12/21/24
October 22, 2010
Texas Rangers World Series Bound: For the first time in the 49-year history of the franchise, the Texas Rangers are going to the World Series, thanks to a 6-1 defeat of the defending champ New York Yankees at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Colby Lewis threw an 8-inning three hitter and Vladimir Guerrero had three RBIs. I need to lie down.
So this means that the Expos/Nationals and the Mariners are the only teams left that haven't made it to the world series. Congratulations to Texas and their fans - this was a long time coming. Best of luck in the series!
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:36 PM on October 22, 2010
Incredible. Neffy striking out A-Rod to clinch it couldn't have been scripted any better.
I'm still awestruck.
o/
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:45 PM on October 22, 2010
I missed the Rangers game 5 loss, but when I saw that the rangers still out hit the yankees 13-9 I thought it an aberration rather than a real change of momentum.
The Rangers completely dominated the series, no doubt the better team won. I always thought the Yankees starting pitching was sketchy, but I'm a little shocked how badly they hit.
posted by justgary at 11:53 PM on October 22, 2010
When a team hits with two strikes and two outs the way the Rangers did this series, they can beat anybody.
I knew this was a good team heading into the playoffs, but until I saw them in Tampa I didn't realize they had a shot to win it all. They're smart on the basepaths, field well and are as cohesive a team as I've ever seen in Texas.
Even then, facing the Yankees did not give me a lot of confidence -- especially after the bullpen handed them game 1.
I was surprised at Girardi's strategy of putting Hamilton on base all night long tonight. The way these Rangers manufacture runs, I don't think he should've given us four extra baserunners or put that much pressure on his pitchers.
posted by rcade at 12:15 AM on October 23, 2010
Meanwhile, numerous MLB executives were breaking tasteful things in their offices...
Congrats to the Rangers!
posted by Bonkers at 03:00 AM on October 23, 2010
The AL little paychecks really played well. Now the little paychecks in the NL need to finish off their big paycheck rivals to set up a little paycheck World Series, thus ending the big paycheck bitching for two weeks.
Another reason why baseball's ways of doing business will never change. No need to. The game is still played on the field, and teams with smaller payrolls find ways to compete, even though a potential Texas vs. San Francisco World Series will have TV crying hysterically.
posted by dyams at 08:41 AM on October 23, 2010
The game is still played on the field, and teams with smaller payrolls find ways to compete
Although I honestly wouldn't mind the field hosting a balanced schedule.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:16 AM on October 23, 2010
One nice thing about the Yankees' dominance is that everybody has an opinion on them. When I was watching game 1 of the ALCS outside the ESPN club on Disney's Boardwalk, a couple dozen people all stopped to check out the game. Most of them were excited to see the Yanks losing. (At the end, of course, the place was filled to the gills with chanting Yankees fans.)
Beggars can't be choosers, but if I had to pick a route to the World Series for the Rangers, I wanted the team to step over the smoldering corpse of the Yankees to get there.
On another note, Ernie Johnson Jr. calls a pretty good baseball game. I didn't realize until this playoffs that he wasn't just a basketball guy.
posted by rcade at 11:31 AM on October 23, 2010
...even though a potential Texas vs. San Francisco World Series will have TV crying hysterically.
On the other hand, there might be a bit of added interest in SF vs Texas (or even the Phillies vs Texas). If the Yankees are in it, there's likely a big ho-hum from fandom. It's the Yankees again, who cares. I know I for one will watch (except when the telecast interferes with the Celtics, Bruins, or Patriots) and root a little bit for Texas, rather than checking the score occasionally and rooting against the Yankees.
posted by Howard_T at 02:32 PM on October 23, 2010
Beggars can't be choosers, but if I had to pick a route to the World Series for the Rangers, I wanted the team to step over the smoldering corpse of the Yankees to get there.
