2006 World Series: Detroit vs. St. Louis

[Frayed Knot]

Meanwhile, Kenny Rogers is in the midst of dealing a 3rd straight playoff gem - he's 1-hitting the Cards thru 7 - which is 3 more than some thought he had in him.

[stevejrogers]

Frayed Knot wrote: ]Can we put the AL is better than the NL myth to bed now? No, because the AL beat the NL during interleague this year at rates roughly equivelent to Johnson beating Goldwater. The outcome of this series - and especially one game from the series - shouldn't be used to either erase what's gone on all season. That said, there are various over-generalizations that are going on with various fan and media types on this subject. One is this assumption that this lop-sidedness has been true for years. It hasn't; prior to this season, it was the NL which held a slight edge over the first 9 years of IL play. Another is treating the WS (or, even worse, All-Star games) as a true measure of league strength. Not only does this takes the idea a 'small sample' to an extreme but it's also just one team vs another. In-season IL play is so much better because it's ~240 games/year and pits the good, bad & ugly from each league against each other.

Good point. Can't base a league by say a 100 win team getting clobbered by a "lesser" team in 4 or 5 (see such years as 1988, 2004, ect)

[Frayed Knot]

Rogers leaves after 8 with a 3-0 lead.
Todd Jones gets the first two outs quickly ... then coughs up 4 straight baserunners ... before getting Y.F. Molina to ground out with the bases loaded

3-1 is your final, 1-1 is the series.

[stevejrogers]

Jones nearly pulls a Benitez/Lidge/Wagner but pulls through and the Tigers win, and now its a best of 5

[Zvon]

What alien race kidnapped Kenny Rogers and replaced him with this animated clone/guy who no one can figure out?

[Willets Point]

[nymr83]

i am sickened by kenny rogers pitching well.

[Willets Point]

Frayed Knot wrote: ]Can we put the AL is better than the NL myth to bed now? No, because the AL beat the NL during interleague this year at rates roughly equivelent to Johnson beating Goldwater. The outcome of this series - and especially one game from the series - shouldn't be used to either erase what's gone on all season. That said, there are various over-generalizations that are going on with various fan and media types on this subject. One is this assumption that this lop-sidedness has been true for years. It hasn't; prior to this season, it was the NL which held a slight edge over the first 9 years of IL play. Another is treating the WS (or, even worse, All-Star games) as a true measure of league strength. Not only does this takes the idea a 'small sample' to an extreme but it's also just one team vs another. In-season IL play is so much better because it's ~240 games/year and pits the good, bad & ugly from each league against each other.

Your facts are all dead on, but my point was more to the "AL team will win in a cakewalk" type of comments that deny the fact that there are two very good teams competing in a short series and all those interleague results, previous World Series, and All-Star Games are irrelevant. Actually, I think what you've said backs that up as oppossed to contradicting me.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Had a great time at Game One.

Don't get me wrong, there wasn't a moment that passed when I didn't think how much different would be if our boys were there.

But there is nothing like attending a World Series game.

It was nice to see a bunch of people wearing Mets jerseys. I saw at least two groups of Mets fans -- and I proudly wore my Faith and Fear in Flushing T-shirt!

I threw a bunch of photos on the blog, if you'd like to see them.

[Guest silverdsl]

soupcan wrote: I tuned in for a second and heard them talking about possibly illegal substances on Kenny Rogers hand that had since been removed. Hmmm, maybe the Gambler's post season renaissance ain't so mysterious after all. Paging Mr. Scott, Mr. Mike Scott.

I don't understand why the umpires handled this in the way that they did. Apparently they decided without actually examining Rogers' hand that it was dirt and asked him to wash it off, though Rogers claims the umpires never asked him to wash it off and he did so on his own. If the umpires version is correct, why didn't they do their due dillegence and examine his hand to be sure it was dirt? Were they afraid of what they might find and that they would be forced to toss him from the game, thus creating a big controversy in the World Series? Also, why didn't Tony LaRussa make an issue of this? Because of his friendship with Leyland?

Additionally, it appears that Rogers gets the same "dirt" on his hand in the same place in multiple games. ESPN has pics here: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2006/news/story?id=2635538 from Game 3 of the ALCS and last night. I guess it's possible but it seems a little sketchy to me that Rogers has "dirt" there all the time.

[metsmarathon]

despite all the evidence to the contrary, the one thing that tells me that this is no big deal is the fact that tony larussa isn't today kicking and screaming and jumping up and down about the foreign substance.

either that or kenny rogers has some dirt on tony larussa as well as his own hand, and is therefore able to keep him quiet.

if the opposing manager has no problem with the smudge, how can i?

