Who I'm rooting for

[Frayed Knot]

Now that we're down to the final 1/3 of the season, I'm starting to sort out my preferences among the contenders.
Obviously I'm leaving the NL East out of the discussion. Also leaving out any team that's played themselves out of consideration.


NL Central: Pirates, then Brewers, [Cincy], then Cards
NL West: Giants over Dodgers

AL East: Orioles, Jays, Rays -- I could take these teams in any order really. No strong preference here with the exception of Anybody But ...
AL Central: Royals, Tigers
AL West: A's, Mariners, Angels

Edited August 2, 2014 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

You can start rooting for the Giants next week. Right now they stand for the worst things on earth.

I doubt I'm ever gonna find it in me to root for the Angels.

[Zvon]

Frayed Knot wrote: Obviously I'm leaving the NL East out of the discussion.

Wise move. Could'a caused a riot. At least I would have tried to start one.

NL Central: Pirates (my favorite other team these days)
NL West: Dodgers

AL East: Orioles
AL Central: Whoever
AL West: A's

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

In rough order of WS-/playoff-series-winning preference:

Pirates (NL Central)
A's (AL West)
Brewers (NL Central)
Orioles (AL East)
Jays (AL East)
Royals (AL Central)
Mariners (AL West)
Rays (AL East)
Giants (NL West)
Dodgers (NL West)
Tigers (AL Central)
Cardinals (NL Central)

[Guest themetfairy]

Oakland.

But not when the Mets play them later this month.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Root for the Tigers!

Having the Tigers in the World Series helps me in many ways!

Is Dodger success with Mattingly at the help a poke in the eye to the MYFs, since they passed him over for Girardi?

I'd be very happy with any of the bird-themed teams in the AL East.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

AL East: Blue Jays (unless the post-purge Red Sox go on a tear)
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: A's
Wild Card: Royals

NL East: METS
NL Central: Pirates
NL West: Giants
Wild Card: Brewers

[Frayed Knot]

I guess I should include Cincy in the NL Central race (even though I don't believe they'll be a factor in the end) as they're at least hanging around the fringes of the lead.
So I'll slot them 3rd in my rooting list behind Pitt & Milw but ahead of the DeadBirds

Edited August 3, 2014 by Guest

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: NL West: Giants over Dodgers

I'm rooting for Sharknado III to hit the field during warmups.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

Hey Tigers, Fuck You! for allowing your staff of 3 CYs plus Rick Porcello to be beaten 3-of-4 because you could only manage a total of SIX runs off of the 62 y/o Hiroki Kuroda and three guys named Murray.
So Fuck You again and I hope the Royals bury your ass in the Central.

[bmfc1]

I'm rooting for anyone but the Nationals in the NL. I don't care if it's the Braves or the Cardinals because I don't live in Atlanta or St. Louis.

AL: anybody but the MFYs. I'd like to see Trout in the Series (even though his manager brings back bad memories).

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Frayed Knot wrote: Hey Tigers, Fuck You! for allowing your staff of 3 CYs plus Rick Porcello to be beaten 3-of-4 because you could only manage a total of SIX runs off of the 62 y/o Hiroki Kuroda and three guys named Murray. So Fuck You again and I hope the Royals bury your ass in the Central.

1) Nothing wrong with guys named Murray.

2) I need the Tigers to do well. Happy Michiganders are important for some post-season, very special events!

[seawolf17]

I'm all in on the Tigers too. Get Joe Nathan a ring. Failing that, seeing the Royals in the postseason would be cool, and I'll echo everyone else who wants either the O's or Jays to make it out of the East.

Screw the rest of the National League.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I just want the Yankees to miss the playoffs. Beyond that, I don't have any rooting interest at all. (Other than the Mets, of course.)

[TransMonk]

Anyone but Milwaukee.

Honestly, once the Mets are eliminated, this season will be over for me and I'll stop paying attention all together other than to check in on the Mets' youngsters every once in a while.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

eff all of baseball, that's my attitude.

Stupid game.

