Fastball Fans

I’m going to attempt to do an team preview for each of the teams in baseball, or just do a run of each division. I have not decided yet, but today I’m going to start off with the Baltimore Orioles. The article is a little lengthy, as I wrote it for my own personal blog, but I hope you enjoy it.

As we are less than a month away from spring training, the Orioles have been beaten up in the media not their losing way over the last nine years, but the perception that the front office is inept. Even though the team didn’t make too many waves in terms of a “sexy�? big name signing, or getting a marquee player, the Oriole have improved, but perhaps not enough to contend for a wild card spot.

Considering we are less than two and a half months from opening day, the anticipation of baseball not only here in Maryland, but around the nation is growing. For most fans of the Orioles, the season may bring renewed optimism, but hopefully by July the team will still be in the hunt and perhaps impact as well as be a player in many of the races in the Americans League.

However, once again, the Baltimore Orioles may perhaps be relegated to 4th place again and looking up in the standings to their usual foes the Yankees and Red Sox at the top of the division, and the Blue Jays in third.

It has nevertheless been an interesting off season, not only for the Orioles, but for all of baseball. First off, we remade our bullpen, which was sort of an Achilles heel throughout the 2006 season. Second, we tried to get an impact bat and failed because of the market, but we were able to get Aubrey Huff, a versatile player has had some success in the past. Third, we tried to get a frontline starter, but did not for the same reasons we didn’t get an impact bat – money in comparison to the talent and the length of contracts of out in the market.

Read more here…

They won tonight to claim a 4-1 World Series victory over the Detroit Tigers. They didn’t earn it; the Tigers gave it to them with their pathetically poor play.

I was rooting for the Tigers simply because I felt they deserved to win and would because they were the better team for the postseason. But no, they didn’t even come close to winning the series.

The postseason used to be the two best teams in baseball playing each other to claim supremacy as the World Series champion. What is it now? Teams with inferior records in relation to other teams in their league scooting by on errors and luck to claim victory and the World Series trophy.

The current postseason structure allows more teams a shot at a World Series trophy, but do they deserve that shot?

I suppose it is all in your definition of the “best” team. Whether best constitutes having the best record over 162 games, or the best record in three post season series. I define best as the best record over the 162 game season. The team that can claim to have done that has proved themselves as a strong team that can overcome the many difficulties associated with such a long and rigorous schedule/season.

But my definition apparently doesn’t count, and so the Cardinals are the World Series champions.

Congratulation to all you Cardinal fans out there. Take pride in the fact that the Tigers gave you a trophy that you shouldn’t even have been eligible to win.

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This is getting ridiculous. I mentioned the Detroit pitching errors in a previous entry, but guess what… they got another one!

There were so many bad/weird plays going against Detroit that it seems as though the Cardinal have to win this Series for some divine reason. I mean… wild pitches, balls thrown behind the third baseman, balls thrown over the first basemen, outfielders falling down, balls bouncing off the tip of a glove on a diving outfielder; madness!

Now the Cardinals are up to a 3-1 Series lead, which means if Detroit actually decides they want to play like a team… a good one, they need to win the next three in a row. They certainly are capable of doing it, but not if they don’t step up their play and cut down on their errors.

How can a team that won three straight against the Yankees in the playoffs be playing so poorly against the Cardinals? Now, the Cardinals are a good team and all, but they are no Yankees, and they aren’t a team that Detroit should be down 3-1 against.

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I can understand the Cardinals not wanting to get swept in the World Series, but they are taking this a little too far. They lead 2-1 now!

I want to complain about all the Detroit pitching problems that lead to most of the Cardinal runs (a wild pitch = 1 run, errant throw to third = 2 runs), but even without those three runs they still would have been shut out.

I thought the long rest would help Detroit, but apparently I was wrong seeing as how all of their starters that had long rests are giving up runs. Then again, the offense hasn’t been there either.

Kenny pitched a great Game 2 after he was found with some brown “junk” on his hand in the first inning. Maybe the other Detroit pitchers should follow his lead and pray they can pitch shutouts as well. With the way the Detroit offense was last night, they will need them.

Detroit better get to work if they want to make me a happy person!

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Kenny Rogers was showing so much emotion on and off the mound during last night’s game that I’m sure all the camera men who would have to track him down for an interview after the game were praying that he won. No camera man wants to deal with an angry Kenny Rogers; we have already seen what that leads to last season. =)

So, the series is tied thanks to Kenny who added quite a few more scoreless innings to his postseason list for this year. He left the game at 3-0 and then watched as the bullpen gave up a single run before securing the Tigers’ win.

The series is now tied at 1-1. Both teams have a day to rest up today while they travel to St. Louis for three before going back to Detroit for the last two games of the series (if necessary).

Tigers in 6!

MLB, Baseball, Major League Baseball, Kenny Rogers, Detroit Tigers, Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, Cardinals, Postseason, World Series Game 2, Game 2, World Series

Well they did it again! The St. Louis Cardinals managed to pull out another win.

They are no off to a 1-0 start in the World Series over the Detroit Tigers.

I did not foresee them winning this, and am now pushing back my prediction (yes, I am allowed to change it now because my first prediction is already shot) to Detroit winning in 6 instead of 5.

