# The Major League Baseball Playoff and Predictions Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 3, 2007, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334 "2007-10-03T02:08:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/181 "2007-10-09T15:36:26Z")
RickJay, excuse a dumb question, but what does the “3-0” you quoted after each team’s regular season record refer to in your analysis? If it is supposed to be postseason record to date, then Cleveland’s should be 3-1 and not 3-0, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/182 "2007-10-09T15:59:17Z")
Well, referring back to early season predictions I did have both N.Y. and Boston making the playoffs, but never thought Cleveland would come up with enough pitching to be where they are now. If the Red Sox can survive that 1-2 punch (Sabathia and Carmona) they have an excellent chance to face the Rockies in the World Series. Anyway, that’s my probably fatally flawed prediction: Boston (in 7 over the Indians) vs. Colorado. In other news: Yankees lose. Yankees defeated, 3-1. Yankees drop series to Cleveland. Sorry, I just enjoy seeing those words. My brother, an even more enthusiastic anti-Yankees fan, just sent me his annual “\_\_\_Years And Counting” e-mail to commemorate the expanding length of time since the Yanks last won a championship. Ain’t it grand. Good luck, Joe. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/183 "2007-10-09T18:02:47Z")
I’m really hoping for a Cleveland-Colorado World Series. I’ve been in the US for 7 World Series, and a different team has won each of the seven years. That’s the second-longest streak without a repeat winner in Major League history. If the Indians or the Rockies win the WS, the streak goes to 8. Also, the other day i realized that, over the last six years, the WS has been won by a team from each of the 6 divisions: 2001 NL West 2002 AL West 2003 NL East 2004 AL East 2005 AL Central 2006 NL Central That’s pretty cool. I was happy to see Cleveland win, and not just because they were playing the Yankees. The only thing that sours it a bit is the knowledge that many of those Indians fans in Cleveland are probably also Browns fans (spit). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/184 "2007-10-09T18:21:39Z")
[QUOTE=zamboniracer] RickJay, excuse a dumb question, but what does the “3-0” you quoted after each team’s regular season record refer to in your analysis? If it is supposed to be postseason record to date, then Cleveland’s should be 3-1 and not 3-0, of course. [/QUOTE] But of course. My mistake. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/185 "2007-10-09T19:01:33Z")
[QUOTE=Diomedes] Try it from the side that’s seen the '97 Jose Mesa debacle. The '95 0-1 loss in game 6. And, to boot, the Browns and the Cavs! I’ve seen things blow up so many times in my history of watching Cleveland teams, I think I’ve earned the right to fret with a four run lead. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Oh sweet Jebus, yes. Being a Cleveland sports fan … well, let’s just say that **Diomedes** ought to change his name to **Sisyphus**. It’s a difficult life. Maybe being a Cubs fan is worse, but not by much. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/186 "2007-10-09T20:22:11Z")
[QUOTE=DudleyGarrett] What exactly does this mean? The only high-priced slugger they bought was Ramirez, which is hardly “buy the pennant.” [/QUOTE] With a payroll of $143,026,214 (according to [USA Today](http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/totalpayroll.aspx?year=2007) ), they are second only to the Yankees, and roughly twice the average MLB payroll. I call that “buy the pennant.” Really the Red Sox are indistinguishable from the Yankees nowadays. They blindly fling money around with no real semblance of a plan. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/187 "2007-10-09T20:27:26Z")
[QUOTE=HoboStew] With a payroll of $143,026,214 (according to [USA Today](http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/totalpayroll.aspx?year=2007) ), they are second only to the Yankees, and roughly twice the average MLB payroll. I call that “buy the pennant.” Really the Red Sox are indistinguishable from the Yankees nowadays. They blindly fling money around with no real semblance of a plan. [/QUOTE] Forget the payroll, for a second. He said, “sluggers.” Name a slugger on the Red Sox that they’ve bought other than the ones I’ve mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/188 "2007-10-09T20:37:08Z")
[QUOTE=DudleyGarrett] Forget the payroll, for a second. He said, “sluggers.” Name a slugger on the Red Sox that they’ve bought other than the ones I’ve mentioned. [/QUOTE] Well they don’t really have any other “sluggers” on their team besides Manny & Ortiz (neither of whom were homegrown), but they dropped $70 mil on JD Drew & $36 mil on Julio Lugo. Really tho, you are arguing semantics. Replace “sluggers” with “players” if it helps you sleep better. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/189 "2007-10-09T20:43:26Z")
[QUOTE=HoboStew] Well they don’t really have any other “sluggers” on their team besides Manny & Ortiz (neither of whom were homegrown), but they dropped $70 mil on JD Drew & $36 mil on Julio Lugo. Really tho, you are arguing semantics. Replace “sluggers” with “players” if it helps you sleep better. [/QUOTE] Um, the original post said “sluggers.” That’s what I was referring to. Julio Lugo is not a slugger. Drew is a disappointment, a mistake. Varitek and Ortiz became stars on the Red Sox and were RE-signed with bigger contracts – Ortiz was CUT by the Twins. What did you expect them to do, not sign them? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/190 "2007-10-09T20:48:05Z")
