2013 World Series: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Boston Red Sox

poll will end before first pitch

Red Sox

Saw someone point out this morning that this is only the second Series between two teams with identical records ('49 and '58). As Morbius pointed out, also the two league leaders in run differential, and, extending that, the two best teams in baseball as measured by Baseball Reference's "Simple Rating System" (which makes some adjustments to run differential).

Two teams that have won too often recently. So I'm trying to figure out which team sounds better completing this statement: "I can't believe that the ___________ have now won three World Series in the past ____ years." That'll be the team that wins.

^^^ based on that, it's clearly Boston, because it was always about the curse and not winning the WS for 250 years, so nobody is ready to cope with a three titles in nine years mini-dynasty.

http://heatherandmatt.aregettinmarried.com/files/2012/11/aleqm5hbjeopeltjk3iuxksy1rvhy-f0bqjpeg-9b2c68cbea584409.jpeg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o304/land_of_ashes/threat.jpg

rooting for cards

Hey, I know it's unfortunate that two really boring teams filled out the World Series. And it's regrettable there's no WS Pittsburgh Cinderella story or lol Puig can't miss tune-in heroics.

Erin Andrews stated it best in her succinct analysis of the essentialism of postseason baseball, and I think it's a salient point all of ILB can agree with:

#BostonStrong

Some NYT columnist (i think Araton) made link today btwn 2001 Yanks and '13 Bosox bcz of the Marathon bombing; i was unsurprised but still wanted to shit on him.

anyway, only upside at end of this Series will be "At least ____ lost"

schadenfreude!

Scott Miller, CBSSports.com:
“Tough not to wonder how Albert Pujols will be spending the next 10 or so days at home in St. Louis. Navigating his way through a sea of Cardinals red in the aisles when he stops for bread and milk at his local Schnucks grocery store? Threading his way through the 24-hour, wall-to-wall World Series coverage with every click of the television remote? Reading Michael Wacha's life story? Hard to believe there was a time two years ago when we wondered what October would be like for the Cardinals if they dared allow Pujols to escape. Not only did life go on, but the quality of it never wavered. We also now know what October is like for Pujols, post-Cardinals: He has a lot of free time on his hands. So do his Angels . . . But for one more win against the Giants last October, the Redbirds would be 2 for 2 in World Series appearances post-Pujols. As it is, they're 2 for 2 in NL Championship Series appearances and now have a chance to win a second World Series in three seasons.”

Now that Musial's gone, I assume Gibson is the current Cardinal Emeritus who'll throw out the first pitch. If not, maybe they can get the Mad Hungarian in there.

McCarver! Oh, wait...

Cardinals' forgotten man Shelby Miller trying stay ready

I guess matheny hasn't committed to games 2 & 3 starters though I see wacha and kelly listed. Kelly has been average in the post-season. whip is up, era is up. a rested Miller sure seems like a third plus starter you could drop in there.

I might almost be willing to root for St Loo, teeth clenched, if the fans dropped the "class" act and adopted my chant:

Dickdickdicktorino
dick dick dick

dick dick dick!
dick dick dick!
Dicktorino!
Dicktorino!

It is catchy, gotta admit

I guess I'm rooting for the Sawx in this one.

i'll probably root for the road team in each game

I hope they're all blowouts and someone gets swept. Then Fox fires Buck.

This is the series, then. If they win, this is when people learn to hate the Cardinals as a reflex.

http://www.baseballnation.com/2013/10/21/4861024/cardinals-world-series-yankees

I hope they're all blowouts and someone gets swept. Then Fox fires Buck.

YES. Something we can agree on -- I think that's our quota for the year.

i'll probably root for the road team in each game

great idea

i'll probably root for the road team in each game

Yeah -- a seven-game series of agonized crowd shots.

Cards DH?

@Buster_ESPN: Chris Carpenter had hit once in Fenway before today, he asked to take BP and put five over the Green Monster.

What a strange season for carpenter. I don't know how pitchers that are out for the season stay active and cheery in the dugout. if I was out for the season I'd feel like Dustin Hoffman in the pool in the Graduate. Or Cameron in the pool in Ferris Beuler. Or my uncle in the pool after another bad day at work.

Good news for the cardinals is that it looks like Allen Craig will be available to DH

cheering for the Cards and also like their odds better.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

http://cardinals.mlb.com reload reload reload <3

Sam Miller of BP:

Victorino has developed quite a reputation for getting hit by pitches this year. He led the American League in HBPs this year. He has been hit six times in the postseason. That’s convincing. Funny thing, though:
•He was hit 18 times this year.
•He was hit 19 times in the previous three seasons combined.

He has been hit six times this October, which matches his season totals in 2012, 2011, and 2009. This is either a skill that is almost totally under his control, or one of the all-time great cases of October sample shenanigans. All six of his October HBPs have been in important situations: four times with the game tied, twice with the Red Sox trailing by a run. If it’s a skill, he wields it effectively.

smh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev3Y4wrDy_Q

There's an important principle to remember here: Before the first game of the World Series, when the teams are tied 0-0, there is no way that the series could possibly be closer at that point. But when a team wins the first game and is up to 0-1, the series couldn't possibly be closer after one game. Tense!

Do the math.

/yes i'm making fun of stark again, i hate him

victorino should be fined for all the hanging over the plate he does. its grotesque.

but he is a gritty intense scrappy hustler (who hangs over the plate)

http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1868183/victorino.gif

wow, so i guess they are playing up the boston marathon bombing as the red sox media theme

i guess "victorino is an asshole" didn't play well with the focus groups

god, even by baseball interview music goes, that song was fucking TERRIBLE

even by baseball interview music standards, i mean

wow, shane robinson starting in CF. RIP jon jay

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

welp, 17-8, we are so bad and hated again

instead of watching the pregame i just watched 'homer at the bat'

i really hate how the tv networks reset stats for the postseason

xpost you missed some heroes. everyone on the field is a hero

i don't think tim mccarver understands what the word Dynamic means

wow craig has a weird stance

Ok kids, your homework assignment tonight is to calculate Shane Robinson's batting average:
http://i.imgur.com/cIj86bf.png

why is pedroia's uniform already dirty? fuckin gross

oh come the fuck on

lmao

How do you screw that up? How?

holy shit, awful call

horrible

Looking at the bag?

well good on them

Forget the DH debate, could we first reform how coddled middle infielders are?

maybe he sneezed - an umpire's worst fear

andy you're totally right he is not even looking at the catch

don't argue, matheny, come on. or at least give it a token argument.

Matheny's gonna fire up the troops!

Had to make sure Kozma was in the nabe.

when was the last time an ump got overruled on the field?

nagl for matheny when it was sooooooo obviously a terrible call

that was truly one of the worst calls i've ever seen

ya really umps are usu stubborn assholes even when clearly wrong

xp idk, it happens every so often

now that it's over and the correct decision was made, let me finally release my initial response,

GODDAMMIT KOZMA, fucking come on, the only thing you're good at is not dropping the ball, fuck

feel a lil bad for waino on this

but not that bad

feel bad for wainwright, getting the perfect inning ending double play and then getting kozma'd

napoli fly swatted that shit

ayyyy lmao

Matt adams kinda reminds me of Sam from game of thrones

I've never seen a pro watch a ball drop to the ground like that

Cardinals' postseason inexperience really showing here

UUUGGGGHHHH

this game was already taking way too long in the bottom of the first

i haven't involuntarily covered my mouth with my hand in a very long time

jesus

Do these guys know how to play this game?

this poor dude playing second

zachlyon i thought you weren't watching the world series because you didn't have a rooting interest and wanted to pursue a beautiful life?

also this poor dude playing shortstop

the Kozma Way

Schulman/Hershiser on the radio <3

the positive side of all this is perhaps pete kozma will finally be released

do kozma and carpenter have the same hair? are they just clones?

wait, how are there only 2 errors? kozma #1, wainwright's LOL, kozma #2?

zachlyon i thought you weren't watching the world series because you didn't have a rooting interest and wanted to pursue a beautiful life?

