# Major League Baseball: The 2010 Playoffs **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [October 6, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197 "2010-10-06T00:24:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 25
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/481 "2010-10-23T21:15:32Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Like when? I guess, for example, like when Texas scores 43 runs in 6 games against a Yankee pitching staff that gave up almost exactly the same number of runs over the course of the season as the Rangers pitching staff. To be quite honest, i’m not interested in arguing this with you. You clearly have no concept of the fact that hitting and pitching occur within the same context in a baseball game, and that an expression like “Pitching shuts down hitting” is completely meaningless, because it assumes that pitching is the only determinant of the result of a baseball game. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/482 "2010-10-23T21:19:59Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > A-Rod is all compilation Just to be clear, what you’re referring to here as compilation is the process of hitting lots of home runs, driving in lots of runs, scoring lots of runs, drawing lots of walks, getting lots of hits, stealing bases, and winning Gold Gloves and MVP awards, right? Compiling that sort of thing? ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/483 "2010-10-23T21:22:08Z")
VERY happy for the Texas Rangers! I feel bad the Yankees couldn’t do it (I was still rooting for a rematch), but let’s face it, Rangers hit superbly and pitched superbly. Its nice to see a brand new WS team. For tonight, sure I’m still hoping for the Phils to pull it out, but they’re just not hitting well enough. I think the Rangers could beat either NL team. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/484 "2010-10-23T21:26:36Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Everybody takes pleasure in something. I take pleasure in the Yankees losing, the Yankees suffering, the Yankees’ plane crashing into the side of a mountain. But mainly I enjoying discoursing with Yankees’ fans on the days following such events. There’s nothing quite like listening to smug, self-satisfied blowhards being forced to admit that, even with more more money than God, their team is not destined to win every single year. That’s just the sweetest thing… That’s pretty amusing. Do you even follow a team or just root against the Yankees? I can’t say there is much suffering. The Yankees won it all last year. They’ve won 7 titles since I became a fan. I’m sure they’ll win it again in the next few years. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m smugly laughing at you short-lived enjoyment. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/485 "2010-10-23T21:45:41Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > A-Rod is all compilation and rarely carries the team like someone of his stature would be expected to. All i can say to this is: Wow. Firstly: what **Jimmy Chitwood** said. Your dismissal of his performance as “all compilation” is ridiculing him for doing precisely the sort of things that baseball players are supposed to do. Let me ask you this: what else can Alex Rodriguez do to “carry the team” when he plays baseball except step up to the plate and hit the goddamn ball? And that is precisely what he has done. He has been in New York for 7 seasons, and in that time has “compiled” the following figures: AVG: .296 OBP: .393 SLG: .559 HR: 268 OPS+: 147 NSB: 98 (SB - CS) As for carrying the team, he has won the MVP award twice since he arrived, and in both those seasons it’s quite likely that, had he been replaced by an average third baseman, the Yankees would not even have made the playoffs. Almost definitely true in 2005, and arguably true in 2007. What’s more, despite the whining of some Yankee fans about his postseason performance, his overall postseason numbers are pretty close to his awesome career numbers. Also, in the one year of his tenure when the Yankees actually won the World Series (2009), his postseason numbers were .365/.456/.808 with 6 HR, 12 BB, 18 RBI, and 15 R. I’ll take A-Rod’s mere “compilation” on my team any day, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/486 "2010-10-23T21:57:50Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > That’s pretty amusing. Do you even follow a team or just root against the Yankees? Well, i can’t answer for anyone else, but i certainly root for a team. The fact that my team is the Orioles means that i’m contractually obliged to hate the Yankees and the Red Sox. But, more than that, i root against the Yankees not specifically because i dislike them, but because, as a baseball fan, i find baseball more interesting when different teams are involved in the playoffs. It’s the same reason that i’m rooting for the Giants against the Phillies; i find considerable appeal in the idea of watching a World Series with two teams who either haven’t won it before, or who haven’t won it in over half a century. The money the Yankees spend basically ensures that they make the playoffs almost every year. This has been the case for a while now, but it really hit home to me how much this affects my enjoyment of the game in the 2008-2009 offseason, when they grabbed Mark Texieira, Nick Swisher, A.J. Burnett, and CC Sabathia all in one go. And already Yankee fans are talking as if Cliff Lee is a guaranteed part of their rotation for 2011. The free agent market has effectively become the Yankee yard sale, where everyone else fights over what New York throws back. I just don’t think that’s good for baseball, and i would hold that opinion no matter what team i rooted for. It’s less a matter of hate than a matter of resignation and boredom. The Yankees just make baseball less interesting. