Giant Sized Tiger Bait

The stage is set. The San Francisco Giants rallied from a three games to one series deficit against the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series, shredding the Cards in Games, 5, 6, and 7 to win the National League Pennant for the second time in three years. Their reward? They get to host the thoroughly rested Detroit Tigers, champions of the American League via a four game sweep of the New York Yankees.

THE JOURNEY

Both teams entered the season with high expectations. The Giants had won the World Series just two years prior. The team had the same stellar pitching staff that it had since 2010. It had All-Star catcher Buster Posey back from injury. It had a lock down defense in the field. Batting…left something to be desired from a power standpoint but much more disciplined and effective compared to 2011. Besides, great pitching is what wins championships.

The Tigers were already good. With the acquisitions of All-Star Prince Fielder (.313, 30 HR, 108 RBI) to augment the threat of eventual Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera (.330, 44 HR, 139 RBI), Gerald Laird (.282, 2 HR, 11 RBI) to help replace the injured Victor Martinez behind the plate, lock down middle reliever Octavio Dotel (5-3, 3.57 ERA, 62 Ks, 58 IP), and mid-season acquisition Anibal Sanchez (9-13, 3.86 ERA, 167 Ks) from the Miami Marlins to fortify the starting rotation, the Tigers expectations soared. This season became a pennant or bust season.

The conditions of the roads traveled were very different for these two teams. The Giants engaged in a near season long slugfest with the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Arizona Diamondbacks giving close chase, before pulling away in September. The Tigers sleepwalked through the first half of the season before igniting, much later than expected, in the second half of the season. The Tigers wrestled the division away from the upstart Chicago White Sox in the final week of the regular season. Regardless, the presence of both of these teams in the World Series would not have been a shock to anyone looking into an MLB crystal ball this past April. 

Fielder and the Tigers woke up following the Midsummer Classic. 1

TALE OF THE TAPE

Pitching

The Tigers are going to start Justin Verlander (17-8, 2.64 ERA, 239 Ks), Doug Fister (10-10, 3.45 ERA), and Sanchez, in that order in Games 1 through 3 and will continue to rotate that order through the series. No surprises…clear choice for Tigers manager Jim Leyland. The Giants have an embarrassment of riches at starting pitcher, but that actually makes Giants manager Bruce Bochy’s next moves, following Game 1, more challenging in his chess match with Leyland.

Barry Zito (15-8, 4.15 ERA) will start Game 1. Without question, the Game 3 starter would have to be Matt Cain (16-5, 2.79 ERA, 193 Ks) against Sanchez, though it has not been officially announced yet. The third start could be either Madison Bumgarner (16-11, 3.37 ERA, 191 Ks) or Ryan Vogelsong (14-9, 3.37 ERA), with a compelling case to be made for either (Bumgarner was better in the regular season; Vogelsong has been better in the playoffs). Bochy also has the option of tossing in a fourth starter in Tim Lincecum (10-15, 5.18 ERA, 190 Ks), though he may be hesitant to do so after losing 8-3 in Game 4 of the NLCS when starting the inconsistent former two-time Cy Young winner.

Advantage, Pitching: Tigers

Verlander: "Have a seat."
Get used to it, Giants Fan. 2 

Batting

The Tigers are loaded with star power as well as batting power. The Giants are very disciplined at the plate. Both can be problems for pitchers, but in different ways.

The Tigers have no easy outs among their first five hitters in the batting order (Autsin Jackson, Omar Infante, Cabrera, Fielder, and Delmon Young). The dropoff is substantial at the bottom of the order, but the fact of the matter is that every time the Tigers bat around, they pose a serious threat to score multiple runs against even the best pitching staffs.

The Giants are a team of singles hitters and players who can coax out a walk. This is a big improvement over the 2010 World Series winning team that hit a paltry .235. However the power is lacking. The Giants are a true, traditional National League team that needs to manufacture runs to win. They did so in bunches against the Cardinals. I don’t know how easily those runs will come against a Tigers pitching staff whose strength is mowing down and striking out opponents, and forcing double plays. Expect a classic cat-and-mouse game when the Giants are up to bat.   

Advantage: Tigers

Cabrera made Joba Chamberlain look more like Jabba the Hut. 3

Fielding

Both teams are good, but not spectacular with the leather. Do not expect many if any unforced, careless errors by either team. Do not expect too many web gems, either. The Tigers are very hefty at the corners with Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera. The Giants have their own heft at third base with Pablo “Panda” Sandoval.

Both teams have quality middle infielders. The Tigers may be at a slight disadvantage because the Giants style of hitting is more likely to put the ball on the ground in the infield, particularly when Verlander and Fister are pitching. This may give the Giants a chance to pick up some freebie bases on an error or two during the series.

Advantage: Giants

Intangibles

The Giants have some significant advantages in this category. First, most of the players on the 2010 World Series championship team are on this team. They have championship experience. The Tigers have not been to the World Series since losing to the Cardinals in 2006. All of the significant contributors to that Tigers team are gone, except for Verlander.

The Giants have home field advantage. In addition, they are accustomed to playing under pressure, facing elimination. Should the series come down to a sixth and seventh game, those game would be played at AT&T Park in San Francisco, where the Giants would not have to travel, be in their own time zone, and get to bat last.

Advantage: Giants

The Giants should bring back Metallica's James Hetfield for pre-game entertainment for good luck. 4

FINAL ASSESSMENT

In the end, I think Detroit has too many weapons. The team has come together, gelled, and gotten hot at the right time of year: in October. I don’t think the Giants have enough answers to Detroit’s starting pitchers. I also do not think that the Giants pitching staff, as good as they are, can hold the Tigers’ heavy bats down long enough to win many games in this series.

