alas, the pitching was poor as ever.
There's a
free download of the Twins (and Tigers and Mets) clinching at MLB.com. Gotta have an account (which is free as in fork over your marketing info) but it looks to be the full games.
A's Rich Harden is throwing 97 MPH fastballs and striking guys out. W-L: 4-0, tonight 5 inn 0 runs 1 W. Follow that with Zito's MLB-best curveball Be afraid, be very afraid of the A's!!!!!
Oh, yeah, won the division title, tonight.
lol at you guys still going on about the a's.
the onl wa the a's will make it to the al final is if they face poor detroit, and even that would be close..
face it, the yankes will represent the american league.
you keep it up and i'll be rubbing i in our face b4 long.
..and what do we see
1]ny yankees
2]toronto blue jays
3] boston red sox
i recall calling that order
¿?¿
State major falsehoods about any team and you'll be called on it W.HI.P. Why aren't you rubbing the Angels success in our faces? Now it's going to be the Yankees? Seems to me you're moving the goal posts.
Right now the one team in the league I wouldn't want to face is the Twins. Tigers aren't completely solid, NYY can be beaten, and the A's offense can sleep at times. The Twins have been on task however. As long as their rookie pitching holds up they are the team to beat. It'll be very interesting to see who ends up with the best record in the AL. Yankees and Tigers are tied; at this point even the A's could end up with it as unlikely as that is.
P.S. what's your point W.HI.P? I seem to recall A's, Angels, Rangers, Mariner's for my central picks.
Is St. Louis gonna blow it?
¿?¿
State major falsehoods about any team and you'll be called on it W.HI.P. Why aren't you rubbing the Angels success in our faces? Now it's going to be the Yankees? Seems to me you're moving the goal posts..
My call from the very start of the season was a NYM-NYY world series, never have i said otherwise, you can say it otherwise as many times as you want, but the truth is in the sports section in numerous threads i've created here at the cellar.
Regarding he twins, they will go as far as meeting the yankees, no further.
don't get me wrong. I'm no Yankees fan, but we shouldn't get too caught up in who we cheer for with who will actually be in the world series.
In this case I'm refering to the very poor A's team you cheer for.
If you were a tigers fan, i'd tell you the same thing.
The National league is very interesting, although I've called the Mets from the start, I've had doubts throughout the year with all the SP injuries and Wagner being less than he should be, and lets not forget Sanchez being out.
I give an outside chance to the Dodgers, and although not a fan, I will be rooting for them.
Also,if he Astros manage to edge out St.Louis in that pennant race, well...seeing Clemens and Lance Berkman in the world series will be overwhelming. In that case, I'l be a hardcore Astros fan.
Is St. Louis gonna blow it?
I really hope so.
St. Louis looks very shaky but so do the rest of the teams running with them. Pujols saved them again tonight.
I never had a qualm with your picking NYM and NYY. In fact you get kudos for it because you are indeed correct. What I draw issue with is your "A's suck" schtick.
As far as Playoffs go I subscribe to the Beane school of thought. It's a crapshoot. In such a short series there is a lot that can happen to cause teams to win or lose. So I don't put too much stock in any team. They all have weaknesses and can be beaten. So don't get too caught up in dismissing teams.
The Mets are the only respectable team in the NL. Doesn't mean they'll win it all however.
The piranhas are smellin it. Tied for first in their division, for the first time all year.
Twins have the playoff roll and are hungry to take on anyone. With Radke's gutsy 5 innings and the best bullpen in the league, bring on the Yanks. Its go time, Griff!
The games in the dome have been electric. We've got CWS over the weekend to end the season with a bang.
You didn't just call me out! :)
Warch, I'm interested in who you'd rather see the Twins face. The Yankees, who now may be without Randy Johnson, or the A's who have have better pitching? Or does pitching not even come into it?
What are the chances that the A's will play Game 7 in the World Series?
This is a practical question for me, since I have tickets to the Steelers at Oakland game, and if the A's get to WS-7 they bounce the Steelers to Monday Night. My brother, wife, and a friend are all flying into town for that weekend and my bro is flying to Asia on biz Monday noon.
So, go A's but win it in 5!
And, Go Stillers!!!!
I'll consult the Beane outlook on the playoffs once again and say: who the fuck knows :P
Whatever happens we'll have to play the Yankees or Twins and both those teams have a chance at winning most games. If the A's manage to make it to the big dance then I'd get concerned. I'd think if nothing else somebody on Craig's list would make use of the Steelers tix.
So we'll have....
NY Yankees vs Minnesota Twins
and
NY Mets vs LA Dodgers
pedro's out ...could the Dodgers actualy make it to the world series against the Yankees?
I'm looking forward to a NY/LA series. I'm still a little suprised that it won't be the other LA/NY series.
Playoffs are still a crapshoot though the Twins and Yankees certainly are favored. Even without Pedro the Mets are a level above the Dodgers. Can't count any team out however.
I was at the Colisieum today. It was great to see Oakland score finally, but painful to watch them lose an 18 point lead.
The last time I went to a playoff game was in Grifftopia when Barry Bonds was still a Pirate. Bob Walk pitched his heart out in his last game and the Pirates won. Pittsburgh hasn't had a winning season in 17 years.
Let's go Oak-land.
Wow, beating Santana in the dome.... Suddenly the A's chances look much better but the Twins still have a great team and cannot be underestimated.
I'm back! Just returned from a trip to the north shore of Superior to find the postseason on and A's in town. The twins needed to get it out of their systems. They will settle down. Game on today. these boys bounce!
Lake Superior, I'm envious of that trip. Been years since I've been there.
Twins down 4-2 in the top of the 9th. Swisher on 3rd and they finally bring Nathan in. I'm really surprised the Twins offense has been this quit.
Wahhh! Torii!
Ok. dont count them out. They love the big comeback.
Wahhh! Torii!
Ok. dont count them out. They love the big comeback.
Can't count them out at all. I believe the best teams in baseball made it into the playoffs this year. So, the A's can't lose focus on Friday in Oakland.
It's raining here in the south bay for the first time in 4 months. I had to move our bicycles when I got home from work.
If it wasn't a playoff game I bet Loiaza would have been left in and then the Twins bats would have really lit the place up. Thankfully our bullpen has been very good.
DET / NYY rained out. Was looking forward to a game tonight.
The Flyers open their regular season tomorrow night!
I am shocked at the Penguins winning 4-0. Coming in last place for 7 years can pay off after a while. And finally they are free of the Lemiuex ball-and-chain; Blackberry RIM CEO is the white knight saving the franchise.