# Rangers clobber Baltimore 30-3 to set AL record, so how is your team doing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangers-clobber-baltimore-30-3-to-set-al-record-so-how-is-your-team-doing/416601>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 23, 2007, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangers-clobber-baltimore-30-3-to-set-al-record-so-how-is-your-team-doing/416601 "2007-08-23T04:20:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_A_Tame_Lion)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangers-clobber-baltimore-30-3-to-set-al-record-so-how-is-your-team-doing/416601/41 "2007-08-25T04:46:31Z")

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[QUOTE=RickJay]  
God the Blue Jays suck.

The GM has said he plans to bring pretty much the same team back next year. He thinks they’re just fine the way they are, that it’s a championship club. They’re 64-63. What’s that cliche - that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results?  
[/QUOTE]

I’ve always had that as:

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different **results.**  
Whereas…  
The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing and expecting **a** different **result.**  
Note the difference.

I assume the Jays’ GM has one result in mind–playoffs–rather than a series of random outcomes, so I’m going to lean towards stupidity. Sorry, man–insanity can be managed, but there’s _no_ cure for stupidity.

Now _indifference_…what to do about that? For instance, the team of my youth, the Phillies, seems to be utterly indifferent to the fans’ plans for good things in their immediate future. The Mets really haven’t done much to impress lately, but Philadelphia has only shown disinterest in making a move. I fear time may simply run out on them. It’s there for the taking, but…

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**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangers-clobber-baltimore-30-3-to-set-al-record-so-how-is-your-team-doing/416601/42 "2007-08-25T17:04:06Z")

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Damn,[that](http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=270824106) was a good game last night. I was there for it as well. Both bullpens are toast, though.

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**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangers-clobber-baltimore-30-3-to-set-al-record-so-how-is-your-team-doing/416601/43 "2007-08-25T17:25:44Z")

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[QUOTE=Least Original User Name Ever]  
Damn,[that](http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=270824106) was a good game last night. I was there for it as well. Both bullpens are toast, though.  
[/QUOTE]

You actually waited four hours in the pouring rain? What the heck did you do while waiting for the game to start?

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**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangers-clobber-baltimore-30-3-to-set-al-record-so-how-is-your-team-doing/416601/44 "2007-08-25T18:34:05Z")

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Well, it’s my second game ever at Comerica (I’ve been to TONS of games at old Tigre Stadium). Nobody was allowed in their seats, so everyone waited inside the stadium. I was there with 4 other busloads of people from my old workplace. We had the spot in the outfield that had the buffet. I got to go for free.

Not to mention that it was a meaningful late-season baseball game, it was the team I like against a team that everyone with a soul hates…and that adds up to no flippin’ way I’m leaving before it’s over.

It was mind-boggling how many people were still there at 3:30 in the morning, even taking into account all the pissed off wives and how many people left at the end of the 9th.

To actually answer your question, I didn’t wait _in_ the pouring rain. It came down HARD, too.

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**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangers-clobber-baltimore-30-3-to-set-al-record-so-how-is-your-team-doing/416601/45 "2007-08-31T04:16:02Z")

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Well, with a 3 game sweep of Boston and the Angels sweeping Seattle and Cleveland’s victory over Seattle tonight, Yanks are 1 up in the Wild Card and 5 behind Boston.

The Mets cannot build on their lead and are down to only 2 over Philly. I suspect that no Met fan really trusts Wagner.

The Cubs are the only NL central team that doesn’t stink. Even so their lead is small as they only sit 4 over .500.

SD & Zona are in a heavy race with LA getting desperate for pitching apparently.  
The likely Wildcard team is in the West.

The Angels are cruising and appear to be in the best shape of any Division leader.

Cleveland is beginning to pull away from the collapsing Tigers. Detroit probably has more hope for the Wild Card, but they need to gain a lot of ground on the Yanks who appear to be surging.

Watch for Ian Kennedy’s debut against Tampa, all scout reports are pegging him as a young Mussina and a future 2 or 3 guy.

Jim

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**Author:** ![Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_A_Tame_Lion)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2007, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangers-clobber-baltimore-30-3-to-set-al-record-so-how-is-your-team-doing/416601/46 "2007-08-31T06:29:49Z")

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My only point of contention with what you wrote above is that the Yankees are surging. They swept Boston, but they’re not surging. The reason they’re still 5 games out is that they stunk up the joint in the games prior to the Red Sox series. That sort of inconsistency means the Tigers and Mariners have more hope than you might think. I don’t expect either one to go away. Nor do I really expect NY to catch Boston; that ship probably sailed when they came into that series so far behind that a sweep would only get them to 5 back. That’s not close enough to really make Boston sweat, unless they sweep the next series, too. It will be very tight at the end.

I was living and dying at work today, pulling updates off the web on that Mets-Phillies game. I thought for sure that the Phils had blown it, three times at least, but I was delighted when they finally won it. The next week will be telling: if the Phillies have a letdown and slide back, then the Mets will probably hold on and take the division. Otherwise, I expect the Phils to catch and pass NY. Even so, I suspect the losing team will wind up with the wild card, _not_ one of the West teams. The three team round robin will lay too much hurt on the West teams; the Mets and Phillies only have to beat on each other (sorry, Atlanta; I think you’re toast now).

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**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:** [August 31, 2007, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rangers-clobber-baltimore-30-3-to-set-al-record-so-how-is-your-team-doing/416601/47 "2007-08-31T13:06:21Z")

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[QUOTE=Not A Tame Lion]  
My only point of contention with what you wrote above is that the Yankees are surging. They swept Boston, but they’re not surging. The reason they’re still 5 games out is that they stunk up the joint in the games prior to the Red Sox series. That sort of inconsistency means the Tigers and Mariners have more hope than you might think.  
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I wouldn’t count out Detroit at this point. They are so freaking unpredictable. Detroit fans, I feel your pain.

The Indians are finally not just lying there twitching. The starting rotation kicks some serious ass, Fausto Carmona has the best name in the history of the world, and we got a guy named after Hannibal’s brother…

… who wears pearls all the time. Odd.

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