Fat Lady warming up her vocal cords

[Guest AG/DC]

Magic number is, for a first place team, the combined number of wins you need, combined with losses for the second place team, in order to clinch a championship.

Any day the Mets win and Phils lose reduces the number by two. If one of these things happens, the number goes down by one.

[stevejrogers]

MFY win, staving off the tragic number in the division from dropping, Sox beat the Orioles though, pushing the WC number forward.

[Frayed Knot]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I've decided to give this developing story the no-hitter treatment until it comes to fruition, keeping my pleasure deeply contained and enveloped in paranoia.

I thought about doing this too ... but ultimately I opted for reveling in the countdown like I'm a a pig rolling around in shit.

So to update Einstein's theory: E=18
(E = Elimination Day)

[stevejrogers]

Elimination is 15 for the division (Rays), 18 for the wild card (Red Sox).

[Frayed Knot]

I don't care about the division, I already saw them not win that last year.
I want them out of the playoffs yesterday if not sooner.

Would have helped today if Eric Hinske hadn't run the base like a total dork for Tampa. With none out and one on he doubles but decides to head for 3rd even though the coach has the runner. Hinske with his head down gets all the way there forcing the runner to leave and get himself tagged out heading home (by about 30 feet).
So thinking that wasn't bad enough, he then stays at 3rd on an infield-back groundout (they never even looked at him) and now there are 2 outs/no runs. Took Mussina right off the hook early on. Rays out-hit the Yanx and still got blown out.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I don't care about the division either. The Yankees being forced to settle for the Wild Card last year brought me no satisfaction.

They win again today against the Rays, but Boston's win this afternoon reduces the tragic number to 17.

[Frayed Knot]

Tonight's Yanx/Rays game had the first ever instant replay challenge.
An ARod HR went down the line and over the foul pole hitting off the back of the stadium behind that. It was called a HR - the Rays went nuts - the umps disappeared for approx 2-1/2 minutes - and confirmed their original call.

[Guest AG/DC]

Did the game of baseball survive?

[Frayed Knot]

Yes, but Yanqui fans are complaining that, because it was ARod, the HR would have been waved off had the game been close at the time.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Frayed Knot wrote: Yes, but Yanqui fans are complaining that, because it was ARod, the HR would have been waved off had the game been close at the time.

If it were Jeter, it could have bounced on the warning track before going over the fence and they would have called it a homer.

[nymr83]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: ="Frayed Knot"]Yes, but Yanqui fans are complaining that, because it was ARod, the HR would have been waved off had the game been close at the time. If it were Jeter, it could have bounced on the warning track before going over the fence and they would have called it a homer.

its mlb rule 96.2:
"If Derek Jeter shall hit a ball within 20 feet of the foul pole it shall be considered a homerun if the game is either (a) in the 6th inning or later, ( within 3 runs, or © a playoff game. if Derek Jeter shall hit a ball beyond the original position in which an outfielder was standing when the pitch was thrown it shall be a homerun if (a) a fan reaches out and grabs it ( it can reasonably be ruled a homerun without completely undermining the integrity of the game © a fan jumps on the field and returns to his seat, with the ball, before security can tackle him, or (d) the yankees need to win the game."

[Guest AG/DC]

"Completely" is a judgment call that shall be left up to the discretion of the mayor.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Rays score 5 in the second, lead the Yankees 5-0, Yankees batting in the top of the third.

[Frayed Knot]

Desperate times; Girardi pulled his starter (Rasner) with just one out in the 2nd (3 runs in and 2 on). Some pitcher wearing #91 is now in.

You're playing in the state of Florida and there are quick hooks and high numbers on guys you've never heard of ... It's Spring Training!!

[seawolf17]

That would be Alfredo Aceves!

If you told a Yankee fan in April that crucial September innings would be the property of Alfredo Aceves, he'd kick you in the nuts and tell you that you're just jealous because of TWENTY-SIX CHAMPIONSHIPS, BABY.

[Benjamin Grimm]

No, he'd probably tell you that that means that Alfredo Aceves must be the next Yankee Great.

[Guest AG/DC]

That's why he kicked me in the nuts.

I've been wondering for five months.

[HahnSolo]

7-5 now thanks to 9th inning HRs by Jeter and ARod. Madden finally takes out Jason Hammel. Two outs when all this has happened.

[Benjamin Grimm]

And the Rays finally end that inning and win the damn thing by a score of 7 to 5.

Wild Card tragic number is 16.

[Guest AG/DC]

Average wins by position in AL East:  98.2 94.6 87.3 83.4 73.6
AL East           W    L    Pct3  Avg W  Avg L  Champions  Wild Card   Playoffs      1D Change 7D Change
Rays              84   53   .590   97.3   64.7   66.69940   32.62436   99.32375       -0.26945   1.32926
Red Sox           82   57   .625   95.5   66.5   33.25640   64.80555   98.06195         .37459   4.47729
Yankees           75   64   .556   86.8   75.2     .04158    1.26167    1.30325         .24833  -0.11596
Blue Jays         72   66   .552   83.9   78.1     .00262     .23680     .23942       -0.00817  -0.16064
Orioles           63   76   .481   73.6   88.4     .00000     .00000     .00000         .00000  -0.00021

[Frayed Knot]

Those were the stats [u:cd886e9148]Pre[/u:cd886e9148] last night's loss.
NYY post-season odds now down at 0.75%

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

No-hit for 7 2/3rd by Seattle's Brandon Morrow before Betimit breaks it up with a double.

M's settle for a 2-hit, 3-1 win. Tampa loses again but to Toronto which is now a half-game from putting the MFYs in 4th place. Boston wins. Minnesota Wins. White Sox win.

[Frayed Knot]

Eh, not to worry, it's not like that was Brandon Morrow's 1st ML start or anything
... oh wait, it was!

Tragic number for WC down to 14
BP playoff odds down to 0.268% - and actually below that of Toronto
The 7 games the NYY have coming up against Angels and ChiSox probably has a
lot to do with that.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

All alone in 4th place.

Baltimore needs to catch fire to finish the job however.

[seawolf17]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: All alone in 4th place. Baltimore needs to catch fire to finish the job however.

That would be epic, but I'll be happy with fourth place.

But ONLY if the Mets pull this one out themselves. I don't care where they finish if our guys don't finish first.

[Frayed Knot]

Tragic number = 12

Y'know what might be the funniest thing is that the Yanx high-lights aren't even getting on ESPN these days. If the show starts to run low on time theirs is one of the games getting skipped along with the other bottom feeders.

[Frayed Knot]

TEN




not that I'm counting or anything

[Guest AG/DC]

[seawolf17]

AG/DC wrote:

Excellent.

[Frayed Knot]

btw, playoff odds now at 0.11%

They also looked like shit in the brief parts of the game I saw last night.
The Angels 6-run 6th included a push-fight between Toriiii Hunter and a clearly frustrated
Pudge-Rod who definitely didn't appreciate Toriiii stealing bases like the paths were
suddenly shortened to 50 feet. He was finally thrown out on a grounder at home where
what seemed like a light tag escalated into a brief scuffle and Hunter & Rodriguez ejections.