2011 WS IST - Rangers & Cards

[metirish]

Haven't really watched much of this, maybe a few innings.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I didn't even find out until Sunday night that the Cards had won Game Three!

[MFS62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I didn't even find out until Sunday night that the Cards had won Game Three!

That's what you get for watching ESPN.
That wasn't a football game and they didn't broadcast it.
So, what did you expect?

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

I haven't watched ESPN since... since...

I have no idea. Maybe the 2006 post-season?

[Ceetar]

I've been busy, but some stuff:

Apparently game 4 did better ratings than Sunday Night Football. I distrust ratings in general. I have a better chance at calculating SIERA than I do ratings..and I'm not sure how accurate they are. I'm extremely skeptical of how the NFL and NFL talking heads use them to proclaim Football is extremely popular and no one cares about baseball.

The entire mainstream media seemingly whining about Pujols not talking to them while simultaneously proclaming they're not upset about it is amusing me.

Twitter suggests Zooey did a good job with the National Anthem and was in tune and didn't stylize it or whatever. truth?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Tonite should be appointment viewing, with Wilson v. Carpenter and the "pivotal" game 5 tied 2-2.

I don't really feel either of these teams myself but they belong there according to the rules.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Tonite should be appointment viewing, with Wilson v. Carpenter and the "pivotal" game 5 tied 2-2. I don't really feel either of these teams myself but they belong there according to the rules.

every day longer the series goes is another day Alderson has to negotiate with Reyes before free agency.

[Frayed Knot]

metirish wrote: Haven't really watched much of this, maybe a few innings.

It's been a good series so far.

Games 1 & 2 featured good pitching and some great middle-IF defense with #2 tossing a 9th inning comeback into the mix.
The 4-0 game last night was a tight 1-0 match through much of it and the game-breaking swing was a stunning bolt on the reliever's first pitch.
And even the one high-scoring/blow-out had some hard-hitting back-and-forth in the middle innings before things got out of hand and threw in the Pujolsalooza show free of charge.

We've now got the first 2-2 series in eight years so it's a 2-of-3 for the title.




* Plus, with the exception of the football score in Game 3 and despite Tony L's OCD/ADHD-driven compulsion to use each of the 17 relievers he has stashed out there in his pen, each game has managed to hang reasonably close to the 3 hour mark.

[Gwreck]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I didn't even find out until Sunday night that the Cards had won Game Three!

Also: Qadaffi was killed in Libya; Steve Jobs died; there's a protest going on in the Financial District...

[G-Fafif]

Derek Holland lit up one of those otherwise unfortunate in-game interviews with a great impression of Will Ferrell doing a great impression of Harry Caray.

[Frayed Knot]

I could do without just about all those in-inning interviews - manager or player.
Not sure why the networks are under the impression that viewers are clamoring for them.

[Gwreck]

Given that they still employ people like Chris Berman and Tim McCarver, it's pretty clear to me they don't care about quality.

[Frayed Knot]

Gotta admit, that Beltre HR while kneeling thing is a new one on me.
I've never seen anyone do that before.

[Frayed Knot]

WOW, a CS with Pujols up?!?!?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Yeah, that was weird.

This one's fun tonight.

[Frayed Knot]

Lotsa LOBsters tonight for the Cards.
A couple more and they'll be forced to relocate the team to Maine.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Man, Punto looks like crap on both sides tonight.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Na
Po
Li

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

THAT'S A SPICY MEAT-AH-BALL!

[Gwreck]

I think that seals MVP if the Rangers win.

[MFS62]

Gwreck wrote: I think that seals MVP if the Rangers win.

After a pretty pedestrian career except for his power, he's had a year that kinda' snuck up on everybody who isn't a roto player.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/napolmi01.shtml

Later

[Frayed Knot]

I was just about to put up a sarcastic post asking if LaRussa was going to change pitchers right after Lynn came in just for the IW
But real life turns out to be as strange as fiction.

[Gwreck]

Bobby V. criticizing LaRussa using a reliever to just issue an intentional walk saying that "that could burn him in the 14th inning; he deserves to lose in the 15th."

Gwreck: Didn't Bobby use Dennis Cook for that exact purpose in the Ventura game?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Napoli has been a cheap fantasy catching staple for me for years. This series likely kills that bargain.

I need a GIF of that LaRussa "Oh my head!" reaction shot, stat.

[Frayed Knot]

MFS62 wrote: I think that seals MVP if the Rangers win. After a pretty pedestrian career except for his power, he's had a year that kinda' snuck up on everybody who isn't a roto player. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/napolmi01.shtml Later

Yeah, I posted the numbers for Napoli last night
2010 - .238/.316/.468
2011 - .320/.414/.631

Even last year those are pretty good walk & power rates especially for a catcher, but then this year the BA shot up and he simply exploded right after being traded twice inside a week (Angels to Blue Jays, then Jays to Texas)
Rumor had it that Scoscia wasn't too happy with his catching skills but at least on the surface he looks OK to me plus he can play you some 1B
The big question, I suppose, is why the team leader in both OBA & SLG is hitting eighth?!?

[Frayed Knot]

Gwreck wrote: Gwreck: Didn't Bobby use Dennis Cook for that exact purpose in the Ventura game?

I don't remember it, but I suppose it's possible.
It's also a different story if, after the IW, the other team PH's and changes the matchup. In this case though TLR brought Lynn in strictly for IW purposes which seems to make no sense.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Bobby's been super critical of LaRussa tonight, got on him earlier because his team hits into too many DPs.

[Frayed Knot]

Well there's your DP right there!!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

ooh, there's another.

Tuff nite for Tony.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Love that hit-and-run, Tony!