― reckless woo (Z S), Wednesday, October 23, 2013 8:57 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

convinced myself to root for the cards, also don't have a life

oh DAMN

Jesus

wow carlos

respect

cards are getting murdered but whoa at that catch

Hershiser is no prize -- Waino "is not suffocating the hitter with that stare"

what happened to the fat bearded bullpen cop? thought that was gonna be Torii II.

probly protecting a Bulger witness at the donut shop

Why do so many badeball players wear tribal necklaces

Hershiser says his neighbors in Las Vegas include Victorino and Carrot Top. Worst block in America.

right rib contusion for beltran

;_;

those are the magnetized power necklaces that don't work, right?

jonny gomes!

so, world series baseball

Errahs

jesus christ, this guy.

well now it really is over

kevin, meet david

too little too late

well i've...certainly never seen a batter slide into first base to beat a throw from a rightfielder

yeeaaahhh

lester absolutely killed it tonight

yaaaaaaa

lol at cardinals fielding, unreal, that ignored pop up

there has been a lot of bad fielding against the red sox this playoffs

gritty beardy teams just do that, their gritbeards induce bad fielding and hiccups and large rashes for the opposing teams

the guinea pigs arent helping

my cunning plan of rooting for the road team is off to a bad start

its true guinea pigs + gritbeards is a pretty unstoppable combo, not sure why more teams dont try it

store and release the guinea pigs from the beards

Cards were near the bottom of all team defensive metrics

https://vine.co/v/hpAnrTTIXLE

http://twitter.com/TylerMelling/status/393213271412862976/photo/1

i dont even know what im supposed to be looking at in that pic

The Cardinals had one game all season in which they committed three errors. That was Sept. 22, against the Brewers. It didn't particularly feel like Game 1 of the World Series. At Fenway Park. With the whole continent watching.

Or at least the portion of the continent that was wondering why it turned off "The Big Bang Theory" to take in this mess.

But the big bang in this game had nothing theoretical about it.

GODDAMMIT

timeless momentz

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2013/1023/mlb_g_adam-wainwright_mb_600.jpg

kozma's first error felt like miguel's baserunning error in game 5 (i think it was game 5?), totally changed momentum

https://vine.co/v/hpAnrTTIXLE

― brand nubian wafers (bnw), Thursday, October 24, 2013 8:49 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

he looked... at his fingers! ladies and gentlemen of the jury the prosecution rests

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/833441/hutz.gif

kozma's first error felt like miguel's baserunning error in game 5 (i think it was game 5?), totally changed momentum

Pedantic here but that was managerial candidate(!) Tom Brookens' base-coaching error -- the fact that he thought Cabrera had a chance to score, and then that he thought Cabrera could stop (with a fucking groin injury!) and get back. Healthy Cabrera would have had no chance on that play.

https://vine.co/v/hpAnrTTIXLE

― brand nubian wafers (bnw), Thursday, October 24, 2013 8:49 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

he looked... at his fingers! ladies and gentlemen of the jury the prosecution rests

lol yes, he just happened to move his fingers into the exact spot of the vaseline.

yes the clearly real 'vaseline spot' of course

he made a courageous attempt to hide his nefarious actions but the best internet detectives are on it folks

just as soon as they find the real marathon bomber

the bomber is... the vaseline spot!

The Cardinals had one game all season in which they committed three errors.

lol errors, the go-to fielding stat of mummies

hmmmm, i'm skeptical and starting to get embarrassed because cardinals fans on my facebook feed are starting to blow this up into vaselinegate, but

http://hallofverygood.com/images/stories/jon%20lester%20tweet.jpg

http://hallofverygood.com/images/stories/jon%20lester%20glove.jpg

*suddenly craving guacomole*

House of David = champs of beard

http://theclassical.org/articles/the-beards-of-summer

I literally caught only one pitch--walked in the door for the final pitch of the game. I was listening to the radio early on, and Schulman and Hershiser were in a state of disbelief about the call on Kozma. "How bad could it be?" I thought, trying to visualize the play. "It couldn't be that bad..." Except it was.

WHO GOT THE GUAC GUN?

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, June 21, 2006 12:20 PM (7 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhdCVe8XFIQ

why is the vaseline glowing green

plutonium jelly

i don't think it's vaseline, but wtf is it?

weed stash

something sticky imo

does it not just look like the seam of the glove is coming undone?

http://www.amazon.com/Cramer-Firm-Grip-4-Ounce-Spray/dp/B0001DK088

good for pole dancing too!

does it not just look like the seam of the glove is coming undone?

― Roberto Spiralli, Thursday, October 24, 2013 3:26 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yes, i do think in the video he's going for something tho

Fuck's sake, matheny. We're going with descalso (terrible hitter, terrible SS) over kozma (terrible hitter, good fielder) because kozma made a terrible mistake in game 1, and we're going with Joe Kelly over Lynn as SP in game 3 because he accrued wins in the regular season.

Hoping we get at least two of Lackey's godfuckingdamnits.

why do the Red Sox like to leave their top buttons unfastened

Fucking savages

And the wall comes into play, showing the inexp...oh, wait.

wacha wocka wocka

got a main pitch
and a mistress

yeah this Wacha kid is something else.

yus!

WOW

got blowed up

Locked in

ova tha monsta

That might've been a fuckinggoddamnit. Close enough.

i like this move, regular game leave him in but not tonight.

well this is not going well

bloops

lol

they would have probably had him at home

Errah

if the throw was better that is

Breslow wtf

breslow w a low iq play

Breslow making me look bad

this game turned in a hurry

to errah is breslow

They never get tired of James Taylor, do they?

looks like ian mackaye

It's the funny hat.

His presence is the true test of Boston Strong

#BostonStrong

― action bronson pinchot (sanskrit), Sunday, October 20, 2013 6:54 PM

KoltenWong > BawstenStrong

DICKDICKDICKTORINO

mamajama

no shift and that's a routine ground out

martinez is nice

Martinez super impressive

xp

Pearl Jamamamajama

#BostonStrong

― action bronson pinchot (sanskrit), Sunday, October 20, 2013 6:54 PM

― Bart get out I'm piss (am0n), Thursday, October 24, 2013 10:36 PM (27 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

#AllGaveSomeSomeGaveAll

sometimes u gotta live mas

Nas?

get em rosie

^^ Morbs Illmatic remix dropping Tuesday

sox getting ethered

gasssss

Srsly

j jays hit off lack was hueg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY

Suddenly it's the Cardinals who have the momentum and it's the Red Sox who are in trouble!

It took a second game but NOW we have a World Series!