Advantages – Game 1: Tigers, Series: Tigers

Party Like It's 1984? From left to right: Alan Trammell, 1984 American League MVP Willie Hernandez, and Darrell Evans after the Tigers swept the Kansas City Royals, 3-0, in the 1984 ALCS. The Tigers would go on to win its last World Series over the San Diego Padres. 5

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1) Image from http://articles.chicagotribune.com

2)  Image from www.nytimes.com

3) Image from www.zimbio.com

4) Image from www.sfgate.com

5) Image from www.mlive.com

Retweet of the Day - October 22, 2012

Those of you with even a casual interest in Major League Baseball are aware of some of the Houdini style escape acts the St. Louis Cardinals have pulled off since last September. The defending World Series champions have snatched survival from the extermination of elimination and victory from the jaws of defeat over a half dozen times in the past 13 months. The Hat Trick discussed this phenomenon earlier today and briefly on Friday with some detail.

Today's retweet, from MJM @MarkM625 captures the essence of Cardinals magic rather nicely.


"Cardinals will be trailing 11-2 with 2 outs, 2 strikes, no one on base in the 9th and win 14-11 tonight. #Game7"



Cardinals 9th inning? 1

Image from www.walkoffwalk.com

St. Louis Cardinals Comfort Zone

The St. Louis Cardinals are in their third round of the National League playoffs. They are in their third elimination game. They have had their opponent one game away from elimination three different times and failed to advance. Should the defending World Series champions trail in the ninth inning or later of tonight’s Game 7 of the National League Championship Series and be down to their final strike, it would be the third time in the past year the Cards have had their backs against the wall.

THE CARDINALS ARE DOOMED, OR ARE THEY?

In a vacuum, the Cardinals journey in the National League Championship Series looks like wasted opportunities and an omen of doom. St. Louis takes advantage of a light hitting Giants lineup and puts San Francisco into a 3-1 hole with their two best career postseason pitchers, Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, on the hill for Games 5 and 6.

Barry Zito and Ryan Vogelsong, taking the hill for the Giants in those games, respectively, have their best outings of the postseason at a time when they could ill-afford anything but their absolute best. Now the Giants have their ace, Matt Cain, at home matching wits against the Cardinals best starting pitcher in 2012, Kyle Lohse. Lohse has pitched well in the 2012 playoffs, but has been frequently touched up prior to this year.

Don't get too excited! 3

NINE LIVES

Baseball is not played in a vacuum. Regarding the St. Louis Cardinals recent postseason performances, they appear to have an advantage when their backs are against the wall. Being on the edge of the postseason cliff is beginning to appear like a walk in the park for this team, like they don’t wake up until their season is about to be ended.

This is the same Cardinals team, last season, that was 8½ games back of the Atlanta Braves for the (only) Wild Card spot at the beginning of September. This is the same Cardinals team that trailed the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies two games to one in the best-of-five 2011 National League Division Series only to rally and win Game 4 at home then go on the road to nip the Phillies, 1-0, in the decisive Game 5. This is the same Cardinals team that was down to its final strike of the season twice in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, trailing the Texas Rangers three games to two, only to win in extra innings and rout the Rangers in Game 7.

The good fortune extended to 2012, beating the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta in the Wild Card game then coming back from a 6-0 deficit in the deciding Game 5 of the NLDS to beat the Washington Nationals. In short, during the past two postseasons the Cardinals have played in five playoff rounds prior to this NLCS, been one game away from elimination six times, down to their final strike in four at bats, and have safely reached base, survived the elimination game, and won the series each time.



Ask Jayson Werth of the Washington Nationals about dancing on the Cardinals' grave prematurely. 2

WHAT’S PAST IS PAST

While the Cardinals have a track record of surviving the pressure cooker, the only relevant performance, right now, is their performance tonight. Matt Cain vs. Kyle Lohse at AT&T Park in San Francisco is a matchup that would appear to ever so slightly favor the Cain and the Giants. Cain has not been lights out in the playoffs while Lohse (by and large) has been, but Cain has never been rocked while Lohse has only made it to the seventh inning once in his three starts. This means the Cardinals touch and go bullpen will have to come into play.

These dynamics play into the hands of the home team, which gets the final at bat if necessary and has, from top-to-bottom, a better pitching staff. The Giants bats, often flaccid during the regular season, have risen to the occasion this postseason. The Giants know about having their backs against the wall as this will be their sixth game during this postseason in which the Giants have had to win or go home. The scales are very close, but the tipping factors all appear to tip the Giants’ way.

That’s why they play the games. The Cardinals have a longer and deeper recent history of bending in the postseason. Until they break, I expect the Cardinals to win this battle of the last two World Series champions.

Advantage: Cardinals

1

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1) Image splices from images from www.dailydiscounttrophies.com and www.zimbio.com
2) Image from www.star-telegram.com
3) Image from www.foxnews.com

Must See Sports – Third Weekend of October 2012

Last week's advantage/disadvantage record: 6-2

Must See Sports 2012 record (excluding series): 78-42

Advantage/disadvantage record in series, 2012: 12-7-1 

Friday, October 19

MLB

National League Championship Series
San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals – Game 5
Barry Zito (15-8, 4.15 ERA) – Giants vs Lance Lynn (18-7, 3.78 ERA, 180 Ks)

The Giants aren’t hitting. That’s no different than the regular season. Their pitching is just “okay”. That is a problem. Zito got torched and was removed in the third inning in his only other postseason start. The Cardinals have been unable to lose, even when they help their opponents out. I don’t see this series going back to the Bay.

