Intangibles? 
I’m thinking that if there is a way to create a team specifically to win in the playoffs for cheap, it would have been found already. I mean, maybe the formula is a great 1-2 SP punch (though there are definitely teams who have won without that), in which case Beane’s acquisition of Lester and Samardzija was exactly what he should have done.
Sorry to hijack the Billy Beane thread, but does anyone want to talk about postseason baseball?
I will!
I think KC will struggle with the Angels. I predicted KC winning last night (though I wasn’t extremely confident about it), and I definitely wanted them to win. But I’m expecting them to get their asses handed to them by the Angels. I hope to be wrong!
Tonight, I’ve picked the Pirates, but that’s at least as much wishful thinking as a real prediction.
After the A’s catcher Geovany Soto went down in the 3rd with a thumb injury, he was replaced by Derek Norris and it was open season. KC stole 6 bases off of him. Soto was in to prevent that - it was Soto’s first time catching Lester. And Norris played hurt (shoulder on throwing arm). They A’s had all the bats they needed (8 runs on 13 hits). It was their pitching that blew that game.
If you’ve got something to say, then say it.
The quote above was your second post in this thread, and in neither of them have you said a single thing about baseball. Why not make an observation of your own? I don’t even know which team you’re supporting. You could start with that.
The people in this thread are, for the most part, the same people who contribute to the majority of baseball threads on this board, and all of us are happy to engage in discussion on a wide variety of baseball-related issues. Discussion of strategies for reaching the postseason, and of postseason performance, seems perfectly reasonable to me, especially when we are between games.
Maybe this deserves a thread of its own, but while we’re waiting for the next game, i wonder what you baseball fans think of the MLB committee proposals to speed up play:
[quote]
[ol]
[li]Hitters must keep at least one foot inside the batter’s box at all times, barring exceptions like foul balls, wild pitches, or if the umpire grants him time out.[/li][li]Pitchers must throw a pitch within 20 seconds of receiving the ball. Clocks posted in each dugout will count down the 20 seconds.[/li][li]There will be a maximum break between innings of 2:05, with a clock keeping track. Hitters must be in the batter’s box by 1:45. If the hitter’s not ready, the umpire can call a strike. If the pitcher doesn’t throw a pitch by 2:05, the umpire can call a ball.[/li][li]Teams will have a maximum of 2:30 to change pitchers, with the clock starting as soon as the reliever enters the playing field.[/li][li]Teams are limited to a maximum of three mound visits per game, not including pitching changes. This applies to trips to the mound by managers, coaches, and catchers.[/li][li]Pitchers no longer have to deliver four balls for an intentional walk. The manager can simply signal to the umpire.[/ol] [/li][/quote]
Like the Deadspin author, my bet is that the best proposals—the time limits and the visits to the mound—will not be enforced.
And i’m not sure i like the idea of eliminating the pitches on an intentional walk. I’ve seen a few of them go wrong, and it’s fun.
IMNot-so-Humble-Opinion, there is nothing wrong with the pace of baseball. It doesn’t need to be speeded up to appeal to people with zero attention span. Fuck 'em. And I agree - the 4-pitch walk must be maintained, because when it goes wrong it’s hilarious!
Besides, when else are you going to get a beer, get another hot dog, pee, or otherwise take care of things during a game, both at the park and watching at home?
But Jon Lester started. And he knows how to win.
About the rule changes: I’m opposed to the change for an intentional walk. The other changes would neither bother nor delight me.
Note that the changes listed are being tried out in the Arizona Fall League this fall, as an experiment. See also the articles at mlb.com and HardballTalk; they both emphasize that this is, for now, just an experiment.
OK, let’s do this thing.
Go Giants!
The extra “n” in Edinson stands for “nyet”! (I hope.)
As a Nats fan, I agree: go Giants.
[quote=“mhendo, post:106, topic:699860”]
Maybe this deserves a thread of its own, but while we’re waiting for the next game, i wonder what you baseball fans think of the MLB committee proposals to speed up play:
I have no problem with items 1-4, though I too doubt the time limits will be enforced.
I dislike #5, and think that if 1-4 were enforced it would be unnecessary.
Item #6 is for Little League, not Major League Baseball. I hope it was only included on this list as a bargaining chip, as in “OK, give us #1-4, and we’ll forget about #6”
Missed the edit, but I have tix to game one and a 3pm start time is easier for me than a 12pm Bucs start.
Anyone know why Bob Melvin is not getting a lot of grief, or even attention, about his decision to keep Lester in too long in the 8th? Seems to me the situation is virtually identical to game 6 of the '03 ALCS, and the decision virtually the same as well, along with the outcome. In Boston they wanted to run Grady Little out on a rail (which they did). Instead the guy who WON is getting more scrutiny about how he handled his pitching staff in the 6th.
Difool: probably because people are busy piling on Beane.
Giants up 4-0 on a Brandon Crawford grand slam.
And I can breathe for at least a few minutes…
I actually came in to ask that very question. Plus which, I wAs surprised that Melvin didn’t bring in Doolittle during the eighth; four or even five out saves are not all that rare in the postseason. Sure, Doolittle wasn’t used that way during the regular season, but people are piling on Yost for insisting on using his bullpen the way he did it all season come what may…and not a peep when Melvin does the same thing. I find it weird.
Wow.
I found it mildly amusing that the conversation was dominated by an analysis of the playoff record of the GM of the only team no longer in the playoffs instead of the 9 remaining, and made an off-the-cuff, tongue-in-cheek remark. I’m deeply sorry that my contributions aren’t up to your standards.
Please stow away the “Are you contributing to this thread / yes I am / no you’re not” stuff and start contributing to the thread, folks. If you have a problem with another poster you can report the post.
RickJay
Moderator