2012 MLB Season

[Kramerica Industries]

Sidethought: I really hope teams hold off on the champagne celebration for simply making it to the wildcard game.

I agree, but from what someone posted, the Nats popped champagne last night. That's dumb, especially for a team like them who will assuredly win the division. I think the Rays did the same thing in 2008, popping champagne when clinching a spot, then again when winning the division. I like what LaRussa did a few years back, telling the players they wouldn't celebrate until they won the division.

It will be silly seeing teams celebrate for clinching one of the two wildcards, especially since they aren't really in the playoffs, it's a play-in game, and they have a 50% chance of their season ending after one game. Champagne celebrations are one of the things unique to baseball. The long season and the small number of playoff teams means it is a huge accomplishment to make it in, unlike the other pro leagues. Champagne celebrations still meant something after divisions were created in '69, and even after '95 since you still had to be one of the top four out of 14 or 16 teams. But if we are at the point of teams essentially celebrating making a play-in game, then celebrating winning that game before even playing in the playoffs, I think that might be when the shark is jumped.

And this is one of those points that will bug me to death if (when) I see or hear things like "Braves have been in the playoffs two of the last three seasons", if they are the team that loses in the play-in game.

The play-in game is a one game playoff to get in to the playoffs. For all intents and purposes, it is NOT an actual playoff game. It's bad enough that some teams hang wild card banners - you just know there will be some teams that hang "wild card runner-up" banners in due time.

[Sport]

Sidethought: I really hope teams hold off on the champagne celebration for simply making it to the wildcard game.

I agree, but from what someone posted, the Nats popped champagne last night. That's dumb, especially for a team like them who will assuredly win the division. I think the Rays did the same thing in 2008, popping champagne when clinching a spot, then again when winning the division. I like what LaRussa did a few years back, telling the players they wouldn't celebrate until they won the division.

It will be silly seeing teams celebrate for clinching one of the two wildcards, especially since they aren't really in the playoffs, it's a play-in game, and they have a 50% chance of their season ending after one game. Champagne celebrations are one of the things unique to baseball. The long season and the small number of playoff teams means it is a huge accomplishment to make it in, unlike the other pro leagues. Champagne celebrations still meant something after divisions were created in '69, and even after '95 since you still had to be one of the top four out of 14 or 16 teams. But if we are at the point of teams essentially celebrating making a play-in game, then celebrating winning that game before even playing in the playoffs, I think that might be when the shark is jumped.

And this is one of those points that will bug me to death if (when) I see or hear things like "Braves have been in the playoffs two of the last three seasons", if they are the team that loses in the play-in game.

The play-in game is a one game playoff to get in to the playoffs. For all intents and purposes, it is NOT an actual playoff game. It's bad enough that some teams hang wild card banners - you just know there will be some teams that hang "wild card runner-up" banners in due time.

Yes. It's sort of like how they give schools who lose the NCAA tournament play in game credit for making the tournament.

As much as it bothers that the 1999 Reds didn't make the playoffs, they didn't make the playoffs. They lost the play-in game. I hate how the one game playoff is now defined as part of the postseason.

[BrySmalls]

Why's it dumb for the Nats to have champagne for clinching their first ever playoff berth?

From last night's recap:

The Nationals celebrated with a private champagne toast. No spraying and no protective plastic over their lockers.

[TheOldRoman]

Is there any truth to the rumor about the 50-game suspension for Robinson Cano? Or was it a false report?

It was just a rumor.

Yes, just a rumor that started late Wednesday night. Nothing came of it since it was fabricated other than scaring some Yankee fans.

There was a rumor a few weeks back about a White Sox player testing positive and being in the appeals process. The first word of it was a guy posting on a message board that his friend works at a radio network and they were sitting on the story. It spread to other message boards instantly. Everybody started tweeting media people who said they had heard the rumor a week before but didn't have any credible information that it was true. Within about eight hours, it went from "I heard the rumor" to "my friend confirmed it - positive test" to "my source said Sox calling press conference tomorrow to announce the suspension." When reporters asked the Sox about it, they said they had heard nothing, contacted MLB to double check, and then announced the rumors were completely untrue. Moral of the story - pay no attention to steroid suspension rumors until you see a press release.

[TheOldRoman]

Why's it dumb for the Nats to have champagne for clinching their first ever playoff berth?

From last night's recap:

The Nationals celebrated with a private champagne toast. No spraying and no protective plastic over their lockers.

A champagne toast is fine. I assumed it was the normal cork-popping celebration. THAT would have been silly, like they were saying "We should easily win our division, but should we inexplicably lose our next thirteen games, we can still back into a play-in game! Woooo!"