The Tigers can book their flight to St. Louis for the World Series.

Advantages – Game: Cardinals, Series: Cardinals

Get used to this image, Giants fans. 3

Saturday, October 20

(7) South Carolina Gamecocks at (2) Florida Gators

South Carolina, a talented team that can force turnovers and score quickly, looked like a completely different team at Death Valley against the LSU Tigers. The Cocks have played three road games. In them, they had to sweat it out at Vanderbilt, they made the hapless Kentucky offense look marginally competent (which it is not), and LSU led by two scores in the final minutes of the game.

Now they travel to The Swamp, where the Gators have bent but have never broken this season. I do not expect Florida running back Mike Gillislee (615 yds., 7 TD, 5.1 avg.) to run all over S.C., but I don’t expect him to be shut down either. Ultimately, I just do not expect South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw (910 yds., 9 TD, 4 INT, 69% comp.) to be effective enough in Gainesville to pull out the road win.

Advantage: Florida

There's no place like home for the Old Ball Coach. 1

Sunday, October 21

New York Jets at New England Patriots

Rex Ryan versus Bill Belichick…Mark Sanchez versus Tom Brady…Bart “CAN’T WAIT” Scott versus the media. This is one of the best regular season rivalries in NFL. Adrenaline runs high. Tempers often flare. This is FOOTBALL!

Unfortunately for John Q. Fan, while the Pats and Jets have identical 3-3 records and the rivalry is intense, the matchup heavily favors the Patriots. The Patriots have been nipped three times by teams with winning records. The Jets have beaten three teams with losing records and been creamed at the line of scrimmage by higher caliber opponents.

The Patriots’ secondary is, and will continue to be, a massive liability, but Mark Sanchez’s passing in tandem with a lack of any significant receiving threats could remedy that problem for New England on Sunday. The Jets, on the other hand, have had trouble stopping the run. This does not bode well for a team that has to rely on its defense facing a Patriots running back in (former LSU player) Stevan Ridley (524 yds., 4 TD, 4.4 avg.) having a breakout year.

Advantage: Patriots

Bart: Are your ready for the Patriots?
 

Wednesday, October 24

MLB

2012 World Series – Game 1

Detroit Tigers at either the St. Louis Cardinals or San Francisco Giants

I would be stunned if the Giants rallied to win the NLCS, but the game ain’t over until the fat lady sings. A World Series preview is coming next week. Stay tuned for details!


Thursday, October 25

MLB

2012 World Series – Game 2


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1) Bart Scott video from www.youtube.com
2) Image from www.shreveporttimes.com
3) Image from www.wkzo.com

A-Rod: From Hero to (Scape)Goat

2

The New York Yankees trail the Detroit Tigers, 3-0, in the American League Championship Series. Third baseman and Hall of Fame resume holder Alex Rodriguez (.272, 18 HR, 57 RBI) has struggled in the series, badly, going 1 for 7 in the series and hitless against right handed pitchers. Rodriguez was scratched from the lineup for Games 3 and 4. Game for was postponed until today due to weather concerns, but A-Rod is expected to be on the bench when the game starts.

The sports media have poured generous amount of blame on Rodriguez. Following the Game 4 scratch, rumors have been rampant that the Yankees are seeking to deal Rodriguez, and the reported $114 million owed to him on the remaining 5 years of his contract, even if the Yankees would have to absorb up to 80% of the money owed. Those are the breaks of the game!

Just imagine, if Rodriguez just got his act together, the Bronx Bombers would be just a game away from returning to their first World Series in three years. Let’s have a look at Rodriguez’s performance in this series and contrast it to everyone else in pinstripes who is stepping his game up only to be let down by A-Rod.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B
(1-7, 3 Ks, .143 BA, .143 OBP, .143 SLG)

These ladies are thrilled to be leaving the stadium holding A-Rod's balls. 1

Curtis Granderson, CF
(0-10, 6 Ks, .000 BA, .167 OBP, .000 SLG) – A-Rod is holding him back.

If you don't succeed the first 10 times, try again. 3

Robinson Cano, 2B
(1-14, 2Ks, .071 BA, .067 OBP, .071 SLG) – If Rodriguez just instilled a little more fear in opposing pitchers, they wouldn’t be so aggressive with Cano.

Cano is too valuable defensively to remove from the lineup. It didn't help him much in Game 2. Besides, defense isn't the problem. 4

Mark Teixeira, 1B
(3-12, .250 BA, .333 SLG, 0 RBI) – See, this isn’t a putrid stat line at all (it isn’t really “good”, either). If only A-Rod had driven him home, this series would be headed back to New York.

Teixeira is putting the team on his back with three singles! 5

Nick Swisher, RF
(2-8, 3 Ks, .250 BA, .375 SLG, 0 RBI) – Now THERE is leadership with the stick. Too bad A-Rod is killing the strong momentum!

I can hear NBC Dateline's Chris Hansen telling Swisher to, "Have a seat," after all of the strikeouts. 6



The Yankees should keep in mind that when you point one finger at someone else, there are three pointing back at you! 7

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1) Image from www.sportsgrindent.com
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5) Image from www.beesball.com
6) Image from www.usatoday.com
7) Image from www.thefiringline.com

Retweet of the Day - October 17, 2012

According to reports in USA Today and other sports media, New York Yankees third baseman third baseman Alex Rodriguez was seen flirting with women from the Yankee Stadium dugout during the Yankees Game 2 loss to the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series. Reportedly, Rodriguez asked a ball boy to hand a ball and a pen to one of the women and had a message on the ball to write down her phone number and throw it back, which she did.

