Indeed a Tampa win today would be huge. Then I don’t really care who wins tomorrow.
A great confidence builder for the Yanks. I can’t decide who I’m rooting for but I’m leaning Tampa just to avoid Cliff Lee.
Speaking of Cliff Lee, the Twins should go hard after him in the off-season. I don’t know what they can do about that offense, though. How did they win so many games? Their inter-league schedule wasn’t easy. Maybe it’s playing K.C. and Cleveland so many times.
They’re better than they looked in this series. But you’re right, Lee would be a big pick up for that team. They really need a tough as nails #1.
The 2010 Minnesota Twins had a .417 season against the American League East and .444 against the National League, but .653 against the AL Central and .667 against the AL West.
There’s also the fact that shit happens. Sometimes you have a bad three games.
Momentum is today’s starting pitcher, as the Rays and Rangers are currently demonstrating.
And indeed, the Rays and Rangers shall go back to Florida to play a fifth game.
There’s no such thing as momentum in baseball. This series was over just 12 innings ago and now suddenly it’s tied.
The Braves have lost Billy Wagner for at least this and the next series, and likely forever, as Wagner had planned to retire after this season.
Wagner had a truly dominating season. It’s a shame. He’s quietly had a great, great career.
Giants Baseball…Torture!
Yogi Berra was right. The game ain’t over 'till it’s over 
So the Braves stole one in San Francisco, and now the Giants have returned the favor. It’ll be interesting to see if Boche starts Madison Bumgarner in Game 4, or if he goes with Lincecum for the knockout punch. Personally, I’m in favor of Bumgarner. He’s pitched well the latter part of the season, and I really like the idea of having Lincecum for Game 5 if it’s necessary.
RickJay, I know you’ve come up with some rationalization here, but the Braves’ defense really is pretty atrocious.
Can’t complain at the moment, though.
Agreed. Tampa is a baseball town; St Pete isn’t it. It was really a stupid place to put a stadium.
FWIW, I had four tickets to both game 1 and 2 and didn’t attend because I work in Los Angeles. When I bought them I was hoping they’d be playing in town during the weekend. So I’m personally responsible for four empty (but paid for) seats at both games.
Not five minutes after I wrote this I got an email from a United Airlines pilot I sat next to on a flight last week, asking if I had tickets to game 5. Bad timing - I didn’t bother to get Game 5 tickets because I knew I’d be out of town.
I take full credit for this win. When Sanchez was down to his last strike, my wife said, “Well, it’s OK…” I snapped at her, “It’s not over YET!” Then he singled up the middle, and I won the game!
Joe
The Simpsons were great tonight for the record. I say lovingly to all the Sabermetrics fans.
I strongly suspect the Phillies will also be wrapped up tonight.
Bill James was pleased to make his first appearance on the Simpsons.
Dusty Baker pinched hit for his pitcher in the 5th with 2 outs with Miguel Cairo? Pitch count was only 83. Cairo of course Ks to make it worse, but what was Dusty thinking?
Well, the Reds go out with a whimper.
Giants up 2-1. You have to feel for Brooks Conrad, a career journeyman who’s playing out of position replacing a star and he just happened to have the worst week of his life.
Dusty is an idiot.
To the Braves’ loss, which I attended. Conrad had been playing a lot of 3rd after Prado was hurt, so I was a bit surprised to see him at second last night. My friend noted this early on and it proved to really, really matter. Conrad looked lost out there all night.
I was surprised and disappointed Cox yanked Kimbrel in the 9th. If he’s supposedly our closer next year, he’s going to have to face left-handed hitting, as well as learn how to get out of the messes he makes. You might argue that Cox was playing the lefty-lefty matchup against Huff by bringing in Dunn, but Huff hit .296 against LHP this year, and Kimbrel held lefties to .176. Ob
I may in the vast minority in this among Braves fans, but I’ve been ready to see Bobby Cox ride off into the sunset for several years.
I always felt Cox was in the category of excellent regular season manager and poor post-season manager. Buck Showalter is a more extreme version of this, great regular season and team building manager but always become too tight and over-manages in the post season. I mean Cox is clearly going to the Hall of Fame as a manager and you could do a whole lot worse with a manager but I have never considered him a truly great manager.
The end results clearly support this position. It’s hard not to think that a different manager could’ve done more with the talent the front office laid at his feet over the last 20 years.
Toldya…
; )