No doubt. If only they could've wiped their cleats on the Angels in the ALDS, just on principle.
posted by Ufez Jones at 05:39 PM on October 23, 2010
On another note, Ernie Johnson Jr. calls a pretty good baseball game.
Agreed. Decent support too. There's something apparently liberating about TBS having such limited exposure to the nationwide TV audience. Also, when your direct competition is Buck and McCarver, you don't have to worry too much.
posted by etagloh at 05:39 PM on October 23, 2010
The only part I hate about this...is that this will increase the Yankees' resolve to land Cliff Lee after the season's over. Love or hate the Yankees, it's so hard to say no to the amount of money we all know they're going to offer him.
In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy a Yankee-less World Series this year.
posted by NerfballPro at 05:50 PM on October 23, 2010
You're right. The Yankees spend a shitload of money and probably will go after Lee hard. But the money they spend didn't get them to the World Series, and they aren't going to be champions. So sit back and enjoy your Yankee-less World Series. My god, people spend so much time worrying about what the Yankees are doing and what they're probably going to do or might do that they don't enjoy the fact other teams are doing OK.
posted by dyams at 06:15 PM on October 23, 2010
My guess is that they're enjoying both.
posted by Hugh Janus at 06:56 PM on October 23, 2010
My guess is that they're enjoying both.
Outside of Ranger fans, I think the majority are just glad the Yankees aren't in it and really don't care what else happens.
posted by dyams at 07:40 PM on October 23, 2010
You're right. The Yankees spend a shitload of money and probably will go after Lee hard. But the money they spend didn't get them to the World Series, and they aren't going to be champions.
Which will make it that much sweeter.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 07:58 PM on October 23, 2010
Outside of Ranger fans, I think the majority are just glad the Yankees aren't in it and really don't care what else happens.
Either way, as long as they're thinking only about the Yankees, right?
posted by Hugh Janus at 08:11 PM on October 23, 2010
Who are the Yankees?
posted by cixelsyd at 08:22 PM on October 23, 2010
There is a list of teams that I am interested in seeing in the World Series outside of the Red Sox, my team of choice.
The Rangers - along with the Mariners and the Nationals - are both on that list simply because they haven't been before.
Had they been playing nearly against any team other than the Red Sox, I would have been cheering for the Rangers.
So, this year, I genuinely wasn't cheering against the Yankees.
posted by Joey Michaels at 08:59 PM on October 23, 2010
I think the majority are just glad the Yankees aren't in it and really don't care what else happens.
Yep. And that is very much the nature of the game today, and the Yankees are directly responsible for that. Whenever someone mentions a salary cap, Yankee fans justify the enormous disparity by saying something to the tune of "like us or hate us, at least people care about the Yankees." It's a world of your own creation, don't cry about it when the world outside takes joy in watching the Yankees lose.
To echo a few Yankee fans I've heard recently, "If you don't like it, attempt to change the way things are done"**
**That was paraphrasing. I believe the actual quote was "If you don't like it, go fuck yourself, Yankees rule, deal with it."
posted by tahoemoj at 09:12 PM on October 23, 2010
My god, people spend so much time worrying about what the Yankees are doing and what they're probably going to do or might do that they don't enjoy the fact other teams are doing OK.
That's only because the television broadcasts shove the Yankees down the nation's throat at every opportunity.
posted by grum@work at 12:52 AM on October 24, 2010
I was surprised at Girardi's strategy of putting Hamilton on base all night long tonight. The way these Rangers manufacture runs, I don't think he should've given us four extra baserunners or put that much pressure on his pitchers.
I think it showed a lack of confidence in not only his pitching, but his hitting. The Yankees starting pitching ERA was approaching 6 in the second half of the season. Javier Vazquez and A.J. Burnett were complete busts. They didn't have bad seasons, they were so bad the Yankees did everything they could to keep them off the mound. Phil Hughes was really good in the first half, just as bad in the second. That left an aging Pettitte and Sabathia. That's tough to overcome no matter how good the offense.
