elsrbueno

Element, I have a small request. I think it's a great thread to have dedicated to the entire playoff picture, but instead of making a new post every day with the updated "standings," could you simply edit the first one? That way it's easier to find the up-to-date results. Thanks

This is HILARIOUS to me... that all of a sudden Lidge is the best closer in the NL because he's had 1 good half season after taking over for Dotel. Gagne's better, and I'd even trust John Smoltz over Lidge in a key situation. Gagne, Rivera, Smoltz have TRACK RECORDS. Lidge has nothing. Better, more experienced pitchers have fallen apart in playoff situations... Not so fast, yankeessuck013/ESPN.

I'm backing up Zenny, Yeszir, ahhchon, and sarasoxfan on this one, and as I've said before... There is no curse. The Red Sox haven't won a World Series in 86 years because they've been outplayed. Last year was a perfect example: Pedro was obviously not at the top of his game, he gave up a rally to a very strong Yankee lineup, and Wakefield (who gives up a lot of homeruns) gave up a homer to a quality hitter. I hate when Red Sox losses are blamed on "The Curse." Yes, the Red Sox made a bad decision selling Ruth to the Yankees. Guess what, they also passed on Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson too. They didn't build championship teams, other teams did. Oakland tanked it this year. Did anyone blame "The Curse of Miguel Tejada?" Guess what, Oakland has tanked it in the playoffs EVERY year. (recently) Houston's never gotten past the first round. Atlanta has been considered by many a favorite to win the World Series EVERY season since 92. How many have they won? 1. Is there a "Curse of Hank Aaron?" NO! John Schurholtz has done a fantastic job of building teams that win over the course of a 162 game season. His teams, however, simply don't win in October. The Braves suffered from what I like to call, "The curse of a bad bullpen," or "The curse of no reliable bench players," or even "The curse of a far far too left-handed lineup." Teams win or lose based on the plays on the field. The Red Sox have been beaten because they were outplayed. Bad Luck? Sure. Curse? Hell no. I hate the Boston Media. They've made something out of nothing here, because they've got too much time on their hands. So please, Red Sox fans, don't dump any more time, money, or energy worrying about a fat, alcoholic, womenizing baseball player who died before many of us were even born. Focus on the players playing on the field right now, and support your team!

I certainly understand your perspective, RedSoxRooter, considering Lowe did very little to help himself (and this team) down the stretch.... I just hope he makes up for it in October...

I have to agree with RedSoxRooter here. The anticipation is enough to make a person go crazy! At least I was able to eat lunch.... The Red Sox announced their official roster. Notes: Leskanic edges out Williamson and Mendoza. Youkilis claims the 15th positional player spot.

Hey guys, I've said all I will say about this series.... Here's Bill Simmons' (from ESPN) take on it: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...=simmons/041005 Here's another ESPN article worth reading. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2004...yson&id=1895320 Enjoy!

I've got a ton of confidence in Schilling. He'll give a great effort tonight. It's up to the offense to give him a lead, and the bullpen to hold that lead (assuming the offense gives it to him).

Mine: ALDS: Red Sox over Angels -- I honestly believe they'll do it. This is an unbiased opinion. Yankees over Twins -- Minnesota has little after Santana. He may win 2 games, but I don't know if the Twins can take the other games. NLDS: Astros over Braves -- I read yesterday that no team from Texas has ever won a postseason series. It seems like in the past Houston always faced superior Braves teams, and the Rangers got the Yankees (in their prime). If Houston loses this series, it will be an upset. St. Louis over Los Angeles -- St. Louis has got potentially the best offense in the game, and a decent pitching staff to boot. Both are strong teams... But I've got to go with STL. ALCS: Boston over New York -- I have to say this, because we have a superior team.... but I have a sinking feeling we're headed for another dissapointment. NLCS: Houston over St. Louis -- I'm going with the popular choice here, because Houston can ride Clemens/Oswalt to a victory here. World Series: Houston over Boston -- Houston's got two aces, and they're on a mission. Plus, who am I to PREDICT that the Red Sox FINALLY win after 86 years?