[Frayed Knot]

Oooooh, Tigers vs Blue Jays and RA Dickey tonight - even extra incentive to root against those lame-ass bums.
And if Detroit bats suddenly wake up in Toronto after getting shut down by the likes of Shane Greene & Chris Capuano then I'm going to drop this nice-guy act and really get pissed off at them.

[Frayed Knot]

Oh sure, NOW the Tiger bats wake up as they score three in the 9th Friday night to beat the Jays. That's almost as many as they scored during the entire 4-game series in New York.
Way to go schmucks, first hand 2nd place and the 2nd WC to the Yanx, then do everything in your power to make sure they stay there.

[Frayed Knot]

JOSE, JOSE / JOSE, JOSE!!!

Reyes's two-out hit off Joba ties up the Tigers in the 9th ... and after that Joba leaves 'em loaded so there'll be free baseball in Toronto

[Lefty Specialist]

ABY. I like the O's.

And you really want the Royals to do well, because they last made noise in 1985. Which means next year is our time, baby. Tigers, meh. Had their chance.

[Frayed Knot]

That would be your [u:2ngix5xt]First Place[/u:2ngix5xt] Kansas City Royals

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

I think I'd really enjoy seeing a Royals-Pirates World Series. It would kind of have a 70s throwback feel even though it never happened in the 70s.

[MFS62]

Mets � Willets Point wrote: I think I'd really enjoy seeing a Royals-Pirates World Series. It would kind of have a 70s throwback feel even though it never happened in the 70s.

Me too.
The Pirates could wear those bumblebee unis and the Royals would be covered in pine tar.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

And just as I was considering taking the Tigers off my shit list on account of their win last night, David Price goes out tonight and lays an egg -- 6 runs, all earned, [u:1tsqceuh]12 hits[/u:1tsqceuh], 1 walk, and never even got an out in the 3rd inning.

Nice job, ace!


oe: Price's 3rd inning:
Ellsbury - single
Jeter - double
Prado - single
Teixeira - double
Beltran - single
McCann - single
Headley - single
Gardner - single
Cervelli - single
... and that's when he was finally yanked.

[MFS62]

Joe and Evan were talking about Price today. They said for someone who has a reputation as a "big game" pitcher, he has losing records against his then-division foes, the MFYs and BoSox. And its not like he was losing well pitched games because his team couldn't hit. His career ERAs against those teams are well into the mid-4s.
And while we're at it, the MFYs have been mesmerizing AL teams into submission all year. There are some real crap teams in that league, and they seem to play even worse when they play the MFYs.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

I have no idea how tight a correlation one could show for how well (or not) Price pitches in "BIG GAMES" - and neither do Joe & Evan btw not that that's not going to stop them from pretending they do.
But I do know he's been shit against the Yanx this year no matter who's he's been pitching for [5 starts, 30 IP, 19 ER, 42 Hits] so while his Tigers have partially worked their way off my shit list by taking 2 of 3 from the Yanx this week, Price himself is still a resident.
So if the Tigers want to beat up on the already out of it ChiSox this weekend then that's fine with me. The more teams ahead of you-know-who the better.


- Yanx are at Toronto starting tonight and if the Jays want their September to be interesting then they better not think about laying an egg here. They're already on the fringes of contention as it is.
- The Mariners smacking around the Nats would do us good on both sides of the standings
- Angels drew first blood in a four-game head-to-head w/Oakland Thursday night in Anaheim (on a 10th inning GW Sac Fly) and now hold a 2-game lead in the West.

[Guest themetfairy]

My boss, who went out of his way to hire me for my current temp position, is a lifelong Tigers fan. So after Oakland I'm pulling for the Tiggers in the postseason.

[bmfc1]

Great: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/st-louis-cardinals-infuriating-playoff-run/

[seawolf17]

Good piece.

They talk about Scott Rolen, and I thought, "yeah, but he's more of a Red or a Phillie," and then I looked up and found that Rolen played more than 1800 of his over 2000 games in a red uniform of some kind. (Six and a half seasons with the Phils, five and a half with the Cards, and three and a half with the Reds.)

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

I just want Kansas City and Pittsburgh to make it into the playoffs. And by playoffs, I don't mean the coin-flip game, but actual postseason series.