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

[dice]

Ha ha! Now if they meet in the World Series....

w/o fans in the stands that would kinda be a cruel joke. baseball needs playoff atmosphere even more than basketball does. and a crosstown world series would one hell of an atmosphere in a normal year

IDK, the fights in the stands would be epic level in a crosstown series that means something. They're already pretty intense without the playoff pressure added in.

like i said, atmosphere!

[Jo Jo English]

It's been really nice to see. The Cubs got off to a blistering start, stumbled for a decent stretch, but seemed to have turned a corner recently. Big series this weekend against the Cardinals. Starting rotation still seems shaky to me outside of Hendricks's consistency and Darvish pulling it all together to the guys thought they were signing. It's been fun to watch, regardless.

Sox are loaded with young talent and do seem to be coming together a little sooner than expected. Great time to be a Sox fan. Robert looks like the real deal. Stud.

Weird season, to be sure, but a fun time for baseball in Chicago.

[gardenofsound]

Sox **** the bed in Minny this past series. Time to regather and regain steam against some lesser foes: KC, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, before facing off with the Twins again (this time at the GRate).

Reynaldo Lopez is a big inning waiting to happen, though I do understand his questioning his pull last night. He allowed only one ER... the defense behind him let him down on the other two. The Sox really need some starters to go deep in games to give the bullpen a breather.

[Dresden]

Just more signs that the apocalypse is upon us.

Ha ha! Now if they meet in the World Series....

I think the Cubs have an easier road than the Sox. Other than the Dodgers and maybe the Padres, there's not a team I would take over the Cubs in the playoffs. Whereas the WS would have to beat a combination of Rays/A's/Twins/Indians/Yankees/Blue Jays. Not impossible but quite difficult, especially against the Rays/A's/Yankees.

Yeah, but that one team Cubs have to beat- the Dodgers- are probably the best team in baseball.

[Dresden]

Since this is a baseball thread, just wanted to express my appreciation for Tom Seaver and all that he did in his storied career. During the late 60's, early 70's, there were so many great pitchers in baseball- Bob Gibson, Jim Palmer, Juan Marichal, Don Drysdale, Luis Tian, Mike Cuellar, Mickey Lolich and Denny McLain, Fergie Jenkins, Nolan Ryan, just to name a few- and Seaver was right up there with the best of them. You can't say enough about what he did for the Mets. Just a true legend of the game, hard to believe he has passed away already. Seems like just yesterday he was out there on the mound, throwing fastballs by everybody...

[Ben Wilson25]

Since this is a baseball thread, just wanted to express my appreciation for Tom Seaver and all that he did in his storied career. During the late 60's, early 70's, there were so many great pitchers in baseball- Bob Gibson, Jim Palmer, Juan Marichal, Don Drysdale, Luis Tian, Mike Cuellar, Mickey Lolich and Denny McLain, Fergie Jenkins, Nolan Ryan, just to name a few- and Seaver was right up there with the best of them. You can't say enough about what he did for the Mets. Just a true legend of the game, hard to believe he has passed away already. Seems like just yesterday he was out there on the mound, throwing fastballs by everybody...

Stone Pony told a cool story last night about Seaver’s first major league game. They were playing the Cards and Bob Gibson was pitching. The first time Seaver comes to the plate, first pitch and Gibson puts a fastball right under his chin, walks halfway to the plate while Seaver is on the ground and says “Welcome to the major leagues.” Next inning Gibson comes to the plate and first pitch Seaver plays him the chin music. He walks halfway to the plate and says “It’s nice to be here.”

[Dresden]

Since this is a baseball thread, just wanted to express my appreciation for Tom Seaver and all that he did in his storied career. During the late 60's, early 70's, there were so many great pitchers in baseball- Bob Gibson, Jim Palmer, Juan Marichal, Don Drysdale, Luis Tian, Mike Cuellar, Mickey Lolich and Denny McLain, Fergie Jenkins, Nolan Ryan, just to name a few- and Seaver was right up there with the best of them. You can't say enough about what he did for the Mets. Just a true legend of the game, hard to believe he has passed away already. Seems like just yesterday he was out there on the mound, throwing fastballs by everybody...

Stone Pony told a cool story last night about Seaver’s first major league game. They were playing the Cards and Bob Gibson was pitching. The first time Seaver comes to the plate, first pitch and Gibson puts a fastball right under his chin, walks halfway to the plate while Seaver is on the ground and says “Welcome to the major leagues.” Next inning Gibson comes to the plate and first pitch Seaver plays him the chin music. He walks halfway to the plate and says “It’s nice to be here.”