Of course, A-Rod received criticism for this move. His play was so bad during the game and the series that he was benched (hitting 3 for 23 in the playoffs for a .130 average). Yet he was focused on chicks instead of cheering on his teammates. Perhaps it is overblown and he really was not distracted by the ladies, but all things A-Rod get more attention than they would for a player with a lower profile.

That leads us to today's rather humorous retweet, from $.O (‏@Faaz_23)


"@timandsid ARod got the ball back and it said "Chicks Dig the Long Ball"... #timandsid"

Rodriguez just doesn't want to keep himself all to...himself.

Image from www.faithandfearinflushing.com

“I DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT I JUST SAW” - Part 2

This is the second in a two part series about the disbelief, good and bad, produced by the 2012 Major League Baseball Playoffs.

DISBELIEF OF DISGUST

The American League Championship Series produced a different kind of disbelief in its first two games. Both occurrences elicited disgust, one for Yankees fans and the other for baseball fans (if not fans of sports) as a whole. The Yankees trailed 4-0 against the Detroit Tigers in the bottom of the ninth inning but rallied to tie the score and force extra innings. After completely taking the momentum away from Detroit, the Yankees would give it back and lose to the Tigers in 12 innings, 6-4. Adding injury to insult, Yankees team captain, shortstop Derek Jeter, broke his ankle during the extra frames and was lost for the postseason.

An opportunity for a great comeback in Major League Baseball history was missed. The Yankees ninth inning rally was a footnote in Game 1 of the 2012 ALCS. The heart and soul of their team was lost to injury. This was nothing compared to the disgust that all fans of baseball should have felt the following day.

Think it can't get any worse? 1

With the score 1-0 in the top of the eighth with two outs, Omar Infante of the Tigers ran from first base to second base following an Austin Jackson single. Infante overran second and slid back to second. Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher threw the ball in to second baseman Robinson Cano, who applied the tag under Infante on his chest. The problem was that second base umpire Jeff Nelson thought Cano completely missed the tag and that Infante went completely over Cano’s glove. Nelson admitted, after the game that he missed the call. Yankees manager Joe Girardi came out to argue the call in a very flared manner and was ejected from the game.  The Tigers would go on to score two runs in an inning that should have been over.

I personally do not blame the umpire. When you look at where Old Blue was positioned and consider the full speed of the play and that Cano missed Infante’s arm when he attempted the tag, the umpire’s call was humanly understandable. What is not understandable is Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig’s insistence on refusing to expand the instant replay system to one that could have corrected the call, gotten Nelson off of the hook, kept Girardi in the game, and improve the integrity of the outcome of MLB games.

The Tigers’ 3-0 victory in Game 2 (and the fact that the Yankees did not score any runs, making the Tigers’ two runs inconsequential after the fact) became a footnote in the dubious history of bungled calls in the history of postseason baseball caused by the stubborn refusal of a Commissioner longing for a time in sports that ended within the last 20 years in every other major professional North American sport. Yankees fans and any fan of baseball, except for the fans of the Tigers, should have been disgusted and in disbelief that the landscape is such in 2012.

SAFE! 2

The Major League Baseball postseason has produced many moments of disbelief over the years. Disbelief in the form of timeless, memorable moments that can endear people to the game are priceless assets of baseball. Moments like Game 2 of the American League Championship Series should become footnotes by the way of action to correct the problems that they magnify. They should not be the latest in a series of recurring headlines illustrating what’s wrong with the game once unequivocally known as “America’s Pastime”. 

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The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

1) Image from www.usatoday.com

2) Image from www.nydailynews.com

“I DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT I JUST SAW” - Part 1

October 15, 1988 – The late, great MLB play by play commentator Jack Buck exclaimed these words following the pinch hit, walk off homerun by 1988 National League MVP and current Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series against the Oakland Athletics. These are simple words. Anyone who understands English knows what they mean. Any English speaker knows that those words express disbelief.

These words were perfect for capturing the moment. Gibson did not have another at bat during the ’88 World Series. He wasn’t expected to appear at all due to a knee injury. Yet there he was, producing one of the iconic moments in baseball history. The crowd at Dodger Stadium was in disbelief out of joy. Fans of the A’s were in disbelief out of shock and disappointment. Remember that 1988 American League MVP Jose Canseco had hit a grand slam earlier in that game to put Oakland in the driver’s seat. Canseco’s Granny was an historical footnote instead of a great moment frozen in time.

DISBELIEF OF JOY

On Friday the St. Louis Cardinals pulled off the most improbable of postseason comebacks ever. I used the word “improbable” as opposed to “unbelievable”. Since September of 2011, the Cardinals have rallied from more than eight games back to snatch the Wild Card berth from the Atlanta Braves, followed by beating the Philadelphia Phillies, with baseball’s best record, in the deciding Game 5 of the National League Divisional Series, followed by being down to their final strike, twice, against the Texas Rangers in the 2011World Series – before a relatively unknown third baseman named David Freese in his second full MLB season pulled the Cards out of the fire. The Cardinals would go on to win in seven games. This was followed up in 2012 by repeating a similar albeit slightly less dramatic path to reach the 2012 NLDS against the Washington Nationals, who also possessed baseball’s best regular season record.

