Equal Time (the baseball thread)

[+ deej]

OK, we've got a football thread going. How about baseball?

 

Yesterday was a historic day. The Chicago Cubs won their division in a double-header sweep of the Pittburgh Pirates. It's the first time they've won their division in 14 years.

 

They've got the pitching and the bats are hot, so their chances in the league playoffs are good.

 

Shout out to Barry and other Chicagoans. Nail everything down. If we see World Series games at Wrigley Field (first time in 89 years!), that city is gonna go nuts! Wish I could be there for it! :7

 

Something is freezing over and it ain't Lake Michigan. :+

[+ Lucky]

I can't let this thread go ignored! I also salute the Cubs...this is very exciting, especially considering the managerial switcharoo. Of course, the Yanks will cream them in the World Series but it will be nice for the Cubs fans for awhile!

[+ deej]

Well, they've still got the playoffs to get through.

 

In a bit of irony, in 1989 the Cubs won a one-game wildcard playoff ... against Dusty Baker's Giants.

 

The running joke when Baker went to Chicago was that he went from the Giants & the World Series to the complete other end of the NL: the Cubs.

 

But baby, look at 'em now! :7

[KY_TOP]

Go Cubs

 

The best Baseball game I ever attended was at Wrigley Field when Harry Carey was still alive. Wrigley field is one of the last great Ball Parks and the CUBS deserve their chance this year.

Even after Sosa's stupid bat incident this year.

 

Gooooooooooooooooo CUBS

[+ deej]

RE: Go Cubs

 

>The best Baseball game I ever attended was at Wrigley Field

>when Harry Carey was still alive.

 

I suspect I know who you attended that game with, and that company would be special anywhwere. ;-)

 

The Friendly Confines are hard to reproduce in today's "super stadium". Some of the newer parks (Coors Field in Denver and Camden Yards in Baltimore) are taking a nod from the smaller stadiums like Wrigley. It's good to see. But there's still no better place to see a baseball game than Wrigley Field.

 

I'm grappling with whether to plunk down money for World Series tickets. Among other things, the Friendly Confines could be FUCKING COLD in November! }(

 

Of course, they have to get there. The Cubs have a rich history of waiting until there's only ONE thing they could possibly screw up, and then screwing that up with surgical precision. }(

[VaHawk]

RE: Go Cubs

 

>I'm grappling with whether to plunk down money for World

>Series tickets. Among other things, the Friendly Confines

>could be FUCKING COLD in November! }(

 

November? I believe the only time the World Series was played in November was 2001 due to the delayed play caused by the terrorist attacks. As such, I think it will be over long before November rolls around.

 

I'm glad to see the Cubs make the playoffs, as I know what it is to never see your team in the World Series (after all I was a Senators fan). I would root for the Cubs except that the Giants are my favorite team in the NL and I would like to see Barry Bonds finally get a World Series ring and hopefully be the Series mvp. If the Giants make it I'll be rooting for them the whole way.

 

Of course, the Futility Series between the Cubs and Red Sox would be interesting, as I might actually live long enough to finally see one of them win the World Series! :o

 

Now I know there are fellow baseball fans on this board so let's all say who we want to see in the Series and who we actually predict will be there:

 

I want to see another Oakland A's (my very favorite team) vs SF Giants (my second favorite team), damn should I move to the Bay area? Hopefully, there won't be an earthquake this time and the series will go 7 games this go around. Due to Maulder being injured I don't expect to see the A's make it, but I'll hope anyway.

 

My 2 cents worth:

 

NL

Giants over Marlins

Braves over Cubs

Giants over Braves

 

AL

Red Sox over A's

Yankees over Twins

Red Sox over Yankees

 

WS

Giants over Red Sox (in 7 games as that is what the Red Sox always do and only the Red Sox can snatch defeat from the "jaws of victory").

[camshaft9]

RE: Go Cubs

 

It is 1:23 am in NYC. The eve of the 1st division playoff game.

I loved the previous statement:"The Yankees will cream them". One step at a time. Slow and steady. Or blast the shit out of 'em.

New York----We eat people like you.

[VaHawk]

RE: Go Cubs

 

>New York----We eat people like you.

 

Does that mean you are cock suckers? Seriously though, I take this to mean you pick the Yankees to win it all?

[+ deej]

RE: Go Cubs

 

Yes, I meant October. It can still be an icebox inside Wrigley.

 

A friend is rooting for Cubs-Red Sox becasue:

 

1) Two of the best parks in baseball

2) Neither team will actually WIN the series, but one will definitely lose. }(

 

Personally, I don't see the Cubs pulling it off. There's too freakin' much post-season experience in that Atlanta dugout. Interestingly, one of the analysts at mlb.com calls it just that way.

 

Couldn't say about the AL because I don't actually follow baseball. I've been a Cubs fan all my life, which makes baseball pretty easy to ignore most years. ;-)

[Guest Raffy]

RE: Go Cubs

 

hi, guys. They still play baseball? I hadn't noticed since Kieth Hernandez retired...

 

I WILL be at shea saturday nite, however, for the final show in the Rising Tour.

 

Any other tramps (I mean the Born-To-Run kind) on this board?

 

bob

[+ Charlie]

RE: Go Cubs

 

I would love to see the Cubs play the Red Sox, to finally break the hex on at least one of them. I'd also like to see the media squirm at the prospect of a Twins/Marlins series, the "no names, nowhere" teams. I also think it would be nice to see Atlanta get something for winning all those division titles. But I'll bet we get another Bay Bridge series.

