MLB Playoffs

[FiddySicks]

Is it me or is it getting annoying teams with the champagne after the ALDS and NLDS. I understand locker room celebrations for the World Series, but come on. This is ridiculous.

Do NHL teams celebrate reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.

Do NFL teams go nuts and spray champagne for reaching the AFC or NFC Championship?

No to each and the same goes for the NBA.

Yes, thank you. I absolutely hate that about baseball.

And I really don't blame Scioscia for putting on the squeeze either. I wouldn't have made the decision considering that if your guy on third gets gunned the run is dead, and even if Aybar Ks there's still only two outs. The real one I blame is Aybar. You're in an elimination game and you're in a situation where you absolutely have to get the bat on the ball, no matter what. For him to fail really puts the cap on the fact that the most solid and fundamentally sound team coming into the playoffs just didn't show up. I said it with last game and the missed pop up that got the Sox three runs. The sense of urgency just simply wasn't there and the team that I expected to roll through the playoffs towards their second title just blew it.

Go Rays.

GO PHILS.

[Sport]

Go Rays, Phillies, or Dodgers. Who's with me? Anybody but Boston again.

[utahjazz48]

THE WHITE SOX LOST! YES! :}

[Still MIGHTY]

First off, I think it was a bad decision by Scioscia to pull a suicide squeeze when your season is on the line. THat infuriated me. It's risky enough as is! All Aybar has to do is get it out of the infield, Willits tags up and scores and we're coming back to Anaheim. THAT'S IT! This isn't July against the Texas Rangers. This is October vs the Red Sox in Fenway and a possible 2-3 outs left in your season... and you pull a SUICIDE SQUEEZE!?!?!!? If you really dont think Aybar can get it in the outfield, bring in a pinch hitter! I'm pretty sure Robb Quinlan or Gary Matthews Jr can fly out to centerfield with the best of em! I usually love when Mike does this kind of thing because since 2002 its what we've branded as "Angels Baseball" but that just isn't the make-up of this team anymore. In some spots yes, but resting your season on the most riskiest of baseball plays is just absurd to me.

Second, even after the decision to squeeze, you try your damndest to execute the play. Dive after the ball for all I care. Kick the damn thing if you're not getting to it with the bunt. This also reminded me of how much the Angels missed Maicer Izturis late in the season and in the playoffs with that torn thumb ligament. He'd be the starting shortstop and he could always be relied on in the clutch and in a bunting situation like this one.

And as it was all series, the Angels were always one hit away from breaking it open. A few miscues and they let Boston win.

After losing in the first round again and to the Red Sox for the umpteenth time again and after winning 100 games and picking up Tex and Torii for their big bats and the rise of Saunders and Santana and the Red Sox not winning the division and trading away Manny... etc. Next year's regular season is going to be just a dredge to watch. Yes the regular season and all the wins and the division and all that are nice, but once you reach the postseason it means nothing. You have to get it done in October. All this year's great accomplishments and records just seem for naught now. You won 100 games, your division by 21 games, your closer set a single season record, you picked up big bats which continued to produce, you had 3 pitchers in the All-Star game, took 8 games from the Red Sox and swept them in Fenway, were 2 outs away from a no hitter. all for NOTHING!!!!

After being in the playoffs 4 out of the last 5 years as division champs, only to lose to the Sox (Red 3 times, White once) every year... it's just such a disappointment. I will take no value in the regular season anymore. I almost feel like a Cubs fan (albeit on a much much much much smaller scale) and I couldn't even imagine 100 years of this, but I kinda get the point.

I'll go to tons of games, watch them almost every day, wear my Angels gear, yadda yadda, but I won't be able to truly enjoy the regular season anymore. We just need to get there, I don't really care how we get there, but we need to get to the Postseason. Fight though 162 more games, then its a clean slate. You HAVE to win. The Angels HAVE to win now. Now I almost feel like all the fans of teams I hated, Yankees and Red Sox, you are successful year after year and it's all about winning. I love the game, but it almost feels like it means nothing if you don't win it.

It really is such a hurting pain to fight all summer, 162 games, the ups the downs, only to fall in the Postseason to that same friggin team... Losing 12 out of the last 13 games against the same team... It is a great pain... It may seem that way for the Angels because they've been successful almost every year since the 2002 championship. One day we will break through Boston... and It will be glorious and the Halo will shine brighter than ever. But until '09... the Halo will remain dark

also

Goodbye K-Rod!

and

PAY TEIXEIRA!

I don't care how much he wants. Just pay him. He deserves every penny. He fields, he hits, he's patient, he walks, he plays into the Angels gameplan. He is the perfect player for this line-up.

and

I love Garret Anderson, he is my favorite player and he came up through the organization and has been wearing the Halo for 14 years now, but his play in this series has been painful to watch. He has an option on his contract for next year (i dont know if it's his option or a club option) but I could see him being platooned in LF/DH or just retiring. I love GA, but he isn't the Garret Anderson I grew up loving. He is still a good player and valuable to the team, just not in the same way he used to be.

Pay Vlad, he's definitely been dinged recently but still productive as always.

Pay Chone, as much as he sucked in the first two games, he made up for it in Boston. Still a vital part of the Angels defense and offense (although Brandon Wood is waiting in the wings)

Pay Lackey, he is still the horse and the ace.

