Fair point, but MLB makes more as Fox is paying more for the boon that Selig gave them. They asked for something to make the game mean something the the Home Field advatage thing is what they got. I have no clue if it helps rating or not. I tend to agree with you that it does not.
Thanks Marley, from up in the stands, it looked like a bad throw both times. The second one was epically bad and looked like a eephus ball but the first I did not realize was on Kendrik.
No method for homefield is perfect, I don’t think the All Star game is really worse than the other two methods. I like the best record get homefield as in theory it should also penalize a lucky run of a Wild Card team a little bit. But I do think too much is made of how homefield is determined.
Were we on the old system, the Phillies would have home field advantage because it would be the NL’s turn this year. (After the strike the NL held the advantage in odd-numbered years, AL in even. Prior to that it was the opposite; not having a World Series in 1994 reversed it.) But how is that any more fair? It’s purely arbitrary, from the perspective of the teams involved, either way. Basing it on the result of the All-Star Game isn’t any LESS fair than basing it on whether it’s an odd or even-numbered year.
You say the Phillies are being “penalized” for how players from other teams played in July, but the other way the Yankees would be “penalized” out of sheer random chance.
As it stands there’s no “fair” way to assign home field advantage; you’re either using a system that has nothing to do with the teams involved (All-Star game or alternating years) or else a system that may have very little to do with the teams involved (W-L record, which isn’t necessarily reflective of relative quality when the teams play in different leagues and divisions.) W-L record is a tny bit fairer but it’s also more logistically difficult.
Yep, both of those things are true. It could be that the change to the AS game has helped the ratings hold steady, or it could simply be that there are about 10 million households in America who will watch baseball no matter what.
The Phillies are going with Pedro in Game 2. Risky? Brilliant? I know he had that a good start against LA, but to me it seems liek they’d hope to get a good game out of him in Game 3, not Game 2. Are they less confident in Hamels?
Yeah, but I do think Manuel’s afraid of Hamels’ mindset in New York. Not just because of Hamels qua Hamels, but because I think Manuel knows that Hamels is probably going to give up a couple of longballs, and he wants that to happen here in Philly. The Phillies will probably hit just as well at Yankee Stadium, but the effect of a Jeter or an A-Rod homer in the early innings (which Hamels is very susceptible to; when he makes mistakes he makes them with the fastball or the changeup high in the zone) is a lot more dangerous in New York.
Meanwhile, with Pedro, I think he’s just as likely or more likely to pitch well in a hostile environment than at home. It’s a tough call, but I think Manuel usually has a pretty good idea what he’s doing when he makes these decisions.
I knew a guy who was a .220 lifetime hitter ,but a very solid glove. First play in the World Series he dropped a pop up. There is a lot of nerves in the big one.
A lot of debate going on right now between using Molina more over Posada. My hatred of all things Yankee over the years has blinded me to the fact that Posada is really really good (or, at least, was really really good during his career). What’s the peanut gallery think - Posada for HOF? That’s pretty fantastic plate discipline for a catcher.
I’m a die hard Yankee fan, and I think he falls short. Defensively, he’s never been great, and his offense, while very good, isn’t Piazza-esque enough to make up for the average D. Put him in the Hall of Very Good.
Pedro is 6 - 2 lifetime in the postseason. But those 2 losses came from the Yankees, against 1 win. All of those games, however, were long enough ago as to not mean anything this year. It’s not the crowd he has to worry about.
He is very good and his number will almost surely be retired by the Yanks, but he is not really a Hall of Famer. His defense has always been a average and while his offense is near the best for catchers I don’t think it was quite enough to get in the way Piazza will.
Agreed.
Disagree, he will probably not do well against the Yanks in the Bronx. The Yanks will be patient and get him out before the 6th is over.