I don’t know if anyone else pointed this out to you, but the Phillies are the whipping boys of that sucky EASTERN division.
And IMHO, Jim Edmonds kicks Andruw Jones’ butt. (It pains me so that he does not wear Dodger blue!)
I tend to agree Chief, but have you seen Kiva’s post ?
Kiva . . . Happy Birthday !
My - a female that not only likes, but knows the game ? Thats it, I am smitten. You are my new cyber crush. Hell, I’ll even root for the Mariners now (it’s not like the Braves are likely to see 'em in October anyway.) 
state your team: The Cleveland Indians
boast your boast: The Team of the Nineties (insofar as the American League Central Division is concerned).
gripe your gripe: The only team to take a lead into the bottom of the 9th inning of the 7th game of the World Series and still lose. God damn you Jose Mesa. (Not that I’m still bitter or anything.)
comment on any game or games: I’m quite partial to the 1997 AL Division series (upset the heavily favored Orioles), Championship Series (upset the heavily favored and inherently evil NY Yankees), and Game 6 of the 1995 ALCS, when the Tribe beat Randy Johnson and Kenny Lofton scored from second base on a wild pitch, thereby winning the pennant.
give WS predictions . . . Will never be won by either the Cubs or the Red Sox.
Famous Alumni: Super Joe Charboneau, Duane Kuiper, Rick “No-Stick” Manning, Albert “Mr. Personality” Belle.
Famous Events: The 10 Cent Beer Night Riot
[ul]state your team[/ul]
The Two-Time Defending Champion Team of the Decade, Century and of All-Time New York Yankees.
[ul]boast your boast[/ul]
We are the Yankees. You are not.
[ul]gripe your gripe[/ul]
Well, we’re not doing as well this year as I’d like to see, though we have admittedly pushed that bar ridiculously high lately. Our starting pitching is not the juggernaut it was and our hitting is not as timely as it was. Time will tell if we can right the ship for the second portion of the year, but I have confidence that we will contend.
[ul]comment on any game or games[/ul]
Unfortunately, last Friday evening we played the most indicative of our season game to date: Against an inferrior team (Tampa Bay) an emergency starter gets shelled early, after we had an early lead. Our one consistant threat Bernie Williams hits a clutch game-tying home run with 2 outs in the 8th inning, only to have two relievers walk four people in the inning, walking in two runs.
[ul]give WS predictions . . . [/ul]
Yankees over Mets in the “Rest of the US can go felch themselves” World Series. Hey, a man can dream…
Yer pal,
Satan
I HAVE BEEN SMOKE-FREE FOR:
Two months, three weeks, five days, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 11 seconds.
3502 cigarettes not smoked, saving $437.82.
Life saved: 1 week, 5 days, 3 hours, 50 minutes.
Yeah, but who was the latter day sage who, when asked about the Cubs not winning since '08, said “Anybody can have a bad century…”?
My Team: The Detroit Tigers
My Boast: Break up the Tigs! 8-1 in their last nine! Great starting and relief pitching – and HITTING! All at once! What a concept! And all without Juan (I can’t play this week, I have a hangnail) Gonzalez and Tony (I’ve forgotten why I’m holding this bat in my hands) Clark.
Another boast: Comerica Park is great. They went a little ridiculous with the length in left and left-center, but I hear they’re going to temper that down a little this off-season. At least it promotes real baseball. Ask the Astros’ pitching staff what they think of Ten-Run Field. That ain’t baseball; that’s Nintendo.
Yet another boast: While all the rest of you have a different uniform for every day of the week, the Tigers have kept it simple, classy and classic – the Olde English ‘D,’ the best uniform in baseball, and it ain’t even close.
(And shut up, Satan. Even the Yankees have gone the blasphemous route, wearing navy blue shirts for home games on Sundays.)
OK, two more boasts: Sorry Jack Buck, Vin Scully, et al. The best broadcaster in baseball has been in the Motor City for the last five decades or so – Ernie Harwell.
