This is October: 2014 MLB Postseason Thread

[rxmc89]

Very good job out of you McCarthy about that first 13 out of 17 ALCS stat.

I'm so old that my earliest memories, vague though they are, were of my Dad watching the Reds and Orioles playing in the 1970 World Series (gasp) during the AFTERNOON, in DAYLIGHT! It was on a black and white TV set too believe it or not. That's my earliest memory of baseball.

The first World Series I remember watching was 1975, which was the single greatest World Series ever bar none.

I remember the likes of Amos Otis too, and Hal McRae, Freddy Patek, U.L. Washington, "Big" John Mayberry, Darrell Porter catching, Larry Gura, Dan "the Quiz" Quissenbery, and of course George Brett.

I was a Yankees fan from 1974 until the early 2000s when they began to bring in the likes of Alex Fraudriguez and Roger Clemens. Chris Chambliss, MIckey Rivers, Thurman Munson (RIP), Lou Piniella, Roy White, Carlos May, Fred Stanley, Bucky Dent (who I hope to contact someday to share with him my story of his fateful home run in that 1978 playoff game vs the Red Sox), Willie Randolph, Sandy Alomar, Sr., Reggie Jackson, Fran Healy (RIP), but my favorite Yankee during those days was Graig Nettles. The defensive plays he made were mind boggling to see, and although he didn't hit for average, he could bring home a lot of runners with one swing of his mighty bat. Dick Tidrow, Sparky Lyle, Goose Gossage, Ron Guidry (another personal favorite of mine), Don Gullett, Catfish (RIP)...

This inspires me to do a separate baseball thread. Great memories of yesteryear stirred up, giving me a very warm and cozy feeling, thanks to this message board and thanks to my fellow posters!

Wow, you must be what, 45 years old? You're lucky to still be alive. I'm guessing most of your contemporaries have already passed on. (sarcasm)

[CS85]

I'm so old that I remember stuff that you don't remember because you are not as old.

[dbadefense1990]

Cards win Game 3 because Donnie Baseball does not work in October. Taking Ryu out in the 7th after two-hitting St. Louis, for Elbert who didn't even work 10 games during the season? The hell do you defend that? LA's bullpen has allowed a horrawful 8.96 ERA in this NLDS to the team with the least number of home runs in the regular season. Shameful.

[Unocal]

Save us, Kershaw and Gio.

The last thing we need is the same old same old in the NL.

Remember how some of us were not pleased with the Phillies potentially making 3 straight WS a few years back? Well, be careful what you wish for.

[Unocal]

Cards win Game 3 because Donnie Baseball does not work in October. Taking Ryu out in the 7th after two-hitting St. Louis, for Elbert who didn't even work 10 games during the season? The hell do you defend that? LA's bullpen has allowed a horrawful 8.96 ERA in this NLDS to the team with the least number of home runs in the regular season. Shameful.

Apparently, seems like if you don't wear a Cardinal/Giant uniform, nothing works in October.

[PhilliesPhan1325]

Remember how some of us were not pleased with the Phillies potentially making 3 straight WS a few years back? Well, be careful what you wish for.

I hope you're all happy now...

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

Cards win Game 3 because Donnie Baseball does not work in October. Taking Ryu out in the 7th after two-hitting St. Louis, for Elbert who didn't even work 10 games during the season? The hell do you defend that? LA's bullpen has allowed a horrawful 8.96 ERA in this NLDS to the team with the least number of home runs in the regular season. Shameful.

I know this problem all too well.

[kewp80]

Wong goes deep.

Long Dong Wong!

Crazy how the bats have just suddenly decided to wake up in October. Guess now's as good a time as any. Time to shell a short rested Kershaw again.

[CS85]

Feel good fans:

http://deadspin.com/cardinals-fans-get-ugly-in-clash-with-ferguson-proteste-1643282285

[OnWis97]

Regardless of who wins the American, there should be a feel-good team coming into the WS.

Cardinals in 5

I don't know. We may be getting to the point where the Giants become the cynic's choice.

As a cynic, I am getting a pretty good feeling that the Cards or Giants will win it all...(again, no hate, just preference for something new). The winner of this year's NLCS may get a strong hold on the "most hated/envied team award." Though maybe not. Maybe, since AT&T Park is kinda a "fun place to hangout" and the fan base is not as "knowledgeable" and there is no "Giant Way", it remains the Cards regardless.

But yeah, feel good AL team loses to Cards or Giants. McCarthy posts "this is why sports are no fun." I "like" the post.

