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NL wild card race predictions?........

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Martin C

Sep 26, 06 9:15

Post #1 of 36 (1438 views)

NL wild card race predictions?........ (Deleted by Administrator)

stl_triness

Sep 26, 06 9:18

Post #2 of 36 (1431 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [Martin C] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I'm going to the Cards game tomorrow night. It's not just the wild card race making me nervous anymore.

Martin C

Sep 26, 06 9:20

Post #3 of 36 (1429 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [stl_triness] (Deleted by Administrator) [In reply to]

stl_triness

Sep 26, 06 9:36

Post #4 of 36 (1421 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [Martin C] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Interesting theory. I would guess there is a HUGE difference about the 'type' of WC race there is. In a race where there are very good teams trying to out shine the other then I think there is a lot to that theory (Through clenched teeth, but like the Yanks and BoSox recently). But in the NL this year, where it seems like each team is trying to play worse than the next (with a few exxeptions) I think whoever the WC team is will face pretty quick elimination.

klehner

Sep 26, 06 9:49

Post #5 of 36 (1417 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [stl_triness] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

In Reply To:

I'm going to the Cards game tomorrow night. It's not just the wild card race making me nervous anymore.

Just because the Cardinals are playing San Diego and Milwaukee (5 game win streak), and Houston is playing Pittsburgh and Atlanta, you're worried?

Cardinals don't look so hot to make the playoffs at all.

As a Mets fan, I'm hoping that St. Louis does win the division, and anyone except Philly for the wild card. I don't want NY to have to face Howard, er, the Phillies, nor have a 5 game playoff with Oswalt/Clemens/Pettitt (although Clemens has not batted against the Mets since throwing Piazza's bat back at him). I'll take the Mets vs St. Louis, San Diego, or LA any time.

Of all the teams still in play, only the Cardinals have a tough remaining schedule. Pretty much all these teams play non-contenders from here in, so their fate is in their own hands.
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Of course, with your ears stuffed with outrage cotton balls, all you heard was, rahrahra, govt comes to get your guns, rhahrahrah, stamp out your FREEEEEDOM! - slowguy

tryemdad

Sep 26, 06 10:48

Post #6 of 36 (1406 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [klehner] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I'm with you Ken. The Phillies are the only NL team that scare me. Besides Howard, who's just a monster, they've got a lot of little annoying, get-under-your-skin guys like Rollins, Utley, Dellucci, Rowand, who always seem to take great pride in coming up big against the Mets. And that doesn't even include the biggest PITA, Burrell, who can't find his way to the AL soon enough for me. Thank goodness their bullpen stinks and their "big" three - Myers, Lieber, and Hamels, aren't exactly awe-inspiring.

And the Cards? Are they gonna win another game, or what? Carpenter's going tonight, right red boys? Maybe he'll stop the slide....

Dan DeMaio
---------------------------------------------------------
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein

klehner

Sep 26, 06 10:53

Post #7 of 36 (1404 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [tryemdad] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

On another note, I got email yesterday that I'd been picked in the lottery to buy Mets playoff tickets online. By the time I got through their continually crashing server trying to figure out what tickets were available (the first two NLDS games were sold out), the third game was sold out, too. Bummer. Maybe I'll get lucky again for the NLCS and have a better internet connection...
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Of course, with your ears stuffed with outrage cotton balls, all you heard was, rahrahra, govt comes to get your guns, rhahrahrah, stamp out your FREEEEEDOM! - slowguy

tryemdad

Sep 26, 06 11:01

Post #8 of 36 (1401 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [klehner] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

You just got the NLDS e-mail yesterday?? Those went out like a week ago. You really do need a better internet connection.

I never got any e-mail stating whether or not I won. Neither did my wife, whom I so graciously entered as well.

Tomorrow we get notified about NLCS tickets. Of course, there's no way I'll get in. I never win anything. I'm currently working on the streak for the most losses in the NYC marathon as well!!

Dan DeMaio
---------------------------------------------------------
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein

(This post was edited by tryemdad on Sep 26, 06 11:02)

klehner

Sep 26, 06 11:04

Post #9 of 36 (1397 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [tryemdad] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

In Reply To:

When I first got through yesterday, there were still some loge reserved and upper deck box seats left. I took too long trying to figure out if the LR seats would be decent, and the server seemed to die. Are you sure people were given the opportunity to get them last week? I know that's what the schedule said, but I got what I got when I got it, and there appeared to be seats left (for about half an hour).
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Of course, with your ears stuffed with outrage cotton balls, all you heard was, rahrahra, govt comes to get your guns, rhahrahrah, stamp out your FREEEEEDOM! - slowguy

tryemdad

Sep 26, 06 11:08

Post #10 of 36 (1391 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [klehner] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I'm sorry, I mis-typed: People were notified about the NLDS almost TWO WEEKS ago, on the 13th.

They must have picked an additional group of winners when the games didn't immediately sell-out, or something. But that seems kind of weird as well, as you would think they'd sell out pretty quickly.