[jackhammer91406]

Go Cubbies

 

It's been 30 years since I lived in Chicago, but have always had a soft spot for the cubbies, even after they installed lights for night games.

Last night's game against Atlanta was classic! That pitcher Prior may have the best looking calves in Baseball. He pitched a wonderful Full game and for a rookie who played (at USC I think) last year, he had the confidence and aplomb of an old pro.

GO Chicago!

 

http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/otn/realhappy/luxhello.gif[/img]

http://mindscraps.com/s/kao/otn/blobflower.gif[/img]

[+ Lucky]

RE: Go Cubbies

 

These calves?:

 

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2003/10/03/sports/04cubs.1842.jpg

[Guest pyell]

RE: Go Cubbies

 

Baseball is a game played in primary school (elementary school for you Americans) as a prelude to learning the real summer game - CRICKET!

[Funseeker 22]

RE: Go Cubbies

 

>Baseball is a game played in primary school (elementary

>school for you Americans) as a prelude to learning the real

>summer game - CRICKET!

 

For my Aussie Friend.

CRICKET -OH PUHLEEZE !!!,

Played it in school in the UK. Probably one of the most boring games ever. Any match that goes on for days with tea and coffee breaks is far too long.

Now Rugby. Yeah- Great Uniforms and up close and personal when in a scrum.

[Funseeker 22]

RE: Go Cubbies

 

Just Realized that I hi- jacked this thread.

Sorry,

GO CUBBIES. Was watching the game and thought that Sammy had that home run for sure.

[+ deej]

RE: Go Cubbies

 

>Last night's game against Atlanta was classic! That pitcher

>Prior may have the best looking calves in Baseball.

 

Long drink of water too. He's 6'5".

 

Last night WAS a baseball classic. Prior (pitching his first ever post-season game at 23) against Maddux (a veteran, 37, and future Hall of Famer) was awesome.

 

Cubs manager Dusty Baker called it "Young lion against veteran experienced lion". Maddux responded "well I guess that's better than being called just plain old".

 

Today didn't go so well, but for once Cubs fans are saying "wait'll tomorrow" instead of "wait'll next year". :+

[+ Lucky]

RE: Go Cubbies

 

It was nice of the Cubs to give their hometown fans a ninth inning rally. But once Smolz got that second strike on Kenny Lofton it was apparent that he had regained his sharp control. The final battle with Sammy Sosa is why these postseason games can be so much fun.

 

The camera kept closing in on Smolz's teeth as he gritted before the pitch. It was obvious that tooth-whitening must be a coastal thing.

[Guest pyell]

RE: Go Cubbies

 

A nation is not civilised unless it plays cricket as its major summer sport.

 

It's typical of the American wham bam thankyou mam approach to all the finer things in life that it would prefer a fast game full of cheap thrills and no skills like baseball to a subtle refined and deeply thoughtful game like cricket.

 

Whether it be basefall or gridiron, American sport is pretty uninspiring. No wonder the "World Series" features no major sporting nations other than the USA, and that American football is watched only by, um, Americans. Even Rugby football, the second football code to soccer, is about to celebrate its World Cup this month with world participation, viewing audience and attendance figures that put American football to shame.

 

Come on guys, join the rest of the world!

[duke37]

RE: Go Cubbies

 

You're kidding right?

 

I wonder if countries like the Domincan Republic that "love" baseball know they aren't civilized as well. As for the US well we already knew that.

 

Jeff

[jackhammer91406]

RE: Go Cubbies

 

Not to rain on your very civilised parade.... (not to mention thread stealing...is that a civilised sport as well?) What is to be made of those civilised country's soccer fans who routinely RIOT after matches when the results don't favor the fan's desired outcome?

 

Civilised indeed.

 

Jump back across the pond fella, and let us yanks talk about baseball and it's hot men.

[+ deej]

RE: Go Cubbies

 

>Jump back across the pond fella, and let us yanks talk about

>baseball and it's hot men.

 

I'm actually sorta surprised this thread hasn't gone down this obvious path.

 

Javy Lopez can squat for me any time. }(

[Guest pyell]

RE: Go Cubbies

 

"The pond"??????

 

You insult me, sir. I'm an Australian, not a pommie bastard. And I live across the Pacific Ocean from you,not the Atlantic.

 

If the best your lot can come up with is the Dominican Republic playing baseball, then I rest my case. The number of people playing and watching cricket in India, for example, would probably exceed the entire worldwide audience for baseball.

 

Cricket is a game that requires skill, thought and patience as you deal with the ebb and flow of a game that takes five days to complete. A bit like an Eisenhower or a Washington planning a military campaign,really, or a Clinton or a Reagan planning a political one. Even the shorter one-day version of the game is full of planning, tensions, thoughtful strategies and the unexpected.

[Funseeker 22]

RE: Go Cubbies

 

I'm an Australian, not a pommie bastard. And I live across the Pacific Ocean from you,not the Atlantic.

 

Isn`t that where the Brits shipped their convicts ??

Low Blow !!. Just Kidding !! As I suspect you are from the bait you`re throwing.

[+ deej]

CUBS WIN!

 

You know, as a long-time Cubs fan, not much else matters.

 

CUBS WIN!

 

:+