~~2013 MLB WORLD SERIES~~ Cardinals VS Red Sox

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World Series Champion?

  • Boston Red Sox

  • St. Louis Cardinals


Results are only viewable after voting.
Nov 29, 2006
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There's a lot of heart being shown by guys on both teams. Craig, Beltran playing banged up. Buchholz pitching at less than 100%... Victorino going down. Lackey coming out of the pen.

Props to both teams.

Id hope so. Its the last hurrah of the year. Play hard or go home :)
 

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
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The Boston Dangler, thanks for clarifying there is some reasonable limit to which path the baserunner takes.

It wasn't unnecessary, the Sox were playing the lines / no doubles defense. Not surprisingly, the worst announcer on TV didn't recognize that.
Not sure what the fuss is about, McCarver is very good in my book. He's forgotten more baseball knowledge than many viewers know. Buck on the other hand...

As for your assertion, if the Sox were playing no doubles defense, than Napoli doesn't need to be holding Kolten Wong at 1st. Those are not identical. As TBD implied, denying the non-tying run made no strategic sense there. It just happened to work out because they caught Wong leaning the wrong way (he didn't even have a big lead).
 

Sho'Nuff

Diamond Member
Jul 12, 2007
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The Boston Dangler, thanks for clarifying there is some reasonable limit to which path the baserunner takes.


Not sure what the fuss is about, McCarver is very good in my book. He's forgotten more baseball knowledge than many viewers know. Buck on the other hand...

McCarver might know baseball, but he is the biggest douche commentator in a sea of douchey commentators. Personally, I think he is the Jon Madden of baseball commentators. Its only a matter of time until he starts saying stuff like "Its a good thing the centerfielder was there to catch the ball, else that would have been a hit."

FWIW - I'm not the only one with this opinion: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2013/oct/26/tim-mccarver-world-series-2013
 
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manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
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McCarver might know baseball, but he is the biggest douche commentator in a sea of douchey commentators. Personally, I think he is the Jon Madden of baseball commentators. Its only a matter of time until he starts saying stuff like "Its a good thing the centerfielder was there to catch the ball, else that would have been a hit."

FWIW - I'm not the only one with this opinion: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2013/oct/26/tim-mccarver-world-series-2013
Well the dislike is clear from ATOT alone. Although your article headline is "Why World Series caller Tim McCarver is hated but should be respected". Saying he might know baseball is like saying David Ortiz can hit a little.

Just because he's sharing a lot (excessive?) of analysis doesn't mean we should dislike him IMO. The tweets in that article appear to be casual fans who would rather not hear an old timer breakdown a simple game in such detail. But that hardly makes him douchey. I don't know how you'd compare McCarver to Madden's "BOOM!" style of commentating. Two opposite ends of the spectrum.

I still remember vividly him calling the LuGo walk-off Series winner vs Mo Rivera. Sure McCarver probably got a little lucky but just the stones to even suggest how a left-handed batter would get to Mo is impressive. This is back when Rivera was automatic in the postseason and his cutter murdered lefties.
 

Sho'Nuff

Diamond Member
Jul 12, 2007
6,211
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Well the dislike is clear from ATOT alone. Although your article headline is "Why World Series caller Tim McCarver is hated but should be respected". Saying he might know baseball is like saying David Ortiz can hit a little.

Just because he's sharing a lot (excessive?) of analysis doesn't mean we should dislike him IMO. The tweets in that article appear to be casual fans who would rather not hear an old timer breakdown a simple game in such detail. But that hardly makes him douchey. I don't know how you'd compare McCarver to Madden's "BOOM!" style of commentating. Two opposite ends of the spectrum.

I still remember vividly him calling the LuGo walk-off Series winner vs Mo Rivera. Sure McCarver probably got a little lucky but just the stones to even suggest how a left-handed batter would get to Mo is impressive. This is back when Rivera was automatic in the postseason and his cutter murdered lefties.

