BASE-BALL

[amroad17]

As a Yankee fan, the Derek Jeter injury is really going to keep the Yankees from having a realistic shot at the World Series.  I'll keep pulling for them, but my hopes aren't too high.  A-Rod isn't hitting a lick, Nick Swisher isn't hitting, nor is the Grandy Man.  It's a shame that any of them aren't on the streak Raul Ibanez is on.
Cincinnati picked a fine time not to play well at home.  Baserunning mistakes (Brandon Phillips in the first inning of Game 3), in which I heard Marty Brennaman say on the radio, "I hope this doesn't come back to haunt the Reds", an ill-timed passed ball and error (also in Game 3), and a failure to hit in critical situations doomed the team.  Congrats to the Giants in a series in which no team won at home.
Was this the first time all four divisional series went to the full five games?

[Takumi]

As a Yankee fan, the Derek Jeter injury is really going to keep the Yankees from having a realistic shot at the World Series.  I'll keep pulling for them, but my hopes aren't too high.  A-Rod isn't hitting a lick, Nick Swisher isn't hitting, nor is the Grandy Man.  It's a shame that any of them aren't on the streak Raul Ibanez is on.

The Orioles-Yankees ALDS was poor offensively for both sides. Reynolds, Wieters, Jones, and pretty much everyone besides Nate McLouth struggled for the O's.

Was this the first time all four divisional series went to the full five games?

Yes.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

The Giants have beaten the Cardinals 12-1 to tie the NLCS 1-1. Next game is on Wednesday in St. Louis.

[amroad17]

Ever notice when the Cardinals win 83, 89, or 90 games and make the playoffs as a wild-card team that they seem to win the World Series?  Of course, they have one of the better-run organizations in MLB.

I know, the Cardinals won the NL Central in 2006 with an 83-78 record and beat Detroit in that year's World Series.  Could we see a rematch this year?

[Beltway]

It doesn't really matter, anyway. The days of free TV are gone now that the signal has been switched to digital, nobody makes TVs with rabbit ears anymore, and the antenna hookups have been removed from a lot of old buildings and aren't installed in new ones.

I do not have TV service in my apartment at all because I am not paying for cable. There is no hookup available for free TV, or for satellite, and I as a lowly tenant cannot put one in.

I get free TV over the air in my city ... ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and 2 other UHF stations.

[1995hoo]

It doesn't really matter, anyway. The days of free TV are gone now that the signal has been switched to digital, nobody makes TVs with rabbit ears anymore, and the antenna hookups have been removed from a lot of old buildings and aren't installed in new ones.

I do not have TV service in my apartment at all because I am not paying for cable. There is no hookup available for free TV, or for satellite, and I as a lowly tenant cannot put one in.

You don't need to have a TV "made with" rabbit ears to use rabbit ears. You can buy a UHF/VHF antenna at a store like Best Buy for around $15 and get decent performance out of it if you live an an area with strong enough signals. We have two TVs connected to DirecTV and two for which we use this type of RCA antenna; the two for which we use the antennas are located in the master bedroom and guest room and we just don't watch them enough to make it worth the money to connect them to DirecTV. Mostly we use the master bedroom one for the 11:00 news each night, though sometimes I tune in sports on the weekend if I happen to be upstairs. The signal is generally quite good on most stations, nice crisp 720p image (the TV is a 22-incher that doesn't support 1080i). The only real annoyance is that with digital television the picture breaks up and the audio freezes when you get interference, as opposed to the snow and static most of us experienced when we adjusted the built-in rabbit ears when we were growing up.

[amroad17]

Well, my Yankees stave off elimination.............by NOT PLAYING!!

[MDOTFanFB]

As a Yankee fan, the Derek Jeter injury is really going to keep the Yankees from having a realistic shot at the World Series.  I'll keep pulling for them, but my hopes aren't too high.  A-Rod isn't hitting a lick, Nick Swisher isn't hitting, nor is the Grandy Man.  It's a shame that any of them aren't on the streak Raul Ibanez is on.
Cincinnati picked a fine time not to play well at home.  Baserunning mistakes (Brandon Phillips in the first inning of Game 3), in which I heard Marty Brennaman say on the radio, "I hope this doesn't come back to haunt the Reds", an ill-timed passed ball and error (also in Game 3), and a failure to hit in critical situations doomed the team.  Congrats to the Giants in a series in which no team won at home.
Was this the first time all four divisional series went to the full five games?

And that has just helped my Tigers to advance to the World Series for the 11th time and win the AL pennant!   

[amroad17]

Yes, and congrats!    

A team that hit .188 in the postseason (after tonight's debacle) doesn't deserve to go to the World Series.  The Yankees have many questions that need to be addressed this off-season, especially what to do about A-Rod. 

