Saturday, October 17, 2015

LCS Time : The Postseason without the blue goo!

How about a new post for comments on the League Championship series?  Everyone got their predictions on the record?  Everybody care?

The obvious choice for it all is ....  da METS !   The only reason ..... they have a wee bit of ORANGE in an otherwise ridiculously blue postseason.  Very scientific, huh?

Didn't the Cubs win it all in the "Back to the Future 2" version of 2015?  Whoa...

32 comments:

JC Parsons said...

I have greatly enjoyed the comments related to "hate" and other strong emotions that these teams and athletes evoke in us all. We each seem to have our own criteria and tolerance levels; it makes the conversation fascinating. I do want to point out that, even though we tend to focus on bad stuff, we all spend much more energy (and commenting space) on the ridiculous lavishing of praise, faith, respect, and LOVE towards our beloved boys. Just saying.

One more thing, I do not advice anybody trying to be as nice as MOC. You might hurt yourself. Really, I'm not kidding. His level of civility and decent, intelligent regard towards almost all other humans is not normal. He made his living seeing the best in some real losers (oops, see I'm not very nice). So don't pick on him if he doesn't dish out the hate as well as some of YOU guys (wink).

nomisnala said...

I think the author of "back to the future" really had a time machine.

Ron said...

26th Anniversary today of World Series Earthquake - because the delay enabled Oakland to go Stewart, Moore, Stewart, Moore on us, we all thought that that ruined our chances to ever see a Giants' WS victory. We were wrong!!!!!

M.C. O'Connor said...

JC, my friend, I'm not sure I'm worthy, but I appreciate it. Thanks for all the love. We need to get together soon.

I keep thinking about Radar O'Reilly responding to "hey, you're a nice guy" with "I used to get hit if I wasn't!" That's me--figuratively, not literally. (Thank you, Larry Gelbart.) The over-eager squad of berobed Dominicans who taunted me with Satanic terrors as a wee lad had no small part as well. Regardless, I'm certain my new-found equanimity has more to do with three World Series rings than anything else.

I will add that writing this blog has been a transformative experience. (Blogger thinks I should use "transforming" there which sounds to me much too Seventies.) I get, of course, the enduring appeal of heroes, goats, villains, and plucky over-achievers, but no longer respond to them so emotionally. Writing game stories over and over again has forced a sort of detachment on my part, and the result is I've come to appreciate a wider variety of players, events, and outcomes. And Ron, mi amigo, you can bring down the "hate" on whomever you choose and I'll love you for it. But there's a good chance I'll argue with you about it.

Royals kicking ass on the Jays. Pete Rose was on TV yesterday (what a contrast with Frank Thomas!) and said "Royals in five." Sue's response was "he's probably got a bet in it."

Ron said...

By the way, if you go back & re-read, my so-called 'hate speech' a few days ago never used the word 'hate'. I said that I was 'sick of' several people - in my book, that's much milder. My toned-down rhetoric also probably results from the 3 WS Chsmpiinships.

Ron said...

YES!!!!! After disappearing for the 2014-2015 Season, Cuban League Baseball is back on the Latin American Sports Channel (re-broadcast of TeleRebelde). Currently watching Artemisa v. Pinar del Rio. Now that the rules are changing about defecting & registering in a 3rd country, it may be an even more direct way to scout the Cuban players. I'll post on anyone who looks like a real prospect.

M.C. O'Connor said...

Four blue teams? Yikes. Would have liked the Cards or Astros just to liven up the color schemes. But I think I like the Mets--orange as JC says. And they did fulfill the "beat LA" requirement. And who can't get excited about young flame-throwing starters? Wow, those guys are beasts. As I said before, I really don't care about the outcome, just want to see taut games and close series.

We know Jordan Zimmerman and David Price are free agents. But Zack Greinke may be as well. I know it's not the Giants style to plunge into the bidding frenzy, but they did go long on Lester last off-season--will they take a stab at one of those three?

