NLDS Thread

[Neddy]

Hopefully we have the mets unfocused and worrying about hitting our batters and we can just go in there and take Game 3.

I hope Brett lives up to his ground ball % champ status he has been all through out and we keep Kershaw as a potential Adam Wainwright role and keep him on the pen while we start Wood with 2-1 lead, knowing if we finish the series 3-1 or go with Greinke in game 5, we will have Kershaw ready for the game 1 of the NLCS.

[Kilroy]

Yeah, I've done worse... I didn't think it was that big a deal, really... Didn't understand the no touch rule at first, but it seems pretty clear now. It was a smart, veteran, pinch-hitting play... Not dirty... But not squeaky clean either...
If it had happened to my team, I'd be pissed too, but whatever... That's baseball.

[Ranma]

I love Utley's hard-nosed play, which reminds me of the hard-charging fire that Kirk Gibson brought to the 1988 ballclub. However, I have to concede that I consider the play to be a little dirty even though I don't necessarily think it's over the line or even illegal. Utley didn't make an attempt for the bag at 2B. While I understand why he was called safe in lieu of the umpire calling him out, it still doesn't sit well with me that he didn't touch the bag, especially in light of how the play unfolded.

Having said that, I'm grateful for what Chase did and I appreciate his all-out approach. Personally, I think the rule should be changed, but it was a good baseball play. It was borderline enough for me to welcome and embrace it. Plus, given how often we were screwed with bad calls and video replay reviews, it's high time we start getting the benefit of such favor.

[Quake Griffin]

I love Chase's attitude….and I think he'd do it again if he were put in the same position regardless of what you, I or any Mets fan thinks. That's why I like his attitude and having him in our clubhouse.



Howie Kendrick now has as many hits in his Dodger postseason career (3) as Dee had in 2 postseasons as a Dodger.
Have to think part of the reason we dealt for him was to get those professional at bats in October when they count the most and….so far so good.

[Quake Griffin]

Is Seager looking a bit over matched to you guys or do you think he will be fine?

[Ranma]

It's funny that you mention Seager's struggle. Even his base hit was a bit of a fluke. I think he'll be fine, but he probably needs more time to soak it in. For all the poise that he exhibits, he is a young kid. Plus, he does tend to struggle in new environments for a bit--his rookie regular season notwithstanding--before making the necessary adjustments. I just hope it won't be too late before he does.

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/bangulo/status/653106549452206080[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/jonweisman/status/653263120798887936[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/RobTornoe/status/653195064483704832[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/653256271617855488[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/653256283676520449[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/AdamRubinESPN/status/653188866778640385[/tweet]

Grant Brisbee, SBNation.com (10/11/15)

Think about the play. It's a baseball play. And on the broadcast, Cal Ripken, Jr. -- famous in part because he's damned lucky this never happened to him -- vacantly said it was a good, solid baseball play. Other ex-middle infielders suggested it was just a baseball play. Just hard-nosed baseball, everyone.

This also used to be hard-nosed baseball:

Chase Utley Broke a Dude's Leg, and the Rules Will Eventually Change

[Ranma]

David Wright's slide into Chase Utley:




Mike Puma, New York Post (4/25/15)

“I’m going to slide hard, and hopefully 99 percent of the time it’s clean,” the Mets outfielder said after an 8-2 victory over the Yankees on Saturday.
...

“There are things that help you get victories, and we were able to get four runs after [the slide],” Cuddyer said. “I feel like that is the way everybody should play. I was taught you run hard until you can’t run anymore.”

Cuddyer’s Aggressive Play Gets Ball Rolling on Mets’ Big Inning

[Neddy]

it's New York tabloids, I am sure next to that 'Sleepy's Door Buster' add there is an interview with the BatBoy and BigFoot together from the Trump Tower's lobby.

[Neddy]

what an utterly bull crap ruling by a hypocrite Joe Torre to suspend Utley for two games for what every hall of famers like Frank Thomas, Craig Biggio, and numerous others like Eric Karros and Charlie Hustle already came out to support Utley for his hard, clean play? then Chris Coghlan who ended the career of Iwamura and broke the leg of Kang must be banned from baseball forever.

what a piece of crap this decision is. Joe was a horrible manager for the dodgers and only won with the Yanks thanks to unmatched budget and talent Yanks brought in, and he now makes a bull decision to suspend a player for a legitimate baseball play? on top of it all, now they are talking about changing rules altogether? what the f, this is baseball, not basketball! you don't change rules because a star player got hurt, like in the case of Posey... now because all the eyes were watching on a national level in a NLDS game, we are gonna change the rule when Jung Ho Kang's injury effectively ended Pirate's season in the hands of their wild card opponent? which is more obvious and more heinous?

