Game 1 ALCS

WolverineSteve · Post by **WolverineSteve** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 3:04 am

deja vu from game 1 of the ALDS....rain making it tough.

Verlander and Wilson are done, Tigs are rallying but it'll be a battle of the pens the rest of the way in this one.

Detroit will split in Arlington and take 2 of 3 in the D giving them two shots and winning the pennant in Texas.

Tigs and Brew Crew in the WS....book it!!

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 5:01 am

Austin Jackson is fucking brutal. What does Jimmy Smokes see in him?

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 10:08 am

Screw_Michigan wrote:Austin Jackson is fucking brutal. What does Jimmy Smokes see in him?

you can ask him since he posts in t1b. goes by the name of stanley pickkle.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 1:30 pm

Tigers in 6...I was anticipating a split in Arlington but I was thinking they'd win the Verlander start. They'll rebound tonight behind Scherzer.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Mon Oct 10, 2011 7:28 pm

Ordonez out for the rest of the season, Delmon back in AND starting, hair-trigger game postponements...never dull a moment. I'm getting ready to head out to the bar for the night for the monster Detroit sports doubleheader on a Monday of all days. Scherzer has been the best starter in the postseason and I'd have time thinking the Tigers come back from down 0-2 if they drop this tonight.

Kansas City Kid · Post by **Kansas City Kid** » Mon Oct 10, 2011 10:30 pm

Scherzer = solid University of Missouri guy.

Rangers in four.

BEARS 24
LIONS 17

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Mon Oct 10, 2011 10:40 pm

Rangers in four.

BEARS 24
LIONS 17

Lot of hate flowing through your cholesterol veins. Did your old lady get gang raped in Flint or something?

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Oct 11, 2011 8:26 am

Can't say that one got away...Scherzer was probably not going to last much longer than he did. The typical move is to let guy the start the inning and take him out when he gets in trouble but instead of just a giving up a walk or a hit, he gives up the tying bomb. Both teams had chances to win beyond the 7th. The story of the series has been the Rangers bullpen...no question about it.

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Tue Oct 11, 2011 12:54 pm

Absolutley brutal pitch on that first homerun to Cruz. Scherzer just got away with a mistake up in the zone and decided to throw it again? That was beyond fucking dumb.

Then, for the first time all year Windmill Lamont decides to put the breaks on Santiago after Kelly's double? Make them throw you out. Cabrera and Martinez haven't done shit this series, especially VMart.

Leyland pushed the right buttons, but that was a fucking brutal loss. I don't see the Tigers sending this one back to Texas.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Tue Oct 11, 2011 9:23 pm

Delmon scratched from the lineup...similar lineup to Game 1 with guys shifted up a spot rather than replacing Young in the 3rd spot. I kinda like Cabrera hitting 3rd with V-Mart hitting cleanup. 3rd is supposed be the spot for your best overall hitter...Cano hits 3rd for the Yanks and Hamilton hits 3rd for the Rangers. Cleanup shouldn't have to be a massive bopper...just a guy that is good at getting guys in and Martinez drives guys in without hitting the ball out of the park all that often. The issue is that Martinez doesn't have protection behind him with Kelly hitting 5th and the rest of the order is scuffling big time. I would've almost suggest Rayburn to hit 5th considering how well he's been driving the ball of late. Kelly can hit 6th ahead of Peralta, Avila and Dirks.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Wed Oct 12, 2011 1:27 pm

Killian wrote: Windmill Lamont

truer words never spoken. "hey son, i see you had your foot amputated in between 1st and 2nd: why don't you continue on home, make the catcher already holding the ball make a play on ya."

Moby Dick · Post by **Moby Dick** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:14 pm

Viva Los Rangers.

I like the Rangers' chances against either NL team...this may be the stRangers year baby!

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:27 pm

How the hell does an OU guy root for anything from Tejas? :?

Haven't watched much of any of the playoff games so far but I watched most of that game last night after the rain delay. The intensity was palpable - great baseball game until Cruz defused the tension.

Go Coogs' · Post by **Go Coogs'** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 9:57 pm

This has been a very entertaining series albeit 3-1 in favor of the Rangers; however, Joe Buck sounds like Pat Sumerall doing play-by-play. How 'bout a little excitement on these dramatic late inning heroics. Fucking terrible.

Moby Dick · Post by **Moby Dick** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 12:08 am

Wags: my grandparents used to take me all the time..

When "the thrill" went there in the mid 90s it sealed the deal!