But I don't think anyone saw the Yankee offense wilting. For me, the biggest surprise and the biggest question going into next season. I'm sure they'll fix the pitching with free agents, but I'm guessing they'll assume the offense just hit a slump at the wrong time. I could be wrong. (some Yankee stats)
The game is still played on the field, and teams with smaller payrolls find ways to compete
So what you're saying is because the Yankees only got within 2 games of the WS this proves that payroll isn't a huge advantage?
Please go back to the previous thread on this topic and show me where anyone claimed that the Yankees could guarantee a championship through payroll. I'll save you the time, no one did. If you're going to rehash an old argument, make sure you actually state the opposing side correctly instead of framing in a way that makes you appear right.
Better yet, go read this column by Joe Posnanski and then tell me if the Yankees not winning the WS every year has anything to do with his argument.
This is the way baseball is structured, and we have reached a point where people simply don't want to hear any griping about it. Don't like it? Don't watch. Some people have stopped watching, I suppose. But many of us keep on because we love baseball and there's enough randomness in the game itself and enough volatility in the playoffs to distract us from the lunacy of having the game so ridiculously tilted toward one team.
You can argue that it will never change, so why talk about it. You can argue that it's good for baseball, because a winning Yankee team is good for baseball. But almost every single year, almost without exception, the Yankees are in the running. Pointing to a Yankees team that ONLY came within 2 games of the WS as prove payroll isn't a big reason is nonsense.
If you're trying to prove the Yankees can't guarantee a WS victory no matter what they spend, job well done.
For someone that's tired of the subject, it's strange that you would bother commenting in the previous thread, and then be the first to introduce the topic in this thread as well without a single comment on the actual series.
posted by justgary at 01:34 AM on October 24, 2010
For someone that's tired of the subject, it's strange that you would bother commenting in the previous thread, and then be the first to introduce the topic in this thread as well without a single comment on the actual series.
Not that strange. Others post entire stories and threads on the same topic year after year, ones that generally get a great deal of response with the same rationale. You seem to want to blame me and other fans of teams with large payrolls for the state of baseball currently that seems to stomp on the Pittsburghs and Kansas City(s), when my point all along has been that the entire issue is caused by the players themselves. The same Cliff Lee and Vlad Guerrero that show up in Texas and help push them over the top and into the World Series are some of the same players that are represented by a union they'll fight to the death supporting because it gives them the luxury of being able to create bidding for their services. The game of baseball and it's players want it this way, so the fact Yankee fans like myself feel the need to defend them whether they win or lose is, I guess, the way it will always be. I apologize for bringing the topic up in this thread, but sometimes I feel I'm the only one who recognizes the fact other teams are winning games and making it to the World Series. I understand the system makes it easier for the Yankees and other large-market teams (except the Cubs) to put themselves in position to win year after year, but a team with a small payroll this year was able to make a move to get one player (Lee) that seemed to swing the balance of power and cause them to be in position to win a championship. Don't discard the idea that good play, talent, and solid personnel decisions can and does trump large paychecks many times. Myself not commenting on the actual series in this thread is due to the same feelings I conveyed in the previous thread we are referring to: I felt the Yankees didn't match up well with Texas, and with Lee on the staff didn't see any way they were going to win this series. My case was made on the field of play.
posted by dyams at 08:01 AM on October 24, 2010
... the entire issue is caused by the players themselves.
The players didn't create the situation in which local revenue makes some teams rich and some teams poor. I guess they share the blame for not accepting a salary cap.
Don't discard the idea that good play, talent, and solid personnel decisions can and does trump large paychecks many times.
The Yankees have reached the playoffs 15 out of the past 16 years. They won the World Series 5 times over that span. They're either managing their team better than anybody else -- by a large margin -- or there's a significant competitive advantage to their payroll. I have trouble believing that if the Yankees traded their front office to the Royals, the Royals would be playoff perennials.
