MLB Postseason 2010

[surfer]

Impressive battery.




Shit.

[jon abbey]

one more beatdown of Cliff Lee to end it tomorrow would be welcome, thanks in advance.

[surfer]

2 months worth of canned goods and water, a round of shells for bandwagon zombies, and updated Netflix queue. Wake me when this Halloween colored acid nightmare is over.

[crawjo]

I'm happy to see the Giants win the World Series.

[simplicio]

Pretty disappointing, if only cause the Rangers showed such exciting play against the Rays and Yanks, just to fall asleep at the wheel. Without a real interest in the outcome, I was really just watching the series waiting for that team to show up again, and they never did.

Good on the Giants for a lot of pretty dogged at bats though.

[crawjo]

To add to my above post, unlike a lot of people I don't think the outcome of this World Series will at all determine where Cliff Lee goes in the offseason. I think he will simply take the best deal, so probably the Yankees, who will probably ridiculously overpay for his services. It would be nice to see their arms go through some struggles next year, just to see a $300 million rotation sputter.

What I like about this World Series is that, even though it wasn't as interesting as past WS, it created significant chapters for both the franchises who competed. The Giants winning a World Series, or the Rangers getting there, simply means way, way, way more to their respective fan bases than the Yankees or Red Sox spending their way to another pennant or world title. The former enriches the meaning of the postseason (for me), the latter cheapens it.

Also, for a guy with zero (!) sacrifice bunts in more than 6,100 career plate appearances, that was a damn good bunt that Huff laid down prior to Renteria's home run.

[jon abbey]

To add to my above post, unlike a lot of people I don't think the outcome of this World Series will at all determine where Cliff Lee goes in the offseason. I think he will simply take the best deal, so probably the Yankees, who will probably ridiculously overpay for his services. It would be nice to see their arms go through some struggles next year, just to see a $300 million rotation sputter.

you forgot the [/wishful thinking] tag here.

Lee has even said himself (going into the WS) that if they'd won the World Series, it would be pretty hard to leave, so you're probably wrong. think about it like this: if TEX had won led by two more dominant starts from Lee, there'd be a lot more support to give him the pitching equivalent of A-Rod's deal. Greenberg has been talking up a storm about it over the last few weeks.

I don't think NY would go past 6/150, and it would have been a lot easier to match that as defending champions (plus the state/local tax breaks). now I think maybe 5/115 might get it done, and I think he's a lot more likely to end up in NY (where I think he's wanted to be for a while now). thank you, Giants!

[crawjo]

Yeah, I know Lee said that, but I never believed him. I think, like most (but not all) people in his position, he will just go with whoever gives him the best deal. Also, if one poor start and one so-so start at the end of a long season could really make that much difference in his contract, then you have to ask yourself whether that is even rational to begin with. Anyway, I'd put his odds at signing with the Yankees at around 65 percent.

Regardless, I look forward to watching the Yankees fail in the postseason in the future. I've realized that this is really win-win for me as a fan, simply because the obnoxious advantages the Yankees franchise have means that when they win championships, they simply hold serve (the 2009 championship of course being the most egregious example of a "bought" title arguably in baseball history, maybe after the 1997 Marlins or 2001 D-Backs, given that it was preceded by a half billion dollars spent in the free agent market), whereas when they fail (as they will more than half the time, especially as that lineup gets older and older) it's much more sweet than watching any other team collapse. I have to think that watching the Yankees lose in the postseason is analogous to the feeling oppressed people in the world have when the arrogant United States gets its own comeuppance in various catastrophes. Dancing in the streets, indeed.

Long, expensive contracts for pitchers rarely work out in the end, unless you are like the Yankees and are willing to pay exorbitant sums for great performance at the beginning of the contract, followed by injury or declining performance thereafter. Add to that that Lee is already in his 30s, and I'm hopeful that his agent will get the Yankees to give him six years. It won't be nearly as dumb as the Burnett signing obviously was at the time it was made, but it's still a significant gamble, one that only a few teams can make.

Anyway, Jon, we have to pull up that post you made in September about how the Phillies had a 40 percent shot at winning the World Series, the various AL teams were at 14 percent each, while the other NL teams in the playoffs were at 1 or 2 percent each. Nice call there.

[jon abbey]

Anyway, Jon, we have to pull up that post you made in September about how the Phillies had a 40 percent shot at winning the World Series, the various AL teams were at 14 percent each, while the other NL teams in the playoffs were at 1 or 2 percent each. Nice call there.

I know, I was thinking about that. I really didn't think there was any chance one of those other teams could beat both Philly and the AL team, but never underestimate a hot team and stud young pitching, I guess.

[jesus marion joseph]

Speaking of youth, it struck me last night that Lincecum/Posey appear outwardly to have a combined age of about 35. I'm sure the actual is about 45 (my actual age), but they look really young out there.

