The Official 2021 MLB Postseason Thread

[andyhdz]

Originally Posted by ForeverRoyalKC

I think it's safe to say that if we get Dodgers / Astros, the Dodgers will be gritting their teeth in every at bat. I'd bet they're already thinking it in the back of their minds.

Yeah they'll be gritting their teeth saying "thank God they didn't catch us so we get act holier than thou"

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by andyhdz

Yeah they'll be gritting their teeth saying "thank God they didn't catch us so we get act holier than thou"

That's the kind of blasé phrase used to dismiss notions of fairness and morality, à la "Nothing matters because everyone sucks." I choose not to adhere to such a bleak philosophy.

Sometimes, people really are holier than thou.

[andyhdz]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

That's the kind of blasé phrase used to dismiss notions of fairness and morality, à la "Nothing matters because everyone sucks." I choose not to adhere to such a bleak philosophy.

Sometimes, people really are holier than thou.

No just typical selective outrage when it doesnt involve your team and a short memory when it does

https://www.nj.com/yankees/2018/05/y...eroid_use.html

[Déjà Bru]

Excuse me.

No, I did not think that was right, either. Some of those individuals have gotten what they deserve for cheating, and some have not but should. My pleasure over the 2009 championship has been tainted accordingly. I never want to see this type of thing happen again.

We have to stop saying "boys will be boys" and "everybody does it" or else everything is going to go down the tubes. Right now, the focus is on the Astr*s which do not happen to be my team.

Their fans need not be ashamed of all of them; just Yuli Gurriel, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, and Lance McCullers Jr. If I am not mistaken, these are the remaining players from the 2017 team who presumably profited from the cheating scheme.

Will Astr*s fans be indeed ashamed of them? Of course not. That's almost excusable.

But for others to be blasé about what they did is reprehensible. It only encourages the next set of cheaters (see Spider Tack).

Now, have your rejoinder and we will be done. I have had my say and I don't go in for extended back-and-forth stuff.

[Westheim]

I don't see the Astros coming back into this series. They're getting mauled.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Excuse me.

No, I did not think that was right, either. Some of those individuals have gotten what they deserve for cheating, and some have not but should. My pleasure over the 2009 championship has been tainted accordingly. I never want to see this type of thing happen again.

We have to stop saying "boys will be boys" and "everybody does it" or else everything is going to go down the tubes. Right now, the focus is on the Astr*s which do not happen to be my team.

Their fans need not be ashamed of all of them; just Yuli Gurriel, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, and Lance McCullers Jr. If I am not mistaken, these are the remaining players from the 2017 team who presumably profited from the cheating scheme.

Will Astr*s fans be indeed ashamed of them? Of course not. That's almost excusable.

But for others to be blasé about what they did is reprehensible. It only encourages the next set of cheaters (see Spider Tack).

Now, have your rejoinder and we will be done. I have had my say and I don't go in for extended back-and-forth stuff.

Those guys not only "profited from the cheating scheme," but showed no remorse & accepted no responsibility (rather, they basically gave an F-U response when questioned about it), and went unpunished.

One thing that's never been explained - as far as I know - is how Manfred got away with saying both of these:

Initially: "the players were granted immunity from punishment provided they cooperated with the investigation"

Later, after criticism for not punishing them: "because of the collective bargaining agreement, I was not able to punish the players involved"

Makes no sense to me.

[cephasjames]

It was because of the collective bargaining agreement that the players were granted immunity from punishment provided they cooperated with the investigation.

The CBA made it so that, if the players cooperated with the investigation, they would not be punished.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

I don't see the Astros coming back into this series. They're getting mauled.

Nah. As tonight's game showed once again, you cannot count those bustards (large, turkey-like birds) out until it's all over.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Nah. As tonight's game showed once again, you cannot count those bustards (large, turkey-like birds) out until it's all over.

As Game 4 once more proved, I know nothing about baseball.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

As Game 4 once more proved, I know nothing about baseball.

Are you kidding me? When it comes to baseball, you are the Markus Heinsohn of Talk Sports. Improbable, given your backgrounds, but true.

[thehef]

Can somebody explain to me why, when Chris Taylor and Gavin Lux are in the OF for the Dodgers, Taylor is in left and Lux is in center. Obviously, you need an arm in right (Mookie) and then your best "cover" guy is in center, and your weakest overall OF is in left. Late in games, when Lux is replaced - usually by AJ Pollack and usually due to a lefty on the mound - the move is then to put Pollack (who used to play CF but is slowed by a hammy) into left and move Taylor to center. That makes perfect sense, as Taylor is unquestionably the better CF of the three players (Taylor, Lux, Pollack), and is certainly much more experienced than Lux...

Yet, Dave Roberts continues to play Lux in center and Taylor in left. I'm thinking that - because this move seems SO obvious - there must be something I'm overlooking. Else Roberts is just an idiot.

[pilight]

Here in Georgia, hardly anybody thinks the Braves will beat the Dodgers even now when they're up 3-1.

[cephasjames]

Originally Posted by cephasjames

Anyway. Tomorrow, SF takes down LA.

ALCS: Houston over Boston
NLCS: Atlanta over SF

WS: Atlanta over Houston

Not exactly right but an Atlanta-Houston WS is still a possibility. The Braves just need to close out the Dodgers today.

[cephasjames]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Excuse me.

No, I did not think that was right, either. Some of those individuals have gotten what they deserve for cheating, and some have not but should. My pleasure over the 2009 championship has been tainted accordingly. I never want to see this type of thing happen again.