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/danny-knobler/24132722/a-crazy-inning-gives-the-cardinals-life-and-now-we-have-a-world-series

The Cardinals aren't that glamorous, as they showed in Game 2, but they just win. Jayson Stark »

Papi = epitome of glamor, hitter of non-decisive World Series homers

aaahh one bad throw! i hate the world series

this series could literally not be any closer

and it was gomes, why is gomes playing, he is clearly not actually magical

this series could literally not be any closer

at this point in the series! important principle! do the math!

lol

that cbs article that Andy K posted above, too. i need to just stop reading all baseball recaps that include quotes from players and coaches

i love baseball but these guys are sooooo stupid

tbf they're being asked stupid questions

Smart players and coaches quickly realize that stepping even one inch outside of worn-out cliches can get them into trouble. Only the wild children of sports try to color outside the lines.

http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/cbss/ui5/authors/80x80/11370.png
Danny Knobler
Baseball Insider

BOSTON -- The Cardinals weren't making mistakes, but they still weren't hitting.

They were losing again.

And then, quite suddenly, they weren't.

faaaaart!

They still may have issues, but they also have life. What's more, so does this World Series, which could still be every bit as close and every bit as interesting as so many of us expected (hoped?) it would be.

ooooh, that IS more! goddammit danny knobler, you switched "expected" and "hoped?", right? or maybe you meant to write it that way.? many of us hoped(?) it would be interesting! breaking

It wasn't David Ortiz driving in four runs with one swing, as he did to swing the ALCS in Boston's favor in the eighth inning of another Game 2. But just as that inning changed that series, perhaps this inning just changed this one.

"I don't know if you can say that," said Daniel Descalso, who was right in the middle of it. "But that was definitely where the game changed. It was a big inning, but I don't know if you can say it was series-changing just yet."

i picture descalso massively rolling his eyes at danny knobler as danny asks him if the 7th inning in game 2 changed the entire world series that is currently tied at 1-1, as close as it could possibly be at this point in the series

The story before the seventh inning began: The Cardinals aren't hitting, and they're about to head home down two games to none. One of their best hitters (Carlos Beltran) is compromised by a Game 1 rib injury, and another (Allen Craig) may not start the next three games because his foot injury may not allow him to play in the field.

...They had followed a Game 1 they all called "uncharacteristic" with a Game 2 that everyone in the Cardinals clubhouse felt was totally characteristic. They still have issues (Beltran's health as the series goes on, Craig's ability to play in the field in three games that will be played without a designated hitter), but they now have room to breath as they think about those issues.

and in conclusion, i'm= danny knobler and beltran's rib and craig may not be able to field, momentum shift, big game coming up

http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/cbss/ui5/authors/80x80/11370.png

http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/cbss/ui5/authors/80x80/11370.pnghttp://sports.cbsimg.net/images/cbss/ui5/authors/80x80/11370.pnghttp://sports.cbsimg.net/images/cbss/ui5/authors/80x80/11370.png

on the BP podcast they quoted a reporter saying to Farrell "Talk about going to St Louis tied"

"Tell me what breathing air is like"

baseball is a game where the man stands on the pile of dirt and throws a ball and the other man hits it and there are four bases and you run around the bases and then when you get back to where you started you get a run and whoever gets the most runs at the end of the game is the winner, and at the end of the day we had the most runs and we were the winner of the game

struggling to think of a single person on the cardinals who could be described as glamorous

but what about... no, I guess not.

https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000236810432/ebc43fe80a55310d9f36e6760b948cb3.jpeg
David Freese

no but for real, maybe jaime garcia, sometimes?

http://ktgr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/jaime.jpg

not bad. Matheny is better looking than nearly all the players imho

carpenter is a good looking dude no?

Beltran was p damn glamorous in his 20s/early 30s

good looking and glamorous have a tenuous relationship at best

the cards certainly can't measure up to the sox's glamor

the obvious question here is who was the most glamorous baseball player...of all time

obvs

most glamorous baseball player...of all time

Casey Stengal, imo. With Yogi Berra a close second.

so we are down to the best of five

sorry to be that guy, but does anyone have a good stream? i've tried the http://www.vipboxonline.eu/ links but they're all either down, another network, or en espanol

No--but I'll don a Ronald Reagan mask and provide play-by-play, if you want.

hahaha, sounds good!

i'm watching...something. it says BT SPORT 1HD in the corner, and i don't recognize any of the broadcasters. maybe this is actually a good thing, given the alternative of watching the legendary tim and joe

i genuinely enjoyed fredbirds impersonations of each cardinal player's batting stance just then

the obvious question here is who was the most glamorous baseball player...of all time

PRETTY RICKEY

Beltran just bunted with a 3-1 count, nobody out, runner on first

goddammit beltran, you're not 24 anymore, you can't pull that shit off

in (barely) his defense he was trying to bunt for a base hit it looked like, but yeah really dumb

(not watching but) he's 60 years old with a broken ribcage i can't imagine an infield setup that could've warranted that

twitter speculation is that it is precisely his hurt ribs that led him to decide that bunting was a better idea than swinging away, at least from the left side

if the Red Sox win 10,000 teenagers named Sully get to high-five each other then curbstomp some black guy.
if the Cardinals win the Busch family gets an additional wave of smug superiority while counting their InBev Budweiser billions.

we all lose.

The cardinals have been owned by William DeWitt, Jr. since 1996

it's not like people expect people to pete rose it around the bases on a routine pop-up, but watching baseball players run at 25% speed is so frustrating

LIKE I SAID TH BUSCH FAMILY

Oh, is he part of the Busch family? Honestly I have no idea. I just picture all sports owners as the monopoly guy.

Don't worry, Cardinal fans--that only comes back to haunt a team 97.3% of the time.

wow beltran

That was pathetic--is there no one Boston can put in for Drew?

at least they got a run out of that

Yeah, was a little surprised at taking Peavy out after four but then remembered they have starters in the pen.

This Pedroia fluff right now is making me gag.

you mean his shitty beard

lol why the fuck did matheny flip nava back around

what a defensive showcase this is

lol at McCarver incredulity like he just discovered elbow guards (Beltran) just now.
oh god did he just find out about them?

oh man

That pitch looked to be about eight inches off the ground.

now that i have seen the replay, the third basemen should have had that play.

does anyone else hate that fox only uses 2 bubbles for outs on its chyron. i want a third bubble

i hate it when networks do that even if the last bubble is pointless

also hate watching fox baseball on an old tv and not being allowed to see the current score or inning ever, apparently they expect everyone to be watching on a movie theater screen

legend time

rosenthal really loves his fastball

hell yeah, azn american represent

Cards must be regretting all those LOBs right about now.There have been plenty of sorta lucky bounces in this game too.

wong looks like the asian keith sweat

I know they gotta keep Wong honest, but these pick-off throws to Ortiz make me very nervous

Not sure I understand the IBB there.

Beltran hits great w risp

Holliday is no slouch though. Whatever, it worked out, but it seemed strange to pitch to Beltran and then suddenly put him on with a three ball count.

fairly common move after a steal

or a 3-ball count in general

what is the defense for not bringing in koji here?

nobody knows how long the game will go on for

but it makes sense now since it's getting sticky

doi keep workman in til someone gets on base

Jay and Kozma are going to blow this

rong pitch your best pitchers, koji can go 2 anyway

LOL what an ending to a p sick game

Wtf?!?!

Oh boy.

This is going to be fun to argue about.

That was incredible.

definitely the right call

holy shit what an insane ending. Craig looked banged up again.

Wooooooow

what a horrible way to end this game

Doesn't the third baseman have a right to dive for an errant throw? I don't know the intricacies of interference...

false. should be extra innings

xposts

It was the second leg kick-up at the end that got the obstruction called

lol it was obviously interference

Love it

Doesn't the third baseman have a right to dive for an errant throw? I don't know the intricacies of interference...

― clemenza, Sunday, October 27, 2013 12:05 AM (2 minutes ago)

doesn't have the right to trip the baserunner after though

What if the Red Sox are...cursed

haha he's 100% out of the base path on replay.

