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Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:38 am
by dice
ImSlower wrote:The 16 team format is an abomination, in my opinion, but I'm a cranky old-fashioned basey-ball type. I would be shocked if we don't see multiple upsets this first round - one hot day by a lesser pitcher, or a disappointing performance by an ace can upend a 3 game series.

The Dodgers are crazy stacked, and I expect them to make it to the Series. The Padres are exciting as hell, but their two terrific starters saw both their final regular season appearances come to a close with arm soreness. My astoundingly uninteresting and unimpressive Cardinals might get this upset if Grandpa Waino throws a gem and Lamet and Clevinger disappoint.

I've been rooting for the White Sox, and the September slump has looked bad. I hope your South Siders can get hot. I'm not impressed by the As, Twins or Astros (Eff the Astros), and I think an ALCS appearance is very possible for them. I can't give a rational opinion about the Cubs, sadly, but I think Cubs fans here could perhaps agree with me that a Cubs / Cardinals post-season series would be awesome.

the over/under going in was 3.1 upsets out of 8 series

opening series odds per MGM:

#1 rays 65% #8 jays 35%
#2 As 52% #7 sox 48%
#3 twins 60% #6 astros 40%
#5 yankees 56% #4 indians 44%

#1 dodgers 73% #8 brewers 27%
#2 braves 56% #7 reds 44%
#3 cubs 62% #6 marlins 38%
#4 padres 66% #5 cards 34%

did the cubs get lucky to draw an overachieving marlins team or something? why do they have the 3rd best odds of the 8 series?

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Thu Oct 1, 2020 10:03 pm
by CjayC
Renteria needs to be canned. Awful over management of the game.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Thu Oct 1, 2020 11:32 pm
by dice
this season aside, there's really no reason that baseball playoff series shouldn't all be best-of-9 w/ a travel day or 2. i'd say 3-3-3, but that would make it exceedingly rare that the lower seed would win a series in front of their home crowd. maybe 4-3-2 or 3-4-2

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 12:41 am
by Dresden
Sox are out, Cubs will soon follow.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 11:11 am
by dougthonus
dice wrote:this season aside, there's really no reason that baseball playoff series shouldn't all be best-of-9 w/ a travel day or 2. i'd say 3-3-3, but that would make it exceedingly rare that the lower seed would win a series in front of their home crowd. maybe 4-3-2 or 3-4-2


I'm not a baseball fan, but why would you want to increase the number of baseball games? I get that the 3 game series is a bit short, but I can't imagine why you'd want to go past 7. I suppose money but I wouldn't be excited about 9 game NBA playoffs. I'd actually probably be more excited to move back to 5 games.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 12:17 pm
by Ice Man
I've been waiting since 1984 for the Athletics to extract revenge on the White Sox. All good things happen for those who wait. Next will come the Bulls' revenge on the Heat. Some day.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 1:34 pm
by ATRAIN53
rare time I was cheering for SOX yesterday -

Rookie pitcher starting the franchieses first "Win Or Go Home" game

I wanted him to win.

Yu Darvish need to earn his paycheck today.


Ice Man wrote:I've been waiting since 1984 for the Athletics to extract revenge on the White Sox. All good things happen for those who wait. Next will come the Bulls' revenge on the Heat. Some day.


I'm still waiting on some 1984 revenge on the Padres for the Leon Durham error and The Garvey HR off Lee Smith!

it's weird having Sutcliffe work the Cards/Padres game and there have a bunch of old 84 Padres cut outs int he stands.
I see Garvey back there, Dravecky, Dick Williams....

Also on that 84 Padres squad - father of current GSW starting PF - Alan Wiggins

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 5:23 pm
by gardenofsound
I'm really proud of the White Sox this year. Easy to question Renteria's pitching management yesterday, but you can't plan for Crochet going down, and I think that really killed things.

The starting pitching has a long way to go, though. They shouldn't have had to rely on Dane Dunning as the #3 starter this year. I think the Sox need to add a LH starter this coming offseason and give up on the Carlos Rodon experiment. Cease, Dunning, and Kopech should compete for two SP slots, with the odd man being a long reliever and spot starter for when any of the rotation starters hit the IL.