In the deciding Game 5, the Nationals jumped out to a 6-0 lead at home against the Cardinals after three innings. The Cards chipped in a run in the fourth, no big deal. They tacked on two in the fifth, time for Washington to bring in some relief of starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez. It is still a good lead, but the game is not over. Another run scored in the seventh inning; it is starting to become “déjà vu all over again” as Hall of Famer Yogi Berra once said. Daniel Descalso, a relatively unknown second baseman in his second full MLB season, hit a solo homerun to cut it to one. It is written in the cards, pun intended.  

Bryce Harper homered in the 3rd inning of Game 5. The rout appeared to be on. 1

The Nationals answered with an insurance run in the eighth inning to extend their once insurmountable lead to 7-5. In enters relief pitcher Drew Storen. In enters the next footnote in the history of postseason Major League Baseball. Storen allowed a runner to second base, but followed the effort up by picking up a pair of easy outs. The Cardinals trail by two on the road and are down to their final out; things are lining up perfectly for…the Cardinals.

In steps Cardinals All-Star catcher Yadier Molina. Ball…strike…ball…strike…the Cardinals are down to their final strike in defense of their 2011 World Series championship. Molina walks. Last year’s World Series hero David Freese steps up and falls behind 1-2. Freese and the Cardinals are down to their last strike for the second time; they have the Nationals right where they want them. Freese walks. Descalso comes up to bat; the Cardinals travel staff may as well have begun booking their flight to San Francisco for the National League Championship Series. Descalso, in the spirit of Freese in 2011 drives in the tying runs before two more runs are driven in to put the Cardinals ahead for good. The Nationals went out with a whimper, 1-2-3, in the bottom of the 9^th inning.

The Cardinals pulled off the most improbable victory, though with less shock value than would have been expected in the past. Such close calls are becoming a Cardinals trademark. Nationals reliever Drew Storen became a footnote in the historic comeback, as did the Nationals MLB best regular season record in their first playoff series, ever, since moving to Washington, D.C. from Montreal (as the Expos). A great moment in the history of baseball happened that night.

Daniel Descalso assumed the role of previously unknown hero for the Cardinals in 2012. 2

Tuesday: Disbelief of Disgust

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2) Image from www.newstribune.com

Retweet of the Day - October 12, 2012

The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees have just begun Game 5 of the American League Divisional Series, with the winner advancing to the American League Championship Series to face the Detroit Tigers. The game is currently at the end of the second inning with no score. The ESPN Radio commentators have remarked multiple times that there were a conspicuous number of empty seats and the crown was quiet.

The O's and Yanks played to 13 innings last night in Game 4 and 12 innings the night before in Game 3. Perhaps play close to the total of three games in two night wore down some of the loyal crowd. Perhaps the late afternoon start time has some fans dragging their heels to the Bronx or people are simply stuck in rush hour Friday New York traffic.

Whatever the case, the Yankees are not getting the expected boost from the crowd that one would expect. That brings us to today's retweet, from Andrew Stetka ‏(@AStetka)


"Yankee Stadium sounds like a funeral. Come tomorrow it will be: the death of the 2012 #Yankees season."

Gives a whole new meaning to "die hard" fan.

  Image from www.burialoptions.com

Must See Sports – Second Weekend of October 2012

Last week's advantage/disadvantage record: 4-1

Must See Sports 2012 record (excluding series): 72-40

Advantage/disadvantage record in series, 2012: 11-7-1 

With so many different topics to discuss in the world of sports during the last couple of months, Must See had to take a back seat to the issues of the day. With the Major League Baseball playoffs getting red hot and the NFL getting into the meat of its regular season, this is as good a time as any to revive the series. Let’s jump in!

Friday, October 12

MLB

American League Divisional Series

Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees – Game 5
Jason Hammel (8-6, 3.43 ERA) – Orioles vs C.C. Sabathia (15-6, 3.38 ERA, 197 Ks) - Yankees

This series has had as much pitching drama as a fan could possibly ask for. Here are some bottom lines in my opinion. Jason Hammel must have a quality start. Hammel surrendered just two earned runs and struck out five in 5-2/3 innings, yet his team was blasted, 7-2 in Game 1.

The bullpen has been a collection of workhorses all year long but, with the exception of closer Jim Johnson (2-1, 2.49 ERA, 51 SV), the talent level has just been “good enough” this season. “Good enough” is not good enough in a Game 5 on the road. Ironically, it was Johnson who was plastered in Game 1, but Hammel has more non-quality than quality starts this season. He’s the ace; time to lead.

The Yankees…real simple. C.C. will hold it down. Get homeruns…you win. If you don’t…you lose. The Yankees are not getting enough singles and doubles. However, C.C. is the starter, he can go nine innings, and this game is being played in The Bronx.

Advantage: Yankees

This is Buck Showalter's face when he wins. I wouldn't want to be holding that mic after he lost.

National League Divisional Series

St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Nationals – Game 5
Adam Wainwright (14-13, 3.94 ERA, 184 Ks) – Cardinals vs Gio Gonzalez (21-8, 2.89 ERA, 207 Ks) – Nationals

This game will be decided by pitching. Who makes the fewest mistakes? Who makes the first mistake? If Adam Wainwright gets into trouble, on paper, the Cardinals will be in a lot of trouble because their bullpen has been consistently inconsistent all season. If the Cardinals find a way to jump on top of Gio Gonzalez early, which is very unlikely, it is probably over because the Nationals are not built to score runs in bunches.

The Nationals won 98 games in the regular season, the best in the league and 10 more than the Cardinals, who slipped in as the second and final Wild Card. On paper, this favors the Nationals. The game is being played at Washington. Again, on paper, that favors the Nationals.

