Go Cubs Go

[Kurn]

Every team in the AL playoffs is better than every team in the NL playoffs. In fact, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are better than 2/3 of the teams in the NL.

Not to mention their stupid rule that requires each team to have an incompetent hitter in the lineup.

[Wes]

Yeah and the cardinals were like the 20th best team in the majors last year. What's your point?

[Kurn]

I just like ragging on NL fans. I so hate that they stick to the outmoded idea that it is correct for the pitcher to hit. The DH is simply the single most intelligent rule alteration in professional sports during my lifetime. It is a recognition of the reality of baseball, i.e., the pitcher is a defensive specialist.

The only place in baseball above the high school level where the pitcher still has to bat is the NL, and the only reason they bat in HS BB is that the pitchers are usually the best athletes on the team.

[PShabi]

It's called "real baseball."

[PShabi]

Let's Go Cubbies! The journey starts tonight. Let's hope it's a long one!!!!

[PShabi]

Looks like I'll be at the biggest game of the season for my Cubbies tomorrow night (almost today).

I believe.

[Kurn]

"Real" in what way? All sports evolve. The original rules of baseball required that the pitcher ask the batter where he preferred the pitch to be thrown. In fact, as late as the beginning of the 20th century, major league owners tried to ban the curveball and all other "attempts to deceive the batter." As originally designed, the pitchers job was to enable the batter to put the ball in play, not try to get him out.

So if you don't believe baseball should revert to that, the "baseball purist" argument goes out the window. You tacitly accept that an evolution of the rules makes sense. No pitcher makes an NL roster because of his bat. No manager ever says, "Smith will give me more innings than Jones and have a better ERA, but Jones is my 5th starter because we need his bat in the lineup every 5th day."

The pitcher is a defensive specialist. Logic says putting an offensive specialist in the batting order instead of the pitcher makes the game better.

Lou Piniella once said managing in the NL was easier because 2/3 of all pitching changes are automatic. 6th inning or beyond, tied or behind, you pinch hit. No skill there. No stress there. The hardest decision a manager has to make in a game is deciding when the starting pitcher has had enough. In the NL, that decision comes into play much less than in the AL.

[Tony Cheval]

I'm not that much of a baseball fan anymore, but I have to go with Kurn here, and 90% of pitchers' atbats are just a sad, sad spectacle anyway.

Though I do gotta say, how about dem Rockies?

[Talking Poker]

I was happy for them to win their playoff game (despite the game winning bad call), but come on now - enough is enough. GO PHILS!

[Reel Deal]

Enjoy Barry Bonds next year...

[PShabi]

This was such a fun season. Before June 16, I probably watched about 10/66 games. I got DirecTV and the extra innings package after that and watched approximately 88 of the last 96. I missed 4 when I was on vacation and I missed the Saturday Fox games a few times. Damn, I watched a lot of baseball.

Win it all one time for Shabi, Baby!!

[Talking Poker]

Freaking Phillies are killing me here. Up one game with 2 left to play, and now going into the last game of the season.


If the Phils pull it off and get to play the Cubbies, I'll gladly bet you every game of the series.... that would make it way more fun.

[PShabi]

I got a ticket to Game 2 on Thursday night. I'm going to drive down and stay with a buddy, who's also a huge Cub fan. We've known eachother since 7th grade. Played HS hoops together and went to Purdue together too. Traditionally, our luck with the po pos is quite dog shit, so wish us luck.

It's gonna be a wild night, but I'll rep Cub Nation proudly! Altogether, it'll probably be about 24 hours for me in PHX.