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 3:47 pm

Props to the Rangers...they look like they're on their way to finishing what they couldn't finish last year.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 12:55 pm

erg, losing. want to be pissed but all i could manage after game 6 was a slight bit of the sad considering all i wanted two months ago was to know what a divisional title felt like. that yankees series was pure sugar, butter, and whatever else you use to make icing.

also find it hard to be pissed because next year should be even better. i know the central's a fucking crap shoot most every year, so it's hard to take anything for granted, but just about everyone worthwhile (and not so worthwhile...yo yo, inge) are locked down next year. with that sort of promise it shouldn't be tough to attract a quality free-agent or two. i mean, automatic upgrade in the rotation by virtue of brad penny sucking somewhere else, right? that five spot was already brutal even before he slid down there from 4th. get a decent starter, a couple guys for the bullpen, a bullet each for ryan perry and daniel schellereredfth, ignore comparisons of doug fister to doyle alexander, pray for everyone's broken thumbs and kneecaps, and we have as good a shot as anyone to lose to philly in 6.

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:25 pm

My biggest gripe with Dombrowski so far was letting Polanco walk. Having him would have ended either the Wilsdon Bentge or Rymon Ratiago experiement and allowed Jimmy Smokes to have a lead off hitter when AJ decided to not hit an MLB fastball.

Go get a lead off hitter, a second baseman, fifth starter, lefty bullpen help and a back up catcher. Wouldn't mind a shortstop, either, and slide Jhhhhhhhhhony over to 3B.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:43 pm

wonder if they're going to insist on making jacob turner the 5th starter. or maybe they deal sherzer?

my biggest gripe with dombroski - no, god - was letting inge out of his mother's uterus. or at least signing him for two years so that we now have to deal with this "i can't believe i'm hitting .170 because really, i'm a .360 hitter if the breaks would just go my way" drama for another year.

depending on what's available, i really don't mind the santiago/rayburn platoon at second base. could be worse. there are worse things than batting .250 with that rest of the lineup around you.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:43 pm

M Club wrote:erg, losing. want to be pissed but all i could manage after game 6 was a slight bit of the sad considering all i wanted two months ago was to know what a divisional title felt like. that yankees series was pure sugar, butter, and whatever else you use to make icing.

Ditto...first division title in 24 years and they lost to the team that is probably going to win the World Series. I'd call this a successful season.

also find it hard to be pissed because next year should be even better. i know the central's a fucking crap shoot most every year, so it's hard to take anything for granted, but just about everyone worthwhile (and not so worthwhile...yo yo, inge) are locked down next year. with that sort of promise it shouldn't be tough to attract a quality free-agent or two. i mean, automatic upgrade in the rotation by virtue of brad penny sucking somewhere else, right? that five spot was already brutal even before he slid down there from 4th. get a decent starter, a couple guys for the bullpen, a bullet each for ryan perry and daniel schellereredfth, ignore comparisons of doug fister to doyle alexander, pray for everyone's broken thumbs and kneecaps, and we have as good a shot as anyone to lose to philly in 6.

I think either Jacob Turner or a veteran FA will take Penny's spot in the rotation. I'd like to see them find a lefty to maybe put in the #3 or #4 spot to break up the run on righties. I'm not suggesting C.J. Wilson...they are always guys like Ted Lilly or Randy Wolf you can grab for a one year fix.

Hopefully, they shed some of the aging deadweight on this team...Ordonez and Guillen come to mind. Boesch should be the full time RF when healthy and his bat in the middle of the order will be key in helping them defend their division title. I don't know what to make of the 2B and 3B spots right now. I'd be okay with Santiago being their 2B next year and have him hit 8th or 9th but if Worth or Rhymes want to earn the job, I'm cool with that. At 3B, Inge is going to be around but he should only start against lefties and play late in games when you're trying to hang onto the lead.

I like the bench...Rayburn and Kelly are fairly dependable utility guys but neither should be starters. To me, I don't think they have to keep Young but if he doesn't break the bank and they don't sign him for too many years, I can live with it. They have to get a veteran backup to spell Avila once or twice a week. Not having Martinez to catch late in the year really put some unnecessary wear on Avila.

My early projection for the lineup next year:
R Jackson CF (unless they can find a better OBP guy in free agency)
L Boesch RF
R Cabrera 1B
S Martinez DH
R Young LF (assuming that he's kept)
L Avila C
R Peralta SS
S Santiago 2B
FA/R Inge 3B

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:46 pm

Killian wrote:My biggest gripe with Dombrowski so far was letting Polanco walk. Having him would have ended either the Wilsdon Bentge or Rymon Ratiago experiement and allowed Jimmy Smokes to have a lead off hitter when AJ decided to not hit an MLB fastball.