And the Tigers may hold forever the distinction of having the last 30-game-winning pitcher in baseball, with Denny McClain in that magical year of 1968. In these days of five starters, more no-decisions for starters as bullpens have become more prominent, and saving pitchers’ arms, it will be extremely difficult for a pitcher to ever again win 30.
My gripe: Perhaps if the Tigers would stop losing 20 games by the first week in May some year, we could have some meaningful baseball in August and September.
Classic Games: 1984 was certainly a great year to be a Tiger fan. But how 'bout 1987? I think we trailed the Blue Jays by six games with seven to go. Tigers won their last game in a series in Toronto; the Brewers then swept the Jays three straight while the Tigers swept somebody; then Detroit swept the Jays the final weekend, including a 1-0 gem from Frank Tanana on the last day of the season, and the Tigers won the division.
**World Series prediction:**St. Louis over Toronto in six.
I’ve never heard Ernie Harwell, but growing up in St Louis, I heard a lot of Jack Buck and I have to say (this may be blasphemous to some in this town) he never impressed me.
[Jack Buck impression]
And Big Mac steps up to the plate (pause for 2 full minutes) And we have little Andy Dunworth in the crowd today (pause for a minute and a half) Andy turns 11 years old today. (pause for 5 minutes) Little Andy, 11 years old today. (pause for 3 minutes) That means Andy was born in, what, 1987? No, 91, I think. (pause) Big Mac just hit his 650th homerun, that was quite a sight. (pause for 4 minutes) No, that means Andy was born in 1989. And listen to that crowd.
[/Jack Buck impression]
And as for the Tigers, you mentioned '84 being a great year, but you left out in your bragging part that they started the season 35 and 5! After 40 games they were 30 games over .500! That just amazes me.
My team: The Phillies
My boast: 1980, with honourable mentions for 1950, 1983, and even 1993. The greatest third baseman in history. Lefty. Tugger. Kalas and Ashburn in the booth.
Okay, you want modern boasts? Abreu, Glanville, Schill, Wolf, Rolen, Burrell. The new stadium (Ashburn Park?) in 200_. Listening to Kalas do playbyplay in the 4th and 5th innings, plus colour in the 6th, on the Phillies radio network (I listen via the 'net)
My gripe: Trading Ryne Sandberg waybackwhen. Mitch Williams. Paul Byrd’s inconsistencies, a lack of effective setup men in the bullpen. The damn Vet. Obnoxious fans of teams with better records, particularly those from NY and Atlanta. And, of course, Andy Ashby.
No game comment in particular, but the Phils are coming back!
World Series prediction: Hmm… Red Sox over the Cardinals, in, umm, seven. There’s no way Pedro will lose a game seven.
Phils are coming back? What do you mean? Are they on a road trip right now or something?
And the Red Sox over the Cards? You’re suggesting this is the year the Bambino’s curse will be broken? Personally, if the Cards hold up through the second half and go to the Series, we’ll be playing the White Sox more than likely, although I’d rather see the Red Sox there. I honestly wouldn’t mind that Series. If the Cards win, then we have a Superbowl and a World Series in the same year, and if the Red Sox win (my fave AL team) I’ll get to see them break the curse.
Dream World Series - Cubs vs the Red Sox. Do you root for the Sox to win finally since 1918 or the Cubs for the first time since 1908?
Baseball fans . . . my people.
This is the time of year we should be taking sides and talking junk about the All-Star Game. Yet it is absent, I believe firmly this is because it has become baseball’s mid-season exhibition game. This is not as it was meant to be. Sure, you can make a case that inter-league play has weakened the rivalry. I offer that this game was less than serious prior to that. No one wants a great player injured during a game that basically does not matter. I do understand that. At the same time I think this contest should mean more than it presently does.