Friend points out it would have been a 4 2 7 2 double play had obstruction not been called

I always thought intent mattered--they just got tangled up. I guess not, though.

I LOVE BUREAUCRACY

did you guys even see the play

JUST SIGN RIGHT HERE, OK, NOW YOU WON

Middlebrooks had a horrible game, he probably should have knocked down Holliday's RBI single, should have caught the throw to third in the ninth, interference cost them the game.

and no i did not i made some wonderful mac and cheese though

U r dumb

I wasn't sure about the call at first, but yeah, middlebrooks raised his lower legs in a way that seemed intentional

yeah no reason for him to whiff on that catch, the fact that salty shouldn't have even thrown it notwithstanding

that's how middlebrookses attract mates obv

posted on wrong thread although it works here as well tbh

If you're trying to stand up from being face down in the dirt, you normally don't bend both of your lower legs skyward

I have to see it again...missed the replay.

no no ZS but it was out of the baseline, think about that and how it now makes sense

i am having fun imagining what the hell happened plz keep describing this in different ways ZS

Clemenza, it wasn't really an errant throw, if he comes off the bag to catch the ball as he should have then he doesn't have to roll over Craig. He basically missed the throw and tried to overcompensate by throwing himself on the ground.

bunch of xposts

does a dude not have to be in the base path for it to be obstruction? am I goin nuts?

ftr i don't think it's cricket for infielders to delicately tear open the skin of their chests to reveal the void at the opposing team

I'm going to bed. I have to run a 10K in 8 hours and I'm scared. Hopefully by tomorrow there will be a consensus.

does a dude not have to be in the base path for it to be obstruction? am I goin nuts?

― 1 P.3. Eternal (roxymuzak), Sunday, October 27, 2013 12:15 AM (58 seconds ago)

idc if it's in the freakin outfield he tripped him on purpose!

Is that the first WS game to end on an interference call?

And aren't the umps supposed to stop play when they call interference? It would have saved Craig from getting reinjured among other things.

the play was dead as soon as the 3rd base ump signaled interference, but it was loud and the home plate ump probably didn't see the call initially

Interference and obstruction are different calls

game 4 of 1946 WS, sox win after the home plate ump officially declares enos slaughter "morally bankrupt", cards finally got revenge

lol

Allen Craig scored on fielder's indifference

how Yahoo! scored it

I am still lolling. My Facebook news feed is glorious right now.

sigh

It is interference by a batter or a runner when -...

(i) He fails to avoid a fielder who is attempting to field a batted ball, or intentionally interferes with a thrown ball, provided that if two or more fielders attempt to field a batted ball, and the runner comes in contact with one or more of them, the umpire shall determine which fielder is entitled to the benefit of this rule, and shall not declare the runner out for coming in contact with a fielder other than the one the umpire determines to be entitled to field such a ball;
Rule 7.09(i) Comment: When a catcher and batter-runner going to first base have contact when the catcher is fielding the ball, there is generally no violation and nothing should be called. “Obstruction” by a fielder attempting to field a ball should be called only in very flagrant and violent cases because the rules give him the right of way, but of course such “right of way” is not a license to, for example, intentionally trip a runner even though fielding the ball. If the catcher is fielding the ball and the first baseman or pitcher obstructs a runner going to first base “obstruction” shall be called and the base runner awarded first base.

Craig Mack squawks on fieldhand's interface

even if that is the right call, it's a wrong call in this situation.

nah, that was totally the right call. middlebrooks has to catch that ball anyway, jeez

sox need to stop throwing the ball to third

OTM

even if that is the right call, it's a wrong call in this situation.

― Bee OK, Sunday, October 27, 2013 12:43 AM (22 minutes ago

eh the old "rules don't apply in important situations"/let the boys play

Somehow on this thread we missed Farrell letting the pitcher bat in the ninth inning of a tie game in the WS. I must have been on a bathroom break or something.

I sort of understood letting Workman go out for the ninth, but at the time I didn't realize he'd let Workman bat in order to get to that point.

he's an AL manager, he probably just forgot

johnfarrellsmackingheadsayingdoy.gif

http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?topic_id=28898650&content_id=31185453

here's the play

weird how the call was made -- third base ump made some sort of motion with his arm but then doesn't seem to do anything after that. the rules say that unless a play is being made on the obstructed runner, the ball remains live. but the runner was entitled to home, and scoring would have ended the game... so seems like he should have stopped the play. maybe that's why the home plate ump waited until there was a play being made on the runner to officially call the obstruction.

The third base ump signaled obstruction right away but once play continued there wasn't much to be done to physically stop it unless the home plate ump had jumped in front of Salty and into the path of Craig, and I can understand the umps not wanting to risk their own bodies there in the insanity of the moment.

He did, yes.

I don't know whether it was the right call or not.

Obstruction” by a fielder attempting to field a ball should be called only in very flagrant and violent cases because the rules give him the right of way, but of course such “right of way” is not a license to, for example, intentionally trip a runner even though fielding the ball.

I've watched it a few times now, and I honestly don't think it was intentional. If the leg coming up was deliberate, Middlebrooks's instincts are preternatural. Maybe he could have made more of an effort to get out of the way rather than passively lie there, but to me, that's a long way from flagrant or violent obstruction. In any event, Boston didn't put up any kind of an argument, so I must be missing something.

he was no longer trying to field the ball -- he'd already blown it -- by the time he tripped up craig

Go lie on flat on your stomach in your apartment and then stand up as fast as you can. It won't look anything like what Middlebrooks did. Now do it again and stick your legs up in the air first. It was intentional tripping, there's just no other reason for Middlebrooks to do that.

Maybe he was lifting his legs to clear the space for Craig to run down the ACTUAL base path and wasn't expecting him to try and hurdle him when he was 5 feet off the bag?

Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell said "in hindsight" he should have avoided having rookie reliever Brandon Workman bat in the ninth inning of Saturday's Game 3 of the World Series.

Farrell said he should have instead performed a double-switch with his lineup in the middle of the eighth inning.

also: intent not necessary

Go lie on flat on your stomach in your apartment and then stand up as fast as you can. It won't look anything like what Middlebrooks did. Now do it again and stick your legs up in the air first.

★W★O★R★L★D★S★E★R★I★E★S★B★A★S★E★B★A★L★L★

Now do it again and stick your legs up in the air first. this better be the name of the 2014 red sox thread

The runner defines his own baseline in that situation, if he then runs out of that baseline to avoid a tag, he's out. But regardless, Craig definitely wasn't five feet inside the line when he stood up, watch the replay again.

Intent isn't necessary to make the call, sure, but there's no conceivable way to stand up from that legs in the air position, it just adds to the evidence that the call was right.

xposts

Go lie on flat on your stomach in your apartment and then stand up as fast as you can. Now do it again and stick your legs up in the air first.

The next big dance craze...Reggie in '77, that was flagrant (and he got away with it). I just don't see it here. Anyway, it doesn't matter at his point.

BTW, if it wasn't obvious, yes, I have been trying this at home.

Definitely the most controversial game-ending play since this:

A Baseball Rules Thread (For The Dummies)

I won't be surprised if some sports writer's lead talking about the last two Cardinal wins uses some type of phrase of the Red Sox get beat playing NL baseball with the Cards manufacturing those runs last game and Ferrell doing some odd lineup changes in this game.

I'd also think there has to be Red Sox fans wondering about them starting Napoli behind the plate to try to get his bat in the game.

cameron:

The rule, as written, seems pretty clear in addressing plays very similar to this. I don’t know how the umpires, guided by the rulebook as written, could have called anything else.