Ron said...

Greinke & Price will be out of our reach. I say 'go for Zimmermann' like we mean it. Hopefully, Greinke will end up back in the AL. Leake & Zimmermann for us.

Zo said...

I understand that Greinke has decided to opt out of his contract and become a free agent, although he says that he likes (the fact that) Los Angeles (can give him even more money).

Zo said...

mlbtraderumors.com says that the Giants are NOT signing that Cuban outfielder, Eddy Julio Martinez because he wants a $3 million rather than a $2.5 million signing bonus, also that the Cubs ARE signing him, also that Bobby Evans says that the Giants are STILL IN THE HUNT for him. So, as per usual, nothing in the off season is real until it happens.

obsessivegiantscompulsive said...

The latest news I heard on EJM seems after Zo's scenario, as what I read was that the Giants apparently came to agreement with one representative of EJM, then another rep worked out the deal with the Cubs the next day or so after, and so the MLB commissioner office will now have to step in and investigate what exactly happened.

This is similar to when we signed Villalona. We announced the deal then Boras said that there's no deal, then the MLB decided that we had legitimately signed Angel with a valid rep. Of course, EJM will say he wants the $3M, but if the people the Giants were talking with were legit, they should win this battle.

Brother Bob said...

I will second the part about Mark being abnormal. However I didn't know he grew up in the Domincan Republic. That would explain his love of baseball, but leaves many other questions unanswered.

M.C. O'Connor said...

These Dominicans!

Zo said...

Good read from the NY Times about the last time the Cubs played New York for a World Series berth. 1908. Merkle's Boner!

M.C. O'Connor said...

Barry Zito hangs 'em up!

nomisnala said...

I would like another very good lefty starter.

Ron said...

A great day in Canada - most importantly, they elect a reasonable Government for the first time in 9 years, & they win an ALCS game with a flourish. I'm kind of pulling for KC, but I am glad that the series will now be competitive. 7 games would be fun. Same in the NLCS, with the Mets winning.

campanari said...

The Mets who eliminated the D---g-rs and who have been reasonable trade partners with us sweep the Cubs, who injured crucial players of ours in 2015, thwarted our interest in Lester, and now have interposed themselves between Giant-hood and Eddy Martinez. Who now can brashly deny the Hand of Providence, which wears a black and orange batting glove and has an intact hamate bone?

Ron said...

I hear that Lasorda is in line to be the Dodgers' new Manager.


Seriously, though, I wonder who is.

Happy to see the Mets prevail - surprised about the sweep. The elimination of the Cubs, while disheartening for those who have suffered lo these last 107 years, shouldn't be regarded as too harsh a blow. That is a Team which should be in the mix for awhile, with people like Bryant, Arrieta, & others, & piles of cash at their disposal. Good to see that Kyle Schwarber is a minus minus defender ... his hitting was starting to get a bit irritating, but I think that his defense provides a nice balance. Don't think that we're looking at the next Bryce Harper or Mike Trout there.

Still hoping to see the Royals overcome the Jays, but, as stated before, wouldn't break my heart, if it went to other way. This Royals Team appears to be on a mission, though - something about reversing the 9th inning of a certain game last October.

Ron said...

Why does nearly every GM these days look like they're about 25 years old? Aside from being more adept at social media, what qualifications do these people have to be in charge of an enormous company like a baseball team? I know that times have changed, but this phenomenon seems to be out-of-hand.

M.C. O'Connor said...

What qualifications do they need? Teams entrust World Series clinching games to 25-year olds. Seriously, smart GMs surround themselves with smart people. They don't have to know everything. Today is the world of the Mark Zuckerbergs. WE are the old farts!

M.C. O'Connor said...

MLBTR profiles the Giants off-season.

Zo said...

So, to summarize the MLBTR article: Starting pitching needs, not too much else, many possibilities.

M.C. O'Connor said...

Yup.

Ron said...