Anyway, now I feel like a two-time loser. Thanks! :-)

Dan DeMaio
---------------------------------------------------------
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein

Martin C

Sep 26, 06 11:38

Post #11 of 36 (1381 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [tryemdad] (Deleted by Administrator) [In reply to]

tryemdad

Sep 26, 06 11:57

Post #12 of 36 (1376 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [Martin C] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

All you need now is Dontrelle, Beckett,and (the old) Pavano and you're all set!!

Dan DeMaio
---------------------------------------------------------
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein

TripleThreat

Sep 26, 06 15:03

Post #13 of 36 (1365 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [klehner] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Cardinals don't look so hot to make the playoffs at all.

We lose Isringhausen for the season, and then the bullpen blows save opportunities on 3 consecutive nights. Unreal.

The bullpen is a real concern. We have phenom Adam Wainwright sitting around doing very little. The "smart opinion" is you don't want a rookie being the closer, you want a seasoned veteran.

My thinking is you put the talent where it's needed. 3 "veterans" have blown saves on 3 consecutive nights.

If I'm gonna lose ... I'm gonna lose with my best talent on the field, not being "saved for something later".
=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

TripleThreat

Sep 26, 06 15:06

Post #14 of 36 (1365 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [tryemdad] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

The Phillies are the only NL team that scare me.

I don't think their pitching is playoff scary. The dodgers however, run Maddux, Penny, and Lowe at you. There is potential for a team to get swept and not score a single run. That's likely far-fetched, but to beat the Dodgers in big games, you're gonna likely need to hold them to 4 or fewer runs a game.

IMO, the Phillies offense strikes out too often to sustain high scores over a series. Howard is outstanding, but won't see a strike unless he has to. I don't think the other guys, outside of Utley, are consistently effect enough to do major damage.

Are they gonna win another game, or what?

Man, I sure hope so. Starting pitching has been coming around (sort of). If we can find someone to close out the game, we'll be so-so.

I also hope so b/c we're on the list for Cardinals playoff tickets.
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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

(This post was edited by TripleThreat on Sep 26, 06 15:09)

TripleThreat

Sep 27, 06 20:17

Post #15 of 36 (1345 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [TripleThreat] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Pujols may have stepped ahead in the MVP race with his late-game, season-saving (?) heroics. 3-run homer, down by 2 .... we've seen a lot of that from him.

This stat, IMO, is just amazing, Howard has 58 homers and 177 strikeouts. Pujols has 47 homers and 50 STRIKEOUTS.

Has there ever been a power hitter whose strikeout total was sooooo close to his home run total?

Hey, check this out ... after a "veteran" reliever threw a wild pitch blowing a save opportunity in the b8th in the Cardinal game, rookie Wainwright came in to close the game and end the 7-game losing streak. It's no secret that LaRussa doesn't like to play rookies ... he wasn't that happy when they called up Pujols to replace an injured Bonilla at 3rd ... but after a while, in high stakes games, don't you have to put your best talent on the field?

The Phillies-Washington game is classic Philly. They keep showing this poor tormented Philly fan. His night seems to a microcosm of what being a Philly fan is all about. I understand why they boo so much.
=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

(This post was edited by TripleThreat on Sep 27, 06 20:18)

Hookem

Sep 28, 06 13:39

Post #16 of 36 (1328 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [TripleThreat] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

This stat, IMO, is just amazing, Howard has 58 homers and 177 strikeouts. Pujols has 47 homers and 50 STRIKEOUTS.

Has there ever been a power hitter whose strikeout total was sooooo close to his home run total?

Yes...Barry "BALCO" BONDS. I think he may have had a season that he struck out less than his homerun total. I'm not a stat rat, but seems like I remember reading that. Clearly God isn't an Astros fan. It's raining out our early Pittsburg day game, that should have been an easy sweep before heading down to Atlanta to play the currently INSANE Braves. Didn't they just score 30 runs on the Mets in a series? That is a little worrisome. Good luck to St. Louis in the wildcard...The Astros are rolling again. How about this little rotation...Oswalt, Clemens, Petitte, and we finally gave up on the old guard and brought up our 28 year old rookies that have been rotting in the minors waiting for Bagwell and Biggio to retire or die. I think Biggio will die first, and Bagwell was forced to leave kicking, screaming and crippled.

klehner

Sep 28, 06 14:06

Post #17 of 36 (1321 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [Hookem] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

In Reply To:

Bonds: HR/SO

2002: 46/47*

2003: 45/58*

2004: 45/41*

*any Bonds statistic should, by definition, have an asterisk next to it.
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Of course, with your ears stuffed with outrage cotton balls, all you heard was, rahrahra, govt comes to get your guns, rhahrahrah, stamp out your FREEEEEDOM! - slowguy

TripleThreat

Sep 28, 06 16:34

Post #18 of 36 (1311 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [klehner] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Good call, Hookem and Ken.