We have to stop saying "boys will be boys" and "everybody does it" or else everything is going to go down the tubes. Right now, the focus is on the Astr*s which do not happen to be my team.

Their fans need not be ashamed of all of them; just Yuli Gurriel, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, and Lance McCullers Jr. If I am not mistaken, these are the remaining players from the 2017 team who presumably profited from the cheating scheme.

Will Astr*s fans be indeed ashamed of them? Of course not. That's almost excusable.

But for others to be blasé about what they did is reprehensible. It only encourages the next set of cheaters (see Spider Tack).

Now, have your rejoinder and we will be done. I have had my say and I don't go in for extended back-and-forth stuff.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say, "Everyone does it," and mean "So let's just dismiss them all." Any time I've eve heard "Everyone does it," it's to say, "Therefore it's hard to parse out who is or isn't doing it and then determine who is or is not benefiting from it." Those are two totally different meanings to "Everyone does it." And, again, I have never heard anyone say that to be blasé about anything.

Here's a MLB pitcher coming pretty close to saying "Everyone is/was doing it" about the type of sign-stealing the Astros and Red Sox got busted for.

Chris Bassitt: ...This kind of thing. But like, Houston was not the only team doing stuff. Like there was a lot of people doing stuff. It was just un- ... I mean, fortunately, but unfortunately only one team essentially got caught doing it or was the guinea pig of it to like clean the whole entire league up.

But there was a lot going on. It was like an arms race, almost like it was like hey, this team's doing this. This team's doing that, this team's cheating here. This team's doing this. Is it happening? Still? No I think that aspect is completely gone of the game I think that's clean.

In addition to noting that every team had at least some idea of what was going on in Houston, Bassitt suggests the Astros had plenty of company when it comes to organized sign-stealing... While MLB and fans of teams other than the Astros would probably like to believe that Houston was the lone (or lone-ish) bad actor, that's a bit too tidy for reality. Bassitt's disclosures lend more evidence to the idea that it was more of a league-wide issue than a Houston issue.

The Astros, much like Bonds and Clemens, were singled out as scapegoats, not because they were the only ones doing it. They were made examples of because so many people were doing what they were doing that there was no way to punish them all. Making an example of someone is fine. But singling them out and labeling them with an asterisk as if they are unique and then punishing only them simply because they were the example is dishonest at best.

Bonds and Clemens were not unique in their era, but they are being treated as if they were. The Astros are not unique in their era, but they are being treated as if they were. Be against the cheating. I honestly haven't met a person who isn't against the cheating (I'm sure there is a minority of people out there who might be). But to single out someone who cheated in an era of cheaters and punish them as if they were the only ones who did it is wrong.

[CONN CHRIS]

My son and I went to the ALCS game 3 at Fenway. Thrilling game but it was amusing to watch a crowd sing happy birthday to the roundly adored Mr. Cora while screaming 'cheater' at most of the Astros players.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

My son and I went to the ALCS game 3 at Fenway. Thrilling game but it was amusing to watch a crowd sing happy birthday to the roundly adored Mr. Cora while screaming 'cheater' at most of the Astros players.

The Astr*s are the bane of our existence. I fluctuate: Sometimes I feel that they are God's punishment for our mistreating the game of Baseball. Sometimes I see the continued success of the Astr*s as His cruel sense of divine humor. Sometimes, in darker moments, I see reason for doubting His existence altogether.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

The Asrt*s are the bane of our existence. I fluctuate: Sometimes I feel that they are God's punishment for our mistreating the game of Baseball. Sometimes I see the continued success of the Astr*s as His cruel sense of divine humor. Sometimes, in darker moments, I see reason for doubting His existence altogether.

Over in the Raccoons universe, I discovered a long time ago that there is a whole cast of baseball gods, most malevolent to the team you're rooting for, and then there's Igor, the tiniest and vilest of all the baseball gods, who likes to give your favorite player either a 3-for-37 spell or an oblique strain when your favorite player is going 17-for-37.... (Yes, it's September and the Critters are currently down a Derek Baskins and a Bryce Toohey, and it's not pretty...)

That being said, go 'stros, because no matter who walks out of the NLCS meatmincer, I'll have to root Astros for my own sanity.

If anything, blame the Red Sox for failing to out-hit Yordan Alvarez (only Yordan Alvarez!) for the last three games of the ALCS.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Over in the Raccoons universe, I discovered a long time ago that there is a whole cast of baseball gods, most malevolent to the team you're rooting for, and then there's Igor, the tiniest and vilest of all the baseball gods, who likes to give your favorite player either a 3-for-37 spell or an oblique strain when your favorite player is going 17-for-37.... (Yes, it's September and the Critters are currently down a Derek Baskins and a Bryce Toohey, and it's not pretty...)

That being said, go 'stros, because no matter who walks out of the NLCS meatmincer, I'll have to root Astros for my own sanity.

If anything, blame the Red Sox for failing to out-hit Yordan Ventura (only Yordan Ventura!) for the last three games of the ALCS.

If I were a superstitious fellow, I would see the tide turning when you and your minor deities and talismans called the series for the Red Sox. Premeditated to work in reverse. Evil! ()

[monkeyman576]

It's not fair that the playoffs are only on cable. What good is my free MLB.com subscription that I get from T Mobile?

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Westheim

If anything, blame the Red Sox for failing to out-hit Yordan Alvarez (only Yordan Alvarez!) for the last three games of the ALCS.

How the heck did I mix up Yordan Alvarez and Yordano Ventura??

I'm getting really old.