My head says the Nationals should take this but my gut tells me that the defending World Series champions just find ways to win when everything is on the line. Until they fail to do so, I am picking St. Louis.

Advantage: Cardinals



I can read Strasburg's mind. "I'm not playing? Dude, SERIOUSLY?" 2

Saturday, October 13

NCAA Football

(3) South Carolina Gamecocks at (9) LSU Tigers

My alma mater, LSU, screwed the pooch in The Swamp against Florida last week. This team has a National Championship caliber defense, again, but it is struggling badly to find an offensive identity. The Tigers have an embarrassment of riches at running back in workhorse Kenny Hilliard (382 yds., 6 TDs, 6.6 avg.), fireplug Spencer Ware (185 yds. 4.6 avg.), and versatile, athletic running backs Alfred Blue (270 yds., 2 TDs, 6.8 avg.) and Michael Ford (238 yds., 2 TD, 5.7 avg.). They have a quarterback in Zach Mettenberger (1174 yds., 6 TD, 3 INT, 62% comp.) with a powerful arm, but it has not translated to points in SEC competition. LSU has only scored one touchdown in its two SEC games this year. That will never succeed against this South Carolina team.

After playing down to Vanderbilt in its first game, the Gamecocks have obliterated their competition, highlighted with an euthanizing of the then #5 Georgia Bulldogs. LSU is going to have to put on its most disciplined and diligent defensive effort of the season against incredibly capable S.C. quarterback Connor Shaw (733 yds., 7 TD, 2 INT, 76% comp.) and do-it-all running back Marcus Lattimore (549 yds., 9 TD, 4.7 avg.).

LSU has not lost a home game since October 10, 2009 – three years. Every streak has to come to an end and LSU’s offensive woes, along with South Carolina’s red hot play, make this week ripe for the occasion. Until I see LSU execute in the passing game in SEC play, I cannot count on it.

Advantage: South Carolina

Is that a play call or a message for South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier? 3

(15) Texas Longhorns vs (13) Oklahoma Sooners – at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas

This game will decide who drops out of the Big XII conference race first, in light of Kansas State's (5-0, 2-0) and West Virginia's (5-0, 2-0) better starts. Texas-Oklahoma is always HUGE and this is essentially a survival game.

Texas sophomore quarterback David Ash (1276 yds., 11 TD, 1 INT, 78% comp.) can light up the sky. The Longhorns are going to go as ash goes against the Sooners. Oklahoma has some potency in its offense as long as receiver Kenny Stills (29 rec., 344 yds., 3 TD) is healthy and on the field. His presence opens up the buffet of options for QB Landry Jones (1,032 yds., 7 TD, 2 INT, 63% comp.) and running back Damien Williams (341 yds., 5 TD, 7.8 avg.). Texas has become the latest in the epidemic of “defense optional” Big XII teams and for that reason I see Oklahoma seizing control of this game.

Advantage: Oklahoma


MLB

National League Championship Series – Game 1

San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals OR St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants

We will know after Game 5 of the Cards-Nats series later tonight. I think that St. Louis will overwhelm San Francisco with their bats in a seven game series. The Giants simply lack the power to keep up with the Cardinals, in my opinion. Should the Giants face the Nationals, we may get to witness one of the best pitcher’s duel series of this century. The difference between San Francisco ond Washington may be who will not be present, Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg.

Advantage: Series - Cardinals (vs Giants); Giants (vs Nationals)


Sunday, October 14

MLB

American League Championship Series – Game 1

Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees OR Baltimore Orioles at Detroit Tigers

We will have our answer early this evening. Both ALDS series took five games to decide. I expect a dramatic series, particularly if the Yankees advance. Either way, I expect their Tigers to defeat either of their possible opponents in a best-of-seven series.

Advantage: Series – Tigers


American League Championship Series – Game 2

NFL

Dallas Cowboys (2-2) at Baltimore Ravens (4-1)

The Ravens have been synonymous with “lock down defense” through most of the course of the franchise’s existence. In a Super Bowl or bust year for Baltimore, it is surprising that the offense has had to pick up the slack for the defense in its four wins this season. Last week, however, the Ravens held to Kansas City Chiefs to a paltry six points and knocked their starting quarterback out of the game. A sleeping giant may have awaken.

If so, that is bad news for the Dallas Cowboys. Its defense, with the #1 pass defense in the league, has given America’s Team a chance to win every week. However, quarterback Tony Romo (1,148 yds., 5 TD, 8 INT, 67% comp.) is getting zero rushing support, has an offensive line that isn’t sure which way is up at times, and gifted receivers who are dialed in when they are dialed in. When they aren’t….

Advantage: Ravens


New York Giants (3-2) at San Francisco 49ers (4-1)

This is a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s NFC Championship Game. The drama may match that of the prior contest, which was decided in overtime. While a trip to the Super Bowl is not at stake, both teams need the win just to keep pace in their divisions.

I doubt that the 49ers expected to have serious competition from the Arizona Cardinals, but they do. A loss to the Giants is just the kind of hiccup that leaves doors open for upstart teams like the Cardinals. The Giants’ backs are against the wall. They could conceivably be in the NFC East cellar after Sunday with a loss.

The Giants one-two punch of Ahmad Bradshaw (333 yds., 2 TD, 5.1 avg.) and Andre Brown (198 yds., 3 TD, 5.2 avg.) has produced headaches for opposing defenses that the defending Super Bowl champions did not produce until late last season. The 49ers, while still excellent in all phases of defense, have not been bulletproof against the run as they appeared to be last year. The Giants have suffered two hard luck losses this season. I think they share that booby prize with their west coast hosts on the strength of their ground attack.

