Inspired by my and the great Satan’s baseball bickerings (Yankees v. Braves - big rivals). This is the place to :
state your team
boast your boast
gripe your gripe
comment on any game or games
give WS predictions . . .
or generally show how smart you are by being a fan of the greatest game on Earth.
Please use at will.
Oh, and Go Bravos !!
Yours,
- NM
Atlanta Braves. Nobody else comes close.
8 straight divisional championships. 6 Cy Young awards in the 90s. Alumni include Babe Ruth, Henry Aaron, Dale Murphy, Lew Burdette, Warren Spahn, Don Sutton, Phil Niekro . . . the list goes os.
a. All you who say we choke in the postseason . . when was the last time your team made it?
b. This business about the Yankees being the team of the decade is crap. We are the ONLY team to have made the postseason every year of the 90s when there was a full season.
c. Forget about John Rocker. Just let the man pitch. He’s long since apologized.
When the Braves play well, they rarely, if ever, lose.
Braves win. I don’t know how many games or who they’ll have to embarrass, but they will win.
I used my baseball knowledge to write all 30 of my academic team’s questions on the sport in less than five days, two hours a day. 'Nuff said.
You can count on it, fella 
Absolutely. Accept no substitutes.
Go Yankees. Hopefully they can overcome the two worst trades of the past two years to make it 4 out of 5.
Sutton didn’t play for them. Ruth retired Memorial day the only year he did.
They won fewer World Series than the Toronto Blue Jays in the 90s.
Face it, teh Yanks won the big one. I assume then the Buffalo Bills are the football team of the 90s?
Yeah. OK. By that criterion, the Brooklyn Dodgers should be named the team of the 50s. Face it, only World Championships count in the final analysis. And I say that as a Mets fan. The Yankees are indeed the team of the 90s. I have to choke it out to say it, but that’s my belief.
The Mets shall rise again.
As far as boasting my boast for them, few seasons could have been as euphoric as 1969. And Mike Piazza rocks.
My team: Baltimore Orioles.
My gripe: The Mediocre orange machine. 4th place with a 1st place payroll.
I love my birds, but they’re frustrating the hell out of me.
As much as I hate the Yankees, I must say that they’re clearly the most dominant team of the previous decade. It’s all about championships, and they’ve got the most in recent years and the most ever. Second place is the first loser, to quote the No Fear T-shirt of the obnoxious guy in front of me on the light rail last week.
AT Yankee Stadium you never get an aroma like Boog’s Barbeque coming in from right…
(I don’t like the Yanks either, but they have earned respect)
1.state your team
The San Francisco Giants.
boast your boast
Jeff Kent is leading the NL in RBIs! 2 out of 3 from the Dodgers! And we have a beeeaaauuuutiful ballpark, sufficient repayment for all those years of suffering at Candlestick.
gripe your gripe
Pitching, pitching, pitching. Always the same story. Robb Nen is going to give me a heart attack. And why is Kent not the starting 2nd baseman at the All-Star Game?
comment on any game or games
I sat in the Free Section for innings 2-4 yesterday. It was sooo cool. I just happened to be in San Fran, ambled on down to the ballpark, and watched the game from field level behind right field until I got too cold and hungry. But really fun.
give WS predictions . . .
Diamondbacks & Red Sox. For no real reason except that the Diamondbacks have Randy Johnson, my friend is a Red Sox fan, and the Yankees are evil.
Boston Red Sox all the way!
Nomar is the best shortstop in baseball, bar none. And don’t give me none of that Jeter crap. Exactly who won the batting title last year? And even when Pedro is hurt, he’s better than 80 percent of pitchers. When he’s healthy, he’s the best in the business (MVP '99! He was.)
Um… you mean this half-century or this season? This season, Jimy Williams needs to remind the team that winning involves scoring more runs than the other team. This half-century… well, you already know about that.
Just remember, folks, Pedro no-hit the Indians for 6 innings in the playoffs last year… on a night when he was too hurt to start.
If the Red Sox get their act together, they can still make a run. Otherwise, the Yankess are always the favorite (in the AL, that is. Darn.) In the NL, the Cardinals give me a warm feeling, so I’ll make them my best chance to knock off the Yankees, or peacefully acquiesce to the Red Sox.
If you’re willing to put the time into learning the game of baseball, you’re in the top 5% of sports fans. 'Nuff said.
Detroit Tigers (You there, stop laughing!)
Well, uh… You shoulda’ been here in '84. 35-5 start, 104 regular season wins and they never fell out of first place. And as Satan is my witness, they have beat up the Yankees pretty good this year (5W - 1L).
Watching Tiger management make trades is like watching the 3 stooges fix a leaky faucet. Only funnier.
Comerica Park lacks the history of Tiger Stadium, but it is a gem, nonetheless. Gonzalez must go. The Tigs are only 8 or 9 players away from being a contender.
The WhiteSox over the Braves. The New York whatzees?
2.With the exception of Larry Walker, one of the greatist collection of unhearalded. and unknown players to be in second place in July.
“Coors Field wrecks the integrety of the game” my ass. At least now baseball fans get to have a yearly hope of someone breaking the .400 mark again. I’m also willing to bet the next triple crown comes from a Rocky. Besides Check-swing homeruns are entertaining.
Not around long enough to really pick out one important game in the teams history . But the game where I picked up a really hot redhead was pretty cool for me personally.