Go get a lead off hitter, a second baseman, fifth starter, lefty bullpen help and a back up catcher. Wouldn't mind a shortstop, either, and slide Jhhhhhhhhhony over to 3B.

Letting Polanco go was a mistake but he's not been able to stay healthy in Philly. It wasn't a total loss but the Sizemore experiment was a fail.

If Peralta is receptive to going back to third and it doesn't screw up his hitting, they can find a 2B or SS and plug in Santiago at the other spot.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:51 pm

M Club wrote:wonder if they're going to insist on making jacob turner the 5th starter. or maybe they deal sherzer?

I don't know what his contract situation is but I don't see why the need to trade Scherzer when he's probably the best #3/4 starter in the division. Fister doesn't make him expendable, I think it just makes the rotation deep top to bottom.

my biggest gripe with dombroski - no, god - was letting inge out of his mother's uterus. or at least signing him for two years so that we now have to deal with this "i can't believe i'm hitting .170 because really, i'm a .360 hitter if the breaks would just go my way" drama for another year.

depending on what's available, i really don't mind the santiago/rayburn platoon at second base. could be worse. there are worse things than batting .250 with that rest of the lineup around you.

Inge will be around whether we like it or not. I think he found his niche as a starter against lefties and as a defensive replacement. Nick Castellanos is the 3B of the future but is probably a year or two away from getting a legit shot at making the team.

Rayburn shouldn't start at 2B on a regular basis but his bat needs to get in there from time to time...same goes for Kelly. It's good to have a lefty/righty bat that can play the majority of the positions on the field. Kelly isn't a bad 3B and he'd be a lefty option to play at that spot if they can't find a better player in free agency. I don't think Betemit is worth keeping between his inability to stay healthy and his glove is weak.

I think it all rests on what are Young's contract demands. If he's affordable, keep him and look for a solid defensive/OBP guy at a middle infield spot to hit leadoff or #2. I wouldn't be against getting Jackson out of the leadoff spot but right now, there isn't a better option.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:54 pm

Why do you guys care about winning the division? The Cardinals didn't win the division and they're in the World Series. Sure, winning the division is a nice achievement, but at the end of the day, it's just nice.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 1:56 pm

Screw_Michigan wrote:Why do you guys care about winning the division? The Cardinals didn't win the division and they're in the World Series. Sure, winning the division is a nice achievement, but at the end of the day, it's just nice.

I think the Tigers in '06 were the last non-AL East to get the AL wild card. In their case, they probably have to win the Central to get to October. I guess we'll see if the 5th team is added to the playoffs so that could change things.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 2:05 pm

i don't think sherzer's necessarily expendable, just that i'm sure some sort of trade scenario is going to require we part with an established starter or prospect. that leaves sherzer, porcello, turner, and possibly below. honestly, i though below pitched well enough to earn a shot and wondered why the fuck he was left off the playoff roster. that guy was tits on just so long as inge wasn't trying for force outs at second when the easy play was at first. anyhow, wouldn't mind going forward with the rotation we already have, assuming they really want to give turner his shot.

tigers get to keep young through salary arbitration, whatever that means w/r/t the payroll. going to go van here and say i've read mostly that the expectation is for him to be a tiger next year, so it must be true.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 2:11 pm

Screw_Michigan wrote:Why do you guys care about winning the division? The Cardinals didn't win the division and they're in the World Series. Sure, winning the division is a nice achievement, but at the end of the day, it's just nice.

at the beginning of the year i fully expected to finish second just because that's what the tigers do every year, if they don't finish last. when they were treading water a few games ahead of the indians i was waiting for the white sox to finally bench dunn, turn it on, and win the division by seven games. even up six or seven in september i still feared the late season collapse, so losing a hard-fought ALCS with half their team in a mash unit doesn't mean i get to revise my wish list from april, or even want to. i'm happy with how the season turned out. you'd understand if you actually followed a team rather than whored around from town to town.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 2:13 pm

Only a tard like you would rather win the division than play for a World Series title. Typical second-place Tiger fan. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 2:16 pm

where did i say i'd rather win a division title than the world series? you read like you write. i'd criticize your team's second-place finish, but then i'd also have to criticize your other team's third-place finish, the other one's last-place finish, and some other's i-don't-even-know-because-they're-irrelevant finish.