Advantage: Giants





Green Bay Packers (2-3) at Houston Texans (5-0)

The Sunday Night Football game is a big matchup on paper and I expect some entertaining moments in this game. However, the Texans, while needing a little work on special teams and needing to reduce their degree of reliance on the run if they expect to reach the Super Bowl, is completely in sync. The Packers have been everything but all year. In addition, they will be without starting running back Cedric Benson until very late in the season. As difficult as it is to fathom, I think the Packers fall to 2-4 while the Texans continue to roll at Reliant Stadium.

Advantage: Texans


Monday, October 15

National League Championship Series – Game 2


Tuesday, October 16

American League Championship Series – Game 3


Wednesday, October 17

National League Championship Series – Game 3

American League Championship Series – Game 4


Thursday, October 18

National League Championship Series – Game 4

American League Championship Series – Game 5


NFL

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

This could be a real slobber-knocker of a game between two hard hitting defenses and two powerful ground games. This game could be played with possession of first place in the NFC West at stake. Neither team passes the ball much, but rookie quarterback Russell Wilson (815 yds., 5 TD 6 INT, 63% comp.) of the Seahawks is not passing the ball WELL yet. This game is at Candlestick. I think the venue and quarterback play will be the difference in this game.

Advantage: 49ers

There won't be a "13th man" helping the Seahawks in this nationally televised game. 5

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Even A Broken Clock Is Right Twice Per Day

If you are among the dozens of loyal readers and/or sympathetic friends that read The Daily Hat Trick regularly, I need not tell you how I feel about Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. He has been a TDHT favorite whipping boy throughout the history of the blog. Selig’s rare brand of cluelessness, callousness, incompetence, aloofness, and apathy about the demands of the average fan is legendary.

Even so, the man has had more lives than a cat. When it was announced, in 2010, that his contract was set to expire before this season and that he would (likely) retire, I thought we would be rid of this nincompoop by now. Yet he has stuck around to spite John Q. Fan, regardless.

ONE TRICK PONY

In spite of my continued expression of contempt for Selig's administration of Major League Baseball, I have always said that he got it right with the playoffs (and the 1994 realignment that facilitates the modern MLB playoff structure). Prior to the 1995 MLB Playoffs, Major League Baseball had 28 teams in four divisions. Only the four division winners reached the playoffs.

The old structure, in such a large sports entity, had a number of undesirable consequences that were out of line with the demands of the late 20th century American sports spectator. The majority of MLB teams were out of postseason contention shortly after the All-Star Game, reducing the significance of a substantial portion of the regular season to exhibition games on the record. A single significant injury could torpedo the season of an otherwise viable contender. Finally, the fewer divisions in each league contributed to greater and more concentrated scheduling inequity.

The three division structure and the Wild Card changed all of that. The majority of MLB teams typically have a dog in the “hunt for October” during the month of September. More regular season games have more significance. More playoff games with more meaning/impact per pitch (with a best of five first round structure) were available for the baseball fan’s consumption. In short, the game was made profoundly and permanently better.

This was the sight at many an MLB park in late July before realignment and the Wild Card. 1

GOING BACK TO THE WELL

Of course, Selig added the second Wild Card qualifier to each league and a single elimination Wild Card game to each league. It pains me to give this man credit, but the move was absolutely brilliant. It placed a very heavy emphasis on the importance of a team winning a division outright.

Gone is the (seemingly) annual tradition of two out of the same three American League East teams – the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Boston Red Sox – playing with very little sense of urgency in late September because two of those teams were often running away with the two best records in the league; the result being no consequences for the division runner up except for having one less home game in a best-of-five first round series (which often ended in four or fewer games). Now, all but the most lowly and hapless of cellar dwellers and losing organizations are figuratively in the ball park heading into the September stretch. Division leaders in divisions with strong records had to play hard until the final day(s) of the regular season or risk a single win or go home game. It is “unfair”? It’s cold, but it’s fair and it is great for the collective fans of the game.

The Orioles got to continue a 90+ win season thanks to the additional Wild Card spot. 2

FIRST TEST RUN

So what has the first season of four round MLB Playoffs brought us? A two time defending pennant winner, the Texas Rangers, took its foot off the gas in September was eliminated, in one day, from any chance of a third consecutive American League championship while their Cinderella opponent, the Baltimore Orioles; they will play the Yankees in a Game 4 tonight.

The defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, who came close to circling the drain in September, rose to the occasion when the chips were down, clinched the second Wild Card berth in the final week of the season, and beat the favored Atlanta Braves at Atlanta in the career finale of a future Hall of Famer, Chipper Jones. They are now on the brink of picking up their “never say die” theme from the 2011 playoffs, which led them to their world championship. The Cardinals are one game away from eliminating the upstart Washington Nationals (whom the Cards play this afternoon).

The very hot Oakland A’s, who rallied from 13 games back in the A.L. West to win the division on the final day of the regular season, rallied from a two games to none deficit to force the very star-studded and talented Detroit Tigers to a deciding Game 5 tonight. And the Cincinnati Reds, possibly the best team in baseball from top to bottom, were forced into a Game 5 by the San Francisco Giants by the Giants taking two straight on the road after losing the first two games at home. The deciding game between the Giants and Reds is just underway, in the second inning, with no score.