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/487 "2010-10-23T22:05:58Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > But, more than that, i root against the Yankees not specifically because i dislike them, but because, as a baseball fan, i find baseball more interesting when different teams are involved in the playoffs. It’s the same reason that i’m rooting for the Giants against the Phillies; i find considerable appeal in the idea of watching a World Series with two teams who either haven’t won it before, or who haven’t won it in over half a century. > > The money the Yankees spend basically ensures that they make the playoffs almost every year. This has been the case for a while now, but it really hit home to me how much this affects my enjoyment of the game in the 2008-2009 offseason, when they grabbed Mark Texieira, Nick Swisher, A.J. Burnett, and CC Sabathia all in one go. And already Yankee fans are talking as if Cliff Lee is a guaranteed part of their rotation for 2011. The free agent market has effectively become the Yankee yard sale, where everyone else fights over what New York throws back. > > I just don’t think that’s good for baseball, and i would hold that opinion no matter what team i rooted for. It’s less a matter of hate than a matter of resignation and boredom. The Yankees just make baseball less interesting. I think the Yankees should be broken up by the US Justice Department for the same reasons AT&T was broken up 30 years ago, and because the Steinbrenners got away with not having to pay any Federal estate taxes when George III passed on, however, I think the Obama administration has other fish to fry at the moment. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/488 "2010-10-23T22:09:27Z")
I’m always a little surprised at how often I hear Yankee fans who should, I would hope, be aware of what it actually takes to be a good team full of good ball players, mouth the same inanities as the Joe Morgans of the world about clutch hitting, empty stats, and the like. Alex Rodriguez has been a phenomenal player throughout his career. I mean, I hope he develops a sudden and uncontrollable baseball phobia and never plays again, but wow. Dissing him is NUTS. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/489 "2010-10-23T23:52:26Z")
Arrrggghhhhhh!!! It’s SAN-chez, not san-CHEZ! Really, it’s not that difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/490 "2010-10-23T23:55:09Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > The money the Yankees spend basically ensures that they make the playoffs almost every year. This has been the case for a while now, but it really hit home to me how much this affects my enjoyment of the game in the 2008-2009 offseason, when they grabbed Mark Texieira, Nick Swisher, A.J. Burnett, and CC Sabathia all in one go. And already Yankee fans are talking as if Cliff Lee is a guaranteed part of their rotation for 2011. The free agent market has effectively become the Yankee yard sale, where everyone else fights over what New York throws back. I thought this bit from the [Yankees’ Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankees#New_ownership_and_a_steep_decline:_the_CBS_era_.281964.E2.80.931972.29) was interesting: > [@Wikipedia](#): > > After the 1964 season, CBS purchased 80% of the Yankees from Topping and Webb for $11.2 million.[18] With the new ownership, the team began to decline. In fact, the Yankees finished in the second division for the first time in 40 years in 1965. **This was worsened by the introduction of the major league amateur draft that year, which meant that the Yankees could no longer sign any player they wanted**. (bolding mine) The bit I’ve bolded suggests that during the previous 40 years, a large part of the Yankees staying so successful for so long was the fact that they could go out and simply offer the best amateur players more money than any other team could afford. Once the amateur draft was implemented and the other teams now had an equal chance at those players, the Yankees declined. Granted, CBS was a large part of that decline (sounds like they did the same thing to the Yankees that they did to Fender guitars), but still. Free agency was implemented in MLB around '75-'76, coincidentally right about when the Yankees started winning titles again. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/491 "2010-10-24T00:19:10Z")
This is CRAP. Sanchez, I’ve got my eye on you. Stop being such a chump. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/492 "2010-10-24T00:33:26Z")
The music in that Budweiser commercial made me want to strangle myself with my own hair. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/493 "2010-10-24T01:12:11Z")
This is one of the weirdest postseason games I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/494 "2010-10-24T01:17:15Z")
That was indeed an odd third inning. You can’t really blame the runner for it being a 400-ft single, I’m still not convinced that was an E3, and I think Sanchez over-reacted to Utley tossing him the ball. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/495 "2010-10-24T01:19:29Z")
Oswalt seems to be very hittable tonight. If the Giants can string a few of them together, they can put a few more runs on the board. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/496 "2010-10-24T02:22:10Z")
> [@Tully\_Mars](#): > > But, Rangers’ fans, enjoy it while it lasts because there may be a giant fire sale when the season is over. It remains to be seen if the new ownership will commit to keeping the quality starting pitching or if they will take the same approach as the previous owners and say, “Next year, we’re going to play within our budget.” The Rangers current payroll is lower than it was when they signed Arod.. without counting Arod. I 'm not sure exactly why anyone would think they would need to dump payroll. I suspect they will increase their payroll significantly this offseason. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/497 "2010-10-24T02:36:43Z")
Walking Huff to pitch to Buster Posey…hmmmm ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/498 "2010-10-24T02:38:20Z")
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**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/499 "2010-10-24T02:41:52Z")
Can i take the opportunity presented by the 7th inning stretch to say how much i fucking hate God Bless America? I hate the song, and i hate the fact that the morons at MLB feel the need to sully the game with such a fucking piece of shit. I hate it more than i hate the Yankees. ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197/500 "2010-10-24T02:44:57Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Can i take the opportunity present by the 7th inning stretch to say how much i fucking hate God Bless America? > > I hate the song, and i hate the fact that the morons at MLB feel the need to sully the game with such a fucking piece of shit. I hate it more than i hate the Yankees. Agreed. But I will say this…San Francisco, thats how you do a seventh inning God Bless America song by the son of the most famous broadcaster in the city’s history. No fuss. No muss. No hipster actresses wanna be singers. No whatever the hell that was the other night. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-league-baseball-the-2010-playoffs/556197.md?page=26)