ot - baseball playoff thread?

[filosofy29]

Did the Holliday slide at second cross the line last night from tough baseball to dirty?

I thought so (although I'm a Giants fan, so take it for what it's worth). It was quite late. Marco was behind second base when he caught/threw the ball. Holliday started his slide right at second base. The slide was just too late. I would have had zero problem with it had he started his slide before second base and led with his feet instead of the kind of barrel roll thing it ended up as.

I don't think Holliday is a dirty player and I think he just wanted to play hard to prevent the double play. I also think that the speed of the game caught up to him and he put himself into "no man's land". He plays the game at 100mph and he got a little overzealous there.

 

[dash]

I thought so (although I'm a Giants fan, so take it for what it's worth). It was quite late. Marco was behind second base when he caught/threw the ball. Holliday started his slide right at second base. The slide was just too late. I would have had zero problem with it had he started his slide before second base and led with his feet instead of the kind of barrel roll thing it ended up as.

I don't think Holliday is a dirty player and I think he just wanted to play hard to prevent the double play. I also think that the speed of the game caught up to him and he put himself into "no man's land". He plays the game at 100mph and he got a little overzealous there.

I also think the fact that Holliday couldn't reach back and grab second base is a good indication that he slid a touch too far (isn't that the unwritten rule?)

Congrats on the win last night filo, Go Giants (my loathing of Tony LaRussa prohibits me for rooting for the Cardinals).

 

[filosofy29]

I also think the fact that Holliday couldn't reach back and grab second base is a good indication that he slid a touch too far (isn't that the unwritten rule?)

Congrats on the win last night filo, Go Giants (my loathing of Tony LaRussa prohibits me for rooting for the Cardinals).

I believe so. It's so hard with some of baseball's rules and unwritten rules. Most of them are written with so many foggy elements, they might as well be the 2nd Amendment. The plain, hard facts in my eyes are how late he started his slide and that he didn't go in feet first. He wanted to get all of Scutaro. Once again, it's tough though when you're playing and you have your blood flowing and you're amped up. I think it was an instinct play more than a dirty play.....but sometimes the outcomes of instinct plays end up being dirty. If that makes sense.

Thank you sir. A much needed victory. It's kind of weird for me being a Giants and a Sharks fan. One team straps in and gets ready for a fight (they seem to love the fight) and one team shies away from it at all costs. I like the Giants way better. Even though I have mad respect for all that LaRussa has accomplished and his baseball mind.....I'm also not a fan of his. Just something about the way he carries himself.....he just exudes arrogance.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

I must say, watching these playoffs makes me realize how much I miss Carlos Beltran. The guy is still a stud, makes everything look easy in the field and can still hit. Angel Pagan, I don't miss as much.

 

[puckhead]

remember: just because you can't hit, doesn't mean you shouldn't try to score
A-Rod hits on female fans during ALCS game against Tigers - NYPOST.com

 

[Nasty_Magician]

remember: just because you can't hit, doesn't mean you shouldn't try to score
A-Rod hits on female fans during ALCS game against Tigers - NYPOST.com

I'm not sure how much I'm buying this story, especially coming from the NY Post which is just a notch above the National Enquirer.

 

[pixburgher66]

LETS GO TIGERS! *clapclap clapclapclap*

 

[higgyfan4]

Tigers fans can thank me for their recent success. I move down to KY in July 2006 and by October, they're in the WS. Sure, they lost, but that was the first time in ages the Tigers got even a sniff of the playoffs.

When I lived in MI, I never had trouble getting tickets to a Tigers game.

You're Welcome.

 

[dash]

Tigers fans can thank me for their recent success. I move down to KY in July 2006 and by October, they're in the WS. Sure, they lost, but that was the first time in ages the Tigers got even a sniff of the playoffs.

When I lived in MI, I never had trouble getting tickets to a Tigers game.

You're Welcome.

Aren't you planning on moving back to Michigan?

 

[higgyfan4]

Aren't you planning on moving back to Michigan?

I'm afraid to, the Tigers might start to suck again if I do.

I would love to move back. Just waiting on a job in my field to open up in one of our subsidiaries up there. Believe me, I've been checking.

Funny, a few months after I started working here, I found out the factory my mom retired from is owned by the same parent company that owns this company. Small world.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

Tigers this is your chance to bury the Yankees. PLEASE DON'T BLOW IT!!