Comparison to the age of the Players, themselves, is irrelevant. Obviously, athletic prowess is age-related &, for baseball Players, the peak is usually in the late 20's or early 30's. The peak varies in other sports.

You don't need to remind me that we are the old farts - I now work for someone 15 years younger than me. However, an MLB Team is a complicated operation. It would seem that knowledge & experience in multiple areas would be important. Unless these young guys are just figureheads, that kind of experience should take a few years to obtain. I'm not saying that you need 60-year olds, but 45 might be reasonable.

Sorry, but I just don't subscribe to the idea that an MLB Team isn't comparable to a high-tech start-up.

obsessivegiantscompulsive said...

The problem with baseball is that all of the owners have no real background or strong understanding of what it takes to be successful in building a baseball championship. So they either bluster bust their way through it, like Steinbrenner did, or they find people who they can rely on to run the team for them.

The big trend today is the sabers. Beane wrote the book, then starred in the movie, Epstein one-upped him by actually winning some playoffs then the whole enchilada, but there were a number of failures too, like Toronto, along the way, to cool that trend.

The tipping point is that the big teams are going that way, LAD hiring away Tampa Bay's trained guy and stealing the A's lieutenant, and Chicago hired away Epstein, plus more successes like the Pirates (got a book on their success, and others are coming out I believe), and the Godfather of them all, Alderson, has been succeeding in NY.

So I think it's a frenzy fed by the above, and there are not that many greybeards left to hire away, so then you got to go young and take a chance. What's going to happen is that these teams taking chances on the young will find that they lack the experience to actually be a GM and know how to do all the parts that need to be done. They need mentors to guide them, as most GM's don't let their lieutenants do more than their duties (hence why Colletti praised Sabean for allowing his guys to learn and do multiple duties, before he left for LA). But these owners don't know that until it's too late. Friedman can teach Farzan. Likewise Epstein. But other young guys, they will probably not have any help, and will fail.

Startups are totally different from an MLB Team. Unless the GM is a savant (Dombrowski probably was one, he wrote his thesis on running a team or something like that), startups rely on visionaries who know the tech well and can execute. Running a baseball team can't be run like that anymore, there are no more Charlie O. Finley's and Connie Mack's who could identify baseball talents on their own. They need a team of scouts running across the country, feeding the GM the information the GM needs to make the right decisions. Not a lot of these types of people around.

Ron said...

Mis-edit in my last post - obviously meant to say that running an MLB Team is a lot different than running a high-tech start-up ... age affecting my editing skills, I guess!

M.C. O'Connor said...

Exactly. GMs aren't scouts, they don't have to be. That is why there ARE scouts.

I think baseball moves faster than before. Now it is the time of the young guys. In a few years, something else. The changes we've seen in the athleticism of the players over the decades has happened in front offices to the same degree. It is not what it once was. It will be something else sooner than we think.

Zo said...

Even if this is true (and I'm not sure it is without screening for MLB GM's, which I am not going to do) I think it is a trend not a norm. If it is a trend, it is probably brought on by the advent of more sophisticated computer-driven analytics. In spite of what mentally ancient people like Bruce Jenkins think, baseball has embraced analytics as information to add to their predictions of players, and hence, their worth. So, just like we have IMO moved from an era of great sluggers (Bonds, Macgwire, etc) to an era of great pitchers, we have a new gen, the first gen of people who understand and can use the analytics in making business decisions about baseball players. Or to put it another way, who the fuck cares?

M.C. O'Connor said...

Re our discussion of age, experience, and GMs, this is a profile of Matt Klentak, the guy the Phils just hired. He's 35 and was a director of baseball operations in Baltimore at 27. Got his start as an intern in Colorado in 2003 after graduating from Dartmouth in 2002.

Brother Bob said...

I just read that the Giants will likely go all out to get Greinke.

M.C. O'Connor said...

Did you see where 50-year old Rueben Amaro (Phils ex-GM) is joining the Red Sox as a 1B coach and OF instructor? How many FO guys do that?