jung

Just been sitting in on a Yanks board to see what is happening. Pretty funny...it is so much like our game threads...complaining about ump calls....complaining that the announcers are not complaining about ump calls (one thing we don't do)....complaining about how lucky the O's are. They really do know their Yankee team very well though....and very realistic about their performance...again pretty much like we are about the Sox. Really riding AROD for his usual post season fail-a-thon.

Should be interesting to see what Swisher gets. He might want Werth money but Werth was supposed to hit more HR's than he has hit and the potential for HR's is what boosted Werth's money IMO. Napoli might provide the best value for the Sox as far as a guy that can fit here....maybe split time with Gomez and see where Gomez goes as well as splitting time with somebody behind the plate. Laroche could be interesting.

And yet another error produces runs in the Nats-Cards game. Thought that was an interesting perspective on the throw from right field trying to cut off the run scoring from 2nd base. As it turned out the Cards really had no shot at the runner at home although you would have thought they did. I could not tell if the throw overthrew the cutoff man or not. Could have gotten the hitter going to 2nd cold. 1st base coach did not hesitate to send him to second. That is the usual play for the hitter anyway. Cards just didn't get the last out of the inning out of that play. Did not hurt them further as they did get out of the inning without further damage.

And another WP.....and run scored...this in the Nats-Cards game. Gio is going to be nicknamed Shotgun Gonzalez at this rate. Ball is all over the place. Six days rest is a bit over the top for any pitcher though. Here Gio, hang out for six days and then go into a playoff series.

This is also why I commented earlier that I would prefer the two games at home followed by three away. A's now have no room for error and must win three straight in Oakland.

More WP's...more runs...seemed to me that we saw a number of WP/PB's this season. Catchers seemingly not doing enough to keep the ball in front of them a trend of some sort. Geez get in front of it, especially with runs on the line.

Man the number of big errors in these post season games is just out of control so far. These are plays these guys have got to make. Coco's error here in the 2nd A's/Tigers game with 2 outs costs two runs late in a low scoring game. A's still in the game but that just can't happen. Disappointing since you would like to see these games decided clean and we have not had much of that so far. A's come back to at least tie on Cespedes stealing two bases and a WP. Reddick goes yard to give the A's the lead again. Press Reset button. Coco ....happiest man in ballpark.

I suspect Nava will end up being a throw in on some sort of deal in the offseason. Have to expect some number of deals. Either way it can't matter much.

That is a surprise. Seems to me that Tito's major talents lend themselves to a big market team somewhere. Maybe Tito is just done with that.

The Don and Jerry show is pretty special. They are great together. Don probably feels compelled to a much more matter of fact approach to play by play.

Boy when Verlander has it going like this he is very tough. Has you swinging at high heat you can't catch up to. Once he has your eyes elevated he gets you with pitches around the knees that you just think can't be strikes cause you swung at the high heat. Good luck!

Agreed that is a late start 13. This must be some sensitivity to College Football although you would not think so. I don't think there are many fans that would be much conflicted about one or the other. Even fans that like both probably would prefer one over the other enough to not make that much of a dif.

Holy Cow...hell of a defensive play at SS.

Reds Giants game follows this game...obviously also televised.

I guess you can credit the FO for providing whatever input resulted in De La Rosa and Webster coming the Sox way. Realistically the deal was conceived by the Dodgers for reasons that have much more to do with PR than anything else...frankly in this case the Dodgers played the role that the Sox typically play, with guys outside of Dodgers Baseball Operations deciding they needed to make this trade as a means of building fan support. Insert the words "maintaining fan support" where I put "building fan support" and the similarities between the role the Sox usually play and the role the Dodgers played are unmistakable. In fact Henry zinged them three times...first by rejecting any overtures until the Dodgers said the magic word "CRAWFORD", second taking the Dodgers down from their initial negotiating position (Sox covering $75M in salary) to their final deal numbers (Sox covering $12M in salary) and third in getting far better prospects than we could have hoped for considering the Dodgers had been moved so far on the Sox salary commitment. Henry handled the major financial commitment pieces personally and moved particular Sox Management and FO personnel including BC around the chess board until the deal was completed. But you have to think that the intelligence that went into De La Rosa and Webster came from Sox Baseball Operations. The insistence on De La Rosa and Webster was Henry's call and Henry's play.