The rule, as written, is problematic. Will Middlebrooks simply had no way to not interfere, given that definition of interference, so once he dove to try and catch Saltalamacchia’s errant throw, his fate was sealed.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/a-series-of-thoughts-on-the-call/

that seems about right.

there's the issue of middlebrooks' golden legs reaching to heaven, but

The leg kick issue seems to be a sideshow. Craig’s path to home plate included running directly through Middlebrooks, and had Middlebrooks laid perfectly still, Craig still seemingly would have tripped. The leg kick doesn’t appear to be the cause of the trip, to me, but instead, the fact that Middlebrooks body was laying in the path Craig chose to run.

The rule, as written, is problematic. Will Middlebrooks simply had no way to not interfere, given that definition of interference, so once he dove to try and catch Saltalamacchia’s errant throw, his fate was sealed.

If that were true, these calls would happen a lot more often. Bad throws don't always lead to fielders flopping around on the ground with their legs in the air.

Here, I've updated NTBT's dance ("The Middlebrook"):

Go lie on flat on your stomach in your apartment and then stand up as fast as you can. Do it again and stick your legs up in the air first. Now flop around on the ground like you just don't care.

There's a "Hey Bill" this morning from James's right-hand guy on the site, Dave Fleming:

When I first saw the replays of the Middlebrooks/Craig play, I figured that Middlebrooks had raised his legs to impede Craig getting to the plate. I figured that anyone trying to get out the way would a) put their hands under their shoulders, in a push-up position, and b) tuck their legs under, to stand up. Then I actually DID it: I got on the floor and tried to get up as quickly as I could. The first thing I did, instinctively, was raise up my feet up to a right angle, just like Middlebrooks. I don't mention this to argue the umps call: I just want to clear WMB's good name and reputation. He didn't kick his legs up to trip Craig: everyone in that position, trying to get up and get out of the way, would instinctively kick their legs up.
Asked by: DaveFleming

Answered: 10/27/2013
OK, thanks.

Again, James does have a vested interest here. I like the Fangraphs conclusion: right call, poorly worded rule.

Verducci (umpires made the right call) breaks it down well:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20131027/world-series-game-3-red-sox-cardinals-obstruction/?sct=hp_t1t_a2&eref=sihp

Basically, intent doesn't matter.

Totally forgot about an infamous interference call that wasn't made in the '75 Series--I sponsor Ed Armbrister's Baseball Reference page!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRw2_KvHcPk

This time it's the runner, so I don't know if the intent-doesn't-matter idea still holds--if it does, Armbrister interfered. Red Sox didn't win that argument, either.

I feel kinda bad for Middlebrooks, but I really don't see how the call can any other call and it's not like the ump hesitated either (not that ump's first instincts are always the correct ones). Crazy end of a game.

saw the last 3-1/2 innings in NYC's oldest gay bar

then i explained the rules to Red Sox fans

Armbrister had the right to go to first base, that was the right call

How last night's play is REMOTELY controversial is beyond belief to me, never mind that I realized that I was underestimating my hatred for the Red Sox until this game.

Middlebrooks simply had no way to not interfere

Life is hard, eh

even if that is the right call, it's a wrong call in this situation.

Oh what sad bullshit. I though you got smarter once the Giants stopped playing.

"If Middlebrooks is quicker with his mind or quicker with his feet, he deserts the base and catches the damn baseball. And then maybe Uehara gets out of it, and maybe he doesn't. Maybe the Red Sox win, and maybe they don't. But we're having a completely different conversation right now. And we're robbed of one of the more controversial and exciting endings in World Series history.

Ultimately, it's just lore. Excellent lore. But the Red Sox really should try to protect the baseball before worrying about those silly bases. Or bitching about the umpires."

http://www.baseballnation.com/2013/10/27/5033472/world-series-game3-red-sox-cardinals-analysis-errors-obstruction-interference

one thing that's being forgotten in the wake of obstructiongate was the crappy managerial decisions by both teams earlier in the game. managers generally don't have nearly as much influence on the outcome of the game as is commonly believed, but this was one game where both managers actively hurt their own club's chances of winning.

also, cosign with this x100:

We'll get to the post season heroics in a moment but there's another stone that needs to be thrown briefly. This post season roster construction sucks. It sucks terribly. Edward Mujica should have been left off the World Series roster. Shelby Miller -- if not available -- should have been left off the World Series roster. Adron Chambers would be a nice compliment to Allen Craig at this point in time given Craig's limitations on the bases. A third left hander could prove to be useful against the lefty dominated lineup of the Red Sox. Two wasted roster spaces are an unforced error that is unacceptable.

The place for Shelby Miller to make a mark was last night after the 4th inning when Kelly should have been pinch hit for. His non-appearance further raises the specter that something must be physically wrong ... or Mike Matheny is doing a really poor job. If something is wrong, then the pendulum has swung too far on team morale by including a player who is of no value on the roster. The Cardinals may end up winning the World Series but it will be in spite of the inclusion of Mujica and Miller, not because of it.

how'd ya run, boyo?

from Lindbergh at BP, on mgr mistakes:

"4. The Red Sox let Brandon Workman hit in the ninth.

This may have been the most mismatched at-bat of baseball’s modern era. Workman had never had an at-bat as a professional player. He wasn’t a two-way player in college, so it’s possible that he hadn’t been in a batter’s box since his senior year at Bowie (Texas) high school (2007). And he was facing Trevor Rosenthal, who was throwing 97-98. AL pitchers in 2013 posted a collective .117 on-base percentage, and most of them probably had more recent offensive experience. With Rosenthal on the mound, I’m going to guess Workman’s expected OBP here was… .050? I’m in a generous mood.

Rosenthal threw three fastballs right over the plate, as if he hadn’t noticed Workman was there. And in the ways that mattered, he wasn’t....

(Another way to think about this: Brandon Workman batted; Mike Napoli spent the game on the bench.)"

So the Red Sox were mostly giving away the inning to keep Workman in. The question is whether that was a good strategy.

it went well, thanks! i ran a 54:10 10K, which is pretty good for me.

I actually missed Craig's double while in the restroom. Uehara gave up a hit! Cards are scrappy.

Yeah, as much as it would have been the right move to bring in Koji in the 8th, he didn't exactly shut down the Cardinal batters as one might have expected once he finally showed up.

If both the Middlebrooks and Armbrister (YouTube link above) calls are correct--and I'm not disputing that they are--is it fair to say that the rules concerning interference favour the runner over the fielder?

seems that way. defense moves with the ball, batter-runner with his body?

The trifecta--Reggie's genius "Me? intentional?" play from '78. (I mistakenly said '77 above.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvWKWvrVfrI

Man, I love '70s baseball.

lolsorda

This may have been the most mismatched at-bat of baseball’s modern era. Workman had never had an at-bat as a professional player. He wasn’t a two-way player in college, so it’s possible that he hadn’t been in a batter’s box since his senior year at Bowie (Texas) high school (2007).

This gives me hope that I might get to bat one day in the World Series.

lotta goats in this game for the red sox

- middlebrooks
- salty
- drew

but most of all, farrell. not only for leaving workman in, which is probably the craziest managerial "move" i have ever seen in post-season baseball. but for taking peavy OUT after 4 innings. wtf was that about? knowing you are probably going to need some long relief the next day? maybe if he doesn't take peavy out so quick, he doesn't feel pressured into keeping workman in the game, and the whole "forgot about the double switch" debacle never takes place!