[NEW.ERA]

Why's it dumb for the Nats to have champagne for clinching their first ever playoff berth?

From last night's recap:

The Nationals celebrated with a private champagne toast. No spraying and no protective plastic over their lockers.

Classy. Ghosts of Expos past would be proud.

[BrySmalls]

Why's it dumb for the Nats to have champagne for clinching their first ever playoff berth?

From last night's recap:

The Nationals celebrated with a private champagne toast. No spraying and no protective plastic over their lockers.

A champagne toast is fine. I assumed it was the normal cork-popping celebration. THAT would have been silly, like they were saying "We should easily win our division, but should we inexplicably lose our next thirteen games, we can still back into a play-in game! Woooo!"

That's understandable. There's plenty of baseball left with little room (5.5 game lead over the Braves) for error.

[Kramerica Industries]

Sidethought: I really hope teams hold off on the champagne celebration for simply making it to the wildcard game.

I agree, but from what someone posted, the Nats popped champagne last night. That's dumb, especially for a team like them who will assuredly win the division. I think the Rays did the same thing in 2008, popping champagne when clinching a spot, then again when winning the division. I like what LaRussa did a few years back, telling the players they wouldn't celebrate until they won the division.

It will be silly seeing teams celebrate for clinching one of the two wildcards, especially since they aren't really in the playoffs, it's a play-in game, and they have a 50% chance of their season ending after one game. Champagne celebrations are one of the things unique to baseball. The long season and the small number of playoff teams means it is a huge accomplishment to make it in, unlike the other pro leagues. Champagne celebrations still meant something after divisions were created in '69, and even after '95 since you still had to be one of the top four out of 14 or 16 teams. But if we are at the point of teams essentially celebrating making a play-in game, then celebrating winning that game before even playing in the playoffs, I think that might be when the shark is jumped.

And this is one of those points that will bug me to death if (when) I see or hear things like "Braves have been in the playoffs two of the last three seasons", if they are the team that loses in the play-in game.

The play-in game is a one game playoff to get in to the playoffs. For all intents and purposes, it is NOT an actual playoff game. It's bad enough that some teams hang wild card banners - you just know there will be some teams that hang "wild card runner-up" banners in due time.

Yes. It's sort of like how they give schools who lose the NCAA tournament play in game credit for making the tournament.

As much as it bothers that the 1999 Reds didn't make the playoffs, they didn't make the playoffs. They lost the play-in game. I hate how the one game playoff is now defined as part of the postseason.

Exactly. 60 teams, out of 68, get first round byes in the NCAA. Eight teams, out of ten, get first round byes in MLB. Could that sound any more ridiculous?

On a loosely related note - really hoping this weekend's series between the A's and Yankees isn't a preview of the AL play-in game.

[Still MIGHTY]

On a loosely related note - really hoping this weekend's series between the A's and Yankees isn't a preview of the AL play-in game.

I hope it isn't either. I hope the Yankees go out of their way to assure that and sweep Oakland.

The Angels sit 3.5 games behind Baltimore/Oakland. Baltimore 1 game behind the Yankees.

Baltimore handily has the easiest schedule among the four teams (3 @ BOS, 4 vs TOR, 3 vs BOS, 3 @ TB). The Orioles are going to make it. After this the A's series, the Yankees have just as easy of a schedule (3 vs OAK, 3 @ MIN, 4 @ TOR, 3 vs BOS). I think the Yankees still take the division, and Baltimore gets the first WC spot.

Oakland has the hardest schedule remaining (3 @ NYY, 4 @ TEX, 3 vs SEA, 3 vs TEX). The Angels are slightly easier with two series vs Seattle and while Chicago is a division leader, they're only a 1/2 game better than the Angels. ( 3 vs CWS, 3 vs SEA, 3 @ TEX, 3 @ SEA)

Even with the schedules, it's going to be very difficult for the Angels to gain ground. To make a conservative prediction in each series (2/3 one or the other or a spilt), that'd be splitting hairs. Oakland would have to lose the three series (2/3) and split the one and the Angels would have to win all four series (2/3) to fore a one-game playoff for the last spot. I'd say the Halos would probably have to sweep one (or preferably both) of the Seattle series to have their best shot, especially with a trip to Arlington. But the trips to NY and to 4 in Arlington loom large for Oakland.

It's going to take a mammoth effort, but there's still a shot.