I guess you can credit the FO for providing whatever input resulted in De La Rosa and Webster coming the Sox way. Realistically the deal was conceived by the Dodgers for reasons that have much more to do with PR than anything else...frankly in this case the Dodgers played the role that the Sox typically play, with guys outside of Dodgers Baseball Operations deciding they needed to make this trade as a means of building fan support. Insert the words "maintaining fan support" where I put "building fan support" and the similarities between the role the Sox usually play and the role the Dodgers played are unmistakable. In fact Henry zinged them three times...first by rejecting any overtures until the Dodgers said the magic word "CRAWFORD", second taking the Dodgers down from their initial negotiating position (Sox covering $75M in salary) to their final deal numbers (Sox covering $12M in salary) and third in getting far better prospects than we could have hoped for considering the Dodgers had been moved so far on the Sox salary commitment. Henry handled the major financial commitment pieces personally and moved particular Sox Management and FO personnel including BC around the chess board until the deal was completed. But you have to think that the intelligence that went into De La Rosa and Webster came from Sox Baseball Operations. The insistence on De La Rosa and Webster was Henry's call and Henry's play.

That was about as bad a pitch from Parker that I could have expected...flat...did nothing...right down main street....if any of the big boppers had been up that thing would have been in orbit.

Moss at the plate with Reddick on deck...I could just scream! Just noticed that Oakland and Detroit are also wearing caps that have that "Post Season" legend. Did not think they would take this effort to add credibility to that silly one game play-in thing this far. I have to think they will have a different logo and legend for the league championship series.

Really funny post SFF. What are ya' gonna' do. Even the biggest pessimists we had can't claim to have been as far down on the lose-o-graph as they needed to be to have pegged this sack of ugly right.

I can see Nava as a backup someplace including here. Remember I said backup not platoon. The likelihood is without doubt greater that he would stick in that role with a perennial lower rung team but the idea that he would ride pine here as a replacement it not totally whacky. Here would have been more likely if they had kept Reddick cause Kalish is not a power hitter and won't be even with a healthy shoulder. Need more power from THIS outfield. Not a reflection on Nava...just the way it is.

Yea but if the home opening is won by the home team the pressure is on the visitor to win the next or go home with no margin for error. I take that deal if I am the lower ranked team in a minute.

I Don't think home field is that big a deal either. However if the opening home team wins two at home, then the opponent is left with no margin for error. MUST win all three games on their home turf. That is a tall order. So is winning two in a row regardless of where they are played. If it were me, I would take Selig's screwed up deal for this year as the lower ranked team instead of 2/2/1, I start away. If I were the lower ranked team I would be happy with two at home and three on the road. If I win the first game, I really have the opponent under pressure to win the second. If not they face the scenario I presented above...must win three straight games on their home turf.

Ah yes...the second half of Uncle Buds ******** 2012 post season "system". 2/3 for everybody...outstanding Uncle Bud. All for about $44M spread over 30 teams. Nice work Bud. You are a standout commissioner now only because the other three major pro sports commissioners have failed on a scale that defies imagination.

Ah yes...the second half of Uncle Buds ******** 2012 post season "system". 2/3 for everybody...outstanding Uncle Bud. All for about $44M spread over 30 teams. Nice work Bud. You are a standout commissioner now only because the other three major pro sports commissioners have failed on a scale that defies imagination.

Oakland may be a very scary post season team. If that rotation gets hot, they could knock anybody out of the post season holding the opponent scoreless for crazy innings totals. Plus if recent results are any indication they could well score enough runs to beat anybody. They can win in that ballpark of theirs which is not easy. No team they will face in the post season will enjoy playing there...particularly teams like the Yankees. Yet Oakland also has a very good road record. I could easily see Oakland stoning the Yanks assuming they get past Detroit and the Yanks get past the O's.