I'll be pulling for the Tigers to win this year's Series.

[Alps]

Yes, and congrats!    

A team that hit .188 in the postseason (after tonight's debacle) doesn't deserve to go to the World Series.  The Yankees have many questions that need to be addressed this off-season, especially what to do about A-Rod. 

I'll be pulling for the Tigers to win this year's Series.

I don't have any dogs in this fight anymore, but I agree, the Yankees did everything in their power to lose and Detroit took full advantage. I have no issue with the Tigers going on to win it all. I don't need to feel "we got beaten by the best" because the Yankees could have been beaten by the worst just as easily the way they played.

[kurumi]

Congrats Detroit... hopefully you will have the opportunity to try for a Bay Area postseason sweep (A's and Giants); and hopefully you will come up just short. :-)

[triplemultiplex]

I'll be pulling for the Tigers to win this year's Series.

Same here, especially if the NLCS keeps going like it has.

You see when the Cardinals ended Milwaukee's playoff run in last year's NLCS, it was especially bitter since that was the same team that defeated the Brewers in the '82 World Series.  And 2011 was probably the best shot Milwaukee was going to have at finally winning a World Series.  The same team denies you your first title twice and that team has the second most all time to boot.

With ex-Brewer Prince Fielder back in the playoffs this year as a Tiger, I feel like them doing well will avenge our defeat by proxy.  And if it turns out they have to defeat the Cardinals to do that, well that would just be poetic justice.  And with the Cards up 3-1 going into tonight's game 5, it seems like the Tigers might have to.

So go Detoit!  And screw you, David Freese; playing great again this October just like last year. 

[Duke87]

I don't have any dogs in this fight anymore, but I agree, the Yankees did everything in their power to lose and Detroit took full advantage. I have no issue with the Tigers going on to win it all. I don't need to feel "we got beaten by the best" because the Yankees could have been beaten by the worst just as easily the way they played.

It's not just that. The Yankees notoriously never play well against Detroit and have never beaten them in the postseason (though, since they used to be in the same division, this is only the third time that matchup has occured).

The series against Baltimore exhausted them and they just didn't have the oomph after that.

And of course, Jeter being injured and A-Rod not performing didn't help anything, either.

[amroad17]

What is Detroit's record in the playoffs vs. the Yankees all-time?  13-3?

[Desert Man]

I await game 7 of the NLCS (checked out the scores late at night) to find the Giants manage to stay alive, and I can't get over the Yankees' swept by the Tigers. Man oh man, talk about an ultimate match of "David and goliath" proportions.

[Henry]

I'll be pulling for the Tigers to win this year's Series.

As will I, because my two most hated teams are playing in Game 7 of the NLCS. As a Cubs and Dodgers fan, I'm putting my hope in the Tigers to win their first championship since 1984.

[NYYPhil777]

Most likely, it will be Tigers vs. Giants. I think the Cardinals' game is through. I'd say Tigers in 5. The Tigers will be almost unstoppable.
Though if the Cardinals do return to the World Series this year, I'll root for Detroit- revenge for 2006!

[amroad17]

Yes, it's a Tigers-Giants World Series!  Go Tigers!

[NYYPhil777]

The Giants whooped the Tigers 8-3. Pablo Sandoval joined Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols as the only players in MLB history to hit three home runs in a World Series game. I knew the Giants would take Game 1 at least, but I was not expecting them to demolish the Tigers tonight like they did the Cardinals in Game 7 of the NCLS.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

Giants win Game 1!!! Proof that not even Verlander could beat us...

[amroad17]

Make that Giants up 2-0.  Looks like the same thing that happened in 2006 with the Tigers is happening this year--a long layoff between winning the ALCS and playing in the Series and then playing poorly.

[NYYPhil777]

2-0... both the score the Giants beat the Tigers by, and the amount of games the Giants and Tigers have won respectively in this series.
We may be on to something about teams that have three and more days of no baseball between their respective CLS and the World Series.
For that, Detroit's game might be through too. I will now change my prediction to Giants in 5, as the Tigers will win October 27, but probably no more.

[corco]

The only real annoyance is that with digital television the picture breaks up and the audio freezes when you get interference, as opposed to the snow and static most of us experienced when we adjusted the built-in rabbit ears when we were growing up.

Which renders free TV all but useless because you have to live in an area with perfect reception to see the channel now

[NYYPhil777]

Make that Giants up 2-0.  Looks like the same thing that happened in 2006 with the Tigers is happening this year--a long layoff between winning the ALCS and playing in the Series and then playing poorly.

In 2006, Detroit won Game 2 (their only win that year's world series). Obviously not this year though.

[NYYPhil777]

And the Giants won Game 3 by 2-0. Chances are, the Giants will sweep the Tigers.