BASE-BALL

[KeithE4Phx]

IIRC, the last time one side completely shut out the other in a seven-game series before 2019 was the 1991 World Series, in which the home team won all seven times. I remember seeing the late, great Kirby Puckett hitting the walkoff HR off Atlanta's Charlie Leibrandt that denied the Braves a chance to clinch in Minneapolis and set up a marathon Game 7, also won by the Twins. And Jack Buck uttered one of the most famous closing lines: "We will see you tomorrow night!"

Wrong on that one! It was actually the 2001 World Series, with the Diamondbacks and Yankees winning all their home games. But Arizona ended up winning the series, since it had home-field advantage. Coincidentally, this thought just came to me as the current bunch is seeking to end its 22-year absence on the big stage.

And that is exactly what they did.  The D'backs and Rangers meet in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night.  Nobody thought the D'backs would get in at all (the Reds and Cubs had to choke for them to make it), let alone get to the Big Dance.

[Big John]

Saw a blurb that every team that knocked the Brewers out of a playoff series has made it to the World Series.

It is true. The D-Backs have quite a streak to uphold.

1982 - lost in World Series to Cardinals
2008 - lost in NLDS to Phillies (won WS)
2011 - lost in NLCS to Cardinals (won WS)
2018 - lost in NLCS to Dodgers (lost WS)
2019 - lost in NLWCG to Nationals (Won WS) 
2020 - lost in NLWCS to Dodgers (Won WS)
2021 - lost in NLDS to Braves (Won WS)
2023 - lost in NLWCS to Diamondbacks (TBD)

and the streak continues.

[Buck87]

Saw a blurb that every team that knocked the Brewers out of a playoff series has made it to the World Series.

It is true. The D-Backs have quite a streak to uphold.

1982 - lost in World Series to Cardinals
2008 - lost in NLDS to Phillies (won WS)
2011 - lost in NLCS to Cardinals (won WS)
2018 - lost in NLCS to Dodgers (lost WS)
2019 - lost in NLWCG to Nationals (Won WS) 
2020 - lost in NLWCS to Dodgers (Won WS)
2021 - lost in NLDS to Braves (Won WS)
2023 - lost in NLWCS to Diamondbacks (TBD)

and the streak continues.

Yep.

Also, I realize that I left one off this list by accident, the one that started it all:

1981 - lost in ALDS to Yankees (lost WS)

That means the pattern for the Milwaukee defeating team once they reach the WS has been: L-WWW-L-WWW-TBD. If that pattern hold that means the Dbacks are doomed to lose this series to the Rangers.

However, Arizona does have their own good omen in place to combat this:

In 2001 Randy Johnson hit a bird with a ball during spring training. He was also the starting pitcher for the NL in the All-Star game, which was played in Seattle. The Diamondbacks went on to win the World Series.

In 2023 Zac Gallen hit a bird with a ball during spring training. He was also the starting pitcher for the NL in the All-Star game, which was played in Seattle. The Diamondbacks are in the World Series, result TBD.

[Henry]

Not that it matters now, but 1987 was the first World Series to have one side completely shut out the other (as in the home team winning all seven times). The Twins won all four of their games in Minneapolis, but lost all three in St. Louis.

I'll be rooting for the Rangers to finally break through and win their first-ever World Series. Hopefully, the six-plus decades of heartbreak will all be worth it.

[Max Rockatansky]

The 13 years I had living in Phoenix ought to make my rooting interest clear. 

[Hunty2022]

Astros Manager Dusty Baker is retiring.

[tchafe1978]

I don't have a huge rooting interest in the series this year, even though the D-backs beat my Brewers. I'm just glad there are teams besides the Astros, Braves, or Dodgers in it, and hopefully we'll get a good seven game series.

[Flint1979]

Astros Manager Dusty Baker is retiring.

Good I'm tired of seeing these 70+ year old managers. He should have retired several years ago.

[Flint1979]

The 1987 World Series was rigged due to the Metrodome and them turning fans on and off. I'm so happy that dump is gone what a horrible place to watch a baseball game.

[gonealookin]

A solid group of modern-era broadcasters makes up this year's list of nominees for the Ford C. Frick Award.  Three work in San Francisco and Oakland; Krukow and Kuiper might logically go in as a team.

The 10 finalists for the 2024 Frick Award are: Joe Buck, Joe Castiglione, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Tom Hamilton, Ernie Johnson Sr., Ken Korach, Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper and Dan Shulman.

[tmoore952]

Not that interested in the World Series now that my Phillies have been eliminated. However, it'll be nice this year not to lose a week's worth of evenings, which one especially regrets afterwards if your team loses (as the Phillies did last year).

I generally root for teams that I have not seen win the WS. So this year I am rooting for Texas, since I saw Arizona win in 2001.

I live near DC. But I was not living near DC when the Rangers were the Senators (and for baseball at least, I do not remember that far back anyway) so that is a non-factor for me.

EDIT - Whether or not I have a rooting interest, I do try to watch the last couple innings of WS elimination games. It's nice to be able to knowingly converse (decades later) about sudden WS endings (1993), or unexpected WS endings (2001), or unexpected WS non-endings (1986 and 2011 come to mind). I did not watch the end of 2002 (SF-LA Angels) and I wish I had since that turned very late.