RHP Giolito
LHP Keuchel
RHP Cease/Kopech/Dunning
LHP Vet FA
RHP Cease/Kopech/Dunning

Obviously, if there's a top flight FA pitcher who shows interest in the Sox, you make the call even if they're right handed. Otherwise, even though he has regressed, Jose Quintana may be worth checking out again. The Sox know who he is as a pitcher, so they may already know how to fix him.

Sox also need to make a decision on Alex Colome. He'll be going into his age 32 season and probably looking for a big, long term deal. Tread lightly, though and don't overpay. There are other closers on the market.

Elsewhere on the field, the Sox need to make a decision on James McCann. I'd be happy to re-sign him and have him DH most days that Grandal is catching. I think the DH rotation should include Jimenez, McCann, Grandal and Abreu.

Otherwise, sign someone to a one year deal to be the primary DH, because by the end of the season, Andrew Vaughn is going to be knocking on the door, and by the 2022 season, he may well be the DH/1B platoon mate with Abreu.

Otherwise, I think the Sox are relatively set. Nomar Mazara is still young and, while he had a down year, I think he should have a chance to redeem himself. That said, if the Sox decide to go a different direction, another Cuban could fit in RF if the Sox are willing to take the gamble: Yasiel Puig. This type of move could actually help overall defense, as Luis Robert can shade further left to cover for more of Eloy's defensive weakness. Puig is a top notch defender in RF.



Still, the Sox are in a great position moving forward. The core is locked in to long term deals, there's more talent knocking on the door, and the gaps to fill are easy to fill. The McCann situation is even a question of excess... he's going to be offered some big money this coming offseason.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 6:13 pm
by CjayC
Just my gut feeling, but I don't think Ricky should have pulled Dunning in a 2 out, runners on the corners situation in the 2nd inning. That move felt over reactionary. If he gave up a run, then sure, maybe take a look at the bullpen, but that move felt sudden to me. I guess hindsight is 20/20 and whatnot.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 6:56 pm
by Ice Man
Ice Man wrote:I've been waiting since 1984 for the Athletics to extract revenge on the White Sox. All good things happen for those who wait. Next will come the Bulls' revenge on the Heat. Some day.


This of course should be 1983, that year being the year of that accursed Winning Ugly White Sox team. 1984 was for the Cubs and Leon Durham.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 8:53 pm
by siriusjames
I feel sorry for Darvish. Our offense broke somewhere along the lines -again-

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 9:34 pm
by dougthonus
Well that's Chicago baseball for you.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 10:12 pm
by Jeffster81
siriusjames wrote:I feel sorry for Darvish. Our offense broke somewhere along the lines -again-


Cubs offense broke the day after G7 of the 2016 WS.

Marlins had to think this was WAY TOO EASY.

Annoying fact: Marlins as a franchise still has not lost a playoff series. So..... F-- them.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 10:29 pm
by transplant
Jeffster81 wrote:
siriusjames wrote:I feel sorry for Darvish. Our offense broke somewhere along the lines -again-


Cubs offense broke the day after G7 of the 2016 WS.

Marlins had to think this was WAY TOO EASY.

Annoying fact: Marlins as a franchise still has not lost a playoff series. So..... F-- them.

The Cubs have stars or near stars at every position but 2B (and this year, Kipnis was one of their better players). Somehow, they can't hit a lick, particularly in big spots. I don't get it.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 10:39 pm
by transplant
The White Sox are considered to be on the way up so we're giving them some slack. Some are slamming Renteria for game 3 of the Oakland series, but his pitchers really let him down. He hoped that Dunning would go 2, but he got into trouble. He then hoped Crochet would go 2, but he broke. He hoped Bummer would go 2, but he just didn't have his best stuff. He didn't have a bad plan...the plan just went bad.

I'm a Sox fan and I'm fine with where the team is at this moment.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Fri Oct 2, 2020 10:43 pm
by Dresden
transplant wrote:
Jeffster81 wrote:
siriusjames wrote:I feel sorry for Darvish. Our offense broke somewhere along the lines -again-


Cubs offense broke the day after G7 of the 2016 WS.

Marlins had to think this was WAY TOO EASY.

Annoying fact: Marlins as a franchise still has not lost a playoff series. So..... F-- them.

The Cubs have stars or near stars at every position but 2B (and this year, Kipnis was one of their better players). Somehow, they can't hit a lick, particularly in big spots. I don't get it.


Me neither, but 1 run in two games....they have to do something next year- shake things up, make some changes. These same guys fail to produce year after year. Big names, little production.