[-kj]

Feel good fans:

http://deadspin.com/cardinals-fans-get-ugly-in-clash-with-ferguson-proteste-1643282285

Stupid redneck uber-suburbanites who only set foot in the city to go to games. Ugh.

That mess is so many layers deeper than "Cardinal fans".

[CS85]

Feel good fans:

http://deadspin.com/cardinals-fans-get-ugly-in-clash-with-ferguson-proteste-1643282285

Stupid redneck uber-suburbanites who only set foot in the city to go to games. Ugh.

That mess is so many layers deeper than "Cardinal fans".

Agreed. I felt ugly posting another Deadspin link, as I'm not in any rush to be their parrot around here, but it's a pretty ugly situation all around that happens to have redbird/BFIB stuff swirled into the mix.

[Lights Out]

I for one have learned to just expect the Cardinals to win it all and be pleasantly surprised when they don't. It's not even that I particularly dislike their players or anything, they're just boring and old-hat and I'd prefer other teams to win instead. And of course, when you actually want them to win it all, that's when they promptly :censored: the bed in the World Series (see: 2004, 2013).

[kewp80]

At least we're not beating opposing teams fans into lifeless comas. This is why politics and sports should never mix.

[FiddySicks]

At least we're not beating opposing teams fans into lifeless comas.

That's pretty much what I was gonna say about it. I'd WAY rather have to put up with getting yelled at by a bunch of stupid Fox News watchers than have to worry about my well being while walking back to my car.

[hbgoo1975]

I just don't buy the Nationals as a comeback team, BECAUSE THE PSYCHO PANDA IS COMING TO RUIN THEIR SEASON NO MATTER WHEN!!

[The_Admiral]

I'll just say it, I don't suppose he's any weirder than the rest of us are.

[STL FANATIC]

The video is disgusting. It's made more disgusting by the fact that Deadspin discusses it in the context of "F*** the Cardinals" (that's literally a tag on the article). That tag and the "Go Dodgers" at the end tells you all you need to know about how concerned Deadspin is with the actual events.

They're not. They just saw another opportunity to bash Cardinals fans.

But the incident itself is terrible. It's a small portion of the fan base. A portion that most fan bases probably have. So the context shouldn't sports, it should just be what it is. Racism brought about by terrible and unfair socio-economic conditions and policies.

In conclusions, screw Deadspin, and really screw racism.

[The_Admiral]

I don't have a problem with ripping on Cardinals fans for the sake of ripping on Cardinals fans. I do it all the time! It's fun! What I don't like is conflating it with Gawker Media's greater agenda of social justice, as if St. Louis Cardinals fandom itself as a concept is part of the oppression of black people. It isn't. This is going past busting Will Leitch's balls (also fun) and into something that's bigger than it has a right to be. Yes, there are Cardinals fans with ugly, retrograde political views. One used to post here. But we're talking about a team that's popular with lots of people in lots of places, geographically and socioeconomically. Like you said, "F*** the Cardinals" and "Go Dodgers" takes it beyond reporting and shaming and into some strange narrative where a Guggenheim-owned business is cast as the heroes for all that is really right and good and coastal-sensibility-approved. Sure, I'd love it if the Dodgers won the series and Yasiel Puig teabagged Fredbird, but it's not a victory against the intolerance of Gasconade County dicksmacks (putative Single A affiliate?). I feel bad for good, thoughtful fans being dragged down by the hype-buying BFIBs. I also recognize that this could have happened in Chicago or Detroit or Miami or anywhere that race relations are a powder keg waiting to explode.

Yeah that's right, I'll stand up for Cardinals fans before I stand up for Deadspin! Midwestern solidarity!

[IceCap]

They're not. They just saw another opportunity to bash Cardinals fans.

Well if the Cardinals fans make it easy for them to do so...

For my part re: the Cardinals hate? Well I respect the hell out of how the Cardinals are run. I'm also cynical, so the midwestern humility and wholesomeness just sort of wears thin on me over time. And I'm finding myself feeling the same way about the overly sentimental "down home hockey" mentality that's been beaten into the ground here too.

There's no doubt that most Cards fans are knowledgeable, but my gut reaction is to roll my eyes and just go "whatever, I hope you guys get knocked out soon" whenever I hear about "the best fans in baseball" or the "Cardinals Way." Can't you guys just be a knowledgeable fanbase of a well run team? Do we need to bring the baseball allegiances of the Almighty into the discussion?