But any engagement I have before that will only occur if I am killing time (e.g., waiting for the 11:00 news).

[Ted$8roadFan]

A solid group of modern-era broadcasters makes up this year's list of nominees for the Ford C. Frick Award.  Three work in San Francisco and Oakland; Krukow and Kuiper might logically go in as a team.

The 10 finalists for the 2024 Frick Award are: Joe Buck, Joe Castiglione, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Tom Hamilton, Ernie Johnson Sr., Ken Korach, Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper and Dan Shulman.

I hope Joe Castiglione and Ernie Johnson in particular get in.

[triplemultiplex]

Series moves to the desert tonight, tied.  Game one was entertaining if you just like baseball and don't have a dog in the fight.  Game two was a lot less dramatic with AZ in control the whole time.

And this made me laugh last week:
https://www.theonion.com/diamondbacks-owner-admits-nothing-will-top-beating-yank-1850964114

[Henry]

Former Senator and Ranger Frank Howard died today at age 87, so this is likely going to motivate the Rangers to win one for him. As for the article, I can believe the Diamondbacks' owner saying that nothing will ever top beating the Yankees in their first time around. If you don't want to click the link, I'll give you the full transcript:

ARLINGTON, TX—When asked about whether he was looking forward to his team's upcoming World Series matchup against the Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick admitted to reporters Friday that nothing would ever top his team beating the New York Yankees right after 9/11. "Sure, winning another World Series would be nice, but it won't hold a candle to winning against that post-9/11 Yankees team that for once had all of America behind them," said Kendrick, adding that he would never forget the looks on the faces of New Yorkers who were searching for something hopeful in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and had those hopes dashed completely. "Honestly, not making it to the World Series for over 20 years has been absolutely worth the wait, given how we took the wind right out of their sails. They had the president come throw out the first pitch and had all this patriotic support because people felt bad for New York for once, and our team went out there and basically stomped on the heart of America. It was the one time people would have been okay with the Yankees winning, and we didn't let them. When Luis Gonzalez hit that bloop single to win Game 7 in a walk-off and we prevented the nation from healing from 9/11 in some small way, well, that's a feeling that no World Series will likely ever eclipse." Kendrick added that beating the Yankees after 9/11 gave him all the satisfaction he needs in a lifetime, and so he doesn't give a shit whether or not the Diamondbacks win this World Series.

(Personally, as a Cubs fan, I'll say that nothing will ever come close to them winning their first World Series in 108 years, and also that because I got to see it occur once in my life, I don't give a shit if the Cubs win any more championships after that.)

[Henry]

And now the Rangers are just one win away from claiming their first title...

[mgk920]

And now the Rangers are just one win away from claiming their first title...

And they can do it at home, while Jerry Jones and the Cowboys can only look on and watch from their nearby digs.

Mike

[Alps]

And now the Rangers are just one win away from claiming their first title...

And they can do it at home, while Jerry Jones and the Cowboys can only look on and watch from their nearby digs.

Mike

I'd rather they run their record streak to 11-0 away.

[Hunty2022]

And now the Rangers are just one win away from claiming their first title...

And they can do it at home, while Jerry Jones and the Cowboys can only look on and watch from their nearby digs.

Mike

I'd rather they run their record streak to 11-0 away.

I'd rather see the Dbacks win on Saturday.

[Henry]

To all the Ranger fans, let's not get too comfortable yet: We all remember what happened to the Yankees when they were just one win away from wrapping up their fourth consecutive title and had two chances to do so in Phoenix...and then the unthinkable happened.

[tmoore952]

To all the Ranger fans, let's not get too comfortable yet: We all remember what happened to the Yankees when they were just one win away from wrapping up their fourth consecutive title and had two chances to do so in Phoenix...and then the unthinkable happened.

Or what happened to the Rangers themselves in 2011. One out (not sure if one strike) away in Game 6, and they lost that game and Game 7.   

Last week I heard Tim Cowlishaw (Dallas panelist on Around the Horn) say that no Dallas area based team has won a championship in Dallas (Stars and Mavericks --> Cowboys of course played neutral site SBs). He would like to see them win the WS (if they win it) at home. But if I was a Ranger fan, especially after what happened in 2011, I'd want them to win ASAP, home or not.

[Hunty2022]

Texas Rangers WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!

[tmoore952]

Congrats to Texas. Glad to see them get that 2011 monkey off their back.

One less team for me to root for due to my having never seen them win a WS.
For me, that is six teams.
Indians (Guardians), Padres, Brewers, Mariners, Rays, Rockies
Only the Indians have won before (last time 1948), and the Indians were very close in 97 and 16.

[KeithE4Phx]

Texas Rangers WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!

Props to them.  Both teams pitched well in this game, but the D'backs just flat out ran out of gas.  But they're young, and will contend again next season.

[Road Hog]

Mariners are the only existing team left that has never even made it to a World Series. Surprising because the 2001 Mariners won 116 games and had one of the greatest regular seasons ever .... and lost to a Yankee team that would drop to the D-backs.

[1995hoo]

Fun stat of the day: With the Texas Rangers' win last night, the Dallas-area team with the longest championship drought is now the Cowboys.