Oakland Athletics outfielder Coco Crisp robs Prince Fielder of a homerun in Game 3 of the ALDS. The Tigers likely would have won otherwise and swept the A's from the playoffs. The two teams play a deciding Game 5 tonight. 3

HE’S STILL BUD

Foul balls will be called fair. Outs will be called safe. Perfect games will be taken away. No hitters will be awarded to the undeserving. The absence of a salary cap will ensure that some teams have a limitless competitive window while others need to be magicians in scouting and accounting to have a prayer of reaching the postseason. An All-Star exhibition will tip the home field advantage in a World Series in which half of the players involved know that they have no realistic chance of seeing without a ticket or a television. But for the playoffs, Bud got this one right.

Bud's explanation for ridiculous MLB rules: "It's in the book!" What do you want him to do? (smh) 4

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Retweet of the Day - October 10, 2012

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has been to the playoffs with the Yankees eight times in his Major League Baseball career. With the exception of the lone World Series championship of Rodriguez's career, in 2009, A-Rod's playoff campaigns have ended with disaster and disappointment. Rodriguez's is off to another customary postseason start, going 1 for 9 in the first two games of their American League Divisional Series with the Baltimore Orioles (series is tied, 1-1).

Speculation has been rampant that Yankees Manager Joe Girardi may move Rodriguez down in the batting order. Rodriguez currently bats third. He could be moved as low as eighth, as many in sports media have speculated. That leads us to today's retweet, by Craig H ‏@Dougggie78, who cleverly ties A-Rod's postseason batting woes to his brief (rumored) fling with Madonna in 2008.

"@mattleibl #ARod is no premadonna. He played very well before he dated her. He's a postmadonna now."

We all do things we regret; fortunately, most of us get to live it down.

Image from http://kompormbeldok.blogspot.com

Farewell to Chipper Jones

The Atlanta Braves lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-3, in the single elimination National League Wild Card Game this past Friday. It ended the Atlanta Braves 2012 season. With that loss, it appears that the Hall of Fame career of Chipper Jones also came to a close.

PHENOM

Larry Wayne “Chipper” Jones made his major league debut as a September call-up in the 1993 season at age 21, with his official rookie year coming in the Braves’ World Series winning year of 1995 (he did not play in the strike shortened 1994 season due to injury). The switch hitting phenom made an immediate splash, hitting 23 homeruns and demonstrated stand out capabilities in every facet of the game. He finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to Japanese pitching sensation Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Switch hitters are often specialists who have especially high levels of coordination and can leverage the opportunity to reduce the effectiveness of an opposing pitcher’s break on his pitch. There are some very good batters who are switch hitters. There have been a number of switch hitters with good power. Jones was elite hitting for contact and power on both sides of the plate. This made Jones a lethal weapon for the Braves during Jones’ career.

Jones during the Braves' World Series winning season of 1995. 1

HALL OF FAME RESUME

The rest, as the expression goes, is history. Jones would play in the major leagues for a total of 18 service years over 19 MLB seasons. An eight time All-Star, Jones leaves the game with a career batting average of .303, and astonishing on base percentage of .401, a slugging percentage of .529 (for a career on base plus slugging of .930) and 468 career homeruns.

Jones was the MVP of the National League during the Braves pennant winning season of 1999, batting .319 with 45 homeruns and 110 RBIs. Jones won the National League batting title in 2008, at the age of 36, with a .364 batting average. Jones also led the National League in 2008 in on base percentage at .470. Often plagued with nagging injuries, Jones still played in the majority of his team’s games in all 18 of his full MLB seasons, never player less than 95 games in a season.

Jones was a contributor on 13 Braves playoff teams, including 11 consecutive division titles between 1995 and 2005. Jones played in the National League Championship Series six times, with the Braves winning the National League Pennant three times (1995, 1996, 1999) and winning the aforementioned World Series in 1995. In both individual and leadership in team accomplishments, Jones played like a Hall of Famer from the beginning of his career to the very end.

Jones tipped his hat as an All Star for, probably, the final time this July at the 2012 All-Star Game. 2 

PLACE IN HISTORY

There are myriad manners in which Chipper Jones’ career and legacy can be framed. He is so accomplished in so many areas of the game of baseball that no one label can capture the essence of his career. Many in sports media, and I agree with this, have tended to frame Jones’ career as being among the greatest switch hitters of all time. Among switch hitters, only Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504) have hit more career home runs. Thirty-six year old Lance Berkman of the St. Louis Cardinals is fourth among switch hitters for career homeruns (and will be the active leader when Jones officially retires), more than 100 dingers behind Jones with 360 career homers.

Among players with a minimum of 3,000 lifetime plate appearances, Jones is second all time in career batting average at .3034 (Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch – retired 1937 – is the all time switch hitting batting leader with a .316 lifetime average). Among switch hitters, Victor Martinez of the Detroit Tigers is virtually tied with Jones in lifetime batting average at .3033 and will be the active leader at the start of the 2013 season. The next closest lifetime batting switch hitters are all-time lifetime hits leader Pete Rose at .3029, followed by Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar at .300, then Mantle at .298.

Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle is the MLB switch hitting lifetime homerun leader. 3

ONCE IN A GENERATION PLAYER?

Factoring in his elite career accomplishments and the breadth of his skills, Chipper Jones was in a class by himself during his nearly two decades long career. While a few players can be identified as being more accomplished with a particular tool of the game (contact, power, speed, glove, and arm strength) perhaps only Mickey Mantle and a very select few others who escape my memory or played long before my time can claim to be more accomplished across the broad range of Major League Baseball skill contributions. His status as a switch hitter made Jones a particularly rare find.

Chipper Jones singles in the final at bat of his career in the 2012 National League Wild Card Game in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. 4

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