(Not that it would matter. This team won't be winning any titles, because the Angels bullpen blows. Hell, they'd be two games closer if it weren't for consecutive awesome Greinke starts ruined by quick Frieri homer implosions, this thing might be a whole lot more interesting... All of that money spent in December isn't going to mean jack because at the end of it all, the bullpen was still never fixed. We're not any closer to the division title than we were last season and I guess the Halos would still be in a normal WC race, because the bullpen is still a dumpster fire. Downs has been good. Jepsen has been great since his recall. Williams has actually recovered quite well. But everything else is spotty. Frieri was good for a stretch. (WAS). Walden was bad and got injured. Isringhausen hasn't been good. Hawkins has been the worst of them all.... ugh... And while Scioscia is great at many things, his bullpen management has always been spotty, and that's exacerbated by an awful bullpen to choose from.)

EDIT:

Nevermind. For some weird reason, the front sports page of the OC Register was wrong. The Angels are 4.5 out. Not 3.5

it. We're done.

EDIT 2:

Nevermind. The OC Register was right. I just can't ing read.

[RedSox44]

Yay Nats! I guess I'm backing them in the postseason this year.

[Don]

I guess tonight in Washington they are going to party like its 1933.

Wrong. There will be more alcohol than in 1933.

Legal alcohol, that is.

---

When the White Sox miss the playoffs this year, they'll have that brutal 6-12 record against the crappy Royals to thank for it.

Except for Bryce Harper, who shared sparkling grape juice with Adam LaRoches 10 yr old son Drake tonight.

I'm sure Bryce Harper wishes they were still in Montreal.

Harper doesnt drink. Thats where the famous "Thats a clown question bro" quote came from, because some reporter in Toronto asked him if he was going to have a beer since he was legal in Canada.

[lordsketor]

Russell Martin saves Rafael Soriano's backside with a walkoff HR in the 10th, this should not have come to this point, CC pitched his heart out for 8 innings.

[Kramerica Industries]

Russell Martin saves Rafael Soriano's backside with a walkoff HR in the 10th, this should not have come to this point, CC pitched his heart out for 8 innings.

Yankees only have two walk-off hits all season.

Both of them are Russell Martin home runs.

----

I remember the 2010 AL East race between the Rays and Yankees, which should've been even more dramatic as those two played seven head-to-heads after September 12.

However, since both teams had long run away in the wild card race, and it was arguable that the division winners draw (Texas) was worse than the wild card winners draw (Minnesota). Both teams had horrible months, and the division clinching for the Rays was such a ludicrous crawl to the end of the season.

So, what I guess I'm saying is that, if nothing else, the new wild card system does do that much. The Yankees and Orioles both have monster incentive to win the division to avoid the play-in game. And, well, both teams are playing like it.

(Of course, under the old system, this would be a three team race for two spots with the A's right in it as well, and the Angels, Tigers, and Rays still in shouting range, but I digress...)

[ElwoodCuse]

Why's it dumb for the Nats to have champagne for clinching their first ever playoff berth?

From last night's recap:

The Nationals celebrated with a private champagne toast. No spraying and no protective plastic over their lockers.

A champagne toast is fine. I assumed it was the normal cork-popping celebration. THAT would have been silly, like they were saying "We should easily win our division, but should we inexplicably lose our next thirteen games, we can still back into a play-in game! Woooo!"

That owns, no one should get champagne until they win the World Series but this is a good start

[DarkJourney]

Giants & Reds can both clinch their divisions on Saturday. Reds beating the Dodgers which helps the Giants, who need to beat the Padres.

[NJTank]

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Brewers making a run in the NL Wild Card Race

85 years since the Long Count

Birthday wishes to a Dodger legend

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[BrySmalls]

Question for Pirates fans (and anyone else for that matter): Would you consider it a winning season if the Bucs finished with an 81-81 record?

[ElwoodCuse]

Question for Pirates fans (and anyone else for that matter): Would you consider it a winning season if the Bucs finished with an 81-81 record?

81-81 breaks the streak of losing seasons but doesn't end the drought of no winning seasons since 1992

[mania]

Playoff Odds, by BP.

AL:

TEX - 100%

NYY - 99.8%

BAL - 92.5%

OAK - 82.7%

CHW - 64.6%

DET - 37.0%

LAA - 15.5%

TB - 7.9%

NL:

WAS - 100%

ATL - 100%

CIN - 100%

SF - 100%

STL - 68.9%

MIL - 16.4%

LAD - 11.4%

PHI - 1.8%

ARI - 1.4%

[zpqmaowl]

Guys, guys.

The Orioles won in extra innings again.