Kansas City Kid · Post by **Kansas City Kid** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 3:28 pm

Screw_Michigan wrote:

Only a tard like you would rather win the division than play for a World Series title. Typical second-place Tiger fan. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

If you don't win the AL CENTRAL then your record is probably going to be below .500 you stupid fuck.....no wild card there, Asshead.

ucantdoitdoggieSTyle2 · Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:03 pm

Kansas City Kid wrote:If you don't win the AL CENTRAL then your record is probably going to be below .500 you stupid fuck.....no wild card there, Asshead.

This may or may not be true... one thing we can accept as fact: If your shit franchise is based in Kansas fucking Shitty, then you're going to have a sub .500 record.

BODE 314, bitches.

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 1:43 am

There is something seriously disturbing about a guy from Baahsten propping the 314 but all I have to say about that is 1985, motherfucker.

Oh, and enjoy getting ass-raped by the Rangers.

I have that to say as well.

ucantdoitdoggieSTyle2 · Tue Oct 18, 2011 10:00 am

War Wagon wrote:1985, motherfucker.

Does anyone really care about the last time your wardrobe and taste in music were last updated?

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:11 pm

^^^ nice.

It's all we have or likely will ever have.

I still have Game 7 on a VHS tape stashed somewhere around the hovel, right next to a certain beer stein.

Kansas City Kid · Post by **Kansas City Kid** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 5:42 pm

ucantdoitdoggieSTyle2 · Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:01 am

All smack aside, I am going to speak honestly about here for a moment...

If you mentioned the 85 World Series 5 or more years ago, my left eye would have started twitching, my blood would have boiled, and I would have mashed out a Guntslinger enraged type post that made little or no sense.

They say time heals all wounds. That is almost correct. They left out the part about getting over. You get over that old girlfriend when you start banging some other whore. You get over losing that job when you go ahead and get yourself another one. And yep, you guessed it... you get over a gut wrenching loss that didn't seem fair at the time when your team ends up winning the title. We won it all in 2006, my friends. For me, that healed the wounds from losses in 85 and 87.

Now if you ask me about the 85 World Series... I'll tell you that the better team won. Who cares if a bad call contributed to a game 6 loss? A championship team gets up off the mat and closes it out in game 7. A championship team doesn't wallow in their sorrows. A championship team actually shows up for game 7. The 1985 Cardinals were not a championship team. End of story.

Van · Post by **Van** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:52 am

Okay, so when may I look forward to getting over the 2006 Rose Bowl?

ucantdoitdoggieSTyle2 · Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:03 am

Perhaps you could just erase it from your memory banks, much like the way the NCAA did.

Van · Post by **Van** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:08 am

They erased the wrong one.

:(

Kansas City Kid · Post by **Kansas City Kid** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 7:11 pm

ucantdoitdoggieSTyle2 wrote:All smack aside, I am going to speak honestly about here for a moment...

If you mentioned the 85 World Series 5 or more years ago, my left eye would have started twitching, my blood would have boiled, and I would have mashed out a Guntslinger enraged type post that made little or no sense.

They say time heals all wounds. That is almost correct. They left out the part about getting over. You get over that old girlfriend when you start banging some other whore. You get over losing that job when you go ahead and get yourself another one. And yep, you guessed it... you get over a gut wrenching loss that didn't seem fair at the time when your team ends up winning the title. We won it all in 2006, my friends. For me, that healed the wounds from losses in 85 and 87.

Now if you ask me about the 85 World Series... I'll tell you that the better team won. Who cares if a bad call contributed to a game 6 loss? A championship team gets up off the mat and closes it out in game 7. A championship team doesn't wallow in their sorrows. A championship team actually shows up for game 7. The 1985 Cardinals were not a championship team. End of story.

Wow....a very intelligent and insightful way to look at it. Most Tardinal fans can't do that. To hear them tell it "the call" was the last out of Game 7.

What they leave out is the fact it was only Game 6, Orta was the first batter in the 9th, Clark muffed a foul pop out, there was a wild pitch and several hits given up. Throw in the fact the Tards hit about .185 as a team and got smoked 11-0 in Game 7 while Andujar and Herzog imploded and......well, you get the idea.

Same as Red Sox fan blaming Buckner (also Game 6...plus Sox actually lead in Game 7 and blew it) and Cubs fan blaming Bartman (also a Game 6....and the Gonzalez error was more crucial....plus they ALSO lead in Game 7 and blew it)........

Anyway, there is now a Denkinger Curse as the Royals have never been to another post season.....

Killian · Post by **Killian** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 7:38 pm

No reason you guys can't be the Brewers of the AL. Your young talent is scary good, especially Hosmer. That menonite can rake!