Pay Juan Rivera, the archetype of the pinch hitter and productive. I could see him being platooned with GA in left field next year.

Let K-Rod walk of course.

Let Garland walk. With Lackey, Santana, Saunders, Weaver, and the return of Kelvim Escobar this season, he's not needed. Effective and he had a fine year, just not totally what I expected.

Try and Trade Gary Matthews Jr. We overpaid for him. He is a huge bust and with that jumble of outfielders he is by far the weakest in every sense.

Look for the emergence of Brandon Wood next year. He's been stuck in the minors the past 3 years and been tearing it up, but after seeing him at the end of the season I think he is ready.

Look for Jose Arredondo as closer.

Look for Kendrick and Napoli to truly break out as extremely good players at their positions.

Look for the return of Kelvim Escobar to the rotation and the return of Maicer Izturis to the infield...

Until '09....

GO RAYS!!!!

(wow that was a long post but I guess a fitting tribute to another long baseball season.... you Boston... you )

[rams80]

THE WHITE SOX LOST! YES! :}

I thought we weren't hearing from you until the World Series.

[infrared41]

Go Rays, Phillies, or Dodgers. Who's with me? Anybody but Boston again.

I'm with you but I don't think we'll get our wish.

[LMU]

Let me be the positive Halo fan here.

The loss was the best thing to happen to the club. With Moreno stating that payroll wasn't going to increase very much, they needed to fan out again to get him to open the wallet. Additionally, the series proved what a Fraud Frankie is, and how completely worthless Aybar is, even with his game 3 hit. Plus, let's face it... when you have to bring in big bats like Teixeira, the club's no longer going to specialize in small-ball. So, if we're going to beat the Sawks, better start building the club more to their game style.

That said, here's how I want the offseason going:

*Kick Frankie out the door

*Sign Teixeira long-term

*Let GA retire somewhat on top. I don't see him having a Salmon-type retirement year

*Let Garland walk

*Re-up Lackey and Rivera

*Trade Aybar

Possible '09 lineup:

C: Napoli

1B: Teixeira

2B: Kendrick

3B: Wood

SS: Figgins

LF: Matthews (hopefully healthy)

CF: Hunter

RF: Rivera

DH: Vladdy

Pitching staff:

SP: Lackey

SP: Santana

SP: Saunders

SP: Weaver

SP: Escobar if healthy, Adenhart otherwise

SU: Shields

CL: Arredondo

[w00tness]

What's the deal with Figgins? Sox fans would love to have him on the team, but is he a free agent or not? We're all somewhat confused about the whole thing.

[See Red]

What's the deal with Figgins? Sox fans would love to have him on the team, but is he a free agent or not? We're all somewhat confused about the whole thing.

I think next off-season he'll be a free agent.

Signing Teixiera could be tough... Boras is going to command A-Rod type money. I'd say he's looking at at least around 8 years/$160 million, maybe a little more. But I think it's something the Angels have to do. Please do it. Keep him out of New York.

[Still MIGHTY]

What's the deal with Figgins? Sox fans would love to have him on the team, but is he a free agent or not? We're all somewhat confused about the whole thing.

I think next off-season he'll be a free agent.

Signing Teixiera could be tough... Boras is going to command A-Rod type money. I'd say he's looking at at least around 8 years/$160 million, maybe a little more. But I think it's something the Angels have to do. Please do it. Keep him out of New York.

He is worth every penny.

[chestnutz]

sorry for OT but gbm clear your inbox!

[VandyDelphia Mike]

One more opportunity to give grief to the Worldwide Leader...

NLCS ESPN page ALCS ESPN page

Fewer experts on this go-around. And less unanimity.

Snicker if you must at the bookmarks toolbar - that's not our focus here.

[utahjazz48]

Sorry, I just had to say one more thing.

[TFoA]

We now know who FOX's announcers will be slanted against in the NLCS.

[Jigga]

Just another example of FOX's East Coast Bias. They will stop at nothing!

[NJTank]

We now know who FOX's announcers will be slanted against in the NLCS.

Looks like Tim McCarver is channeling Daff Duck

[BigEd76]

*crickets*

uh....Phillies won 3-2

[Jigga]

*crickets*

uh....Phillies won 3-2

Dude, hockey season started tonight. You can't possibly expect anyone here to care about baseball when HOCKEY IS BACK!!!

[jkrdevil]

*crickets*

uh....Phillies won 3-2

Dude, hockey season started tonight. You can't possibly expect anyone here to care about baseball when HOCKEY IS BACK!!!

And don't you forget that.

[The_Admiral]

I think that this year the World Series will go to the AL Champions.

Why?

Because the NLCS will be played by the Phillies and Dodgers. When one beat the other, lost the following WS. Dodgers beat Phils in 1977 and 1978 and lost twice the WS. In 1983 Philadelphia finally defeated Los Angeles... but lost the WS.

Bah... if the Red Sox win the pennant, they will face revenge against them: they defeated the Phillies in the 1915 World Series... and the Dodgers in the 1916 World Series. Maybe it's time of a payback.

Anyways, GO SOX!!!

None of this means anything.