[surfer]

they look really young out there.

To do list:

1. Win World Series

2. Legalize marijuana in California

3. Take Julie to Prom

[surfer]

I'm happy for Chris Russo, finally, finally, he got his "ONE TIME!"

[crawjo]

I know, I was thinking about that. I really didn't think there was any chance one of those other teams could beat both Philly and the AL team, but never underestimate a hot team and stud young pitching, I guess.

They remind me of the 2003 Florida Marlins, actually, although looking back on their roster, Florida's lineup had a bit more heft to it (Derrek Lee and Mike Lowell had good years). But as I remember, heading into that postseason no one was touting the Marlins (all the focus was on San Francisco in the NL) and people thought the Yankees would walk all over them in the World Series.

[jon abbey]

that year was somewhat different, as the apocalyptic ALCS burned NY's pitching staff, and Torre was too stupid to make the obvious move of using Contreras in game 1. instead he went to Wells on short rest, Wells got hurt and couldn't make his second start, and the rest is history. NY was a lot closer to FLA than TEX was to SF, and TEX's rotation was perfectly lined up for the WS.

[jesus marion joseph]

To do list:

1. Win World Series

2. Legalize marijuana in California

3. Take Julie to Prom

Excellent!

[Enforcer]

that year was somewhat different, as the apocalyptic ALCS burned NY's pitching staff, and Torre was too stupid to make the obvious move of using Contreras in game 1. instead he went to Wells on short rest, Wells got hurt and couldn't make his second start, and the rest is history. NY was a lot closer to FLA than TEX was to SF, and TEX's rotation was perfectly lined up for the WS.

I remember how pissed you were about that. I think you were pissed at Wells also for his lack of conditioning, writing something to the effect of, "Nice goin', fat man. You may have just cost your team a World Series title."

The thing I loved about that 2003 Marlins team was Pudge Rodriguez just putting that team on his back to get them to the WS. The NLDS series clinching out at home plate was spectacular. This is the best shot I could find, but the most spectacular moment was the triumphant Pudge holding the ball up while lying on his back, showing everyone, "I got it!" The determination of the look on his face, saying, "I'm not letting go of this ball, motherfucker." Great theater.

[jon abbey]

yeah, he was amazing in those playoffs, although by memory I think better in the first two rounds than the WS. they also of course had the 12 year old Miguel Cabrera, who got a leave from 8th grade to hit some postseason HRs.

[crawjo]

As I watched this postseason, I kept thinking 2010 Buster Posey = 2003 Miguel Cabrera.

[surfer]

Reacting to a quote from a Giants executive -- "We've shown 'Moneyball' is a bunch of garbage." -- Mike Silva has this:
Paul DePodesta did say his definition of “Moneyball” is finding undervalued players. I believe two key contributors, Juan Uribe and Andres Torres, might fall into that category. Again, I believe incorporating aspects of advanced statistical analysis into decision making is essential to survive in the modern game.

Remember, the MLB playoffs is a tournament. You get there and anything can happen regardless of Moneyball.

Some of the key elements in the Oakland team memorialized as (and in) "Moneyball" were (1) a fantastic home-grown rotation, (2) a relatively cheap but quite effective closer, (3) a cheap but quite productive first baseman who nobody else really wanted and (4) a cheap, veteran left fielder who'd recently struggled as a DH in the American League East.

Looking at the 2010 Giants, let's see ... check, check, check, and check.

One big difference between the 2002 Athletics and the 2010 Giants ... the A's had very little money to spend (hence "Moneyball") while the Giants had a fairly large amount of money to spend.

Except the way things worked out, the Giants that won the World Series on the field didn't actually make a great deal of money.

The Giants opened this season with a payroll approaching $100 million. But by the end of September, fully $30 million of that payroll -- the portion allocated to Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand -- was essentially dead money. Zito didn't pitch in the playoffs and Rowand, on the bench for much of the season, went 3 for 11 in the tournament. Essentially, the team that won the World Series was a $70 million team. Which would have ranked somewhere near the bottom among National League payrolls.

The Giants won the World Series. The Moneyball Athletics have won one postseason series. In 2001 and 2002, the Moneyball Athletics won 205 games. In 2009 and 2010, the (supposedly) anti-Moneyball Giants won 190 games.

I understand that there's been a great deal of pent-up frustration within the Giants organization. Jerks like me have compared Brian Sabean to Billy Beane, and found Sabean wanting. Maybe that wasn't fair. Sabean's certainly got his ring, and Beane certainly doesn't. But considering how much money the Giants have flushed down the toilet these past few seasons, if I worked for them I probably wouldn't raise that particular subject too often.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/ ... -different