 

[RaiderZar]

Tigers this is your chance to bury the Yankees. PLEASE DON'T BLOW IT!!

Bolts for President!!! (or Prime Minister)

 

[4thstreet]

my money's on him tonight.

 

[sbb122]

Did the Holliday slide at second cross the line last night from tough baseball to dirty?

I pretty much agree with everything Filo said and i'm a Cardinals fan. I thought it was pretty cheap. I'm all for taking out the man turning the double play but not by sliding in the air 5 feet past the bag.

 

[pixburgher66]

Slides can be super dirty. Think about it in relation to other sports...that's a red card in soccer. It's like a slew foot in hockey. Very dangerous.


In other news:

Please, please, please Tigers...win. Yanks deserve no more postseason success.

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

40 minutes....gettin' the nerves...

 

[pixburgher66]

Some FIFA as my MLB appetizer.

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

As a Patriotic American, I am torn as to whether to watch baseball or the Prez debate.

Fuck it...baseball it is.

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

Guess who has been benched again for tonight's game?

A-Rod, Swisher sit; Gardner leads off for Yanks | MLB.com: News

DETROIT -- Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher will have seats on the bench when Game 3 of the American League Championship Series begins against the Tigers on Tuesday at Comerica Park.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi will try to spark his flagging lineup by giving Brett Gardner his first start since April 17, batting leadoff and playing left field against Tigers ace Justin Verlander.

"We're going to put a little bit more speed in there, and hoping that Gardy can ignite us a little bit and put some tough at-bats early in the game on Verlander and try to get his pitch count up," Girardi said.

For the second time this postseason, Girardi has benched Rodriguez in favor of Eric Chavez at third base, repeating a move he made in the deciding Game 5 of the AL Division Series against the Orioles.

Rodriguez has enjoyed some success against Verlander, going 4-for-6 with two homers against the hurler this year, but he is 0-for-18 with 12 strikeouts against right-handed pitching this postseason and just 3-for-23 (.130) overall.

In addition, Girardi is starting Eduardo Nunez over Jayson Nix at shortstop, saying Nunez's speed outweighs any defensive deficiencies he has.

"Nuney's had some pretty good at-bats off of Verlander," Girardi said. "Even though it's a few [1-for-3], he's had some pretty good at-bats."

With the Yankees down 0-2 in the ALCS, an obstacle just three teams have ever come back from, Girardi said that his moves should not be construed as having been born out of panic.

"I laugh, because if I stay the same, people say, 'What are you doing? You've got to make some changes,'" Girardi said. "People are going to have their opinions all along on what our lineup is, but we've moved our lineup around before.

"I've got Chavy playing today, and I did it in Game 5. We weren't panicking then. We're not panicking, but we're trying to create some runs and scratch some runs across."

Girardi said that there were "no other issues" leading to his lineup choices. A New York Post article published Tuesday reported Rodriguez spent time during the later innings of ALCS Game 1 chatting with female fans behind the Yankees' dugout.

Similarly, Girardi said that his lineup choices had nothing to do with fallout from comments made by Swisher after ALCS Game 2, in which Swisher said that he had been hurt by negative comments from fans in the right-field stands at Yankee Stadium. Swisher is just 11-for-61 (.180) with 23 strikeouts against Verlander.

"He's not the only guy, but he's one of the guys who's struggling, and with the type of [fly-ball] pitcher that [Phil] Hughes is, we've got a fast outfield," Girardi said.

Gardner will patrol left field, with Curtis Granderson in center and Ichiro Suzuki in right.

Gardner suffered a right elbow strain diving for a fly ball on April 17 and has limited to just four at-bats since having arthroscopic surgery in July, including a 12th-inning groundout to end ALCS Game 1.

Girardi said that the Yankees gave Gardner four or five at-bats against pitchers Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia on Monday at Yankee Stadium before flying to Detroit, recognizing that is hardly a substitute for facing Verlander, against whom he is 5-for-11 (.455), including the postseason, with three walks and three strikeouts.

"It's not like I'm giving him a warm up," Girardi said. "But we tried to get him some at-bats yesterday to try to prepare him for this the best we could. We have some guys that are struggling, there's no secret to that. Gardy played well this time of year last year, so we're going to run him out there."

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

Gotta start the next page off right.