Ortiz

[mdogt12]

^Let's Hope

[harbo]

....
Rent a white horse for Ortiz to ride off on into the outfield garage door after winning world series MVP to the crowd of 35000+ singing Sweeeeet Paaapi , good times never seemed so good.....

Cahoona would want the horse tested for bute.

[mdogt12]

Game finally postponed till tomorrow 6PM

[Floyd]

Well, that certainly sucked
Again, it's all about starting pitching in the post season

[InnervisionsUMASS]

Shit happens. We move on.

[Swampy]

Wondering if it was better to be a Yankee fan and miss the playoffs or a Sox fan and lose in the first round?

I think getting broomed in the first round probably hurts worse.

[LS71]

^ As a Yankes fan I never expected the post season this year.

So I'll choose B. Sox fan and lose in the first round.

They just got hot two weeks early.

Mike Francesa has been talking about how much Francona wanted this one. Judging by the way he celebrated on the field after the game, it appear that this was certainly the case.

Interesting to me is that the four game sweep at Fenway essentially knocked the Yankees out of the running but the Yankees three game sweep in the Bronx took the wind out of Boston's sails as the post season approached by costing them home field against Cleveland.

Oh well...c u next next year!

[InnervisionsUMASS]

^

Yes, losing 5 out of your last 6 didn't help. I felt the mailed it in once the AL East Championship was imminent. You take one more of those (maybe 2, I can't remember the tiebreaker crap) and Game 1 and 2 are at home where Porcello has been untouchable and Price has a much better chance.

It's also why I hate when players announce they are retiring before the season. This victory lap crap sucks and for players of Ortiz's stature, it's a big distraction.

[MJatUM]

^ The final home stand where they did a pregame ceremony for THREE games in a row is an absolute joke. The PR people at the Red Sox are the worst and pretty much every ceremony is eye-roll worthy. Can't wait for the random April game they pick to retire Ortiz's number. Get there an hour before first pitch so you can see all the guys they trot out (again).

[Floyd]

One thing that I noticed that they got away from in this series was their aggressiveness at the plate. All year long they swung a lot on first pitch strikes and this series it seemed like they all took first pitch strikes. Totally got away from what got them there.

I also was not a big fan of the lineup changes that dropped Mookie to 3rd and put Pedroia leadoff and dropped Xander down. Again, don't try to fix what's not broke, they were the highest run producing team in MLB.

[kdogg8173]

I agree on the lineup changes. Made zero sense. Cleveland also had them figured out too. Throw Leon pitches in the dirt, outside breaking balls to Xander, and high fastballs to JBJ. Those guys can't lay off of them.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

The lineup changes have always been baffling. JBJ goes on an almost 30 game hit streak down at the bottom or the order and inexplicably JF moves him up in the lineup. The guys are creatures of habit, you do not change someone's lineup spot when they are in a hitting streak like that. Just one (major) example, obviously.

[Floyd]

Yeah, the Mookie, Pedroia, Xander, Ortiz, Hanley 1-5 was money. I thought moving Mookie down to 3 made him look to drive the ball every at bat and become a power hitter, not his game. Pedroia was good in the leadoff spot but he's a classic #2 hitter and gave Mookie opportunities to run much more than an older Pedroia would do leading off.
Totally agree with the JBJ comment made by IV, he was great down at the bottom of the order. That's why teams slot guys and when there's a sub, they take their slot. Sub guys with similar tendencies to keep continuity. Again why tinker with what's working perfectly fine. And don't even start with putting one of your better starting pitchers in to pinch run when he's NEVER scored a run in his professional career

[Cahoonaville]

John Farrell quote......


"Every game that David starts,'' said Farrell, "I'm always touching base with him to see how he's feeling. The heels and the feet, those are real situations that he's managing. He's putting forth every effort with the training staff to get him ready, to keep him on the field.

"We also monitor the number of times he's on base and particularly the doubles. The number of doubles he's hit this year, he's probably 40 percent higher than last year. When he hits the ball out of the ballpark, he's going to jog. (Single), he's probably going to go easy. Home to second, or first to third, that's where it really starts to pile up on him.''

We all will miss this athletic machine indeed.......

[InnervisionsUMASS]

Wah Wah Wah.

I wonder how Nolan Ryan was so good at 40+. Must have been steroids.