**** Joe. never liked him. take Donny with you you **** yank.

[Quake Griffin]

Such a bull ruling.

He took the harsh result of that broken leg and did something unprecedented. Undoubtedly if Chase doesnt win his appeal, this will set an absurd standard.


One thing I hate in all of this is…..
people keep saying there needs to be a rule for this.
THERE ALREADY IS A RULE FOR THIS!!!!! **** OUTTA HERE! The umpire didn't call it.

[Neddy]

Such a bull ruling.

He took the harsh result of that broken leg and did something unprecedented. Undoubtedly if Chase doesnt win his appeal, this will set an absurd standard.


One thing I hate in all of this is…..
people keep saying there needs to be a rule for this.
THERE ALREADY IS A RULE FOR THIS!!!!! **** OUTTA HERE! The umpire didn't call it.

baseball is turning into a flag football while women's softball is playing some real tough hardball.

W T F

[Kilroy]

He's either going to be handing out a ton of 2 game suspensions next season, or MLB offense is going to be like batting practice... Hit, take your base, repeat... Or like a bugs bunny conga line around the bases... No excitement at all.

Still say that play was a direct result of Tajeda turning his back on the play and bobbling the ball in his glove... He had no shot at turning a double like that... If he had played it straight up without the spin, he would have touched the base, Utley would have been out long before the slide, he wouldn't have gotten hurt, and he might still have had a shot at turning the double... He took himself out of the play and set himself up for a text book breakup slide.
Every coach I ever had would have chewed my ass if I hadn't tried to break up that play.

[Neddy]

Utley was asked "how do you define a dirty slide?"
he answered, "cleats high, hit the guy before you hit the ground"

well well well Joe, where is the life time ban let alone a two game ban for Chris Coghlan? his cleats were high, and hit his guy before hitting the ground... what happened, Joe??????

[Ranma]

While I've gone on record as having a problem with the enforcement and interpretation of the rule as well as the type of plays in question, it is absolutely absurd for Chase Utley to be singled out and made the scapegoat to be fed to the mob. I'm glad to hear Chase and his agent are appealing the suspension. Why the heck should the Dodgers be penalized for making a baseball play when this has been going on everywhere else?

If you want to change the rule or the enforcement of it, fine. Do it in the offseason, but to arbitrarily put the hammer down just because of the media attention is putting it in the spotlight is quite cowardly on Joe Torre and MLB's part.

By the way, I'm not saying we take out trying to break up the double play with a hard slide since I actually was conflicted about baseball's change to blocking homeplate. There just needs to be consistency in enforcing the rules of what is allowed and what is not allowed. Then again, the major league umpires still can't get the strike zone right despite the clear delineation in the rulebook, so should we really be surprised at this traveshamockery?

[Quake Griffin]

I hate to say it because I always get this way…But I think we're being singled out here.
My main reasoning isn't because the world revolved around me and people just hate my teams.

I'd imagine that the majority of the viewership that TBS got for that game was pulling for the young Mets to beat our big money operation. When the slide occurs, you have most of the viewership up in arms with the Dodgers (even before they know his leg is broke) and flooding twitter, Facebook and other forums with their complaints. This groundswell provided the mandate Torre needed to make such a ruling.

I honestly doubt that if the roles were reversed that the baseball world would receive the same outpour on our behalf

To me?
There's absolutely no reason this slide caused so much controversy and Matt Holliday's slide in 2012 in the NLCS caused none.

[Quake Griffin]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPl9Fi_l_F8[/youtube]

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/kengurnick/status/653648168521895936[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/molly_knight/status/653633489825193984[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/molly_knight/status/653597185519431680[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/653594098243366912[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/653594135723704320[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/653594237724950528[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/653594768228880384[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/DodgerInsider/status/653626454509404160[/tweet]

[Quake Griffin]

Dodger bruhs.

Another night of Carl Crawford getting overpowered.

[Quake Griffin]

oh and no Seager in the lineup.

Show me some vet Savvy J. Roll.