I don't dislike McCarver's analysis. I played DIV. IA college ball (full disclosure - I red shirted and was on the fall practice squad before suffering a career ending injury) and so I appreciate that most or all of what he says is spot on. What I dislike is his presentation of that analysis. Hard to describe what exactly it is about his presentation, but his voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me. "Condescending Kindly Grandpa" is how I would describe his presentation.

More generally, it irritates me to no end how Fox sports has fallen in love with the slow mo/stop cam - particularly when reviewing pitches.

As for me saying that McCarver "might" know baseball - you missed the context. My point was that even if he knows baseball (which he clearly does), he presents it in such a god damned irritating fashion that I would rather watch the game without the sound.

Re: the comparison to madden - my point was that like madden, McCarver tends to call out the obvious. But maybe some of the stuff that is obvious to me is not obvious to the general WS crowd.
 
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Poulsonator

Golden Member
Aug 19, 2002
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lackey coming out of the pen might be an issue for game 6

It was his day for a side throwing session, so I doubt it'll affect him in game 6. Besides, his inning last night may turn out to be one of the biggest innings in the whole series.
 

BUTCH1

Lifer
Jul 15, 2000
20,433
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seriously.

getting picked is maybe 20% of that mistake.

The fact that you have BELTRAN at the plate when it happens, though...pathetic.

But it was indeed a clutch pick--insane, even.

poor bastard, pinch running and all that.

Well Uehara has a good pickoff move, this isn't his first victim, he should have stayed within 2-3 feet of the bag, tops, Uehara knew he wasn't expecting a pickoff attempt and he fell right into his trap..
 

Poulsonator

Golden Member
Aug 19, 2002
1,597
0
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As for your assertion, if the Sox were playing no doubles defense, than Napoli doesn't need to be holding Kolten Wong at 1st. Those are not identical. As TBD implied, denying the non-tying run made no strategic sense there. It just happened to work out because they caught Wong leaning the wrong way (he didn't even have a big lead).

Why not hold him as well as play the line? That's the beauty of the play, it was two birds with one stone. Plus, it's obvious the Sox staff saw something on Wong and knew they could possibly pick him off.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
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Papi starting right where he left off already. Best post season hitter ever? This fan thinks so.

Reggie, maybe? Papi is up there, though.

By the way, what the hell happened to him--3 seasons ago and then this season? I thought he was long done...
 

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
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Reggie, maybe? Papi is up there, though.

By the way, what the hell happened to him--3 seasons ago and then this season? I thought he was long done...
I hate to be a total rumormonger, but how did Barry Bonds turn from a speedy 4-tool player to the greatest slugger ever in the back half of his career? ;)
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,983
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I hate to be a total rumormonger, but how did Barry Bonds turn from a speedy 4-tool player to the greatest slugger ever in the back half of his career? ;)

:hmm:

well, Ortiz was always humongous. It could be that he was off the juice for a season or two, then back on now, who knows? But I don't think roids make you that good, or really change your game to that degree.

I remember when he first showed up--was it 2003 or 2004? My buddy and I were watching baseball religiously that season--one or two games every night, whatever we could watch.

A Boston game one evening, this giant, evil monster of a man steps up to the plate, looking mean as hell, even dwarfing the umpire hiding behind his armor. ...It was a terrifying sight.
 

manly

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
13,549
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How many homers did Ortiz have this year? Last year?
honestly I'm not accusing Ortiz of anything. He's been a very good player for a while now on a team that I don't normally root against.

But I am saying I believe there are PEDs out there that are untested or currently undetectable. There's too much money available for some athletes not to try to gain an edge.
 

Capt Caveman

Lifer
Jan 30, 2005
34,543
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honestly I'm not accusing Ortiz of anything. He's been a very good player for a while now on a team that I don't normally root against.

But I am saying I believe there are PEDs out there that are untested or currently undetectable. There's too much money available for some athletes not to try to gain an edge.

Sure but you don't see that huge home run numbers from so many players like back in the Bonds days. I think if Ortiz was still on the juice he would be hitting 40+ homers a year.