I am counting on Kenny to pull out two strong starts, both in game 2 and 6 as well as the rest of the Tiger team contributing to help my new prediction come through.

It is bad enough that I picked the Mets to make the Series, and if the team I picked to WIN the Series doesn’t come through… then I am just awful at this prediction business and should really stop. =(

Let’s hope that isn’t the case; unless of course you are a Cardinals fan. In which case, I hope you watch your team lose in 6 games. =)

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My World Series predictions were foiled mere minutes ago when Carlos Beltran failed to garner a hit in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases full of Mets.

My Mets vs. Detroit prediction has died.

The Cardinals… =(

The only solace I can take out of this is that the team who destroyed my Braves’ division title run will have no shot at getting a World Series trophy (I had predicted them to lose in five games to Detroit).

I still predict Detroit to win, and I will stick with five games for the hell of it, though it just might go to six.

I still can’t believe they lost… THEY HAD IT!

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The Mets kept a 4-0 lead into the ninth before they gave up 2 runs. They were able to stop the Cardinals rally at 2 and claimed a 4-2 victory in 9 innings at Shea Stadium.

The winner of game seven will move on to play the Tigers who have been resting since claiming their spot in the World Series by defeating the Yankees.

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: Detroit vs. New York in the WS!

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I doth believe the Cardinals got beat rather harshly today. Which, if I might add, means that the series is tied 2-2. Which ALSO means that my prediction for the World Series is looking rather nice (in my eyes anyway).

Alright, I need to go hunt up the last few companies for my whole “Trick or Cleat?�? campaign, which I will try my best to post up tomorrow.

Night, all!

Cardinals, St. Louis Cardinals, Mets, New York Mets, Playoffs, World Series

It is 1:40am, so I am going to keep this one brief because I need some sleep. I left the game when it was 5-0 because I had things that had to be done, and came back to see that the Mets didn’t come back and make me happy. No worries though, they will still take the series. Just you wait and see!

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Welcome to the World Series Detroit Tigers!

They tied it up with a HR at 3-3 earlier in the night, and won with a HR in the ninth. Four game sweep of the ALCS to get their spot in the WS.

Part one of my World Series prediction couplet has fallen into place. Now the Mets need to rally in their game which I am watching as I type this (well… it is a Taco Bell commercial at the moment), and take their series for the other half to work out right.

The Mets are only down by 2 and it is still the second inning, so I still have my hopes.

Congrats to all the Detroit fans! Destiny! =)

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Well, this certainly puts a slight damper on my prediction for who advances, albeit a small one.  I can’t say I expected Carpenter to lose his start, he was, after all, the Cy Young winner last year. I still see the Mets taking the series and advancing to the World Series. It will take three more loses to change my mind on that one. =) 

And to think, I was all hyped to write a post stating how the Cardinals had no shot after their ace lost his start. They were down and being shutout for a while in this one, but it didn’t hold up. Scott Spiezio proved enough to jump start the Cards with his two run triple. They went on to tie it up at 6-6 before scoring multiple times in the ninth while the Mets left the runs unanswered. Trachsel vs. Suppan in game 3. I have to give this one to Traschel. 

Get ready for that Detroit vs. New York series everyone!

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Well… as I type this they still need to get two outs without giving up 3 or more runs for the title to be right… make that one out.  The Tigers are (there was the third out… quick work) on a roll, having won six straight postseason games. They have essentially guaranteed themselves a World Series berth.  

Pitching has been a common theme for the winners the past few days… Glavine yesterday and Rogers today. Now, I should probably wait until at least after the game tonight to enter my prediction for the World Series, but… I certainly don’t think it would be a stretch to say that the Tigers will be in it.  

Their NL counterpart, in my opinion, will be the Mets. I say this because of how the Mets have played all season, which is spectacular. When I think of the Cardinals I think of how they faltered at the end of the season, which is far from the way a team hopes to enter the postseason. The fact that I saw the Mets sweep my Braves from a scorching hot seat at Turner Field earlier this season isn’t hurting my opinion of them either… Now, to finish my prediction up I need to pick a winner, right? I pick Detroit: both because I want them to win (I can’t bring myself to cheer on the Mets in the World Series… Braves fan and all), and because I feel they have what it takes, having seen them pretty much shut down the Yankees, and now the Athletics.  

I would feel pretty darn good with myself if I got the winner right, but to give myself the chance to feel REALLY good about my prediction, I am going to add this: Detroit will win the series in 5 games.  

Now, I have nothing to back that whole 5 game bit up other than a feeling, but that has been enough in the past. 

The Mets, off a stellar performance by starter Tom Glavine and their bullpen, have just taken game 1 of the NLCS from the Cardinals. 

As a Braves fan I am very confused when it comes to how I am supposed to feel about this. It is great that Glavine had a wonderful start, I would never want to see him pitch poorly, well… unless of course he is playing the Braves. 

And I can’t blame the Mets as the reason for my Braves not making the playoffs. The Braves certainly had the opportunity to make it to the postseason. 

I’ve never been the biggest Cardinals fan, for various small, and to be honest, stupid reasons. I honestly don’t know who to root for, which has rarely if ever happened to me. I always lean one way or the other. 

Oh well, hopefully one of the two gives me a reason to cheer them on tomorrow. Another Glavine-esque start would probably do the trick.