I'm excited and worried. The Red Sox could easily go up 2-0 in this series, but just as easily be down 0-2. The key to this series will be starting pitching. I believe that whichever team gets better starting pitching will win it. Washburn, Colon, and Escobar are all capable of dominating in any given game. The good news is, so are Schilling, Pedro, and Arroyo. I worry about Eckstein, Figgins, Guerrero, etc. I feel good about Schilling, Martinez, Cabrera, etc. Both of these teams are going to fight. I'd wouldn't be surprised to see it go 5 games.

I have to agree that I like the 4pm EST game times better than 10pm EST. Anyway, it's going to be a tough series. Washburn has dominated us in the past. We've got to believe that Schilling and Pedro can carry us in this series, because Anaheim has finished the year on a hot streak!

I have to agree with shillingouttheks here. I have a TON of respect for Joe Torre. Most managers get eaten alive in New York, just look at previous Yankee managers, and Mets managers. Torre's job is not easy... he just makes it look that way. Yes, he manages the wrong team, but he does it VERY well. In the spirit of this thread: I hate that Torre manages the Yankees.

This is Pedro making everyone aware that he "wants" to resign, so if he doesn't, he's not the bad guy. This puts a lot of pressure on Red Sox manageent, because they'll take the fall if he doesn't resign.... and they'll look even worse if he signs with the Yankees. I hope that Pedro resigns. He may not be the #1, but he's still one of the best in the game.

I think as Red Sox fans we feel the Cubs' fans pain right now. Being oh so close to the playoffs again, with a good team, being up in the standings late just to fall hard when the fans needed them most.... I feel sorry for Cubs fans. On the other hand... I'm glad we're not feeling the same pain.... This year was not the year for the Cubs...

Vlad, because Manny and Sheff had quality supporting casts, and I think the Red Sox/Yankees would still be in contention without them. Santana's been awesome, but I don't believe pitchers should win the MVP. That's what the Cy Young is for (and Santana wins that hands down). A guy who only appears in 30 out of 162 games shouldn't (IMHO) even be considered for MVP. Guerrero, on the other hand, has carried this team and has been the most valuable to his TEAM compared to the other players. Plus, Guerrero's just a better all-around player than the other options. Vladimir Guerrero-- No contest

Like Schillingouttheks already said, if Minnesota wins this series, it's an upset. Plain and simple. The Yankees have the clear advantage in this series.

I agree. his incredible on base skills + speed + defense + arm make him much more valuable than Bonds.

Yes, congrats Ichiro! I was only posting the Yankees stuff, well, because I hate them... and it was nice to see them lose. Plus, they were counting on El Duque who got hit hard by Toronto.

Yankee update: El Duque knocked out of the game. 5-0 Toronto.

Wake sounds decent so far. Lopez is fairly dominant again.

I hope Wake does well. I'll be listening to the game (as usual). This part of the year is fun. We can listen to the game without stressing about who wins!

I voted Oakland in this poll, because the Red Sox have played very well against them in the past. All teams scare me for different reasons, but we've proven that we can hit the big 3, shut down their offense, and they have the weakest bullpen of the three teams. I believe (I have to) that the Red Sox can beat any of these teams in a short series. If I had my preference, I'd choose Oakland.

Anaheim's pesky, Oakland's got the big 3, and Minnesota's got Santana and nothing to lose (they get no love in the media).

I voted for the Angels, and here's why: Their pitching isn't as strong overall, but I can see them edging out Oakland in all 3 of these matchups. Mulder, Zito, and Hudson (while they've been the core of Oakland's team since 2000) have not pitched well in September. Colon, Escobar, and Washburn all have a chance dominate Oakland's lineup, and Anaheim has the obvious advantage in the lineup and bullpen (IMHO).

It comes down to 3 games. Best 2 out of 3 for these clubs. Here's the matchups: Friday: Bartolo Colon vs Mark Mulder Saturday: Kelvim Escobar vs. Barry Zito Sunday: Jarrod Washburn vs. Tim Hudson

I agree with Zenny here. Williamson's the best pitcher of the group. Unless he can't throw back to back, I'd take him. I like Mendoza because he's been there before. We know he won't crack under the pressure. Like the other 2... he's had health problems too. I like Leskanic because he's got good stuff, he just has struggled to harness that stuff (and he's got questionable health too). my rankings: 1. Williamson 2. Mendoza 3. Leskanic