Kozma out again? Lolol

mccarver kinda fell apart there discussing obstruction

lol yeah really

Yeah, mccarver's had several moments like that already this WS. More than usual, I mean. I kind of feel bad for him.

buccholz touching his dirty ass hair again. What a cheat

cards have a lot of guys named matt i am only now realizing

buchholz looks like he has fuckin lupus or something

Fucking methhead

Ew buchholz kind of looks like he touches people inappropriately and keeps cadavers in the basement

That ball that slipped out of buccholz hand when warming up. Buccholz totally has Vaseline in his hair

watching buchholz pitch right now is like watching an amateur perform open-heart surgery

I don't know - he has good movement on the ball.

wonder if PA will play "Heroin" when he has to bat

Lol morbZ

Ortiz and Beltran laughing it up over the existence of clutch hitters.

well i hafta finish reviewing a Polish movie, i'll be back in the 9th for the next obstruction call.

Ortiz! Rumblings felt all over St. Louis...

wow

Tied series

finally

jonny gomes "let me tell you the only thing that's 'can't' in jon gomes...and that's speak spanish"

― johnny crunch, Friday, September 28, 2012 10:46 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

how drunk is Bobby Valentine right now watching this series?

how does he look like he has lupus?!

lotta low strikes from paul emmel

lotta ceremonies from bud selig

man don't take the doob out

I will pay fox to stop showing these almost human commercials

Matt Carpenter's just been a batting average on a leaderboard to me all year--very impressed with him.

see what happens when you take out the doob

breslow was great in the last two series, but . . .

he's a decent pitcher and a good dude but he's been outperforming for a while now

"now's the time when you think about replacing ortiz defensively"

John axford, williamsburg native

i hope everyone takes this time to remember that john axford is not good

quintin berry ranging free in axford's head

dammit emmel is supposed to be the good ump

christ

idg not leaving taz in until he gets in trouble but ok

Hahahhaah

fuck fuck fuck

This WS is kinda like watching little league games (not sure if any of you guys have little leaguers or not).

Brilliant move, putting in lackey

that was some smoke and mirrors bullshit

why do red sox fielders refuse to come off bases

Awesome!

KOJI U BEAUTIFUL MAN

caught ya slippin!

Hahahahaa lmao

holy shit on a pickoff

Prediction: tomorrow night, the final out will involve the hidden-ball trick.

jonny gomes is the greatest person

That wasn't even close. What was Wong thinking?

bling papi

omg

Never heard of Kolten Wong before, but boy, his batting line for this year was spectacularly dismal.

https://twitter.com/BestFansStLouis

interesting ways to end games, kudos

Never heard of Kolten Wong before

yes, we know you are as familiar with the NL as you are foreign films. He's one of their best prospects after Oscar Taveras.

Wong's eyes were red from tears when he spoke after the game.

"I was ready to go from first to third with Carlos driving me in," he said. "Went to plant, and my back foot just came right out of me. From there, I was dead. I knew I was dead once it happened."

That's too bad, kid, but THEY STILL HAVE TO DRIVE IN SOMEBODY ELSE SO YOUR RUN DOESN'T "MATTER."

Kolten Wong btw

http://punchingkitty.com/2012/07/25/heres-cardinal-prospect-kolten-wong-with-his-shirt-off-talking-about-his-tattoos/

You must be under the impression I keep with the AL.

kolten wong will be good someday (i hope), but he's been a big disappointment this year for the cardinals. he's good with the glove, has decent pop for a 2B - .303/.369/.466 in AAA this year - and is not only a fast but a smart runner (20 steals out of 21 attempts in AAA this year).

when he came up for his cup of coffee this september, it coincided with david freese sucking even more than he had during the rest of the season. so matt carpenter was shifted to 3B (his natural position) and wong got an extended look at 2B. it was a miserable cup of coffee. he had no punch whatsoever, every at bat seemed to end in a groundball, and he also just kind of looked nervous all of the time! i mean, i can understand why, i get nervous sometimes when i'm in public and i don't even have to deal with curveballs and anonymous baseball internet assholes writing obituaries for my month-old career. but he didn't exactly project the confidence of, say, michael wacha. i'll have to check, but i don't recall him ever really driving the ball, either.

anyway, i kind of feel bad for him. he'll still be good, i think. but a lot of people were hoping that he'd kick some ass and that we could trade away david freese this offseason.

Ortiz, perceiving his teammates to be somewhat tight, even rallied them in the dugout, Hunter Pence style, before the sixth inning, essentially telling them, “This is the World Series. And it might be the only chance you get.”

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/boston-red-sox-jonny-gomes-starts-for-shane-victorino-hits-clutch-home-run-102713

Thanks, ZS. I knew there was a way to fill me in on Wong that was actually informative.

yeah, Pence shd go in the Hall of Legends with Ortiz and Jimmy Rollins.

xp

There are other ways, like actually reading about him during the season --- would work even more for Matt Carpenter, you can even see video and stuff.

Yes--it's important that I follow baseball to an extent that meets with your approval. I need to keep that in mind before casual posts.

yeah there's no reason to panic over a miserable cup of coffee

not nec clem

that tattoo video is hilarious

thinking of starting a @BestPeopleEarth account where i retweet dumb tweets by people on earth to prove that they aren't the best people that a few people on earth claimed they were

then whenever some guy is like "y'know the people on earth really are the best" i can be like yeah you should check out @BestPeopleEarth, there are some really awful tweets on there from people on earth

welp

2. Hairy Situation: Much has been said and written about the Red Sox players' beards. But less attention has been devoted to another aspect of Boston's follicle follies: Many of the Sox have three short lines shaved into the hair just behind their left ear. It refers to the players' unofficial motto, "Three Lines, 2 Chainz, One Goal," (which in turn refers to the rap artist 2 Chainz, whose song "I'm Different" has become the team's clubhouse anthem following each victory).

i felt bad for Wong too. Cardinals offense has to do more again dead arm bucholz, anything beyond that is a lot of hand-wringing.

Cards lineup looks sooo short now. Adams and Freese look helpless. Having Waino / Wacha to win it is not a bad place to be, but it looks like they will have to pitch near perfect.

xpost D:

xp i noticed that on peavy, thought he was just the victim of some clubhouse hijinks, this is far worse

thought that was a lightning bolt

athletes, sooo different

Interesting WS stats from the Globe today...

Batting average:
Ortiz .727
Rest of team .138

Hits:
Ortiz 8
Rest of team: 16

Home runs:
Ortiz 2
Rest of team 1

RBIs:
Ortiz 5
Rest of team 13

Walks:
Ortiz 4
Rest of team 9

Strikeouts:
Ortiz 0
Rest of team 36

missing key 'amount of peds taken' comparison

crazy game. every one of these games has hinged on a fuckup or three.

thought buchholz was tremendous, especially given that he was actually undead.

i have been enjoying these games so much more now that i discovered the "PARK NAT SOUND" option in mlb tv which stands for "natural park sound", i.e. NO BUCK & MCCARVER!!!!!

thinking of starting a @BestPeopleEarth account where i retweet dumb tweets by people on earth to prove that they aren't the best people that a few people on earth claimed they were

― reckless woo (Z S), Monday, October 28, 2013 9:59 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark

you seem a little upset

oh i also want to echo clemenza's approbation of matt carpenter. good god. he's like a different species, some rangy, rough-boned creature from a place where only pine trees and snow survive.