[QUOTE=DudleyGarrett] Um, the original post said “sluggers.” That’s what I was referring to. [/QUOTE] It was poorly worded. I should have said “players,” as obviously they have bought much of the pitching staff and lineup. > [@](#): > > What did you expect them to do, not sign them? Re-signed players, whatever their origins, are nevertheless paid according to market values. The Red Sox and Yankees, to a great extent, buy their success; there’s no point denying it. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/191 "2007-10-09T22:02:16Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Re-signed players, whatever their origins, are nevertheless paid according to market values. The Red Sox and Yankees, to a great extent, buy their success; there’s no point denying it. [/QUOTE] Well, _yeah_, but it’s not like they’re _alone_; the Florida Marlins pretty much literally bought themselves _two_ pennants (1997 & 2003) and then promptly disbanded the teams immediately thereafter. Don’t get me wrong; Cleveland gets big ups from me for being able to grow and raise their talent. But eventually, perhaps sooner than later, those guys who started out in Cleveland will want more money, and they’re going to go where the money is. Which is _definitely_ not Tampa Bay (until I win the lottery and buy the franchise and institute Naked Fridays). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/192 "2007-10-09T22:03:24Z")
**rockle** , can I have the sunscreen concession when you do? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/193 "2007-10-09T22:46:15Z")
[QUOTE=rockle] Well, _yeah_, but it’s not like they’re _alone_; the Florida Marlins pretty much literally bought themselves _two_ pennants (1997 & 2003) and then promptly disbanded the teams immediately thereafter. [/QUOTE] You’re kidding, right? In [2003](http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/totalpayroll.aspx?year=2003), the Marlins had the 6th-_lowest_ total payroll in the Major Leagues. Do you really think that their success in 2003 was comparable, in terms of “buying a pennant,” to the spending of the Red Sox and the Yankees. The Marlins only really expensive acquisition for the 2003 season was catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who made about 20% of the team’s total payroll that year. Their other very successful acquisitions were Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, both of whom were Major League rookies in 2003. While it’s true, in a technical sense, that the Marlins bought those guys and then those guys helped them win a championship, bringing in two untested rookies who then have good seasons is NOT the same as spending millions on proven talent. The latter might be an example of buying a pennant; the former is not. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/194 "2007-10-09T22:54:56Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] So, has any heard about this new show starting on TBS. . ._Frank something or other_? [/QUOTE] Here’s the good news: [Girls Club](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0316984/) Remember one year Fox hyped the hell out of this show during the post season? This show was quickly canceled. At least, I don’t believe Frank sang the national anthem or Take Me Out To The Ballgame. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/195 "2007-10-09T23:29:29Z")
[QUOTE=mhendo] You’re kidding, right? [/QUOTE] I wasn’t kidding; I was mistaken. Sorry about that – I somehow conflated what happened in 1997 and 2003 and extracted that it was a little bit of history repeating. I didn’t realize how low the payroll was in 2003. So, I guess I retract at least that part of my statement. > [@silenus](#): > > **rockle** , can I have the sunscreen concession when you do? Sure, why not? Get in on the ground floor. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/196 "2007-10-10T00:47:03Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] **rockle** , can I have the sunscreen concession when you do? [/QUOTE] I’ll sell you the sunscreen concession rights to Tampa Bay’s home stadium for a dollar. I warn you: it’s not, perhaps, the best of business plans. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/197 "2007-10-10T01:30:19Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] I’ll sell you the sunscreen concession rights to Tampa Bay’s home stadium for a dollar. I warn you: it’s not, perhaps, the best of business plans. [/QUOTE] Oh, did I forget to mention that I plan to knock down Tropicana Stadium and build something less … er, [asymmetrically breastlike](http://www.bitterfans.com/UserFiles/Image/Tropicana-Ariel.jpg)? And also undomed. Don’t worry: in addition to Naked Fridays, I have other exciting business ideas. Like signing a couple of little people á la Eddie Gaedel to be my DH’s. Or, if none are available, adorable moppets from a local orphanage or something. I am generally not a fan of the DH, but I _do_ love to screw with the strike zone. Or pitchers. Either/or. ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/198 "2007-10-10T22:38:08Z")
[QUOTE=rockle] Well, _yeah_, but it’s not like they’re _alone_; the Florida Marlins pretty much literally bought themselves _two_ pennants (1997 & 2003) and then promptly disbanded the teams immediately thereafter. Don’t get me wrong; Cleveland gets big ups from me for being able to grow and raise their talent. But eventually, perhaps sooner than later, those guys who started out in Cleveland will want more money, and they’re going to go where the money is. Which is _definitely_ not Tampa Bay (until I win the lottery and buy the franchise and institute Naked Fridays). [/QUOTE] The Marlins were seventh in total payroll in 1997. The Yankees were first. > **[Major League Baseball Salaries 2021 | USA TODAY Databases | USA TODAY NETWORK](https://databases.usatoday.com/mlb-salaries/)** > > Major League Baseball salaries based on players on opening day rosters and disabled lists and suspended list. Figures, compiled by USA TODAY, are based on documents obtained from Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association, clubs officials and... ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/199 "2007-10-11T12:01:39Z")
[QUOTE=Subterraneanus] The Marlins were seventh in total payroll in 1997. The Yankees were first. [/QUOTE] I never said they were _first_, but they were closer to the top then than they are now. It looks to me like they were trying to acquire the best players they could so they could win a World Series – especially since they spent _1½ times as much_ on their payroll in 1997 than they did _this_ season (!!). ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334/200 "2007-10-11T16:29:07Z")
You said, “… the Florida Marlins pretty much literally bought themselves _two_ pennants (1997 & 2003) …” That’s false. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-league-baseball-playoff-and-predictions-thread/421334.md?page=11)