Awesome story. I'm sure Gibson respected him for that.

[dice]

Since this is a baseball thread, just wanted to express my appreciation for Tom Seaver and all that he did in his storied career. During the late 60's, early 70's, there were so many great pitchers in baseball- Bob Gibson, Jim Palmer, Juan Marichal, Don Drysdale, Luis Tian, Mike Cuellar, Mickey Lolich and Denny McLain, Fergie Jenkins, Nolan Ryan, just to name a few- and Seaver was right up there with the best of them. You can't say enough about what he did for the Mets. Just a true legend of the game, hard to believe he has passed away already. Seems like just yesterday he was out there on the mound, throwing fastballs by everybody...

Stone Pony told a cool story last night about Seaver’s first major league game. They were playing the Cards and Bob Gibson was pitching. The first time Seaver comes to the plate, first pitch and Gibson puts a fastball right under his chin, walks halfway to the plate while Seaver is on the ground and says “Welcome to the major leagues.” Next inning Gibson comes to the plate and first pitch Seaver plays him the chin music. He walks halfway to the plate and says “It’s nice to be here.”

Awesome story. I'm sure Gibson respected him for that.

gibson was known to be a real dick, so given that he's still alive and pushing age 85 there's a chance that he's having a laugh right now. he also reportedly said to a catcher visiting him at the mound "the only thing you know about pitching is that you can't hit it"

"(Hank Aaron told me) 'Don't dig in against Bob Gibson, he'll knock you down. He'd knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him. Don't stare at him, don't smile at him, don't talk to him. He doesn't like it. If you happen to hit a home run, don't run too slow, don't run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first. And if he hits you, don't charge the mound, because he's a Gold Glove boxer.' I'm like, 'Damn, what about my 17-game hitting streak?' That was the night it ended."

—Dusty Baker

"Between games, Mays came over to me and said, 'Now, in the second game, you're going up against Bob Gibson.' I only half-listened to what he was saying, figuring it didn't make much difference. So I walked up to the plate the first time and started digging a little hole with my back foot...No sooner did I start digging that hole than I hear Willie screaming from the dugout: 'Noooooo!' Well, the first pitch came inside. No harm done, though. So I dug in again. The next thing I knew, there was a loud crack and my left shoulder was broken. I should have listened to Willie."

—Jim Ray Hart

another one from a message board:

"Hooray! A chance to share my dad's Gibson story.

He was taking part in a fundraising camp many years ago (I want to say in the early 80s) where you got to train with some Cardinals players for a day, and the big draw was at the end you could try to hit 3 pitches from Gibson. Everyone lined up at the end and were taking turns at bat. One guy, however, after whiffing on his three pitches says, "Come on, just one more." Gibson said nothing, just walked back up to the mound, wound up, and threw a heater high and inside. The man fell to the ground avoiding the pitch, and as he's standing up again brushing himself off Gibson asks, "want another one?""

[Dresden]

Great Bob Gibson stories. He was without a doubt a terror to face, by all accounts. Billy Williams tells this story about the time when he was a rookie, and they were going to be facing Gibson for the first time: "Me and Ernie (Banks) are walking onto the field for warmups, and Gibson is out on the mound throwing, and Ernie yells over to him, "Hey Bob, this rookie here says he's going to hit a home run off you today!". Billy Williams said he went white with fear "Ernie, what are you doing, you trying to get me killed out here?". Ernie of course was just having a laugh with the rookie. But who knows how Gibson took it.

[Am2626]

Guys, these teams are looking good.

Sox in particular are SCARY with the young talent that's already paying dividends a year early, with Robert looking like he's on a HOF trajectory and Abreu/Anderson playing like MVP's.

The Cubs are atop the (weak) division but Yu is a CYA front runner and the team has the experience and talent to beat anyone.

Until a coaching hire and the draft, there isn't really much tangible Bulls news so figured I'd start a catch-all Chicago baseball thread.

I wonder if not having to play in front of fans has helped Darvish mentally. His problems have always been between the ears.

[dribble1614]

white sox are absolutely loaded, probably the best team in the AL. offense is so explosive and bullpen is loaded with stellar relievers. giolito/keuchel/cease are a rock solid starting trio. i could see them going all the way this year.

cubs really have talent issues. outside of darvish and happ, rest of their team is really stinking it up this year. still likely should win the division though.

[Dresden]

white sox are absolutely loaded, probably the best team in the AL. offense is so explosive and bullpen is loaded with stellar relievers. giolito/keuchel/cease are a rock solid starting trio. i could see them going all the way this year.

cubs really have talent issues. outside of darvish and happ, rest of their team is really stinking it up this year. still likely should win the division though.