^totally. sinewy.

reminds me of a left hand hitting paul molitor sorta

wainwright reminds me of krist novoselic

Has Fox ever NOT shown Pedroia running into the dugout following a third out?

why are all the up-close shots of home run trots taken from knee-level?

better fellation angle

lester got a break on that last pitch

chris carpenter is a good dude but how long do they need to chat with him

Great sequence from Wainwright

Stop with the Pearl Jam plugs FFS!!!!

rbi for 50 year-old david ross

ok if david ross hits your #1 starter, you may not deserve to win the ws

Matheny slow with the hook on his SP yet again.

did molina ever tag him?

can call that either way

i thought safe as well

xpost

Stop with the Pearl Jam plugs FFS!!!!

right after the nonstop jacking off to the military.

i discovered the "PARK NAT SOUND" option in mlb tv which stands for "natural park sound", i.e. NO BUCK & MCCARVER!!!!!

otoh, we only have bootleg online options stateside, and ESPNRadio prefers to air HOCKEY and FOOTBALL in NYC.

god mccarver stfu

eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius)
Posted: October 29, 2013 at 2:16:40 AM

Stop with the Pearl Jam plugs FFS!!!!

right after the nonstop jacking off to the military.

and all the interviews

man i would love to see Ortiz play Bill Buckner in the 9th

leave pedro out of this for god's sake

http://i.imgur.com/qqWGcV5.jpg

props to Ortiz and Lester. We just gettin beat. Cards not getting that random no name player who steps up. Wacha could still steal game 6, but game 7 nah goo'd.

awesome screencap xp

farrell is all like 'okay, tell me what i need to do to make a double switch'

as Z S says, eff Pete Kozma

that's not how you wanna do it, matt

seriously, Adams has totally lost the strike zone . He thinks he's 5'7" now.

fuckin koji and papi are some ballin ass 38 yr olds

rosenthal is nasty

WOOO

well the road team has won 60% of the games, so the Cards have that going for em Wednesday

one thing i will give props to st. louis for--the arch in the outfield grass is v. cool

yeah thats way more elegant than the boston strong thing

in the way that a national landmark is more elegant than commemoration of a horrible tragedy, yes

f all the mowing things in the grass imho

I finally have a reason to root for someone--I'd love to see the Red Sox win at home.

xp nah, mowing patterns is like the one cool thing you can do with grass

if they mowed #bostonstrong as a hashtag id give props tho

patterns are ok just not illustrations or words unless its hashtags

i'm good with it all, grass is boring otherwise. anyway i forget if this has been posted but w/e it's getting posted again

http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/229/files/2013/05/koji-uehara-high-five.gif

also if underneath the arch they wrote 'there it is' or maybe 'we have an arch' that would be cool

also grass is not boring its beautiful and green and alive

ok even if i grant you that lawns are boring

lawns are cool man dads work hard on their lawns

Neighbor still running his automatic sprinkler every morning -- following a frost, even. Serious business.

he should mow a sprinkler spray pattern into his lawn

lmao at "there it is" under the arch

the Arch itself is boring

I find it to be rather arch

Wacha could still steal game 6, but game 7 nah goo'd.

OTOH, Boston doesn't have any good SP options for G7, it's looking like Peavy or Dubront right now.

Hope the Red Sox can win Wednesday. I had planned on seeing a movie that night that's closing; it's a 6:15 start, so I may still do that and get home for most of the game. (Or may just skip the film.) But if it goes to a seventh game, I think I'll have to very reluctantly eat a ticket for Dead Ringers with Cronenberg in attendance. Did no one tell Bud Selig that Oct. 31 has some non-baseball significance?

watch the game dressed as twin gynos

Drown your sorrows in orange pop.

I'd love to see the Red Sox win at home.

What is it about the loathability of 40,000 ecstatic Massholes that you are missing?

hate to tell u morbs but new yorkers are massholes too

just the ones who moved here

i dont think u understand the term

naw its def u who dont understand it

it originated with northern new englanders complaining abt obnoxious transplants from mass but could also be loosely applied to people from new york since their behavior was completely indistinguishable, so theres sort of a sad lil irony in new yorkers et al adopting the term

i mean clearly its all assholes god bless em

yeah massholes and new york assholes are closely related. like lions and tigers i assume they could successfully interbreed.

also new york complaining abt boston is a sign of weakness, ur supposed to ignore them

if the cards win, will ortiz still be series mvp (assuming he doesn't strike out eight times in the two games or something) y/n

Probably...maybe? Think I'd have to go with Lester right now, though.

if the cards win, will ortiz still be series mvp

some reporter asked MATHENY this last night, lol

If you don't see what's uniquely obnoxious about the Blowhard Nation right now, I can't help ya.

if Ortiz's BA for the Series is above .500 he's getting it or there will be a criminal investigation led by Joe Buck. also, MVP for a short series, zzzzzzzzzzzz.

again, one of the worst World Series, can only be redeemed if Cards take last two in an even more mortifying manner than the obstruction game.

http://celebteenlaundry.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Comic-Book-Guy-Worst-Game-Ever.jpg

drugs have not blown me up that much

FP'ed Thermo for using a non-ILX-regulation Simpsons meme for responding to Dr. Morbius posts.

i know. didn't have time to make an original one.
this new job is killing my ilx cred :(

i think this has been a very good world series!!

Was just going to say...If you think this is one of the worst from the standpoint of quality of play, Morbius, then maybe, I don't know--lots of messiness, for sure (reminds me of '73). But from an entertainment standpoint, I would think it's nowhere near one of the worst.

I've seen a total of about 11 innings. I don't care about the quality of play, these teams are the devil.

fox got the scoop!
@MLBONFOX: Either BOS clinches the #WorldSeries @ Fenway for the 1st time since 1918 or there's a G7 @Ken_Rosenthal w/the story:http://t.co/rfqWjlmUKB

can i make the jayson stark joke again?

bow down b4 the 1 u serve

i'll take that as a yes

this series is as close as it could possibly be at this point in the series

i was talking to morbs tbh

http://www.adweek.com/files/adfreak/bostonredsoxfan.jpg

shop, pixels

i know, still works for me

It's how I think of Jake "Even if it's the right call, it's a joke" Peavy

is it just me or does Jon Lester look more like Jack Black every season?

the local paper got someone to translate koji's blog:

With no margin for error, Uehara brilliantly recorded a four-out save in a 1-0 Sox victory in Game 3 against the Tigers.

“To be honest, I feel like throwing up. Stomach also hurts,’’ he wrote afterward. “We’ve come this far so I guess I have to whip my body a little bit more and keep pushing myself. After everything is finished, I’m going to drink a lot of beer.’’

He noted that Detroit fans taunted him by calling him “Ichiro’’ and “Daisuke.’’

“They also say ‘konichiwa,’ ” he wrote, which means “hello’’ in Japanese. “This isn’t an insult, though.’’

I think it's been a good series -- close games (except G1) and a lot of good individual performances.

I really don't understand all the hate for these two teams. I wanted to see teams that hadn't been to the WS lately but at least BOS and STL are legitimately great teams. And there aren't really any Jeter/A-Rod punchable guys, or Ryan Howard-type pseudostars that you want to see taken down a few notches. If anyone wants to counter with "beards suck" I guess I can't really object though.

beards suck

besides Matt Carpenter the guy i have been most taken with on the Cards is the young smoke-throwing reliever Martinez, christ almighty what an intimidating pitcher

actually it seems like the Cards just grow these 96mph fireballers on trees or something

http://i.imgur.com/m3Mv12V.jpg

ew

wow @ that translation. can he explain why he hasn't grown a beard?

can't, i'm thinking?

well yeah I mean it's rare to see any Asian dude with a full beard like that, but he's not growing anything at all. he couldn't possibly look worse than any of his teammates.

http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Koji+Uehara+Texas+Rangers+v+Los+Angeles+Angels+RcnGrPo5VeVl.jpg

what a prick

well yeah I mean it's rare to see any Asian dude with a full beard like that, but he's not growing anything at all. he couldn't possibly look worse than any of his teammates.