Hitting the ball that hard while making such consistent contact is just stunning. I'll go so far as to say it's stunning regardless if it's drug-aided or not. Lots of guys used PED's without having a HR:K ratio like that ... but, I do agree about the asterisk.
=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

Bluefan75

Sep 29, 06 5:01

Post #19 of 36 (1294 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [TripleThreat] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Hookem

Sep 29, 06 13:17

Post #20 of 36 (1278 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [Bluefan75] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Wow. A non-believer. The Astros learned from the Rockets of the 90's. Do the absolute minimum necessary to make it to the dance, arrive as injury free and rested as possible and then play every game like it's your last! The Astros were just Taperring at the beginning of the season Bluefan, come on...get on the wagon. I'll send you a rainbow Cesar Cedeno jersey, possibly the best Athlete to ever wear an astros uni.

TripleThreat

Sep 29, 06 16:22

Post #21 of 36 (1270 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [Bluefan75] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

OK for the last time....the drugs may let you hit the ball a little further, but evven if he wasn't on steroids, his big flys don't all of a sudden go from hitting McOvey's Cove to landing in the glove. You still have to hit the ball just right for it to go a long way. OK rant over...lol....

Are you responsind to me, b/c I said, "Hitting the ball that hard while making such consistent contact is just stunning. I'll go so far as to say it's stunning regardless if it's drug-aided or not."

Your are not totally correct, though. here's why.

1. Steroids improve strength. Strength leads to greater bat speed. Obviously, faster bat speed allows one to make contact with pitches they might not be able to catch up with otherwise. Faster bat speed also allows one to stand further in the box, getting a longer look at pitches, making it easier to read pitches, so you get fooled less.

2. Growth Hormone has also been shown to improve vision. IMO< nothing is more important for a hitter than excellent vision.

ACtually though, here is what I don't get. Hank Aaron was lauded for his consistency...never hit 50 but was good for 40 every year. Bonds has had one season of 50, walked a zillion times, yet he couldn't have done anything without steroids. Man I needed to take steroids when I played. Shrink my strike zone like that.

Again, I'm not following. Bonds was a 3-time MVP before he even went to SF. He was a Hall of Famer before McGwire's success pissed off Bonds enough to start using himself (according to the book, anyway). I don't think you're responding to me.

Bonds' power numbers went WAAAAAY up as he got older. That just doesn't happen. That's what people refer to.

Seriously though, TT, you need to suit up for those Redbirds.

I'm not watching Cardinal games anymore. After this weekend I'm going to call my dad and see if we're going to St. Louis for the playoff games, or if we're out. Then, I'm moving on with life. =) They're killing me. Since, my dad doesn't undertsnad that Redbird baseball is just a sport and not life/death, I shold call him and make sure he's not still in the bathtub with his arms wrapped around a plugged in radio.

If I see the mother f98kin' Houston Astros playing after Sunday....they go 1-17 on the road last year to start the season, play some good baseball and get that free pass known as the wild card, win a couple games....I do not want to hear about Clemens, or ScrapIron or any of that "good, consistent, year in year out " ballclub crap that is bound to be spewed.

I've seen this movie before. It ends with the Astros getting swept in the world series. Those damn Astros. What is it about April and May that's like kryptonite to them? Lance Berkman. (<-- Screw him).

Please just win a god-d&^mned game!!!

Dude, we're trying. Edmonds is out. Mulder is out. Marquis is a douchebag. Suppan is talent-limited, and well ... carpenter doesn't pitch till sunday ... which may be a day late. For the Love of Willie McGee, John Tudor, and Tom Lawless ... hold off the Colt 45's.
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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

TripleThreat

Sep 29, 06 16:26

Post #22 of 36 (1269 views)

Re: How about that NL wild card race?..... [Hookem] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

I'll send you a rainbow Cesar Cedeno jersey, possibly the best Athlete to ever wear an astros uni.

I was a big fan of #25. My 3rd grade school picture features me in a Jose Cruz jersey. What can I say? I was left-handed and I REALLY liked his stance.

=======================
-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

(This post was edited by TripleThreat on Sep 29, 06 16:29)

tryemdad

Sep 30, 06 5:25

Post #23 of 36 (1260 views)

Re: NL wild card race predictions?........ [Martin C] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

Not WC related I know, but now that the Yankees are back at full-strength...

Last night their #9 guy in the line-up is hitting .342.

.342!!!!

This was who they trotted out there:

Damon

Jeter

Abreu

Rodriguez

Giambi

Sheffield

Matsui

Posada

Cano

There's not an out in that line-up. Except for maybe Posada, who just loves getting big October hits. There's just no way to pitch to this team.

Dan DeMaio
---------------------------------------------------------
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein

Martin C

Sep 30, 06 9:53

Post #24 of 36 (1256 views)

Re: NL wild card race predictions?........ [tryemdad] (Deleted by Administrator) [In reply to]

TripleThreat

Sep 30, 06 10:57

Post #25 of 36 (1253 views)

Re: NL wild card race predictions?........ [tryemdad] [In reply to]	Quote \| Reply

There's a serious discussion going around that this years Yankee line-up may be the greatest all-around line up that baseball has ever seen.
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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

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