Lowest batting average in the majors. How many guys did they have hitting right around .200? That's ridiculous.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Sat Oct 3, 2020 12:21 am
by gardenofsound
Jeffster81 wrote:
siriusjames wrote:I feel sorry for Darvish. Our offense broke somewhere along the lines -again-


Cubs offense broke the day after G7 of the 2016 WS.

Marlins had to think this was WAY TOO EASY.

Annoying fact: Marlins as a franchise still has not lost a playoff series
. So..... F-- them.


That is insane. I never put that together.

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Sat Oct 3, 2020 2:38 am
by dice
dougthonus wrote:
dice wrote:this season aside, there's really no reason that baseball playoff series shouldn't all be best-of-9 w/ a travel day or 2. i'd say 3-3-3, but that would make it exceedingly rare that the lower seed would win a series in front of their home crowd. maybe 4-3-2 or 3-4-2


I'm not a baseball fan, but why would you want to increase the number of baseball games? I get that the 3 game series is a bit short, but I can't imagine why you'd want to go past 7. I suppose money but I wouldn't be excited about 9 game NBA playoffs. I'd actually probably be more excited to move back to 5 games.

absolutely nobody wants to increase the number of REGULAR SEASON baseball games. the vast majority probably want that reduced. like most people, i have no interest in watching a regular season baseball game. people tune in for the playoffs

9 works beautifully for baseball. not so much for basketball. a 9 game baseball series as i've proposed would last a maximum of 11 days. a 9 game basketball series would take up to 3 weeks. plus, the nature of baseball necessitates longer series if the objective is to produce the best matchups at a satisfying rate. a 7 game nba series pretty much never produces fluke results. if there is an upset, it feels earned. but the inferior team pretty regularly wins a baseball series...which is particularly unsatisfying after a 162 game schedule has given pretty good indication who the best teams are

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Sat Oct 3, 2020 2:49 am
by dice
Jeffster81 wrote:
siriusjames wrote:I feel sorry for Darvish. Our offense broke somewhere along the lines -again-


Cubs offense broke the day after G7 of the 2016 WS.

Marlins had to think this was WAY TOO EASY.

Annoying fact: Marlins as a franchise still has not lost a playoff series. So..... F-- them.

the marlins franchise is a great example of how championships aren't everything

not. even. close.

the marlins have won two titles since their inception in 1993, but have had only 7 winning seasons. the boston celtics have won only one title over that same time period. which fan base do you think has gotten more enjoyment over the last quarter century-plus?

Re: OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

Posted: Sat Oct 3, 2020 7:13 am
by Jeffster81
dice wrote:
dougthonus wrote:
dice wrote:this season aside, there's really no reason that baseball playoff series shouldn't all be best-of-9 w/ a travel day or 2. i'd say 3-3-3, but that would make it exceedingly rare that the lower seed would win a series in front of their home crowd. maybe 4-3-2 or 3-4-2


I'm not a baseball fan, but why would you want to increase the number of baseball games? I get that the 3 game series is a bit short, but I can't imagine why you'd want to go past 7. I suppose money but I wouldn't be excited about 9 game NBA playoffs. I'd actually probably be more excited to move back to 5 games.

absolutely nobody wants to increase the number of REGULAR SEASON baseball games. the vast majority probably want that reduced. like most people, i have no interest in watching a regular season baseball game. people tune in for the playoffs

9 works beautifully for baseball. not so much for basketball. a 9 game baseball series as i've proposed would last a maximum of 11 days. a 9 game basketball series would take up to 3 weeks. plus, the nature of baseball necessitates longer series if the objective is to produce the best matchups at a satisfying rate. a 7 game nba series pretty much never produces fluke results. if there is an upset, it feels earned. but the inferior team pretty regularly wins a baseball series...which is particularly unsatisfying after a 162 game schedule has given pretty good indication who the best teams are


9 game series is a bit much, unless it's strictly for the World Series. I would love to see a 9 game World Series.

What I do is for the LDS/LCS only, the higher seed (team with the better record) get the HFA through the series. Under this format, had the Cubs/Marlins played in the LDS/LCS the Cubs would have all five or seven games at home.

Or another possibility is to borrow from the KBO (Korean Baseball Organization) is for each series starts 1-0 in favor of the team with the better record.