I cannot recall who first submitted the idea (I think it was Peter Gammons, but I am not sure) yet it’s a good one. Why not have an AllStar Game that is Americans versus those not born here ? It would bring damn good competition (Sosa vs. Big Mac, Pedro vs. Randy, etc.) and it would add an actual level of competition to the game. I am for this.
What do the rest of my fellow baseball scholars think ?
BTW, this year the NL has Mac, Griffey and Sosa on one team - we will kick AL ass.
Thanks,
- NM
Baseball fans . . . my people.
This is the time of year we should be taking sides and talking junk about the All-Star Game. Yet it is absent, I believe firmly this is because it has become baseball’s mid-season exhibition game. This is not as it was meant to be. Sure, you can make a case that inter-league play has weakened the rivalry. I offer that this game was less than serious prior to that. No one wants a great player injured during a game that basically does not matter. I do understand that. At the same time I think this contest should mean more than it presently does.
I cannot recall who first submitted the idea (I think it was Peter Gammons, but I am not sure) yet it’s a good one. Why not have an AllStar Game that is Americans versus those not born here ? It would bring damn good competition (Sosa vs. Big Mac, Pedro vs. Randy, etc.) and it would add an actual level of competition to the game. I am for this.
What do the rest of my fellow baseball scholars think ?
BTW, this year the NL has Mac, Griffey and Sosa on one team - we will kick AL ass.
Thanks,
- NM
A couple of years ago the NHL implemented a North America vs World All-Star game. IMHO, it’s still the same boring suckfest it was before. I suspect the same would happen if MLB tried it - a lot of interest for the first year, and then apathy once everyone realizes how boring the game actually is.
The main problem, IMHO, is that the All Star game doesn’t count for anything. Why should a player play hard for a game that won’t help his or his team’s stats? Until the league finds an incentive for players (and fans) the game will continue to be meaningless.
The Kansas City Royals! Let’s go, guys! Snap that losing streak!
Well, for a glorious ten-year period, we DOMINATED our division: 1976-1985, 6 division championships outright, one split championship, and second place the other three years.
George Brett…one of the greatest hitters of all time.
Best expansion team in major league history, not only for the aforementioned championships, but also they’re the only one so far to have produced a Rookie of the Year, Cy Young winner and MVP.
Well, they’ve been stinking up the joint lately…but it looks like we’re going up again! Damon! Beltran! Dye! Sweeny! Quinn! Now, if only we could find some pitching…
Satan wrote:
Thank God. It must be tough, being only 1 win percentage point higher than the Angels, while your team salary is twice as large as theirs.
ChiefScott wrote:
Chief is lucky this isn’t the 'Pit.
NothingMan wrote:
Thank you! I had a great day. Even though the Mariners lost to the Angels. I cannot understand Mesa. Aren’t closers supposed to save the game instead of giving it away?
Wow! My first SDMB admirer.
I might be able to overlook your Braves blight since you had this great idea for a thread. I’ll always have something to say about baseball.
But if you ever do that tomahawk/chant thing in my presence, you will regret it.
Oh, how the All Star game has fallen. Edmonds deserves to start more than any of those guys. It’s just a popularity contest. Maybe the NL team can manage to hit enough home runs to win, since that’s the only thing it’s players are good at. Then again…Pedro…
By the way, there’s an excellent article on Edgar Martinez on ESPN.com today. From the front page:
AMEN!
Not quite as tough as finding a place for all of the World Championship awards we have won.
Not a problem for an Angels fan, except in a lame movie, IIRC…
Yer pal,
Satan
TIME ELAPSED SINCE I QUIT SMOKING:
Two months, three weeks, six days, 2 hours, 40 minutes and 23 seconds.
3524 cigarettes not smoked, saving $440.56.
Life saved: 1 week, 5 days, 5 hours, 40 minutes.
state your team: The Chicago White Sox (of course)
boast your boast:
-
I’m afraid to gloat, being it is such rarified air I’m breathing these days. But 25 games over .500 at the break is a phenomenon I have never experienced before, and with a team that no-one could have expected this with.