This 5 game series showed who the Cubs really are- not good enough to match up against another good team. They don't hit enough, and their pitching is shaky outside of Darvish. I think they are more than just one or two players away from being a contender.

[Dresden]

RIP Lou Brock. He was a real weapon at the top of the order for the Cardinals back in the late 60's, early 70's. He'd leadoff, get on base, and then the cat and mouse game would be on, with him threatening to steal both second and third if you weren't extremely careful. He also collected over 3,000 hits, so he was much more than just a real fast dude. He was the pre-eminent leadoff man and base stealer of his era, coming after Maury Wills and before Ricky Henderson.

[gardenofsound]

Good nail biter yesterday putting the Sox two games up on the Twins (3 games in the loss column). They now have the best record in the AL.

If Dunning is the real deal, then the rotation is four deep for the playoffs with Gio, Keuchel, Cease and Dunning. We just really need some efficient outings from the starters. The bullpen could use a break.

[Dresden]

Good nail biter yesterday putting the Sox two games up on the Twins (3 games in the loss column). They now have the best record in the AL.

If Dunning is the real deal, then the rotation is four deep for the playoffs with Gio, Keuchel, Cease and Dunning. We just really need some efficient outings from the starters. The bullpen could use a break.

They really have done a great job of turning that team around in a short amount of time. The south side deserves to have some good baseball.

[dougthonus]

So just noticed that the regular season ended, and the playoffs start tomorrow. I don't really follow baseball, but looks like a best of 3 for the first series. Glad both our teams are in. Looks like the Sox absolutely fell apart towards the end of the season. I'm sure there's some reason for that which someone follows baseball knows, but hopefully they can pull out a series win.

[gardenofsound]

So just noticed that the regular season ended, and the playoffs start tomorrow. I don't really follow baseball, but looks like a best of 3 for the first series. Glad both our teams are in. Looks like the Sox absolutely fell apart towards the end of the season. I'm sure there's some reason for that which someone follows baseball knows, but hopefully they can pull out a series win.

Yeah, the Sox definitely hit a cold streak. I think it can be attributed to a few things:

1. It's a short season for a sport that's particularly prone to hot streaks where players get locked in and just mash. Luis Robert hit a pretty nasty slump while Tim Anderson and Eloy Jimenez kind of dropped off a bit from the scorching hot hitting they were bringing into the month.

2. Lots of young pitchers came in to fill in the gaps, particularly with Keuchel hitting the IR. The team had to fall back to relying on Reynaldo Lopez and Jonathan Stiever to start. The bullpen also gave up some games with Cishek and Cordero really having down years, and Rodon being put into a really tough situation in his first appearance back from injury. Dylan Cease also had a couple of duds, which may have been more indicative of his actual pitching... he had been getting lucky earlier in the season with balls in play. I think it may have caught up with him.

3. Managerial decision making has raised some questions. Renteria got a lot of heat for calling on Rodon to face Kris Bryant with the bases loaded in relief, when Rodon hadn't pitched for close to two months. Rodon gave up the slam. There have been a few other situations where Renteria's decision making has been questioned, most common of which has been the DH rotation. James McCann seems to be a better hitter than Edwin Encarnacion at this point, so some folks scratch their heads as to why Encarnacion is getting so much play while McCann, an all star last year, isn't.

4. The Sox had a grueling September schedule with minimal rest.

Going into the playoffs, I think the Sox have a shot with a shortened rotation. Robert seemed like he was starting to come back around towards the end of the season, and I think the couple of days off is going to help the hitters refocus and come ready to play in the postseason.

This whole season has been playing with house money, though. I was expecting them to hover around .500 for the year, so whatever happens in the playoffs, I'll be happy. Obviously I want a World Series, but I don't think the pitching is ready yet for true prime time. Cease needs to improve a bit, and I think the Sox need to add another starter in free agency this coming offseason--ideally a lefty to be Rodon insurance.

My hot take: Cleveland is going to win the AL pennant. Their top-end pitching with Bieber, Plesac and Carrasco is built for playoff success... it's going to be very hard to take them down.

If the Sox don't win the World Series, I think I'll be rooting for the Dodgers. I think they deserve it after losing to a pair of cheating teams in the past few years.

[ImSlower]

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.

[Dresden]

Well, Sox are looking good in game 1 against a very good A's team.

[weneeda2guard]

Sox up 1-0 on the As in a pretty dominant performance from golito and big home runs. Sox are scary good still young so I dont expect them to make a run but next year watch out.