― frogbs, Wednesday, October 30, 2013 9:57 AM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark

not really rare, dude

since you dudes can't google: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/sports/baseball/beardless-in-boston.html?_r=0

awesome!!!!!

cool story about Roberto Petagine, that's such a bullshit manager move

koji not going along w the beards is the funniest sub sub plot of the red sox season

first couple times i saw martinez with that hair poking out i got confused and thought where was some weird time warp pedro shit happening

i like this kid

http://cdn.fangraphs.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/lestercarpenterfull.png

Matt Carpenter and a Most Amazing Strike

that was some shit

worst ball/strike call i've seen in the postseason; i almost thought carpenter was going to get thrown out after that

maybe the plate was just in the wrong spot

btw, if the cardinals lose tonight or tomorrow it's because their plane was delayed

just a fyi

Cardinal70 ‏@C70
Shelby Miller knows how to fix the plane, but Matheny is keeping him reserve for a bigger moment. #cardsplaneproblems

i'm looking forward to finally learning, at some point this offseason, wtf is going on with shelby miller

my guess is that for one reason or another matheny just didn't use him for a while, and then it became 'well, he hasn't pitched in a month, i can't use him *now*'

that doesn't explain why he's on the roster, tho. or mujica. good thing they haven't had any use for an extra right-handed pinch hitter or two

http://boston.com/metrodesk/2013/10/30/red-sox-will-win-series-her-green-pepper-says/UtiPiRbcZrASgk2d68QbGN/story.html

Ashley Griffeth, an intern at Buckingham, Browne and Nichols School, was making a taco at lunch, and scooped up a pepper in the shape of the Red Sox “B” logo.

“I put my spoon in and that was the first thing that came out,” said Griffeth.

“I was like, ‘Oh my god!’ and turned to show the person behind me,” said Griffeth, 27. The sign from above stirred quite a commotion in the cafeteria. Everyone came up to take a glance at Griffeth’s taco, she said.

“Everyone thought it was a sign,” she said. “Bostonians would think that’s cool.”

shouts to bb&n

did she eat it

she did, but proceeded to choke on the pepper as the taco hit the floor and rolled between her legs.

http://i.imgur.com/Yk6t17S.jpg

https://twitter.com/jtkantor/status/395612747502604288

http://www.baseballnation.com/2013/10/30/5047698/world-series-2013-rosters-black-african-american-players

wow, the red dot is the matt carpenter strike:

http://cdn.fangraphs.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/lhplhbadjust.png

that real low one is worse

He said in the article that the low ones were glitches.

damn what can you trust these days

(This article: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/matt-carpenter-and-a-strike-most-amazing/)

I just realized this might be Tim McCarver's last game on tv and felt a little thrill.

And there aren't really any Jeter/A-Rod punchable guys

what

name names

i was going to post a picture of pedroia but then i realized literally all of them except koji

red sox, that is, cards are too boring to have anyone punchable

but pedroia is a top 5 most punchable in the league no question

pedroia is a tiny balding homunculus who is strangely good + 'laser show'

not particularly punchable

If anyone can make it 7 games I out my trust in Wacha Flocka Flame.

THE MOST PUNCHABLE

before the game tim mccarver literally told him "you care more about baseball than money", i don't remember what the rest of his sentence was and i threw my tv out of the window before pedroia's ugly face could respond but in that moment i have never wanted a piano to drop on two people so badly

forgot to mention a single tear fell down timmy's face as he said that

eh, go punch mccarver then

NO

http://boston.sportsthenandnow.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/dustin-pedroia-1.jpg

Papelbon used to be most punchable but it's kind of a big blur

Oh shit

Victorino does it again! Morbs must be sooooo angry.

Looked out to me (choppy stream, bad replay angle, lol)

Oops

Lol even Steven drew getting in on it

just walked in the door to see that

place is pretty damn loud

Wow

Ha ha ok Steven Drew HR means the series is officially over, right?

I think Beltran thought that was going out

ecce wacha

i normally dislike the Sox but this has been really fun

This is turning into a massive drubbing

Lol @ Victorians coming up with bases loaded AGAIN

wait my mistake

I just realized this might be Tim McCarver's last game on tv and felt a little thrill.

you won't be thrilled when they hire Sutcliffe.

I'm glad I've ignored this enough to not know what Laser Show is.

g'night New Yankees

i hate to say it, and maybe it's my bias as a sox fan, but idgi how anyone feels like the sins of the fathers reflect on this team's likability

not that it matters but who can't root for these guys? in 2014 this might be an 86-win team at best

what the heck are the sins of the fathers?

During the past few years I wonder how many Red Sox fans thought that John Lackey would one day clinch the WS for them.

Sutcliffe >>> McCarver

no no no sutcliffe is not better than mccarver AT ALL

haha

OMG that rundown

Four guys couldn't contain him

i don't like Sutcliffe either

Cards have stopped giving a fuck.

Missed all the offense, just got in for the botched rundown--what George Costanza calls "sticking it to them."

"both sides have an error now... both second basemen have an error now..."

WHOA COOL IT WITH THE ANALYSIS GUYS YOU'RE GOING TOO FAST!!!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BX3rCOXCUAEcuR3.jpg

lol

XD

@MrBrianKenny 1h
That's 3 straight - smoked. Gonna be early..

(Lackey)

clemenza "loves seeing the Red Sox win it at home," just not how they do it

just in it for the vicarious civic pride

senescent McCarver occasionally still says things that let you know he's played baseball. Sutcliffe no.

clemenza "loves seeing the Red Sox win it at home," just not how they do it

I don't even know what this means...I thought what Ellsbury did on the rundown was excellent.

Morbs, you have carefully arranged it so nothing that happens in baseball and nothing that anybody says about baseball can suit you, and I really appreciate it. It makes it 100% easier to ignore yr bullshit.

Ditto politics. You haven't completely gotten there on film yet.

mccarver is old and corny but used to be good

sutcliffe is all like HOW did he have the COURAGE to throw that changeup

not this month no, WmC, btw I meant to say Michelle Obama was a pimp not a whore, so ban me again

what it means is move to Boston, clem, you can probly watch the meaningful part of the game then

good night my friends, it's been a pleasure!

smdh

Grant Brisbee @mccoveychron
GIVE HIM THE GAME BALL DAMMIT

I'm not a mod anymore, you big baby.

Sorry, Morbius, had a movie. Once again, you should make an issue of my commitment to this thing called baseball. Have you made it to your 12th inning yet?

And there goes the Cards' last chance.

senescent McCarver occasionally still says things that let you know he's played baseball. Sutcliffe no.

Stopped clock, etc. Sutcliffe is OK, especially when he's breaking down pitching. His problem is his OCD, where a guy will make an error or something and he'll harp on it for three innings.

Our RISP regression to the mean sure came at a bad time. Props to Sox. All our awesome young pitching will make it easier to take... in a couple days :-/

Geez, that guy looked good for 88.

i'm liking the vibe of this telecast, not so much this thread

#BostonStrong

― eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, October 30, 2013 10:32 PM (37 minutes ago)

i don't get the walk to Ortiz

Shelby miller is warming up...? wtf