-
I believe Ron Shueler will be executive of the year, Jerry Manual will be manager of the year, and I predict that Frank Thomas will win his 3rd MVP award. I also believe that by the time he retires, Frank will be remembered as the greatest right handed hitter of his time, and will be consistently mentioned in the same breath as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, and Stan Musial.
-
Desptie its flaws, we still have more fun watching baseball at Comiskey than anywhere else (even the bandbox that passes for a big league park on the north side, and our concession food is better!)
gripe your gripe:
-
Cub fans, the mentally handicapped denizens of the MLB family.
-
The fact that the White Sox haven’t won the series since there was a Czar in Russia.
-
The Sox radio team has got to be the worst in the big leagues. Take John Rooney – PLEASE!
comment on any game or games: There are so few, and most end like a nightmare, like Tito Landrum’s home run in the last game of the 83 playoffs, or the big choke in the last week of the 67 season. I was at the game when the Sox clinched the West in 83, our first post-season celebration since 1959.
give WS predictions . . . I hope against hope it will be my Sox, and I can say that with a straight face for the first time in recent memory. For the NL, I hope the Mets get there, first, because Robin Ventura is one of my all time favorite players, and second, because Cub fans could not find a W.S. matchup that would give them more fits.
or generally show how smart you are by being a fan of the greatest game on Earth: I don’t know how smart I am, staying loyal to the pale hose all these years. I was born the week the White Sox last clinched the pennant in 1959. I have literally waited a lifetime waiting for them to get to the series again. Here’s hoping!
By the way, todays score Sox 4, Cubs 2.
Interleague play has some positive effects.
Life is SO good!
I have mixed feelings about the all star game this year. If Cal Ripken can’t play, the Orioles will not be represented. Since Cal was voted in as a starter, he will be considered the Orioles representative whether or not he plays. That would suck. Charles Johnson deserves to go, but won’t since Joe Torre picked his guy, Jorge Posada.
I’m with you there. What a disgusting display of nepotism. How many Yankees are there on the team now? Four? Plus Torre. Plus the four other Yankees on the coaching staff. Charles Johnson definitely should have gone instead of Posada.
Right now, I’m just hoping Alex Rodriguez will make it to the All Star game. He got knocked out cold during tonight’s game with the Dodgers. Took him about 5 minutes to regain consciousness, then could barely walk off the field. Alex Cora (Joey’s brother) also got injured in the play, but he was up and walking around soon after. Scary thing to happen.
Oh, quit your whining.
It’s a long-standing tradition that the manager will play favorites to guys on his team. After all, the manager will have to be around those guys a lot longer. And in years where we didn’t have a manager in there, Yanks got screwed too. As long as it’s not egregious (and I don’t think Jeter and Posada are), it’s part of the deal.
Yer pal,
Satan
TIME ELAPSED SINCE I QUIT SMOKING:
Two months, four weeks, one day, 3 hours, 36 minutes and 37 seconds.
3606 cigarettes not smoked, saving $450.75.
Life saved: 1 week, 5 days, 12 hours, 30 minutes.
state your team:
The Yankees
boast your boast:
3 out of the last 4, 25 overall. Nuff said.
gripe your gripe:
Jealous Braves fans. Listen ya redneck hicks, win a couple more World Series titles then you can talk about Team of the Decade.
comment on any game or games:
I went to a noon game on Tuesday, my birthday, with my dad. Got great seats, had a great time. Didn’t start out that way though, stupid Yarnall sucked as usual right out the gate. But there ain’t nothing finer than coming back from a 7-0 deficiet to kick some serious ass. And watching Jeters, O’Neill, Williams, and Justice all homer was pretty sweet too 
World Series? As Michael Silver always says…“The Yankees win, thhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Yankess win!!!”