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

silverdsl wrote: ="soupcan"]I tuned in for a second and heard them talking about possibly illegal substances on Kenny Rogers hand that had since been removed. Hmmm, maybe the Gambler's post season renaissance ain't so mysterious after all. Paging Mr. Scott, Mr. Mike Scott. I don't understand why the umpires handled this in the way that they did. Apparently they decided without actually examining Rogers' hand that it was dirt and asked him to wash it off, though Rogers claims the umpires never asked him to wash it off and he did so on his own. If the umpires version is correct, why didn't they do their due dillegence and examine his hand to be sure it was dirt? Were they afraid of what they might find and that they would be forced to toss him from the game, thus creating a big controversy in the World Series? Also, why didn't Tony LaRussa make an issue of this? Because of his friendship with Leyland? Additionally, it appears that Rogers gets the same "dirt" on his hand in the same place in multiple games. ESPN has pics here: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2006/news/story?id=2635538 from Game 3 of the ALCS and last night. I guess it's possible but it seems a little sketchy to me that Rogers has "dirt" there all the time.

He is SO busted!

Guess he'll be back to walking in the winning run after this!

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

He's not busted.

If he were busted, he'd have been busted.

Seeing the Cardinals win Game 1 made me madder than I thought I'd have been, and cognizant of what a rare and wasted opportunity we had here.

I'm more down today about the Mets than I was last week. A long way down.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Four days later I still find myself thinking how incredibly great a three-run homer from Cliff Floyd would have been.

It reminded me in a way of that Peanuts strip from 1962 where Charlie Brown is sitting on a curb with Linus and he can't get over Willie McCovey lining out to end the World Series.

[MFS62]

The "stuff on the hand" incident last night reminds me of a conversation between The Scooter and Bill White when Gaylord Perry made his first start against the Yankees. It went something like this:

Scooter: "Hey White, (Phil never called him by his first name) You know the National League. What does this Perry throw?"

White: "He throws a fastball, slider and curve. But when he's in a jam, he comes up with something else."

Scooter; "Really?"

White: "Yeah. He comes up with it off his glove, his cap or his uniform."

Later

[Zvon]

This "clump of dirt " crap looks like its gonna be a bigger story than expected.
Now LaRussa has had to defend his lack of investigatory tactics.
Possible desention in the Cards locker room over this?
Who really knows, but the press would like to write it up that way.

This is the same manager who halted the NLCS for much lesser reasons.

And Rogers, the way he's been pitching,......I wouldnt be surprised at all if he sprayed his hands with Fixatif (a spray artists use to spray and fix pencil drawings so they are preserved) before his every outing.

Hey.... at least its getting interesting.............

[Zvon]

Is that Fox field announcer a gnome or something?
Is there anyone he doesnt look up to?

Give the guy a shoebox or something.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Jay Howell pulled a similar stunt and was ejected in '88. If it were the Mets out there, I really would've wanted Willie to check it out, especially if it could mean a Rogers ejection and immediate suspension if he was cheating, which, c'mon, he was cheating.

That gleaming white superimposed Bank of America ad in the second inning was so horrible I actually wrote to FOX Sports and told them so.

[metirish]

I have the game on but I couldn't be any less excited about it...

[Elster88]

Seeing Carlos receive the award in a suit with a cast is fucking depressing.

[metirish]

I'm getting a tad more excited now that Joel Zumyia(spell check) is pitching..

[Elster88]

Looks like the Tigers can't solve Yadier either.

You can only hope to contain him.

And here I thought Albert Pujols was the dangerous one in that lineup.

[metirish]

WOW,, Taco Bell will give everyone in America a free Taco if any home rin is hit tongiht....please hit one.......please...

[Elster88]

Zumaya's hitting 100 on the black again. Where can I get one of those guns so I can impress chicks?

Shit never mind...chicks dig the long ball. Guess I'll have to impress them the way I usually do...with my Mets underwear.

[metirish]

Bad error by him right there.....

[Elster88]

Oh my god that was hilarious. Zumaya picks up a grounder and throws to third. The radar gun then flashed the speed of his throw to third at 100 mph.

I think that puts to rest any argument that the radar guns are not shady.

[metirish]

McCarver says Inge was tardy covering 3rd....yeah well 100mph will do that Tim..

[Elster88]

That Howard commerical looks alarmingly like a Nazi rally. (Yes I realize Howard is Jewish.)

It also sounds alarmingly like the beginning of the Kirk/McCoy trial from Star Trek VI.

[Elster88]

There's not much that I don't like about Taguchi. He is so Taguchi. That joke will never get old.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

metirish wrote: Bad error by him right there.....

Yeah but I'd wish Tim would shut up and admire that Z had the presence of mind to strap 'em on and go for a triple play there.

Ever since I was at a game in Philly where Piazza hit into a triple play and I barely realized it, I remind myself to be aware whenever there's at least 2 on and 0 out. As soon as Pujols hit reached Zumaya I was thinking "TRIPLE PLAY!" with the only tough out being Wilson at 2nd. Pujols barely runs and you know he's not paying attention.