Not quite ballsy enough to say the Rockies will make the WS, but they’ll make the NLCS. WS will be Boston vs Braves.
Good point, Lurker, and don’t think I don’t appreciate it.
Team: Braves!
Boast: Two good young players in Andruw Jones and Raphael Furcal (NL Rookie of the Year 2000). Hanoi Jane is no longer in the house (WOOO-HOOOO!!). Last, but not least, better pissers at new Turner Field as opposed to old Fulton County Stadium.
Gripe: We live, and die, by our pitching staff.
WS Predictions: We’re going again. Praying for Boston or Chicago to win AL Pennant though.
2a Central Division Champs 5 years running
b How many teams would be over .500 with the injuries they have had.
3a Who pissed in the White Sox’s Wheaties
state your team - Da Mets
boast your boast - ** Mike Piazza **
gripe your gripe - **Team Management sux, John Franco sux **
comment on any game - Bill Buckner is my hero.
give WS predictions - **Mets over Blue Jays. Really.
or generally show how smart you are by being a fan of the greatest game on Earth -
"You can observe a lot, just by watching." - Yogi Berra
state your team - The Devil Rays (my home team)
boast your boast - um, I dunno…
gripe your gripe - I wish they’d quit losing…
comment on any game - my company’s season tickets are great seats…
give WS predictions - any team but mine…
I’m a nominal Dodgers and Angels fan, but my true favorite teams are the 8 fantasy baseball teams I have. (You know, where you draft/auction players, and your success or failure is tied to their success or failure.)
If the regular season ended today, 7 of my 8 teams would make the playoffs. The other is above .500
This damned message board is seriously impacting the time I spend following my favorite sport!
Which two trades would these be?
Paul Konerko and Denys Reyes for Jeff Shaw is pretty horrific.
So is Matt Mantei for Brad Penny, Vladimir Nunez and Abraham Nunez (the latter two prospects that should eventually do pretty well)
Dan Plesac for Tony Batista AND John Frascatore is pretty bad.
Ricardo Rincon for Brian Giles is unspeakable.
And the Yankees came out pretty good on the Justice trade, unless the prospects are top caliber.
Nomar is one of THE top players in the game. But best shortstop? A guy named A-Rod might dispute this.
The Philadelphia Phillies are tops in my book. I grew up listening Richie Ashburn, Chris Wheeler and Harry Kalas broadcast games. Sunday’s they were on Channel 17.
Since 1993, I haven’t had much to boast about, save the induction of a couple of my childhood favorites being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Still, no matter how bad they are losing, I still catch a couple of games in person each year.
Veteran’s Stadium. Another of the early '70s cookie cutter multi-purpose stadiums like Riverfront and Three Rivers. Total shit.
Now, the Phils, Mayor Street and City Council are trying to come up with a plan for a baseball only and football only stadia. It looks as though they’ve agreed on a downtown site for the baseball park – near Broad and Spring Garden.
Scott Rolen Day 1999. I took my son to his first big league game last year. I intentionally brought him to Scott Rolen Day so he would get a free T-shirt out of the deal. Well Terry Francona, in all his wisdom, decides to sit Rolen down for the day. Not because of an injury, but because he though he could use some rest! At his own day! Management should have never let that happen.
My favorite game was an away game the Phils played at Wrigley back in '77 or '78. The wind was blowing out and guaranteed a high scoring game. The Phils eventualy won in the 10th inning 23-22.
Second favorite game was Game six of the 1980 World Series. Favorite play of the game: Bob Boone tracking down a foul ball along the first base dugout with one down in the bottom of the ninth. He missed the catch, but Pete Rose, the Phils first baseman that year, was standing right there and caught the ricochet. Tug McGraw then struck out the final batter for the championship.
No predictions, with exception that most women will never be able to fully understand the game.
I forgot to gripe my gripe about the Mets.
Why the heck does this team trade players away who subsequently become stars for other teams?
World Series prediction: The Mets are gonna give Atlanta a run for their money. They may even take the NL East from them. But they’re not going to the World Series this year, I fear. Cardinals vs. Yankees. Yankees in 6.
**1. state your team **
Atlanta Braves. WOO HOO!!!
2. boast your boast
The Jones Boys!
Theirs is the most respected centerfielder in baseball, and he’s just 22 (soon to be 23). And so what if he’s got a wussy name? Chipper Jones can still kick your ass.
3. gripe your gripe
a) They have a tendency to go into offensive comas once they score a few runs early on.
b) I wish they’d stop going for every freakin’ pitching prospect. They picked up Norm Charlton a while back and ended up dumping him, like umpteen dozen teams before them did. They seemed to have gotten a clue when they acquired Andres Galarraga in the late 90s, and it was one of the smartest moves they made that decade.
4. comment on any game or games
Well gee, now, wasn’t that Mets series a disappointment. A split. Wow.
**5. give WS predictions . . . **
Braves vs. White Sox.
The Yanks will barely be able to fight past Boston and Toronto for the AL East. The Sox will then kick the Yanks’ butts for the AL pennant as they have all season.
Atlanta will again benefit from the Mets/Phillies/Marlins beating the crap out of each other, allowing Braves to easily take first.
WS- Braves in 7.
**6. or generally show how smart you are by being a fan of the greatest game on Earth. **
What do other sports have to offer, anyway? 
**7. Please use at will. **
Damn straight I will!
8. Oh, and Go Bravos !!
Tell 'em they’ve got fans in Hawaii. =)