I think there was a tipping point in baseball when the salary disparity became so huge that the Yankees were all but assured a playoff berth. Other teams can compete with the Yankees in the playoffs with the shortened rotations and hot bats, but they're practically in a league of their own during the regular season.
posted by rcade at 09:21 AM on October 24, 2010
You seem to want to blame me and other fans of teams with large payrolls for the state of baseball currently
So payroll in baseball doesn't really matter and when we point out the Yankee payroll we are actually putting all the blame on the fans. Is that what you are saying?
posted by tron7 at 12:19 PM on October 24, 2010
Never said payroll doesn't really matter. I'm saying there seems to be individuals who want to argue a point that neither baseball or the players playing the game give a damn about. Major league baseball created the issue, and as long as money is being made, they could give a damn if the small market teams win or lose. It doesn't hurt their case when teams such as the Rangers and Giants march into the World Series.
I'm all for a salary cap in the sport. It'll never happen though. Baseball and the guys playing don't want anything to do with solutions for the disparity, so the only ones seemingly bothered by it are fans.
posted by dyams at 01:18 PM on October 24, 2010
That's only because the television broadcasts shove the Yankees down the nation's throat at every opportunity.
Well, we now have a direct year-on-year comparison between the audience for a Phillies-Yankees World Series and a Giants-Rangers one. I have no love for the Yankees (or Phillies) but I suspect the raw numbers will show that the nation's throat isn't entirely unwilling. (Though you can certainly argue that the national appeal of certain teams comes from the big sports media orgs pushing them.)
posted by etagloh at 07:14 PM on October 24, 2010
Don't forget the overseas market. Out here all we ever seem to get are Yankees or Red Sox games. That creates it's own marketing strategy, so a Yankees-less World Series reduces the recognition/worth watching factor for the marginal fan in most of Asia and the Pacific.
posted by owlhouse at 11:30 PM on October 24, 2010
You seem to want to blame me and other fans of teams with large payrolls for the state of baseball currently that seems to stomp on the Pittsburghs and Kansas City(s).
Not sure where you got that from. I don't blame you. I don't blame the Yankees, or Yankee fans. I don't expect you to abandon your team because of their payroll. I'm a Red Sox fan, remember? After the 2004 WS I heard a lot of "now the Red Sox are just like the Yankees, they bought a championship".
Doesn't matter to me. They're right, the Red Sox do spend a lot of money to be successful. But that's the system. The Red Sox did not create the system (nor did the Yankees).
But I do find it an interesting topic, and I disagree, much like the opinion of the article I linked, I don't believe it's over discussed. It's rarely seriously talked about. Other than a snide remark or two I never see anything on espn on the topic. Yankee sites almost never touch the subject, but they do talk a lot about Mystique and Aura and Yankee pride. Payroll is an advantage that actually exists.
I agree with you, payroll discussion in game threads is tiring, and old. Keeping payroll discussion in a thread ON that topic is much more preferable. If someone is tired of the topic, they can skip the thread. A couple of threads a year on payroll discrepancies isn't exactly running the topic into the ground.
It doesn't hurt their case when teams such as the Rangers and Giants march into the World Series.
That's where we disagree. It does hurt an argument that the Yankees can buy a World Series. It doesn't hurt the argument that the Yankees / Red Sox buy their way into contention every year. The fact that the Rays have competed well over the last few years is in spite of the payroll discrepancy. It makes a great story; it doesn't mean payroll isn't important in winning.
We're lucky that baseball is a sport where a short series levels the playing field, where one hot pitcher can shut down a great lineup, where slumps happen to the most talented teams. Otherwise, the sport would be in trouble.
posted by justgary at 01:54 AM on October 26, 2010
Just saw the last 5 innings here. Well done, Monsieur Cadenhead.
Unfortunately it wasn't a good early birthday present for one particular Yankees fan.